Nocode tools comparison: App builders, APIs, Landing Page, Vertical Software
Hey 👋
It's easy to get overwhelm with all the options in the nocode-sphere. After 1 year in the community and after testing all kinds of integrations I think I have some interesting insights to share. Let's get to the nocode tools comparison.
TLDR;
- Vertical software
- App builders
- Zap-like automations
- UI + API
- Prod-like
Tier 1: Vertical software
In General when you are up to a specific niche, maybe you validate an idea through the means of Facebooks ads or you find a niche forum that is looking a very particular problem a Vertical software solution looks very promising. This solutions are ready-made software that are sold in a similar fashion as franchises do in the food space. These nocode tools are optimized to a high degree, ready for all common problems that are faced in particular industry but mostly restricted to that. They usually have high costs but that may not be a problem as its best to go with the when you have some niche or waiting customers for your services that can out-weight the costs.
Options
- Sharetribe ($79/mo)
- Substack (free)
- Youtube (free)
- Shopify ($30/mo)
- Yelo ($69/mo)
Things to build
- Marketplaces
- Communities
- Paid Content
- Ecommerce sites
Tier 2: App builders
In General App builders are all in one solutions to build a web or mobile app. The differ from Vertical software as they are generic platform that are not optimized for one use. That means they require more work for a particular use case but at the same time they are more open to custom solutions. The drawback of App builders is that the require a significant time investment in building the exact services you want without the chance to get your service out of the platform. At the same time you have no control of pricing and fees.
Options
Things to build
- Marketplaces
- Paid content
- with more customizations than Vertical Software
Tier 3: Zap-like automations
In General Zapier is a visual system that connects systems in an event based manner. For example you can have a user created in your Airtable database when a webflow form is submitted or payment go through Stripe when a customer pressed the "pay" button. They were the leading platform in the #nocode movement a few months ago as the provided the first approachable way to connect various components without code. The drawback here is Zapier pricing that is nowhere near affordable (even the automate.io is still out of reach for most) and the the fact that you need to understand more than one platform to build your underlying product. Yet, this can be a good thing, you get the chance to reduce reliance on a single platform and start to understand software systems without learning to code!
Options
- Webflow ($12/mo) / Squarespace ($12/mo) / Wix ($10/mo) + Zapier ($129/mo) / Automate.io ($49/mo) + Firebase (free) / Airtable ($10/mo) / Memberstack ($25/mo)
Things to build
- Marketplaces
- Paid Content
- with more customizations than Vertical Software
Tier 4: UI builder + API
In General this is the tier that things start to get serious. Since you will be using a proper API you will start to understand how enterprise level applications are build without digging into the code. With this stack you won't have to choose between the speed and polish or Tier 1/2 and the flexibility of Tier 3. You can have a native-grade speed app or website. You can get a UI/UX designer or make the investment and polish the site yourself. You can build more complex interactions without the limits of vertical software or App Builders. You can have all of that with such Nocode tools. At the same time this stack provides the flexibility of swapping frontends without any disruption (if you do the work to rebuild in a new frontend) and the possibility to swap backends back you will need to hire someone to do it for you if you don't code. Lastly, they enable you to integrate services you need with webhooks which means that you can send push notifications with OneSignal or emails with Mailchimp.
Options
- UI Bakery ($15/mo) / Draftbit (invite) + Firebase (free) / Memberstack ($25/mo) / Busywork ($38/mo)
Things to build
- All the above
- Custom tools
Tier 5: Prod-like
In General this is the hall of fame of nocode tools. You can have all greatness describe in Tier 4 plus 1 extra thing that takes it to a whole new level. You can have any function that is impossible to build with #nocode build with code and plug it in your #nocode app. Imaging connecting to an advanced TensorFlow model or some complex payment logic or an event logging system. If you know how to code that's great otherwise you can hire a developer off upwork to do the job for you. They will feel at home since they will be using the database systems that they are used to. With this stack the only limitations is your imagination (cliche).
Options
- UI Bakery ($15/mo) / Draftbit (invite) + NoCodeApi ($12/mo) + Airtable ($10/mo)
- UI Bakery ($15/mo) / Draftbit (invite) + Diagram (20$/mo) + EasyDB (free) / MongoDB (free)
Things to build
- All the above
- Custom tools
