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19 Comments

Is there a demand for no code developers?

I was looking at a bunch of no code tools, just out of curiosity (bubble especially caught my interest). They seem fun! I plan to tinker with them when I am bored.

What I'm wondering is - is there a demand for these skill sets? They seem easy to me, but that could be because I have been writing code for a long time. I can see how this might not be as easy for a non-programmer.

If I get good with a handful of these tools, can I get side gigs and such? My attempts at SaaS have gotten nowhere, so I am trying to see if I can pick up some paid freelancing projects. But I don't want to do full fledged coding projects (plus do devops) for my side gigs, hence the idea of trying no-code tools.

Thoughts?

  1. 4

    "People don’t want quarter-inch drill bits. They want quarter-inch holes." No-code is a drill.

    The "hole" no-code is perfect for is iteration speed. I would focus on that angle. What kind of customers prioritize speed over everything? find them.

  2. 4

    Yes! There is a ton of demand. Check out https://experts.makerpad.co/ and https://nocodeagencies.com/ for inspiration :)

    There are also product specific websites like this one for Webflow devs: https://www.flowlad.com/

    1. 1

      wow, nice links. Thank you

  3. 2

    Hi There Anabayan

    I don't mean to throw a damper on the other two comments stating that there is "demand / tonnes of demand" for no code skillset. I just want to give you my personal view and honest opinion on what I see is the reality, and the answers is no.

    No; I don't believe there is MUCH demand for no code agencies or no code developers.

    I did not say there was zero interest, I just don't believe there is much demand and even less now with Covid19 driving people to seek side gigs and freelance projects.

    I spent some time and looked through Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr and Guru taking your question into account and did not see many (if any!) job posters seeking something which would get a winning gig response from a no code developer.

    Have a look for yourself and see if you agree with me on this ?

    That is just my two pence worth on your question and I am happy to further discuss / debate your thinking on your idea for some side gigs.

    • best wishes
    1. 1

      I'd be careful when looking at existing services to determine "demand" when those services don't target or cater to no-coders. Most no-coders/visual devs I know spend their time on communities like Makerpad (started by @bentossell, Nucode as well as Twitter.

      Also, the allure of no-code right now isn't that it creates jobs but that it bridges the gap between those without a coding background and the products they desire to exist. So non-technical people can build internal tools for their companies or start side projects that could turn into businesses in their own right. Makerpad is the biggest example of a successful no-code business.

      Though it's still early days, we're starting to see companies hiring or seeking out no-code experts so it's smart to want to gain those skills now. Saying that, if you've been writing code for a long time then it may not an easy shift to make.

    2. 1

      Not sure about other freelance marketplaces you mentioned, but with Fiverr, clients reach you. I don't think it is that simple to estimate the demand there for a particular niche. We can use the number of gigs available and the number of reviews for those gigs, orders in queue etc as proxy, but that might not be fully accurate.

      @optemization mentioned nocodeagencies.com directory. I must say I am surprised, the number of agencies mentioned there is higher than I would have predicted.

      My conclusion (with limited knowledge/data about the space) is that nocode is still in its infancy, but the tools are getting more powerful (look at parabola.io for example). If I am a non-technical founder, I'd certainly consider one of these tools for my first iteration/testing my idea before spending thousands of dollars hiring developers and designers.

      I believe there is definitely a demand - how much demand, how interesting the projects are, how much they pay etc - I have no clue. I saw at least one agency charing 5K USD (from the list above) for a 5 page site. Just two of these a month would mean a 6 figure business per year!

  4. 1

    Hi @anabyan. Yes absolutely. No code tools like Bubble give the power and flexibility to focus on the product and iteration. At Cube (https://www.cubeapps.co/), we are looking for Bubble developers to handle some of our web app projects. Would be pleased to discuss with you ;)

  5. 1

    I wonder if nocode will cause a technical issue. I used to provide custom development services to my customers. If there is something in the scope that can't be done due to the tool, how can you handle it?

  6. 1

    Yes, and the demand is growing quickly as more people who want apps built are starting to find out about no-code.

    I used to built apps for people on Bubble. The demand is high, and on any given day, you can find opportunities on the freelance forum category.

    I now focus on building my no-code tutorial site, nocodify.com.

    Let me know if you have any questions about freelancing, I was doing it on Bubble for over two years.

  7. 1

    There's definitely a demand as in the outcome, some No-coder managed to build interesting and fast-growing projects. I think your background definitely falls into this category and able to do cool stuff.

  8. 1

    I have someone using Bubble.io building iGotLunch. Unfortunately, nocodeagencies.com aren't very reliable. I've been through 1 already the 2nd isn't making deadlines. If you are reliable you will kill it.

    1. 1

      wow, iGotLunch looks interesting. I know big sites like grubhub etc screw the restaurants over (I have zero respect for these vultures). I hope you succeed big, as your model is flat fee instead of percentage.

      Thank you for taking the time to reply. I was on the fence before I posted this question, now I am going to give nocode a sincere try :)

  9. 1

    Ye sure, you could start your own digital agency.

    there's lots of demand but there is also a lot of competition to contend with, with the likes of people on fiver driving down prices to literally nothing, then everyone ends up producing crap sites for dirt cheap cause the client says "oo but i can just get my 16 year old cousin who is good with computers to do that".

    With that said it's an ok place to START, but develop expertise in either just coding or design or marketing and become a consultant.

  10. 1

    No-code skills have been very useful for me as a designer/marketer - it allows me to pitch specific value, and then build it myself.

    Combining the tool belt with other business knowledge seems to be a sweet spot.

  11. 1

    I find this website useful and resourceful: https://www.nocode.tech/build/web-app

  12. 1

    Yes, if you can produce quality apps (which takes a while to get good at).

    I was a non-programmer (but somewhat technical PM) and started freelancing in 2018 and have built up a sizable agency doing exclusively Bubble development. Go build some apps for yourself or friends and get a small portfolio together, then go out and hunt for jobs. The hard part isn't often the actual dev work... it's the design, scoping, client relationships, etc that can take a surprising amount of time, so factor that in. If you've freelanced before that's not anything new :)

    Eric

    EricsLab.com

    1. 1

      Thank you for taking the time to answer!

      it's the design,

      Do you mean the UI? or product design? Yes, I am used to scoping, client relationships etc in my day job. And I love product design. The one that scares me the most is the actual UI design, followed by not knowing where to find work.

      I guess I need to do some ground work first before thinking about freelancing. Glad to know that it is possible.

      Checked out your website, looks really nice! Is this your full time job?

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