Build an App without coding: Myth or Reality?

Syxtus

September 3rd, 2019 • Software development

The speed at which digital transformation is taking over the world is alarming. Every entrepreneur is looking for an app that will simplify and automate their business processes. It became impossible for the few professional developers available to meet up with this high demand for apps. It is at this point that citizen developers came into the picture. Citizen developers have a base knowledge of programming and understand the general principles of coding. They can build apps on low-code platforms that require little coding.

The demand for apps only kept increasing with time, people without any knowledge of coding had to also start building apps to meet up the demand. This is made possible on no-code platforms that need no prerequisite knowledge of programming. Users can build apps using only graphical user interfaces by connecting pre-built modules.

No-code platforms are trending now because lots of people are looking for ways of building an app without coding experience. As of today, there are lots of platforms that let users build an app without coding. They are simple to use and would build apps faster, but this advantage comes at a cost. One of the problems with making an app without coding is that it is almost impossible to create an original interface and unique business logic. Most no-code platforms have pre-built modules and you can only build what the platforms have been programmed to build. This gives little room for originality.

Everything boils down to the needs of the users. It is possible to go on a no-code platform and to build a working app in 5 - 10 minutes. But how much do you think that app will be able to do? What features will the app have? What is the scale of the business and project that will be using the app? These are the questions you need to ask yourself when trying to build an app without coding. Creating an app without code has lots of limitations that cannot be overlooked. The level of user’s creativity is severely limited. Let us take an example of the two people who want to communicate in a foreign language. The first person takes his/her time to learn the language and to speak more or less good. The second person just learns some generic phrases in the language. Who do you think will be able to communicate better? Of course, the person who learned the language. The person who learned just generic phrases will have lots of problems communicating because there are many things that he/she will not understand.

The person creating an app without coding is not thinking about the future. This is because, with very limited flexibility, apps created using no-code platforms do not easily integrate with other apps. As the priorities of the business or users change, the app should be able to adapt to those changes, and this can be very difficult when you build it without coding. That is why we suggest that users should try using low-code platforms that provide possibilities for some additional coding. With this, you can create enterprise-level apps that are more flexible and unique. To better understand the difference between no-code and low-code platforms, we suggest that you read our No code vs. Low-code article. Here are some of the best platforms you can use to build your app:

Best platforms for building your apps

Codejig App builder: This is one of the best low-code software platforms created to assist business users to build apps quicker. The platform uses visual programming and powerful low-code tools to help you build the app. Users are also able to use text-based languages such as JavaScript and Java when necessary.

Zoho Creator: This platform lets you build apps by dragging and dropping modules. You will also be able to use their scripting language, Deluge, to implement other complicated functions.

Wavemaker: This is a platform that makes it easy to create apps and run them. They have been around for over a decade now and use visual programming. The apps created on this platform can be deployed to an on-prem infrastructure or cloud with just one click.

Conclusion

The idea of creating an app without coding is so good that people jump in without doing research. This is a problem because they are unable to fully express their ideas when creating the app without coding. You may end up creating an app that will not be able to serve you in the near future. That is why you need to plan ahead and use platforms like Codejig App Builder to build your apps that give room for you to fully express your ideas, build flexible apps that can easily adapt to changes, and permit the integration of third-party apps.