Which AI Dev Tool Should You Pick? (Bolt, Lovable, v0, Cursor)
Right now, you're probably seeing a new AI development tool pop up on your timeline every few days (or even every other day). There's always someone breaking the news about some shiny new tool, which creates a lot of FOMO and analysis paralysis. This can make it hard to take that first step, commit to a tool, and actually start building.
Competition Is Good, But...
This competition between tools is actually really good. Healthy competition brings innovation and new breakthroughs. When one tool does something well, all the other tools scramble to keep up.
But here's the problem: tool selection can easily slip into "productive procrastination." You feel like you're making progress by researching different tools, but it actually stops you from doing what you want to be doing - building something!
The Truth About AI Dev Tools
Realistically, there's not a huge difference between the tools. I could spend an hour going through the pros and cons of each one, but what do we actually want to accomplish? We want to start building stuff, get moving, and get that first win.
The best way to do that is to pick a couple of tools and just jump straight in.
Why I'm Using Bolt.new
As you can see in the video, I'm using Bolt.new. Why?
- Zero setup - It's browser-based, so you don't have to mess with installing packages or dependencies
- Start building in minutes - No local environment nightmares
- Strong AI assistant - Almost like a ChatGPT interface to kick off builds
- Generous free tier - You can get started without entering card details
- Easy deployment - Since it's all in-browser, sharing what you build is super simple
Backend with Supabase
For our backend, we're using Supabase. I won't go into too much detail yet, but essentially, it's the database part of our build. It stores data almost like a spreadsheet.
Supabase is pretty much the front-runner with all these tools and allows us to plug in super easily.
Just Get Started
There are alternatives to these tools - maybe some do certain things better. But it really doesn't matter if we're just trying to get our first win. And let's be honest, does an end user really care about which tool you used?
These tools work, and as you build confidence, you'll be able to easily transition to others if needed. The important thing is that we'll be building in no time.
Instead of getting caught in the analysis paralysis of tool selection, pick something and start creating. That's where the real progress happens.