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16 Comments

Is it me or the no-code/low code app builder/designer market is really saturated?

The other day I talked to a IH peer and we both seemed to have the very similar idea on making an App builder in a no code direction. We didn't talk before about that so it was like a total coincidence.

So I made a few searches and for any keyword I search on google related to design, no code, app building there are at least 5 ads and a few google result pages of startups and builders for apps.

Although my idea is original and innovative I am getting the feeling that the boat for that market may have sailed already 2 years ago when still there were some podcasts praising the no-code movement.

A bit similar with the NFT topic, it seems to be already dozens of market places and even shopify clones for NFT markets and plugins everywhere... is it me or it is just the post pandemic market saturation and everyone who is expecting a crisis started to try every business idea?

P.D. I just realized the no-code forum here is the third largest.

Is the App Builder/Designer market saturated? (low code, no code,...)
  1. Yes, totally (99% full)
  2. Yes, but it still hasn't reach it top yet (75% full)
  3. Just like any other market. There are opportunities out there. (50% full)
  4. No, not really. (25% full)
  5. Just beginning, in its infancy. (1% full)
Vote
  1. 5

    7.7bn people in the world can't code, so no it's not saturated. There are hundreds of different routes and niches to use or market to.

    The average Joe doesn't know about Zapier, but I bet they copy and paste something from one application into another every single day.

    If you can find out why they're doing that, automate it and build a simple-to-use product around it then you'll have a business.

    1. 1

      I agree with you, but winner takes all usually, like Microsoft word is still the largest word processor and not until recently some people felt like using other editors only for non industrial usage.

      Also average Joe doesn’t want to create apps or zaps. And people tends to use premise solutions (no more blogs, mostly social networks, etc).

      BUT I get your point as it is serving a very large market which used to be dependent on technical people or prefrabricated templates.

      Thanks for posting, I should get deeper in the research of a niche and particular personas as clients.

      1. 1

        The winner doesn't take all though, when people say that they are just making excuses to stop starting.

        Microsoft Word is the largest Word processor, sure. And if you want to make a catch-all Word processor that has the usage they have then it's an uphill battle – and you're probably on the wrong forum.

        You need to look at who uses Word and how they use it. Look at the problems it solves, not at the solution. Then the niches become clearer.

        You then see Indie businesses who have made money making those solutions, examples being:

        • Living Writer which is a Word Processor designed for Authors
        • Bear Writer, a simple markdown notes application

        There are hundreds of examples which take functions which users traditionally would have used Word for and they spin them out into a nicely designed and developed product.

        Look at what users are using Bubble or Zapier for and do the same.

    2. 1

      Hit it on the money here!

  2. 1

    I think we're on the early stages on no-code/low-code market. I think market will be expanded with some niche-area tools; like creating an hotel website tool or church page etc. And people always want to experience brand new products. So it'll never be saturated.

  3. 1

    I am really hoping that's not true and people still want the no-code solutions.

    Been working on a no-code product builder but it is a supplementary plug-in like thing for my primary product. Hoping to get some marketing leverage and visibility from the no-code product while the main monetisation would still be from the primary product itself.

    I think @td_evans have made a valid point here. Let's see how the market also shapes up in the next 2-3 years.

  4. 1

    NoCode market is just in the starting space, not the end. There is a lot of potentials, right now there is more or less one company that is dominated in each segment.

    Complex webApps- Bubble
    Landing page- Carrd
    Mobile App- Adalo
    Design heavy websites: Webflow
    Automation: Zapier, Integromat.

    There is a lot of potentials in each segment and there are many more segments out there.

    But if you are thinking, you will build some product and that will be super popular in the 6 months. I am definitely sure that the market is super saturated since there are more than 650+ products that you will compete with.

    There is a lot of issue with each product ( who you think are taken all the market), then there are lots of opportunities.

  5. 1

    I feel like the no-code/low-code app builders always disappoint.
    I haven't found one that works how I'd imagine it.

    Still early.

    1. 1

      What part is exactly disappointing? What were your exact expectations? Were you looking for a general purpose solution or for a specialized one?

  6. 1

    I think it is all about choosing the right niche. There is always some niche that is not taken yet or where the current solutions are not good enough.

    Me and my co-founders are betting on a super small specialised niche with our product https://tailord.io/: A no-code platform for developers that build subscription services and wants to move fast without being locked into someone elses ecosystem. This might sound contradictory, but if you think about it makes sense: Most of us want to move fast and launch our product before we build out the entire vision. With our system you can build out a large part of your vision using the popular TailwindCSS framework (no code experience needed), be up running in a day and when you are ready build the full vision, you can export clean code such that you do not start from scratch.

    Similarly, I am pretty sure that you can find hundreds of other super specialised niches that might be worth pursueing.

    1. 2

      These are great points, thanks for replying. By the way I subscribe to your service as I find the introduction vídeo and landing page amazing.

      1. 1

        Cool! I've sent you an invite.

  7. 1

    It's not saturated but I think the No-code industry isn't going the way it promises to go. Most people making money or talking about no-code are no-code entrepreneurs. So, currently it's more like a community that hasn't opened up yet.

    Plus, no code has been around for more than a decade. It just wasn't called that and there wasn't this much inflated hype around it.

    I want to believe that it can only get better from here. More use cases, better tools. It's not saturated at all. But people need to stop the no-code circlejerk for it to really take off.

  8. 1

    Have you checked out much of Seth Godin's works on marketing?

    One of the things he really plugs is niching down even further than you naturally think you should. That there's this race to be everything to everyone, instead of something for a few someones.

    And as it turns out, you don't need to be everything to everyone to have a successful business.

    Looking at this through the no code lens: there are definitely products with really wide market exposure - aiming far and wide, instead of niching any further. Products like Zapier, Integromat, and even products like Bubble. But if you look a little closer you'll find that even with such great products available, there are still little micro markets within no code that may still not be getting exactly what they are looking for. This is where you can capitalize.

    Like for example: "I'd love a version of Bubble that was simpler and more focused on real estate applications".

    No code had a bit of a boom around 2 years ago, and there is now definitely a surplus of app builders with some general overlap between them. But that doesn't mean it's oversaturated. Just that there's some pretty infectious excitement around it all. There's still plenty of blue ocean available, so long as you are paying attention to the market IMO.

    1. 1

      That was a great insight thanks for the reply.

  9. 1

    I think I would classified the existing options into "basic" no-code and "really powerful" no-code (like connecting databases, third party services etc...) and I think there is plenty of opportunities out there, because is the "new path" to validate ideas, and also I'm still seeing developers friends who are skeptical about this path, so if you have something really good to offer, it's going to be a hit, good luck 👍

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