What if I told you that these mobile apps were built completely without writing a single line of code? Yes, these are fully functioning native mobile apps that are published on the Android and Apple Stores, and they were built using something called “No Code.” This means that their founders didn’t have to write a single line of code or hire expensive developers to bring their ideas to reality. If you want to do exactly that and start building your own mobile apps without any technical experience, then this video is for you. I will be breaking down the best no-code MOBILE APP builders in 2023.
We’ll go over
- functionality
- ease of use
- Pricing
- best use cases
- live examples for each tool.
- Power Builder
The first few builders I want to cover are what I like to refer to as “Power Builders.” They have very deep functionality and work both as no-code and low-code solutions. Once you outgrow their no-code features, which are actually super extensive, you can start integrating custom code or pass your project on to a developer.
FLUTTER FLOW
FlutterFlow is a mobile and responsive app builder that works on the Flutter framework, developed by Google.
The Flutter framework is great because it’s a CROSS – PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT framework, meaning that apps work seamlessly across desktop, mobile, and web platforms. This framework is optimized for performance, making it an attractive choice for demanding mobile applications. FlutterFlow is a no-code builder that abstracts this framework behind a drag-and-drop builder, meaning that you can utilize this powerful framework to build fully functioning mobile apps on both Android and Apple without writing a single line of code.
Let’s go into the website and take a closer look.
FlutterFlow allows you to build applications faster than ever. You can create beautiful UIs, generate clean code, and deploy to the app stores as well as the web in one click. It is fully extensible with custom code.
Now, let’s take a look at the features.
FlutterFlow allows you to make Animations, send Push Notifications, use Light and Dark mode functionality, and Build collaboratively, enabling you to work effortlessly with other developers.
The best thing of all is that it allows you to Export clean code.
FlutterFlow generates clean Flutter code, meaning that you can take it and export it to host yourself or pass it on to developers. In FlutterFlow, you can integrate directly with Firebase, Google Maps, Stripe, and many other options.
Now, let’s go into the app itself to see how it works. Here, I use a template for a health app.
On the left, we have all the elements, and on the right, we have the parameters tab where we can click on each element to edit its functionality and appearance.
If you want to add some text, you just click it and drag and drop it into your app.
The same goes for images and anything else you want to add. You can then click on an image and edit it. You can choose another image, resize it, and do anything else you might need.
Here, we have the widget tree, which allows you to see the hierarchy of your elements and the different pages of the app.
One of my favorite features is the storyboard, where you can see all of your app pages and how they interact.
This is game-changing because it allows you to visualize your app and understand the relationships between different pages. For example, we have the login page, and we can see exactly what happens after we log in.
You can also view the database within FlutterFlow, as it integrates directly with Firebase, so you don’t need to switch to Firebase to see the data. Additionally, there are API calls, automated tests, and theme settings.
You can set a theme for the entire app, change the colors, typography, and widget styling.
Now we back in app and i’m gonna show you actually how to export the code, you just click here and press “View Code” to see all the code of your app.
This is amazing because if you need more functionality, you can get a Flutter developer to add custom code. You can also “Connect GitHub Repo” and “Download the code” to host it somewhere else.
If you want to preview the app, just click on the preview button to see how it looks on mobile and other devices.
Another cool feature of FlutterFlow is its AI generation capabilities. You can give it a prompt, and it will generate the corresponding component for you.
For instance, let’s say we want to generate a profile page for a yoga teacher. In about a minute, it comes up with a design, complete with different color palettes that you can switch between.
You can press “Insert Page” to add this into your project .
APP BUILT ON FLUTTERFLOW
Here is “Gifted,” an app still in development that helps you find out what kinds of gifts your friends would like to receive while remaining anonymous.
Here is “Atlas,” a credit card app with over 5000 ratings in the App Store.
“Backer” is an app that allows you to follow athletes and your favorite players. “Park Church” helps you find chargers for your EV vehicle.
Charge Mobile” helps you find chargers for your EV vehicle.
FLUTTERFLOW PRICING
FlutterFlow offers a great free membership that gives you full access to their visual application builder, allowing you to build up to 100 pages. The Standard plan, ranging from $30 to $50 depending on your region, includes everything in the free plan plus the ability to export code. In the $35 to $70 range, you can actually deploy the app to the Apple and Google Stores, which is a great deal for the price.
- DRAFTBIT
Now, let’s move on to the second builder, which is the closest competitor to FlutterFlow: Draftbit. While FlutterFlow operates on the Flutter framework, Draftbit uses the React Native framework, which has a much more mature ecosystem with many big apps built on it already.
Draftbit promises that you can build any app 10 times faster, allowing you to create native mobile apps, responsive web apps, and internal tools visually.
You can build anything with low-level components from scratch, higher-order components to move quickly, and custom code just like FlutterFlow. Draftbit lets you create a design system to quickly change the look of your app, connect elements for navigation, actions, interactions, and state management, and access APIs directly with any external data source via REST API.
DRAFTBIT BUILDER
The building experience on Draftbit is slightly different from FlutterFlow.
Instead of drag-and-drop, you click on the plus button to add components, which then appear in the components tab where you can drag them into the desired order.
Although not as visual as FlutterFlow, it is still a fast way to build. Draftbit allows you to create complex interfaces, like a streaming app.
While FlutterFlow has most menus on the left, Draftbit places them at the top.
For example, to integrate APIs, you click on the API button and use REST API to connect to various databases. You can also add custom code and variables for complex functionality, and edit themes and styles for the entire app.
To preview the app, click on “Navigate.”
It may take some time to load, but once it does, you can test your app by clicking through different sections like streams, profile pages, and about pages.
This example is an entire live streaming app built using Draftbit. You can also have a live preview with a QR code to scan on your phone.
Draftbit allows you to export code as well, though I am on the free plan now and can’t demonstrate this. However, if you are on the Premium plan, you can click to export the code.
APP BUILT WITH DRAFTITBIT
For example, an app that was built to help people with their mental health and facilitate conversations about it.
As you can see, the UI is very clean. It’s essentially a social network that was built on Draftbit. Here is “Walt,” an app that allows you to track your bets and have group chats about them.
“Grace” is an app that allows you to have fun and support local businesses in CA.
DRAFTBIT PRICING
Now, let’s look at the pricing. Draftbit also offers a free membership starting at zero dollars a month, which gives you access to all building features but only five screens per project. You can also have two API endpoints. In the Basic plan, you get all of that, but you can actually publish the project. You get 25 screens instead of five, unlimited APIs, unlimited drafts, and you can publish to iOS, Android, and the web for just twenty dollars a month. In the Pro plan, you get all of that plus the ability to export code. There is also a Team membership.
FLUTTERFLOW VS DRAFTBIT
Choosing between FlutterFlow and Draftbit depends on the functionality you need and the kind of experience you are looking for when you build. I prefer FlutterFlow because it has the storyboard feature where you can see exactly how the different pages interact with each other.
It also has native functionality with Firebase and a few other features, making it much faster to set up your apps.
However, Draftbit does offer a bit more functionality, so for the most complex apps, I would choose Draftbit.
3. ADALOW
Now, onto tool number three, which is Adalo. Adalo is another native mobile app builder, but it’s a lot simpler to use than the previous tools mentioned. If you don’t have much technical experience and want to have your app running as soon as possible, this might be the tool for you. Adalo promises that you can build custom and esponsive apps and publish them anywhere without any code. It allows you to build responsive web apps and integrates with Zapier and Xano. It has a drag-and-drop freeform builder, geolocation, custom actions, a component marketplace, templates, and many other integrations.
ADALO BUILDER
This is what the builder itself looks like.
It might remind you of the storyboard feature in FlutterFlow, where you can see how the different pages interact. In Adalo, you build in a similar way: you see the page and use their visual builder to construct it. Some of the pages are in the web version because Adalo is usable for both web and mobile apps.
When you click here, you can change the view to mobile.
If you are building a mobile app, the pages will look like a mobile view rather than a web view.
When building, you’ll click on “Screens” and then on the individual page you are constructing.
For example, if you want to build a destination page, click on it
and Adalo will bring you to that page and center it on your screen.
From there, you can start building by pressing the plus button to drag and drop components and edit them live. To edit, left-click on a component to see all the different options.
Adalo also has a database section where you can see all your databases, such as users, trips, and destinations. You can also connect external databases
In the branding tab, you can change all the colors.
There is also a version history tab and a components tab. You can add complex functionality through actions, such as creating a page, updating components, deleting components, or linking to other components. You can also integrate tools like GPT-3 and all of the other tools. (over 5000 apps offer). Their builder is very intuitive and straightforward to use
ADALO PRICING
Adalo offers a free membership so you can start learning. With the Starter membership, you get all the features plus a custom domain, and you can publish to the web. The Professional plan, priced at 52 dollars a month, allows you to publish to app stores. The Team membership, at 160 dollars a month, includes Xano integration. From the research I’ve done, Adalo doesn’t have the fastest database, so you might want to use an external database tool like Xano. However, having to pay 160 dollars just to integrate that is a bit underwhelming .
APP BUILT WITH ADALO
Now, let’s see some of the tools that have been built on Adalo. If you head over to their website, they have a page called “MadeinAdalo,” showcasing many different tools that have been created using their platform.
I’m gonna check out this one: “KohTao Dive Site Reports.” That’s pretty cool—it actually shows you different dive reports in the KohTao area. The app looks like it has some nice features and is very straightforward to use.
Next, this is “Joy Blossom,” another tool built in Adalo, which is a mindfulness tool.
Here’s another one called “Sommely,” which is like a social network for wine lovers. As you can see, it has different wines that you can click on, and I guess people can leave reviews and show the pricing and things of this nature. It looks pretty nice.
Another good thing about Adalo is that it has a lot of plugins and templates. It also has a much bigger community than the previous tools I mentioned, which is another plus. However, the downside is that you cannot export code, and it’s a bit constrictive compared to Draftbit or FlutterFlow. Despite this, I think it’s a great option for a basic app or an MVP.
3. THUNKABLE
In my experience, it’s one of the easiest and fastest tools to learn to build your own mobile app while still having a lot of functionality. Thunkable promises that you can build custom mobile apps without any code. It’s Naturally native, Powerful and Playful, Always available, and comes with many Pre-built components.
Their target demographic includes people building MVPs, educational software, business software, and custom mobile experiences.
Once again, it’s a Drag-and-Drop builder. It also features Advanced logic, is Device-native, has many integrations, and offers Direct publishing and Workspace collaboration.
THUNKABLE BUILDER
This is what it looks like when you load in. To start building, you can add components. For example, you can add a button and a text input, resize and position them, and add an image. To create a new screen, just click the “New Screen” button and start building there. It’s very straightforward and intuitive.
You can connect different data sources by clicking on the “Data” tab.
You can build your own table within Thunkable or connect to Airtable, Google Sheets, or Webflow.
The logic feature is also easy to use. If you’ve ever used Scratch before, this will feel familiar. You can drag different logic blocks to implement features like a speech player, sound, camera, or photo capture.
To preview your app on your mobile device, download the Thunkable app and scan the QR code that appears.
THUNKABLE PRICING
Thunkable offers a free plan where you can start learning and have up to 10 projects. The $15/month plan allows you to have up to 20 projects and includes community support, live testing, and one private project. The $45/month plan offers even more features.
That’s when you can start publishing to the App Store and Google Play Store. However, if you wanted custom branding, you would have to pay $200 a month. In my opinion, if you’re launching your own MVP or building your app, you don’t want to have branding, so the minimum price is really $200 a month.
4. GoodBarber.
I know it’s a pretty random name, but it’s actually a great tool. This tool is relatively simple but has a serious focus on UI. With other tools, you’ll need some design experience to build good-looking apps, but GoodBarber makes it very easy to quickly build an app that looks pretty good. GoodBarber says you can make beautiful apps with no code, and it’s for people who are serious about UX (user experience).
They’re trusted by big brands, have a very good design system, and heavily advertise it on their website. I think that’s awesome because, with other apps, you need to know quite a bit about design to build an app that looks good.
Let’s choose a template.
For example, if I want to create a non-profit app, we could choose a theme.
I’ll go for the default one. For navigation, let’s say we want to have a side menu like this.
you can name your project, then wait for a second and click “Discover.”
GOODBARBER BUILDER
From all the builders so far, this has the simplest UI I’ve ever seen. The buttons are massive, making it easy to see what’s going on.
This is what it looks like—this would be the menu.
Here, we can see upcoming events, click to donate, and view our fights. We can see the different things this company is doing and register for the email.
If you want to change something, click on “Colors and Fonts” and change all the colors.
You can also see all the different components and their hierarchy.
Clicking on “Tree” lets you see how the different pages interact.
To add a new page, click and add a section, such as a blog.
Now we’ve got a blog page, so if there are any articles, they’ll show up here.
For deeper functionality, you can get extensions from their store. You can integrate Airtable, forms, ActiveCampaign, Buy Me a Coffee, Google Tasks, and Instagram.
GOODBARRBER PRICING
It starts at 30 Euros a month, covering all your needs for online courses, newspapers, and content creation. The pricing depends on what you’re building. For example, if you want to build a commerce store, it’s 40 Euros a month. For an online course, the pricing is really straightforward. You don’t have to sit there and compare all the different plans.
APPS BUILT WITH GOODBARBER
If you go to their website and look at the solutions, you can see the different solutions their apps can be used for, and they break down the different functionalities.
That can go into it. Now, we did see that it is a very basic builder, but if you have a very basic app or an MVP that you need to launch quickly and want it to look good, then I would recommend GoodBarber. The way their builder works makes it easy to create apps that look decent and are user-friendly.
- GLIDE.
Glide is not a native app builder; the apps built on Glide cannot be published on the App Store, but it’s a great solution if you want to build internal tools.
Glide is designed to help you build internal tools, such as those for Field operations, Event management, Customer portals, Employee portals, Inventory management, and similar needs. If you want to build an internal tool for your business, then Glide will be the best choice.
GLIDE BUILDER
It is very straightforward. You have this side here on the left with the components.
You’ll click the plus button and then choose the different components you want to add. For example, let’s add an image and place it on top. If you want to edit that image, click on it, and here on the right, you can change the different styles, such as simple, cover, or profile. If you want to remove it, just click the X.
If you want to remove it, just click the X.
On the left, you can also see the different pages.
You can go to the Customers page or the Product Catalog page. If you go to Data, you can see all the data for your apps.
You can have a table within Glide that stores all the data, or you can integrate an external database like Airtable.
In Actions, you can automate things and supercharge the app itself. It has integration with OpenAI, Gmail, and other tools.
Here’s an example of it in action. You could set a user interaction with a certain product to open a link. You can also add different conditions.
For example, here it’s like: if the product name is not empty, then another action will happen. It’s quite intuitive to use, and you can see all the actions in a mind map.
GLIDE PRICING
Glide also has a free membership where you can have up to three private users, three free apps, a thousand updates a month, and 500 rows of data. For $25 a month, you get web embeds as well as a custom domain. For $100 a month, you get unlimited apps, 50 private users, the Glide API, and powerful integrations.
If you’re going to be using this app in a professional setting, you’re probably going to opt for the Pro or the Business plan. The reason is that you will likely want to use the powerful integrations and the Glide API.
APPS BUILT WITH GLIDE
If you want to see some of the apps built with Glide, you can check out their templates to see some examples.
For instance, if you need an inventory management system for your business, Glide has you covered. They offer templates for company CRM, room reservations, and accident and incident management. While Glide doesn’t allow you to build native apps and has a very simple builder, it is still a powerful tool for business needs. You can have an app for your internal needs up and ready in no time and be sure that it works.
5. BRAVO STUDIO
It is the most unique mobile app builder among all the tools mentioned before. This app takes a completely different approach to building your mobile app. If any of you are familiar with Figma, you’ll be absolutely delighted because in this app, the approach is to build your app in Figma first. Then, you import your Figma project into this builder, add a bit more functionality, and you’re ready to post. Bravo promises that you can take your designs from Figma and make them into a publishable app in a flash. This is what the process looks like:
This is what the process looks like: you have your Figma project, add it to Bravo Studio, add the back-end, you have your MVP or project ready to be published on Google Play and the Apple Store as a native app.
It allows you to build CRM apps, meditation apps, fitness apps, restaurant apps, school apps, and event apps.
One thing you’ll notice that’s different from all the other apps is how polished they look.
These apps honestly look legit because they are just Figma projects that have been converted. This is honestly a game changer for designers.
BRAVOSTUDIO BUILDER
Now, let’s take a look at what it looks like on the inside. Here’s a sample app from Bravo itself. As you can see, all the pages look super clean.
This last page even has a 360-degree view integrated into it.
In this builder, you wouldn’t be building out the components within the app itself; you’d be doing it in Figma. Here, you’d just be adding functionality.
So, we can add data in the data tab and add integrations like Firebase authentication, custom logins, chats, and analytics. Then you could publish it. If you wanted to preview it, you could do that on your phone.
As you can see here, the designs you could do are pretty awesome.
BRAVOSTUDIO PRICING
Their pricing starts at $23 a month for individuals, where you can have unlimited solo projects, import up to 30 app screens per project, and publish in the iOS and Android stores. That’s actually a really good price to be able to publish apps in the iOS store. For teams, the price is $426, and you can have up to 10 collaborators, up to 50 app screens per project, and get a lot more support.
APPS BUILT WITH BRAVOSTUDIO
Check out this one called Min Gas.
MSC – Swimming Teams Dison.
Cut My Garden—an app where you can book your gardening needs.
Bravo Studio is a great option if you have a design background and know how to use Figma. Even if you don’t know how to use Figma, it might be worth learning because it has a massive community and lots of people are submitting different templates and their own projects. You can just copy and adapt these to functional Bravo Apps and then have an amazing, good-looking app running without any code.
WHICH TOOL IS RIGHT FOR YOU ?
So, which tool do you pick for your own startup? If you need complex functionality and want to be able to pass on your project to developers in the future, then I would either go for Flutter Flow or Draftbit. If you need an app with decent functionality for an MVP and need it up fast, then I would go for Adalo or Thunkable. If you need to build internal tools, then I would choose Glide. If you’re an experienced designer who wants to bring their designs to life, then I would go for Bravo Studio.