Bolt.new launches Forge for Pro users with open models

Bolt.new has launched Bolt Forge for individual Pro subscribers. The new mode offers 50 times more usage on open-source models at no extra cost.

The move targets developers facing rising charges for closed AI models accessed through proprietary application programming interfaces. Built by StackBlitz, Bolt.new says the initiative is designed to lower cost barriers and address concerns about dependence on a single vendor.

Forge is available as a selectable mode in the platform's model picker. It runs on several open models, including GLM 5.3 Flash, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek v4Pro and Kimi, which is listed as an experimental option.

Users who opt in share anonymised session data with Arcee AI. The data is then used to help train what the companies describe as a trillion-parameter-class open-weight model.

The project is framed as a direct exchange. Participants receive higher usage allowances on open models, while the resulting training data contributes to a model intended for public release, download, inspection and self-hosting.

Eric Simons set out the rationale for the launch.

"With Forge, you forge your own products and businesses," said Eric Simons, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Bolt.new. "And by building, you're helping the world forge capable open-weight models. A year ago, a lot of these builders didn't have the purchasing power to do this at all. Arming them is the whole point."

The initiative reflects a wider debate in the software industry over the economics of AI development tools. Developers have increasingly complained about the cost of using premium closed models, particularly when projects require repeated prompts, iterations and testing.

By contrast, open-weight models can be downloaded and run independently, giving users more control over deployment and hosting. That has made them attractive to developers and companies looking to limit ongoing usage fees and reduce dependence on major model providers.

Data trade

Consent is built into the product interface rather than hidden in terms and conditions. Users must opt in each time they switch to Forge, and they can leave the programme at any time.

Shared sessions are anonymised before leaving Bolt.new's infrastructure, with sensitive and personal information stripped out. The company says it also validates the pipeline against seeded test data. Teams and enterprise workspaces are excluded from Forge and from all data collection.

A signed data processing agreement governs the transfer of data to Arcee AI. Under the partnership, Arcee can access anonymised sessions generated during the model's initial training window.

Mark McQuade, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arcee AI, linked the effort to the open-model movement.

"When a model's weights are open, capability stops being something you rent," said Mark McQuade, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Arcee AI. "Models trained on Forge are released to the public, so anyone can download and run them, including the builders whose work made them better. Widening who gets to build software starts with widening who owns the models, and open-source models belong to everyone."

That message is likely to resonate with developers who want more direct ownership of the tools they rely on. It also places Bolt.new among a growing group of software providers using open models to compete with services built around paid access to closed systems.

Product limits

Forge usage is displayed as a single monthly bar with no daily limits. Access ends once a user reaches 100 per cent of their allowance.

Premium modes remain separate from Forge and are not part of the data-sharing arrangement. That distinction may matter for users who want to keep some development work private while using Forge for less sensitive projects.

Bolt.new describes itself as an AI-based platform for full-stack web development, where users can build, run and deploy applications through natural language prompts. The wider platform also integrates with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 for larger organisations, though those workspaces are not part of the Forge programme.

For Arcee AI, the partnership provides a stream of real-world developer sessions that could improve model training with practical software-building tasks. For Bolt.new, it offers a way to expand access for individual users without adding direct charges to the Pro plan.

The central proposition is that the output of the exchange will not remain behind a proprietary wall. As McQuade put it, "Models trained on Forge are released to the public, so anyone can download and run them, including the builders whose work made them better."