No-code vs low-code. Which one to choose?

I think, like all things, the answer is, it depends.

I was on a similar quest a week or two ago. I was building a simple app to check if a site has an RSS feed. If it does, get the RSS feed.

But the backend for this is straightforward. It is a get request to the URL entered. And there is a little bit of processing to get the RSS feed link. All in all, the backend code has like 20 lines of JS. And the actual logic is like 5 lines of JS.

So a very simple app.

The app is currently hosted on Netlify for free and uses Netlify functions(a wrapper around AWS lambda)

But I struggled to build it both in no code and low code(I only tried bubble.io and retool.com). I tested them out for like 1 day in total before dropping them. That might be because of my lack of knowledge, though. Or it might have to do this requirement where I had to make a cross-domain request in JS, which is difficult in a modern browser.

If cross-domain requests were possible in a browser, the low code option would have worked. Or I would have had to use AWS Lambda

I am not sure about the no code option, but I realized it is hard. It needs a significant mental shift if you have developed before. Or it might just have a steeper learning curve.

Low code, on the other hand, felt amazing. It is great for devs that want to build an app quickly and do not want to worry about the frontend.

But the other consideration is that no code/low code options are expensive. Relative to other options out there.

My personal opinion, if you are already a dev and you are building an app, go for the low code option if your budget allows it. Otherwise, stick to the tools you already use.

I'm going more and more with Low-Code.

This is why i'm setting up JobsinLowCode.com and LowCodePM.com

T.

Hi Alex,

So generally, low code is catered towards those with some programming skill to allow them to design apps more quickly with less hand-coding. Developers can work
faster with low code because they are not constrained by hours of repetitive code, whilst still creating something distinctive.

No-code is also useful for developers in this sense - and you can create quick prototypes using no-code in just minutes. However, its key purpose is to allow non/new developers to build their applications without programming. This means there is less wiggle room for personal touches via code, as all elements are pre-coded. However, these pre-coded building blocks consist of numerous integrations which can be used to build a range of applications.

I think no-code has more capabilities and uses than people think. I’d say for something totally unique and complex software, low code may be more suitable, however for things like self-service applications and workflow automation software/assistants, no-code can be very powerful. Some interesting no-code use cases can be found on our no-code platform website.

It hardly depends on what you want to do. I often see that Low Code solutions still give you more flexibility compared to no-code. But of course, if the no-code tool is doing exactly what you need you could just try it out, launch it very fast, and switch to another tool if it doesn't do the job anymore.

Can you give us some insights about which tools you are thinking exactly? Maybe we can help better then :-)

Hey Alex 👋🏻

Abhi this side.

Let me share my experience with no-code and low-code tools.

When I started out my indie-hacking journey around 12 months back, I was super-excited about no-code tools, because I could just drag-and-drop elements to quickly build user interfaces/workflows, and that felt really empowering.

I built lots of different apps using tools like Bubble, Adalo, Glide Apps, and AirTable/Softr/Stacker, just to play around and learn.

Now, while building an app with these tools is super simple, there are a few trade-offs that happen, which include NOT being able to:

• Optimise query performance
• Make the layout responsive for all devices
• Run advanced SEO Optimisation
• Reuse designed coomponents for faster and consistent development

I also had a few clients, looking to self-host the developed solutions for data privacy/compliance, and not wanting to be locked into a third-party solution.

That's what made me realise that no-code is a gateway drug.

You need tools that not just make the development process easier, but also give you more control over the much more granular aspects of development.

That's when I started levelling up a bit and started exploring low-code tools that had a slightly higher learning curve but gave me more control.

I'm currently exploring/learning these low-code tools:

• Front-end: Clutch.io, bildr
• Backend: Supabase, Xano
• Internal apps: Retool

You'd need to learn basic development concepts and maybe even a bit of programming to be able to build with these tools, but it removes all the limitations that were enforced by a higher level of abstraction using nocode.

For instance, you can optimise the performance by re-writing your components (there are no primitives). You can actually make your layout responsive by using bootstrap libraries. You can also re-use your already designed styled-components across multiple projects, thereby saving time.

One of the other advantages of learning low-code platforms is that you're not learning proprietary knowledge that's restricted to just one platform.

For instance, if you learn Bubble, you're just learning how to build with Bubble. However, if you learn Clutch, you're in a way learning ReactJS. Similarly, Supabase is a great way to learn PostGreSQL.

Not only can you find more help if you're building with these popular frameworks, but it also becomes relatively easier to go pro code from low-code, if you're building your app on top of these libraries/frameworks.

That's just my 2 cents, though on low-code and no-code.

At the end of the day, you should choose what helps you build a great product.

And there's no right/wrong here.

It's all about balancing trade-offs.

Hope that helps!

Hey Alex, sorry for the long post, hope this helps. I was a consultant for a few years before undertaking my current endeavor and worked with startups that operated on both sides of the spectrum. Some refused to use almost any low/no-code tools insisting on developing everything and others, especially those trained by certain accelerator programs, leaned exclusively on no/low-code. Like Prashant mentioned above it really depends.

My current website tooltip.com is built entirely in a no-code tool called UMSO. Still need to know some code to get all the analytics setup on it that I wanted and configure them appropriately, and will probably be switching out the blog/backend for it soon with a Wagtail install (could just as well be some other blogging platform though) because I help maintain another site that also uses it and I know it will cover my use-case well. Most no-code tools often require a bit more dev elbow grease than their front pages suggest.

My rule so far has been to use no/low-code until there's some semblance of product market fit or it breaks. Time is, for many people, the most valuable asset so unless there's a particular framework that you're proficient in and have built a similar style app before low/no-code will probably keep you focused on the important non-product parts of your business.

PS: A friend recently wrote a review of AI-based writing assistants for Tooltip that you might enjoy: https://tooltip.com/blog/ai-writing-assistant. Added Linguix to the list for when he does another pass in a few months. Also currently editing an article about Google Sheets vs. Airtable that will be published Tues and covers some of the types of trade-offs you're considering here. The analogy would be that Gsheets is the low-code option to Airtable's comparably no-code offering.