The best no-code platforms compared

Creating websites and apps used to require writing code. Spe­cial­ised knowledge, dis­tinct­ive skills and ex­per­i­ence were needed, which could only be achieved by working in the field for many years. Now there is a solution in the form of no-code platforms, which were created to make the job easier. We explain how they work and present a selection of the best no-code platforms.

What are no-code platforms?

Unlike the low-code approach which requires some knowledge of coding, no-code platforms allow you to build websites and apps without writing any code at all.

There is a dif­fer­ence between no-code website builders and no-code app builders:

• No-code website builders are used to create corporate websites, online stores, blogs and port­fo­li­os. The websites run on the platform operator’s server and are displayed in the visitor’s browser.
• No-code app builders are used to create web and mobile apps. The cross-platform de­vel­op­ment approach is usually used, i.e. the app is created according to a single spe­cific­a­tion for several platforms at the same time.

You may already be wondering how no-code platforms actually work if code is not used to specify how the design should look or how apps should work. They usually include graphical tools that allow websites and apps to be created from in­di­vidu­al com­pon­ents using the drag-and-drop feature. Templates are used for the design. AI-based solutions are also in­creas­ingly supported.

Since only the desired result is outlined without a detailed solution path, it is tech­nic­ally a type of de­clar­at­ive pro­gram­ming.

What are the benefits and lim­it­a­tions of no-code platforms?

The main advantage of no-code platforms is that they enable users to create websites and apps without needing any in-depth pro­gram­ming knowledge. This saves you from having to learn how to program and allows you to get by without knowing anything about source code or special code editors.

As practical as no-code tools may be, there are also some quite big lim­it­a­tions. Unlike code that can be read and modified by experts, no-code frame­works hide the un­der­ly­ing com­plex­ity. If a func­tion­al­ity does not exist, it cannot simply be added. This means that even the best no-code platforms are usually limited in terms of cus­tom­isa­tion options regarding design and func­tion­al­ity. It may not be possible to implement important op­tim­isa­tions, es­pe­cially for large projects. This means that you quickly reach the limits of what is possible in terms of re­spons­ive­ness, per­form­ance and SEO.

Even when it comes to sup­port­ing special operating system or browser versions, no-code tools tend to fall by the wayside. This is because the frame­works used are designed to cover as many customer re­quire­ments as possible. Sup­port­ing out­land­ish or obsolete platforms is typically not the operators’ main focus.

Another dis­ad­vant­age of using no-code tools is vendor lock-in because the user is per­man­ently bound to whichever platform the operator uses.

How do you choose the best no-code platform for a project?

The first step is to clarify the target group and ap­plic­a­tion area for the website or app. Decide whether a website, web app, mobile app or desktop app is needed. Work out which functions you require and check whether these will be possible with no-code software. If they are possible, then you can start selecting possible options.

Now it’s time to assess the costs and risks and don’t forget to consider vendor lock-in. Ask yourself if it is possible to deploy a dedicated domain, relocate a server, or export business-critical data with the chosen no-code platform. If the no-code framework allows access to the un­der­ly­ing code when needed, you should be able to expect some flex­ib­il­ity.

The best no-code tools for websites and online stores

Jimdo

Jimdo is one of the oldest no-code website editors on the market. The platform is par­tic­u­larly suitable for in­di­vidu­als and small busi­nesses looking for a simple and straight­for­ward website builder. Jimdo offers an intuitive platform for creating re­spons­ive websites with pro­fes­sion­al templates and built-in SEO tools.

Its ad­vant­ages include the user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop editing as well as support for multiple languages, e-commerce and blogging. In contrast, the design cus­tom­isa­tion options are rather limited. Also, the platform includes less advanced features compared to some com­pet­it­ors.

Jimdo offers a handful of pricing plans, including a free plan with limited features. The paid plans are priced from around £8 to £37 per month.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a no-code website editor, able to create visually appealing, fully re­spons­ive websites and online stores. The platform is par­tic­u­larly suitable for creative pro­fes­sion­als, small busi­nesses and in­di­vidu­als who value design and aes­thet­ics.

Some of the platform’s ad­vant­ages are the intuitive design tools, packed full of in­teg­rated functions for im­ple­ment­ing galleries and port­fo­li­os. Its e-commerce features are con­sidered robust, and hosting and customer support is con­sidered reliable. On the downside, design cus­tom­isa­tion is less flexible and there is only a limited amount of third-party in­teg­ra­tions.

In addition to the trial version, which is free for 14 days, there are four price plans, with costs ranging from around £19 to £53 per month. If you pay the annual amount in one go, the costs are reduced by ap­prox­im­ately 15 to 30 percent.

Webflow

Webflow is an in­ter­est­ing platform that swings between being a no-code and a low-code editor. It is be­ne­fi­cial for pro­fes­sion­al web designers, de­velopers, and companies that need soph­ist­ic­ated control over their design. Webflow’s graphical user interface allows re­spons­ive and visually appealing websites to be created, including those with custom in­ter­ac­tions and an­im­a­tions.

Besides the advanced design func­tion­al­it­ies and the un­der­ly­ing powerful CMS the no-code platform impresses with the quality of the code it generates. Webflow is able to generate clean code that is as suitable for pub­lish­ing on the website as it is as a basis for further de­vel­op­ment work. However, the ad­apt­ab­il­ity that comes with this also results in a steeper learning curve. For complex projects, it does help to have some pro­gram­ming knowledge.

Webflow offers a free plan although it is limited in func­tion­al­ity. Paid plans range from about £16 to £41 per month, and the e-commerce version is sig­ni­fic­antly more expensive at about £33 to over £164 per month. You can pay the annual amount, which then lowers the cost by about 20 to 30 percent.

Weebly

With the no-code website editor Weebly, websites and online stores can be built quickly and easily. After selecting a template as a base, cus­tom­isa­tions are made using the drag-and-drop feature. This allows personal blogs, online stores and small business websites to be created without pro­gram­ming knowledge. This makes Weebly well suited for in­di­vidu­als and small busi­nesses that need a simple and user-friendly no-code website software.

Ad­vant­ages include the user-friendly interface and ease of use. In addition, there is the in­teg­rated e-commerce and blogging function and pre-built templates that adapt well to mobile devices. The platform doesn’t rank so highly when it comes to ease of use compared to other no-code platforms due to its limited design flex­ib­il­ity and limited advanced cus­tom­isa­tion features.

Weebly can be used free of charge without your own domain. The fee-based plans are priced between £16 and £29 per month. If you pay the annual amount all at once, this reduces the cost by about 20 percent.

Wix

The no-code website editor Wix focuses on creating a cus­tom­ised website. From a wide range of templates, design options and func­tion­al­it­ies, blogs, online stores, portfolio websites and more can be created with ease using the drag-and-drop function. This option is suitable for small busi­nesses and creative people looking for a com­pre­hens­ive website creation solution with high degree of design flex­ib­il­ity.

The versatile no-code platform impresses with soph­ist­ic­ated design options and an extensive app mar­ket­place for ex­ten­sions. However, with so many options available, it can be quite over­whelm­ing at first. What com­plic­ates matters is the limited flex­ib­il­ity when changing website templates and limited SEO op­tim­isa­tion options.

The no-code software can be used from a few pounds per month, although this comes with Wix ad­vert­ise­ments displayed on your website. In addition, there are a handful of price plans that range from around £9 to £41 per month.

The best no-code tools for web and mobile apps

Adalo

No-code app builder Adalo lets you create native mobile apps for iOS and Android without any pro­gram­ming skills. In­di­vidu­als, startups and companies use the visual editor to design app in­ter­faces, connect databases and add features without needing to program anything.

Ad­vant­ages include user-friendly operation, cross-platform creation of native apps, and database in­teg­ra­tion. On the other hand, there is limited scalab­il­ity for complex apps and limited design cus­tom­isa­tion options.

Adalo offers a free plan with limited features. In addition, there are four pricing plans with costs ranging from ap­prox­im­ately £37 to £205 per month. The provider offers a 20 percent discount if you opt to pay the annual amount that’s a one-time payment.

Airtable

Airtable is different from other no-code app builders because it focuses intensely on data. The no-code software is aimed at in­di­vidu­als, teams, and companies that want to build flexible apps based on struc­tured data. In addition to custom databases, there are features for project man­age­ment, content planning, and customer re­la­tion­ship man­age­ment.

The ad­vant­ages of the versatile no-code platform include col­lab­or­a­tion features, powerful in­teg­ra­tions and flexible app de­vel­op­ment options. The user-friend­li­ness and high degree of spe­cial­isa­tion do impose some lim­it­a­tions. Reporting and analytics cap­ab­il­it­ies are limited, es­pe­cially for complex data re­la­tion­ships. Compared to less spe­cial­ised no-code app de­vel­op­ment platforms, Airtable is less com­pre­hens­ive.

Airtable offers several pricing plans, including a free plan with limited features. The paid plans cost around £8 to £16 per user per month. Like most competing products, a 20 percent discount is offered if you opt to pay for the annual amount in one go.

Bubble

With Bubble, complex web ap­plic­a­tions can be created in a visual de­vel­op­ment en­vir­on­ment without pro­gram­ming knowledge. The no-code app platform is aimed at users who need soph­ist­ic­ated web ap­plic­a­tions with custom workflows, database functions and in­teg­ra­tions.

The ad­vant­ages include the extensive func­tion­al­it­ies, along with database functions and powerful workflows. The generated web ap­plic­a­tions are com­pletely re­spons­ive, and the design can be cus­tom­ised to a large extent. Nev­er­the­less, the degree of cus­tom­is­ab­il­ity is still below that of in­di­vidu­al code-based de­vel­op­ment. The learning curve is con­sidered re­l­at­ively steep.

Bubble can be used for free for testing purposes. Pricing plans for pro­duct­ive use range from £25 to £328 per month, depending on the scope, with an annual one-off payment reducing the costs by ap­prox­im­ately 20 percent.

Google AppSheet

With the no-code app platform AppSheet from Google, you can create data-driven mobile apps without pro­gram­ming know-how. In addition to databases, Google Sheets and Excel spread­sheets can be used as data sources.

Ad­vant­ages of this app include the powerful data pro­cessing functions, workflow auto­ma­tion and offline usage. Dis­ad­vant­ages include limited scalab­il­ity for complex apps and limited design cus­tom­isa­tion options.

AppSheet can be used free of charge on a trial basis. To deploy your app, sign up for one of the paid plans, which cost approx. £4 to £8 per user per month.