No-code apps you need to know in 2023

If you’re here, you’re probably building (or at least considering building) some sort of website or web app, and are interested in at least building some fraction of that with a no-code tool. 

If that’s the case, you need to make sure you’re up to date with the latest and greatest in the quickly evolving world of no-code! 

Let’s review some of the most crucial no-code apps in 2023 - from new players, all the way to the established companies you’ve at least heard of - and then make a list of pros and cons for each of them. In this list, we’re only going to discuss independent tools - so anything which is essentially a plugin/extension of some other tool will be excluded.

Zapier

Description

Zapier is a no-code automation tool which allows you to connect various apps/data together, without having to understand how APIs work, and without knowing how to code.

The possibilities with Zapier are pretty much endless - almost anything that can be automated is possible within Zapier, and it’s ridiculously easy.

Pros

• Very easy to use
• Thousands of native connections
• Very well documented

Cons

• Can be quite expensive
• We’ve noticed a slightly slower speed of automations than with Make
• Not great for complex workflows

Webflow

Description

Webflow is a CMS & web builder which is essentially web code made visual. Anything that can be developed with HTML and CSS can also be visually developed with Webflow, which over the past 10 years has made not only a powerful tool, but an extremely loyal community of professional no-code web developers who are showing the world that websites build with no-code can be even better than traditionally developed websites.

Pros

• Almost all designs can be developed
• Helpful community
• Great documentation
• Follows proper web development standards
• Better for SEO than many other no-code builders

Cons

• The designer can be slow
• Steep learning curve for total beginners
• Slow to improve their product
• Limited logic functions make Webflow not a great option for web apps
• Problematic for collaboration

Make

Description

Make (formerly Integromat) is an automation tool which allows you to create complex workflows connecting different applications in any order you want.

With Make, you can create scenarios that are triggered by events in one app and then perform a series of actions in other apps. For example, you could create a scenario that automatically posts to Twitter when you publish a new blog post in Webflow, or a scenario that automatically sends a message to your team on Slack whenever a new lead is added to your CRM.

Pros

• Can automate very complex workflows
• Extremely affordable
• Fast
• Connects with virtually everything

Cons

• The name (We’re not kidding. If you don’t specify that you’re talking about the tool which used to be Integromat, you will confuse both Google and other people)
• Not the easiest tool to use

Airtable

Description

Airtable has been accurately described as Google Sheets on steroids. We would also describe it as the no-code database. In a nutshell, Airtable is an incredibly powerful, yet easy to use, spreadsheet/database solution which integrates quite well into the overall no-code ecosystem.

If there is any project which relies on data, chances are, Airtable would be an extremely powerful addition to your project.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Powerful database solution
• Wide range of views to fit any use case
• Connects with many tools

Cons

• Can get expensive if many people will need to work together (charges per collaborator)

Framer

Description

In 2022, Framer Sites was revealed - a product which started as a prototyping tool for React components was turned into a full-fledged site builder and CMS.

Imagine if you could design your website in Figma, then connect some data, a domain, and boom - you have a lovely, fast website ready for anyone to visit. That’s what Framer is all about.

Pros

• Has both a website and an app
• Builds fast websites
• Very easy for designers to use
• Live collaboration

Cons

• Does not follow typical web development standards, which make it a difficult fit for large websites
• Relatively limited CMS

Divhunt

Description

Divhunt is the CMS & web builder made for people who like no-code tools from a time-saving point of view, but can’t stand platform limitations.

Picture a visual development tool like Webflow, with the ability to connect anything and install plugins just like you can with WordPress, along with some other kick-ass features we don’t have room to explain in this article - that’s Divhunt.

Pros

• Able to connect any tool
• Builds the fastest websites out of any builder
• Plugin system makes it so anything web-based is possible
• Very developer friendly
• Usage based pricing
• Live collaboration (coming soon)

Cons

• Complex features can be hard to learn for non-developers
• As a newer product, the community is small

Memberstack

Description

Memberstack is the no-code solution for authentication and payments on subscription based sites - all you need to do is click a few buttons, and you’ll be set up with everything you need to manage members & sell subscriptions.

Pros

• Extremely easy to set up
• Helpful support team
• Loyal community
• Affordable pricing
• Scalable: Your users come with you if you migrate to another web platform

Cons

• Only works with Stripe
• You may need to use code to make some advanced features function

Bubble

Description

Bubble is the complete no-code web app builder. With a complete suite of features focused on logic, there’s probably no easier way to build a functional web app than with Bubble. Everything is included for you right out-of-the-box, so you won’t need to connect a bunch of different tools to get up and running.

Pros

• Complete suite of tools
• Amazing templates
• Powerful logic

Cons

• Design interface can be frustrating
• Does not follow typical web development standards

Shopify

Description

Shopify is the eCommerce platform that took the world by storm. Not only is it probably the easiest way for someone with limited tech knowledge to get an eCom site up and running, but it is also an extremely powerful tool for large eCommerce companies.

Pros

• Easy to start
• Powerful store management tools
• Very user friendly
• Many themes to choose from
• Paid and free app library

Cons

• Advanced changes require someone who knows “Liquid”, their proprietary code
• Can be expensive
• Not good for anything not related to eCommerce

Sharetribe

Description

Starting a marketplace business? Sharetribe is probably your best place to look, as they have a ton of different tools which are geared towards exactly that. All of the features which are traditionally hard to develop are built right into Sharetribe, so you’ll be up and running faster than you would have thought was possible.

Pros

• 2 levels of the product allow you to start up fast without limiting scaling potential
• Almost all features your marketplace needs are included
• Wide range of themes to choose from

Cons

• Quite expensive
• Limited design customization options in the “Go” version

• sadsad