No code app builders?
Edward Park
21 replies
Hello PH familia -
I’ve heard about no code app builders like Bubble and a few others, but haven't really tried out. I’m curious if those are useful in real life - especially when it’s compared to the “building with codes.” Can you share your experiences with those and if you can recommend to others?
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![Justin Hopkins](https://ph-avatars.imgix.net/3275380/original.png?auto=compress&codec=mozjpeg&cs=strip&auto=format&w=36&h=36&fit=crop)
Justin Hopkins@justin_hopkins
If you are talking about mobile apps in particular - the iOS App Store guidelines mention that they usually reject apps made with boilerplate templates, so just a heads up.
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@justin_hopkins Justin! Thanks so much for letting me know about the guidelines. I'm building iOS app and this is helpful.
If you want just to create a website/blog, then It is no better that WordPress comparing to these tools IMHO.
The infrastructure and marketplace is there already and you don't need to code to create a website for a long time already.
Now pick any website from bubble showcase and try to test performance (loading speed). These are poor performing websites. If it takes 10 seconds for a website to load, then by that time all customers will be gone.
I am not expert in these "no code" builders and they may have neat features. But only looking at the landing pages and making couple simple tests I see no reason to move to these platforms.
A little run down
If you are looking to create a website: weebly, wordpress and the other popular ones
Social media like site: Mighty networks , tribe, disqourse etc
a great app builder is adalo: they have the best templates yet product hunt template, facebook etc
other generic builders are:
Glide
webflow
backendless
@repreneur thanks so much for the names that I haven't tried yet! glad to know weebly, mighty networks, tribe. and adalo too! so many things to try.
@edward_park_ Yeah to help, MicroCode offers Tutorials on how to build almost any software you can think about: https://microcode.mn.co/
Really depends on what you're trying to do. As others have said for pure static website building then things like wordpress, weebly, etc are still really useful. Or you could even use a simple landing page bulding tool if you're looking for something simpler.
But if you're looking to build something with more dynamic/interactive functionality then some of the no code platforms can be really useful. I've used bubble in the past to build quick prototypes for tools that require a fair amount of interactivity and I like it a lot. Webflow is great for more heavily designed sites, but there are some limitations in things like creating databases.
You can also use tools like airtable in pretty interesting ways to build together a fair bit of functionality really quickly.
At the end of the day I like them mostly for MVP building, but would usually move onto building a more complete product with code, but it really depends on what you're building and the level of complexity.
If you are trying to build no code widgets like calculators, outcome quizzes, e-commerce recommendations, chatbots, Outgrow.co is one sure app you are going to like! They have a bunch of premades for all the kinds of industries and its actually simple to create interactive content with the tool!
Hello! I’ve been relying on google forms so far to conduct user tests and interviews and now, I’m looking to build a very simple minimum viable product as requested by a couple of potential investors. Can anyone suggest me some no-code app builders? Preferably for a marketplace/food delivery type app. Thank you! https://blossomfurnishings.com/a...
Otherwise, do startups typically look for freelancers to build their apps if they have yet to hire engineers?
@poojasawant14 thanks Pooja for your input. I think it really depends on the project, company, and the situations around the project you're running. I've seen some using freelancers and I've seen some hiring and working directly.
Hello :). At Sparrow Ventures where we build companies, we are increasingly using no-code apps to build our MVPs. So far we had success using Bubble for a variety of apps like a Telemed Pet solution. We used Adalo a little bit for mobile app development but ended up building the solution in React-Native. If you are looking to build something very simple, consider using Glide which is a neat way of using Google sheet with their no-code mobile app builder - I did one internal company project on this in like a few hours. Additionally, we use Shopify for e-commerce and increasingly moving from Wordpress to Webflow for landing page tests and for even more complex products.
@alexbthomsen Alex! Thanks so much for your input here. I'd love to try Bubble and Glide. I think Shopify is a great tool for e-comm projects.
What are you trying to build? There's tons of options that can take you a long way. Happy to help you pick one.
@edward_park_ What are the requirements? Will it need to connect to an API? Will it use the phone's native capabilities like GPS, camera, notifications, contacts, etc? Will it handle payments? These requirements and constraints are the main consideration for the tool you will pick.
@dkaravias Got it. Thanks for the helpful questions and guidance. It may need to connect to a few APIs to calendar and Zapier. Need to use notifications. No payments needed.
Greetings! I've been using Google Forms for user tests and interviews, but now, I'm eager to create a basic minimum viable product (MVP) as per the requests of some potential investors. Could anyone recommend some no-code app builders, ideally suited for a smart home application? Thank you in advance! https://www.ismartroom.com