Choosing the right platform for prototyping, product design and development for your startup or client can be confusing. With new no-code and low-code platforms sprouting up, it can be tricky understanding what your business or client needs while you juggle speed to market, customisation, integrated services, and future scalability.
No & Low Code For Freelancers
For freelancers, it’s important to verticalise on a specific skill-set and gain an in-depth understanding of platform specific nuances in product design, development, and available integrations.
What Software Should Founders Be Using?
For founders looking to validate their product or service quickly before investing into more significant builds (although this is increasingly becoming less necessary), it’s important to understand platform capabilities, automations and integrations specific to your product, service, or industry requirements, as well as any existing tech or marketing stacks your business or team already leverages.
Here's a quick comparison of no code and low code softwares made easy. We’ve compared a handful of no code web and app development platforms with freelancers and founders in mind.
No/Low Code Website Builders
Webflow:
Webflow is recognized as a premier choice among no-code website builders, thanks to its user-friendly visual design interface. The platform empowers users to craft responsive websites relatively quickly, and includes an integrated CMS facilitating dynamic content management, comprehensive support for intricate interactions and animations, seamless integration of e-commerce capabilities, and robust tools for optimizing SEO performance.
- Pros of Webflow:
- The CMS is powerful, scalable, and has developer-friendly options.
- Cons of Webflow:
- Limited free plan capabilities. The learning curve can be tricky when compared to other platforms, but it has a ton of super helpful community support.
- Webflow pricing:
- A free plan is available, but their CMS plan at $23 offers great value for money and customisation.
Squarespace:
Great for simpler, brochure styled sites, portfolio or content pages, but if you plan on selling products or services online, Squarespace is not the greatest option and requires additional plugins, which can start to get finicky.
- Pros of Squarespace:
- 24/7 support.
- Beautiful templates which are easy to use, and free.
- Cons of Squarespace:
- Limited customization options.
- It’s not the best option for scaling or larger businesses.
- SEO and ranking on SERP can be somewhat limited.
- Squarespace Pricing:
- Starts at $12, up to $35/month.
- Starts at $12, up to $35/month.
No/Low Code App Builders
Bubble:
Bubble focuses on building web apps. While it is possible to build websites, it’s core focus is on app development.
- Bubble Pros:
- Versatile for various use cases. No coding knowledge required.
- Bubble Cons:
- Working on optimising performance can become quite tricky. .
- Bubble Pricing:
- You can prototype for free, but launching your app requires a paid plan, starting at $29/month.
- You can prototype for free, but launching your app requires a paid plan, starting at $29/month.
Flutterflow:
FlutterFlow is specifically focused on building responsive web and mobile applications using the Flutter framework.
It’s relatively new to the market, and as such has attracted a lot of new users due to its wide frontend and backend functionality.
- Flutterflow Pros:
- Flutterflow allows users to create cross-platform mobile applications that run on both Android and iOS devices as well as progressive web apps.
- Flutterflow Cons
- Flutter is somewhat more complex than the likes of Bubble, and requires some level of app development understanding. As such, the learning curve is considered significantly steeper than it’s Bubbly competitor.
- Flutterflow Pricing:
- Free for basic access, and then up to $70/month.
- Free for basic access, and then up to $70/month.
In Summary:
Webflow is our choice when it comes to fast, responsive, and integrable product design and development with business growth and scalability in mind.
Squarespace is great for landing pages, brochure sites or ‘coming soon’ styled waiting lists, but not great for more complex builds requiring a bit more customisation.
Bubble is great if you need to create dynamic web and mobile applications with backend functionality while not getting into too much programming detail.
FlutterFlow is the right choice if you're interested in building more complex cross-platform mobile applications and web apps without much coding, but it does require some level of app development principles.
Rafiki specialises in rapid product design, validation, low code development, and growth marketing solutions for progressive, fast growing startups. We’re able to execute across a myriad of softwares and platforms, and can help your company decide based on long-term plans and industry-specific requirements.
Schedule an intro call with one of the Rafiki founders today.
