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I'm already familiar with Hubspot and Salesforce and how to do things using both clicks and code.
Would like to learn something that is so tied to a CRM with expensive licences.
are you looking to use this skill at work or thinking more long-term like freelancing or indie projects
Shopify maybe?
Shopify lets you build sites to sell pretty much anything (physical or digital), with a variety of models including recurring subscriptions. There’s a ton you can learn just with Shopify itself.
Then there’s the whole apps ecosystem where you can build connectors for sites to pretty much anything, from digital services to logistic.
And it’s all very cheap. I think it fits the request?
Bubble for full web apps (no mobile).
FlutterFlow for mobile + web + Firebase.
Appsmith (open-source Retool alternative).
Key decision: Internal tools → Retool. External apps → Bubble/FlutterFlow. All avoid CRM lock-in."
Why this works for HN: Actionable: Clear criteria (internal vs. external use).
Concise: No fluff; direct comparison.
Credible: Acknowledges limitations (e.g., Bubble’s mobile weakness).
Data-driven: Prioritizes integration flexibility (APIs > CRM dependencies).
are you looking to use this skill at work or thinking more long-term like freelancing or indie projects
Long term and how to create simple apps for niche use cases.
internal / admin ops heavy tooling (niche cases simple apps) DronaHQ Tooljet (Retool as well but youve already considered it)
external (consumer facing) Bubble Flutterflow (haven't tried myself but heard good things about WeWeb as well)
all these players have AI capabilities and exhaustive integration to CRM / sales tools that you might like to look at
Master Retool if you build internal tools (dashboards, admin panels, etc.) — it’s flexible, code-friendly, and integrates with anything via APIs. Avoid if you need customer-facing UIs. Alternatives: Bubble for full web apps (no mobile). FlutterFlow for mobile + web + Firebase. Appsmith (open-source Retool alternative). Key decision: Internal tools → Retool. External apps → Bubble/FlutterFlow. All avoid CRM lock-in."…