No-code tools have particularly started gaining a lot of traction since 2019. Many no-code platforms to choose from, whether you want to build an application or a website or just want a simple tool to manage data. With no code tools, the ability to build amazing applications no longer depends on high-priced developers and huge wait times.
Long gone are the days when you wrote every single line of code manually, for building business IT Applications, digitizing processes or setting automations. That was slow, error-prone, complicated, and not worth the time investment, given the disruptive/continually evolving world we live in that strives for agile delivery.
At first it might seem like a hyped term that your business doesn't really need. That is not true anymore. Today you get a new set of no-code tools almost every month. The no-code movement is booming with innovative applications and websites coming out more frequently than ever before.
Whether these tools are being used to erect new businesses or startups or to automate enterprise workflows and connect disparate systems by customizations, you will want a tool that is designed specifically for your requirements. If you are building a data collection app, you will need a solution where teams can submit data, capture GPS location, images, and signatures on the go, even if they are offline. Next you would want to direct that information somewhere; maybe to a database, a spreadsheet, receive an alert, send out an email or sync with your CRM software.
What is a No-Code Platform?
A no-code development platform is one that uses a visual development environment to create apps using drag and drop and point and click methods to create applications.
Business users without any prior coding experience/knowledge can use no-code platforms to create full-fledged applications. Professional developers can use no-code platforms to speed up their work.
It might sound like a fancy, marketing gimmick right? What if you hit a ceiling with no-code? The truth is, the no-code revolution is here, no-code technology is here, and it is growing bigger every week!
From providing better agility by cutting down on time spent to develop to reducing the money spent on talented, yet expensive developers, no-code platforms free the IT staff from bottlenecks, enable project heads and LoB leaders to innovate solutions without depending on tech support, and empower non-technical founders to have their business up and running faster than ever before.
No-code development tools are hosted on world-class cloud services like Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services. With such big names hosting these services, you can expect enterprise grade security, regardless of the tools you choose to buy. So, in addition to high speed and agility, no-code platforms make for a secure environment to build apps without concerning the IT teams about keeping data confidential and secured.
Reasons to choose No code platform for app development
Empower Citizen Developers- One of the key reasons businesses are choosing a No-code platform is the lack of organisations IT skills or internal capabilities and the associated costs. Organizations with no in-house developers usually outsource application development which inturn is time consuming and usually involves hidden costs. With a no-code platform, businesses enable citizen developers to create software applications easily tailored to their needs without requiring extra resources; applications can be created by any user or citizen developer with a sound knowledge of business requirements and some technical skills.
Easy Change Management- Business requirements are highly dynamic making it very difficult for developers to modify code to incorporate any changes. No-code platforms make it easier to make changes in apps or improve their functionality unlike traditional application development methods. No-code platforms help organizations to reduce their IT backlogs by optimizing the application development process. Users can quickly iterate, modify and test the prototypes in real time and can automate business processes to increase productivity and efficiency.
Faster time-to-market- No-code platforms have the ability to develop and deploy business applications within a few minutes or a few hours. Compared to conventional ways of app development, no code considerably reduces application development time, and delivers apps faster. In traditional methods of app development, developers write code in some programming language to build an application. On the other hand no code platforms provide intuitive drag and drop builder to build or customize business applications.
We have curated the best 5 no-code tools for you to evaluate and get more done in less time
Quickbase
DronaHQ
Salesforce Lightning
Zoho Creator
Mendix
Quickbase - one for the IT teams
Targeted towards coders and developers, quickbase is a no-code platform focused on building databases used in business applications that reduces the use of manual spreadsheet/data collection work through automation. While it ranks among the best no-code builders to create apps without coding, Quickbase empowers [requires] the IT users with easy monitoring capabilities to keep a watch on the apps built on the platform for auditing and validation.
As the platform is relatively a new entrant in the no-code space, it is still maturing towards a refined state, the learning curve is rather steep and there may be a few runs to the IT department. Nevertheless, the platform is highly flexible to build apps rapidly with easy point and click customizations.
DronaHQ - Build [production-grade] Business Apps at Rapid Speed || DronaHQ - all about building business applications at rapid speed
DronaHQ is a robust no-code platform to build custom business applications at speed. With a 12 year legacy of enterprise mobility solutions, DronaHQ is a secure platform for business developers, citizen developers and professional developers to build, deploy and manage custom applications.
In addition to a cloud-based drag and drop builder, the platform comes with a spreadsheet-like database to give business developers an easy-to-interact-with tool to build their apps. Customers say the platform is ideal for a fast time-to-market and then scaling the app as per changing requirements or adding additional features and capabilities.
Salesforce Lightning- The future of Sales and CRM
Salesforce Lightning provides a platform for the IT and business users to create mobile applications using no-code builders and pro-code tools. It offers a rich library of easily customizable components and allows you to drag and drop modules to build responsive applications.
It enables users to apply custom themes and branding to create personalised applications. It offers features like adding analytics, AI & IoT, and integration with Salesforce & third-parties to build smarter and more scalable business applications
If you want to create stunning CRM applications backed by AI and IoT abilities then salesforce lightning could be an answer for you.
Zoho Creator - All about Workflows & Business Process Automation
A preferred choice of small and mid-sized companies, Zoho Creator is one of the few no-code platforms that offers a huge array of features for business developers to digitize simple workflows. Zoho Creator offers a lot of ready application templates to use along with reliable data security, a feature Zoho Creator prides itself on - extensive features for sharing and protecting your data. Zoho Creator will have a different, more stripped down feel as compared to others on the list.
Zoho Creator is a cost-effective platform if you have to build simple applications that do not involve complex workflows.
Mendix - Speeding up development with a team
Low code platform Mendix is a powerful platform for large enterprise businesses to build applications faster as a service tool. Mendix aims not only at people without tech skills, but at the professional developers as well with its Studio IDE. Designed to accelerate enterprise app delivery across the application development’s entire lifecycle, Mendix offers both no-code web-based studio for business domain experts and low-code desktop-based studio for professional developers.
The Mendix App Platform enables companies to quickly build web and mobile apps, integrate them seamlessly, deploy them instantly, manage them centrally, and maintain them effortlessly on an ongoing basis.
Bubble: a code-free programming language that lets you build and host web applications without software engineers.
Glide: a no-code tool to create a mobile app from a Google Sheet in five minutes, for free.
Adalo: a platform to create apps the same way you would create a slide deck.
Voiceflow: a tool to create voice apps for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, without code.
Thunkable: an easy way to build mobile applications by dragging and dropping elements.
Bubble gives aspiring app developers a visual set of components to assemble and launch fully functioning end products. A lot of options for functional customization makes Bubble a powerful tool for software development and building apps.
Bubble allows anyone who has an idea to build, prototype, and launch it into the world. No code opens the gateway for creatives to make their dreams happen, no matter what their skill sets may be.