Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Cursor or an agency: which one?
This comparison is written by Saména, which appears in it; what it says about the others comes from their official pages, checked on 12 November 2026. Lovable, Bolt and Replit let you create a website or an app by chatting with the tool, and Cursor is for people who code. To put one of your company's processes into production, connected to your documents and followed over time, we rank a forward deployed agency first.
- Forward deployed agency (Saména included). Engineers put one specific process into production with your team, then follow it. At Saména, a first agent runs two weeks after the first call.
- Lovable. Websites and web apps built by chatting, no technical skill required, billed in credits.
- Bolt. Apps and websites built by chatting, billed in tokens, from $25 a month.
- Replit. An agent that turns an idea into software, from $20 a month.
- Cursor. A coding agent for developers, from $8 to $200 a month depending on usage.
Lovable, Bolt, Replit and Cursor have one thing in common: you describe what you want and the tool produces code. They do not answer the same person or the same need.
How we compared
| Option | Who it is for | Billing | Who runs it in production and follows it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward deployed agency | A company with one specific process | Setup, then subscription (Saména) | The agency’s engineers |
| Lovable | Anyone, no technical skill required | Credits | You |
| Bolt | Entrepreneurs, marketers, agencies, per its page | Tokens, $0 to $25 a month, Teams $30 per member | You |
| Replit | Beginners to professionals, per its plans | Subscription and credits, Core $20 a month, Pro $100 | You |
| Cursor | People who code | Subscription, $8 to $200 a month, Teams from $30 per user | Your development team |
1. Forward deployed agency (Saména included): the process in production, followed
Engineers build with you the process that saves the most time, on your real documents, put it into production and follow it. At Saména, the first call lasts 30 minutes, is free and carries no commitment, and a first agent runs two weeks later. A person in your company validates before anything is sent.
- Strength: the result is followed, fixed and improved by the people who built it.
- Strength: servers in France, database in the European Union, European models under a no-training contract.
- Limit: you need someone on your side to validate what is built.
- Limit: for a prototype or a website to show this week, these tools are faster.
2. Lovable: a website or web app, right now
Lovable describes itself as “an AI software engineer, which enables anyone to build for the web”. Usage is measured in credits, workspaces have unlimited members and you own your code.
- Strength: the most accessible for someone who does not program.
- Limit: its pricing page does not say where data is hosted.
- Limit: connecting the result to your documents and following it over time is still to do.
3. Bolt: apps and websites by chatting
Bolt introduces itself as “Create stunning apps & websites by chatting with AI”. It is billed in tokens: free up to 1 million tokens a month, $25 a month for Pro, $30 per member per month for Teams. According to its security page, Enterprise and Teams customers under contract are excluded from model training.
- Strength: a free plan to try it, and team plans.
- Limit: the pricing page does not state the hosting region; the Enterprise plan allows deployment in your own AWS or Azure tenant.
- Limit: production and follow-up stay on your side.
4. Replit: an agent that turns an idea into software
Replit’s documentation describes Agent as “Replit’s AI builder and your companion for turning ideas into software”. Core costs $20 a month ($18 billed annually), “for personal projects and simple apps”; Pro costs $100 a month ($90 billed annually), “for commercial and professional builds”.
- Strength: one plan for personal projects and one for professional use.
- Limit: usage is metered in credits, with rules in the pricing page FAQ: check them against your real consumption.
- Limit: following the result over time stays on your side.
5. Cursor: the coding agent for development teams
Cursor describes itself as “a coding agent for building ambitious software”. Plans run from $8 to $200 a month, Teams starts at $30 per user, and third-party model usage “must be purchased separately”. According to its page, Privacy Mode stops your data from being used for training.
- Strength: a full developer tool, with an enterprise plan (SSO, audit logs).
- Limit: it needs a development team to decide, host and maintain.
Our recommendation by case
- A process to put into production, connected to your documents and followed: a forward deployed agency.
- A website or a prototype to show this week: Lovable, Bolt or Replit, depending on the billing that suits you.
- A team of developers that wants to move faster: Cursor.
The two logics combine: a prototype made with one of these tools often becomes the brief for an agency.
Sources, consulted on 12 November 2026
Questions
Lovable, Bolt or Replit: which one should I pick?
All three create apps by chatting with the tool. They differ mostly in billing: credits for Lovable, tokens for Bolt, a subscription plus usage credits for Replit. Compare the cost on your real usage.
Is Cursor made for non-developers?
Its page presents it as a coding agent for building software. Plans run from $8 to $200 a month, and third-party model usage is billed separately.
When should I use an agency instead of these tools?
When the result has to read your documents, run every day, be fixed when an unexpected case arrives and be followed over time. These tools build; an agency puts into production and follows.