Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

news.ycombinator.com

71–80 of 138 posts

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#71
post #44

NoCode platforms can be further divided into sub category of tools. Depending on your need you got to look at using one or multiple tools. 1) BPM tools: build workflows & business processes. Tools like Appian, Pega, kissflow, etc 2) Form builders: jotform, typeform, etc 3) automation: Zapier, integromat, etc 4) Frontend builder - Consumer apps -> bubble, adalo, etc - Internal apps -> Retool, DronaHQ, Appsmith 5) App…

4) should probably also include WYSIWYG website builder platforms like:

WordPress, Squarespace and Wix... As their userbases dwarf all other systems mentioned

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#72
post #69
post #44

NoCode platforms can be further divided into sub category of tools. Depending on your need you got to look at using one or multiple tools. 1) BPM tools: build workflows & business processes. Tools like Appian, Pega, kissflow, etc 2) Form builders: jotform, typeform, etc 3) automation: Zapier, integromat, etc 4) Frontend builder - Consumer apps -> bubble, adalo, etc - Internal apps -> Retool, DronaHQ, Appsmith 5) App…

This is a very useful thread ;) Not sure where it would fit in, but Looker adoption is crazy. It's deeper though: no-code data modeling

I write a fair percentage of LookML as a ratio of my total Looker data dashboard creation time. (It's maybe low-code or "somewhat easy code", but it seems pretty far from no-code to me. I'm still a fan.)

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#73
post #68

I would say "none of the No Code platforms I've seen are fine", because all the ones I'm familiar with have either inadequate testing or no testing at all. The problem is that apps built without testing don't scale past a certain level of complexity — and so complex projects built with No Code tend to fall apart as they become successful. It's not that it can't be done, but that there's probably very little demand fo…

We're a no-code platform for testing, if that counts. :) Should work pretty well for testing applications built with no-code tools since the same person who builds the app can also write tests for it.

Would love to get your feedback if you do try us: https://reflect.run/

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#74
Glide (https://www.glideapps.com/) is fine!

We allow you to build polished PWAs and now full web apps using data in your Google Sheet (and soon Excel and Airtable).

You can build logic and complex actions in Glide, without code or formulas. You can use plugins for more advanced custom features or to run your own code: https://www.glideapps.com/plugins

Glide is special when compared to other NoCode tools because we handle a lot more of the design for you–your Glide app is built with higher-level components, rather than you deciding where buttons go or how they look. Glide apps also tend to look much better than what you might design yourself.

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#76
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very useful thread ;) Not sure where it would fit in, but Looker adoption is crazy. It's deeper though: no-code data modeling

I write a fair percentage of LookML as a ratio of my total Looker data dashboard creation time. (It's maybe low-code or "somewhat easy code", but it seems pretty far from no-code to me. I'm still a fan.)

For me, being able to do that is kinda the key requirement of such a platform. Make the easy things easy and give me an escape hatch.

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#77

I'm a founder of Appsmith, mentioned here a couple of times. It is a good open source project for building anything from simple CRUD apps to complex internal applications quickly. Drag and drop UI to avoid writing HTML/CSS, connect with any datasource, and use JS to write custom logic when you need to.

The main problem I had with AppSmith is that its mobile support is abysmal.

I opened an issue quite a while ago about a very basic component being completely broken on iOS and it still hasn't been fixed.

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#78
post #14
post #3

It depends a lot on what you consider “Low Code” and what your target is. Corporate users tend to look at Mendix, OutSystems, etc. because they are typically looking at building end—to-end solutions, and those give you front-end, APIs and ORMs (or, rather, abstract all of those away). Most OSS or IoT folk will immediately point to Node-Red or n8n.io, which look similar but are actually quite different in focus (n8n i…

I tried a bit OutSystems and its learning curve is incredibly steep for what they claim to be. It all starts with a specialized Eclipse based environment to install and to learn and only goes downhill from there. I don't know any business user able to use it, and for a regular programmer it's just another language/environment to learn. Not sure why it's a thing.

[Disclaimer: OutSystems employee here] I'm sad you find the experience bad. Eclipse or VSStudio integrations is part of our focus on being able to extend the platform to the max, but the need for it is only required when you are at a very specific use case.

I'd advice you to take another look. For example take a look at this tutorial (https://www.outsystems.com/training/courses/124/reactive-ui-...) and see everything you can build with OutSystems.... without Eclipse :)

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#79

I've really fallen for Adalo. Before I could only run tech teams, but now I'm one of the best developers I've met for building mature MVPs. Adalo feels to me like the most 'pure' no code experience, where it's not just a typical dev environment with a graphical visualization, but instead a tool built around functionality. I feel like Bubble, Outsystems, etc, is built with a traditional development environment in mind…

[Disclaimer: OutSystems employee here] I think OutSystems as any of the other players in this market do the opposite of thinking in the "traditional development". If we did, non of these players would be here today.

Our focus is exactly the opposite: breaking from traditional development: focus on productivity, focus in what matters.

Now, OutSystems has a specific way of looking into the problem, others players have different ways. And that's ok. We are probably focusing in different use cases.

For OutSystems we are all for building critical apps, that are able to sustain the pace of change of the business

Re: Ask HN: Which NoCode platforms are fine?

#80
post #73
post #68

I would say "none of the No Code platforms I've seen are fine", because all the ones I'm familiar with have either inadequate testing or no testing at all. The problem is that apps built without testing don't scale past a certain level of complexity — and so complex projects built with No Code tend to fall apart as they become successful. It's not that it can't be done, but that there's probably very little demand fo…

We're a no-code platform for testing, if that counts. :) Should work pretty well for testing applications built with no-code tools since the same person who builds the app can also write tests for it. Would love to get your feedback if you do try us: https://reflect.run/

I just watched your 6-minute intro video and I love it. It's not what I asked for (it won't help me write tests for the Keap campaign builder, oy), but it fills a different, sorely felt need: showing non-technical people how automated tests are constructed.

I can point to this video to say, "this is what I'm doing when I'm writing tests", and I think at least some of them will understand the value proposition. The more savvy ones might buy into your platform or even try constructing tests themselves. Bravo!

Post reply on HN