What does low-code mean?
Low-code doesn't mean the quality of a code, but only how it was created. In low-code development, the vast majority of code is created through configuration using low-code platforms. Because the proportion of manual code development is low compared to configured code, the whole thing is referred to as “low.” And it goes a step further. No-code development completely configures the code, which makes manual code creation unnecessary. Whether this can be realistically implemented and how high-quality the code is in the end must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about the 10 most popular low-code tools over here
Benefits of low-code
- Using low-code lowers potential costs because no external software service providers are required.
- The modular principle makes it possible to develop large parts of an application without in-depth programming knowledge.
- Any shortage of skilled workers can be alleviated because non-programmers can also develop software.
- Development cycles can be shortened because an application is created almost in parallel with the specification of the requirements.
The Webflow low-code platform
Webflow is a hybrid of CMS and website builder. Unlike ordinary website builders, however, the low-code service does not excessively reduce web design, but requires users to have a certain amount of programming knowledge. This makes the tool more complex than many beginner-friendly kits. If CSS and HTML aren't foreign languages for you, Webflow's versatile toolbox will enable you to create, manage, and design dynamic websites, with visual tools in particular making the tedious coding work easier.
Pros and cons
benefits
- Combination of website builder and CMS
- Countless options
- Includes the “Webflow University” learning platform
- E-commerce is easy to integrate
drawbacks
- Programming and design skills are an advantage
- Steep learning curve
- Currently only available in English
Setup and operation
Once you've completed the registration, you'll be taken to the Webflow editor, where a short tutorial explains all the basics. Each Webflow item is in a container, where you can drag and drop other content. The end result is a website that consists of a collection of different containers stacked on and within each other.
Webflow is much more complex than comparable low-code platforms. With a user interface reminiscent of Photoshop, you can visually program in the frontend, while the software converts the design into code on the backend. As a result, Webflow offers a much steeper learning curve. If you can't do anything with basic concepts such as hierarchies, box model or floating, the editor should be a challenge at the beginning. However, if you're willing to invest time in the learning process, you'll benefit from the many opportunities offered by the low-code platform.
Features: Editor and CMS
Because the functions of the low-code editor are too extensive to explain them in detail here, only a few basics are mentioned below. With Webflow, you'll find numerous ready-made content blocks, forms, buttons, and more. You can also add entire layouts. Edit the style of the elements in the style panel. Using the navigator panel, drag and drop the items on the screen. You can also click to see how your design looks on different surfaces. Blogs can also be created in the editor. Thanks to the collaboration tool, it is even possible for several editors to work together.
But Webflow is not only a low-code builder, but also a reasonable content management system (CMS), which can definitely keep up with WordPress. It is possible to create “collections” of different types of content, each consisting of different fields. In this way, a “blog collection” could be created, provided with permalinks and then filled with content. An “author collection” for all team members would also be conceivable, with fields for short bios, photos and links to their social media profiles.
Templates
With Webflow, you have access to over 500 templates, 45 of which are free of charge. There are templates for various types of websites: blogs, portfolios, services, events, and more. Depending on the type of page, features such as dynamic elements or shops, into which you only have to insert the products, are already pre-set.
As soon as you have selected a template, almost all ready-made elements can be edited: background, color, positions, effects, font size, etc. Unlike competing low-code construction kits, you need a certain understanding of the design, because in the editor, every angle on the website can be adjusted.
Marketing, SEO, and e-commerce
A big advantage of the low-code service Webflow is the integrated e-commerce site. As soon as you add an online shop to your website, the CMS automatically creates new collections for categories and products. With a tutorial, you will finally get to the finished shop step by step. Add products to the product menu with just a few clicks and assign manually created categories to them.
Webflow gives you a high level of control, which would only be possible in other CMS systems with shop extensions. It is true that the provider is not reinventing the wheel either. But integration into your own service makes it much easier to create a shop system. Marketing, on the other hand, is still expandable. Although you can create your own discounts, more extensive marketing features and email marketing are not included.
Webflow's SEO functions can be found directly in the editor, which makes it unnecessary to purchase external plugins. There, you can also make relevant settings for descriptions and meta titles. The integration of external marketing and analytics tools such as Facebook, Google Analytics, Matomo, Pixel, Zapier or Integromat works flawlessly.
customer support
Webflow University is setting a new standard in terms of customer support. It is aimed primarily at self-helpers and autodidacts. Hundreds of videos and courses await you, which teach you all the features of Webflow, but also general principles of programming and web design.
If personal help is essential after all, open a support ticket. The Webflow support team is active for 12 hours from Monday to Friday and usually gets back to you within 24 to 48 hours.
pricing
With Webflow, you tinker for free, and then you pay for the hosting. Two projects on Webflow subdomains can be published free of charge, and there is a fee for everything else. In general, Webflow differentiates between page and account plans. With the former, you pay per project, i.e. for every website; with the latter, you pay for the entire account, including all projects.
The low-code platform Bubble.io
Bubble gives everyone the opportunity to develop web applications without having to spend too much time coding. Scaling and hosting is also possible without previous knowledge. Basically, Bubble provides four tools:
- a style editor and page designer
- a visual workflow editor that allows you to add actions and events
- a database hosted in the AWS cloud
- automatic scaling of capacity if the website or application grows
So Bubble doesn't just focus on programming. The low-code provider is trying to remove all barriers for its users and even includes things like SQL database management or uptime monitoring into product performance. Traditionally, these are areas that would require people with different expertise to develop and maintain. But because this is no longer the case with Bubble, development costs are also drastically reduced.
This simplicity also has disadvantages. As a result, every part of the created app depends on Bubble, so that there is no longer any room for alternatives. Bubble applications cannot be exported, neither the workflows nor the design. In addition, low-code apps built with Bubble rely on an active Internet connection when rendering. The bottom line is that you don't get independent software that is suitable for any operating system, but a browser application that must be permanently synchronized with a bubble server.
The prices
If you compare Bubble with the alternative of hiring a third-party developer, the former is likely to be the less expensive option in many cases. But that doesn't mean that there are no costs at all. At every price level, you get a range of features. With the free package, you can explore basic features of the low-code platform, but you can't deploy your app or access advanced features. The other plans give you more extensive options and cost between 25 and 129 US dollars per month.
The simple operation
In general, low-code programming with Bubble is fairly easy. By simply setting up app designs and attaching workflows to input fields and buttons, an application can be completed in just a few months. In recent years, the provider has also created a detailed help area that helps users understand the rich bubble ecosystem from the ground up, including online coaches and boot camps.
Ease of use is paramount with this low-code tool. However, it is helpful to remain realistic when it comes to the time frame for a project. Learning the basics takes weeks and it takes years to become a good bubble developer. It is therefore useful to adapt the complexity of the planned application to your own level of experience.
The Bubble.io plugin ecosystem
A big advantage of the low-code platform is the way basic functions can be extended using plugins. Bubble now has a plugin store with a considerable number of useful applications. However, the store is not perfect and its shortcomings are often discussed. For example, a legitimate concern of professional developers is that central app functions must often be outsourced to plugins, i.e. to third-party providers.
Of course, there are also enough plugin manufacturers with high-quality software, detailed documentation and quick support. The plugin shop itself, on the other hand, has only a limited rating system; no statistics on bug reports and fixes and information about compatibility or the external libraries used are also hidden.
The performance of the apps
The performance of an app — whether low-code or not — is extremely versatile. Because performance includes a wide range of parameters: from page load speed to processing large data sets.
Overall, however, Bubble does quite well. Normally, you should be able to set up a fast-loading page and process large amounts of data. You can also expect your application to keep up with the competition. There are many discussions on Internet forums, where frustrated developers complain about the poor performance of their applications. But this much is certain: The reason for this is not always Bubble, but often the inexperience of the developers. Read here More about bubble.io experiences from a customer and user perspective.
However, there are areas in need of improvement in the low-code tool:
- If you're working with millions of records, it could overload Bubble's power. Such amounts of data are not unthinkable, but only if the database is properly structured.
- The low-code service is rendered by the servers, so that there is always a slight delay when loading a page. Unfortunately, as a developer, there is nothing you can do about it.
- When displaying large amounts of data, the visual editor puts a heavy load on your device, which is due to the high number of DOM elements. Building a data-intensive visual tool such as Google spreadsheets would therefore currently be difficult to implement in Bubble.
conclusion
As you can see, there is a lot of potential in the low-code tools presented here, although they also come with their advantages and disadvantages. In general, low-code is about reducing potential costs because external service providers can be dispensed with. The modular principle also enables inexperienced people to program applications. On the other hand, restrictions can arise, for example, from the fact that low-code platforms such as Bubble represent a self-contained universe and therefore cannot be combined with other systems. This lack of flexibility needs to be reconsidered, particularly in the case of more complex projects. Complexity also plays a key role in Webflow. Because the versatile tool is not 100 percent suitable for beginners. Anyone who is already familiar with the basic terms and principles of HTML and CSS programming has a clear advantage here.
Software development presents many challenges: It takes a lot of time, is often cost-intensive and there is not always sufficient development capacity available. Low-code optimization, i.e. creating applications with almost no programming, represents a contrast to this. Configuring instead of programming is the guiding principle of this idea, which you implement through low-code or low-code platforms. We'll show you how the low-code platforms work.
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