Why no-code tools are not the right choice
29 Apr 2022 | Mobile App Development, | Hire Developers
From programmers to designers, entrepreneurs, and employees all around the world, the no-code app development is the hype that has created endless debates in several tech forums. But is it really the right option for you?
Coupled with the huge adaptation of the minimum viable product (MVP) development models, most of these online communities champion the no code’s quick validation capabilities as they anticipate the opportune future of no-code.
So, the key question you should ask yourself is not if you should adopt the no-code app development, rather, it is why you should not. No-code’s benefits remain apparent to many, yet the dark sides are not so clear, even though they’re impactful.
Sure, you may have heard one or two names of people who launched their no-code projects that became a success—no doubt. But there are also countless others who got stuck, and their projects never materialized, even though they had the greatest ideas.
So there’s still a lot to argue about here, but first, let’s take a deeper look into the term no code—what is it?
No-code is an approach to software development that allows programmers and non-programmers with little or no coding skills to create apps quickly using visual flows and tools with features like drag-and-drop, templates, and custom resources like images.
Because it has a huge mass appeal, no-code platforms, like Webflow, Bubble, and Zoho Creator, have attracted a massive following by non-techies, designers, and developers. Now, no-code platform users feel freed from the long hours of creating apps, the tedious developmental tasks, and the unbearable coding practices that they couldn’t keep up with.
No code is also often confused with low code, which is a related term but not similar. With no code, you can create a working application without writing a single line of code, as opposed to the low-code software development approach that requires the basic skills of coding.
Before we ditch no code and say it is worthless, that would be so wrong—for sure. But how many things can you really build without code? 10? 20? 100? Or more? Certainly, they’re countless.
It is of utmost value to state that even though there are a vast number of possibilities with no code, with the growth of your application, you may have to confront the countless no-code limitations. So, let’s now look at the details of what’s 10x easier to build with no code.
From the apps that require less interactivity to those that are simple with predictable and finite app features, and those that have one-way data flow, are the ones that are beautifully fit for no-code platforms. Examples of these apps include:
While many businesses and aspiring developers savor the appealing advantages of the no-code approach, it is important to understand the associated limitations and drawbacks that lurk at every corner of its usage.
If you need to build scalable and sophisticated app solutions for your business, your chances of considering a no-code development become slimmer. Custom app solutions demand uniquely tailored apps with solutions that can fit the changing needs and trends in app development.
So if you want to see what you can not do with no code technology, check out the following applications.
If you require a high-performing app with advanced user experiences, then no code is not an option. With its limitations, you may not have the comfort of building a highly customizable product with this technology.
The more you build and extend your product with no-code platforms, the more your app will need some custom elements, thus the lesser you will need their all-in-one solutions that were once beneficial when the app was still young.
So, if you need to build an app with high interactivity and functionality, consider hiring dedicated software developers for your project.
If you want to build an app that will grow in features over time, no code will not be an option for you. If you build an app that will have a feature that’s unavailable in your no-code platform’s tool-set, you’ll get stuck, thus making it harder for you to grow further.
While some of these limitations can have some solutions with higher subscription plans, such workarounds are often not available, complex, or costly. Because your scalability depends more on your vendor than your needs, no-code will remain a headache when your app grows beyond the limits of your platform.
Another great limitation of the no-code platforms is the limited integration options, so it’s totally impossible to build an app that requires several custom integrations with multiple apps and services.
Many no-code platforms also do not offer seamless integrations, even with the basic functionalities. And that’s reasonable. The main purpose of such platforms was to allow more non-technical users to use the platform, and integrations may not add complications to their system, thus it never became their option.
If you choose a no-code, your platform may not allow integrations for you to connect your favorite apps and services. And if it does, you may have to hire a developer to write a complex and custom API for your application, which may be expensive.
With no code, you do not own the assets. Even if your platform may allow you to export your application’s assets, it often comes with added costs and challenges like unreadable code.
Some core features of your application may be tied to your platform, which may make your application’s assets useless without using the platform.
This inability to move freely across platforms has become a great disadvantage of no code. Thus, the main limitation of no code is vendor locks: the dependence on a platform throughout the lifetime of your app.
No-code app development solutions offer minimal or poor user experiences. The focus for most of these platforms is quick results, which may affect the user experience negatively.
If you want to plan and create complex user interfaces, these platforms may be helpful but limited. So you will need developers in some stages of your designs to get a powerful and complex application for an excellent user experience.
Many no-code tools provide prototyping capabilities. While they are viable for simple apps and some MVPs, they do not provide the functionality for simulating the actual experiences of your desired product.
More so, chaining the design and development all in one place may not be the most ideal approach to the development of complex apps that demand thoughtful and strong user experiences. So, as far as your prototype design needs to surpass the level of complexity, you’ll need to ditch no code.
In a no-code platform, more often, your vendor’s server hosts your data. Therefore, you do not control the safety of your source code and your databases. When you do not control your data, you do not also control access and storage.
That way, you lay all your hopes on your vendor, who may decide to cease upgrades and maintenances that may lead to security breaches and data loss. If your priority is to guarantee the privacy or security of your data, using these platforms may not be your ideal option.
Unlike in custom software development, building your app on a proprietary platform does not give you inside-out knowledge of your application. This constraint is typical because the entire implementation of your app remains hidden and locked.
Even if your app’s source code is accessible, it does not have proper documentation. Their code structure is often difficult to understand, as they may be tangled and unmaintained.
