While technology is becoming increasingly present in our everyday lives, we are assisting in what is being called the "democratization of technology" meaning that, today, more and more people can not only use but also create technology.
Today, anyone can create a website, an e-commerce website, and a mobile app or web application thanks to no-code tools. When it comes to coding and application building, however, there are a lot of misconceptions still going on. Many business owners, and even developers, are still convinced, for example, that coding is still the best way to create an app. At the same time, no-code tools are a great resource even for those who have a deep understanding of programming languages.
This article will expose the five biggest misconceptions concerning no-code development.
What is no-code development?
As you may have guessed, no-code is not a new approach to coding. But its popularity is extremely growing every year. Instead of building an app from scratch and writing lines and lines of code, no-code development uses no-code tools.
No-code tools are platforms designed to allow developers with different levels of expertise to create web applications and mobile apps without using the traditional coding approach. No-code platforms allow users to use modules, interface elements, and logical blocks previously created and tested by the developers of these platforms to develop their applications, including using drag-and-drop.
What is the difference between no-code and low-code tools?
Speaking of misconceptions regarding no-code, sometimes it gets confused with the low-code approach. But there is a difference between the two approaches.
Low-code, in particular, is similar to no-code but:
- low-code platforms provide an area where developers can and need to add code to develop functionalities;
- there is less automation;
- developers need to have a deep understanding of programming languages.
Compared to low-code, no-code allows more people to approach apps’ development. The knowledge that is required is just some familiarity with software use and a clear idea of the final result that the developer wants to obtain.
Best no-code tool: AppMaster
When it comes to no code, one of the most important aspects to consider is which no code tool you will be using. The final result will largely depend on its quality.
AppMaster is one of the most recommended no-code tools available today. It was designed to make the work of professionals easier by allowing people with less experience to create their mobile applications and professional developers to spend less time on routine tasks.
AppMaster offers a clean interface, many integration modules, and the ability to get the source code for your application. As we'll soon discover, one of the biggest misconceptions about no-code tools is that no coding is required. As we will see in the next paragraph, the encoding exists but is generated automatically. Your no-code tool should provide easy access to the source code to export the generated code, access it, and even edit it if you are familiar with the programming languages used.
5 biggest misconceptions about no-code
The rise of the no-code application development platforms gave rise to several misconceptions. Here are a few of them:
No-code means there is no coding at all
As we’ve mentioned, this is the first great misconception about no-code. Building an app using no-code tools doesn’t mean that coding isn’t anywhere. Coding is still the base of programming, but it is created automatically instead of being written and added manually by the developer.
Coding is still there, and if the no-code tool you use is high quality like AppMaster, coding is also accessible.
No-code developers need to have a deep understanding of coding. No! And this is the main difference with other approaches, not the absence of coding! With no-code tools, people who have an understanding and basic knowledge of programming languages can edit the code, export it, and use it as they like. In contrast, people who don’t know any programming language can still create the app they need, while the no-code tool generates the back-end code for them.
No-code eliminates developers
The growth of no-code tools and approach doesn’t want to eliminate the role and importance of developers. On the contrary, it should be considered a resource for developers in the first place.
No-code tools allow developers to accomplish tasks a lot quicker and more efficiently. Their work becomes accessible, and they can obtain better results in less time. This is a win-win situation for developers and those who hire them: developers can do more work in less time. As a consequence, they can lower their prices and find more and more customers. On the other hand, entrepreneurs can lower app development costs. When the process becomes smoother, and the costs become lower, the digital transition of any business becomes easier.
However, no-code tools - that sometimes provide drag-and-drop solutions that don’t require any manual coding and are therefore easy to use - allow anyone to create the app they need for their business.
No-code tools don’t allow customization
This is another big misconception preventing many from exploiting the advantages of no-code tools.
We’ve spoken about AppMaster above in this article. Let’s take this top-quality no-code platform as an example to reveal this misconception.
As we’ve mentioned, while creating your web application or mobile app without manually writing code, the code is automatically generated. You can have access to such code, and you can:
- export it;
- edit it.
That said, no-code platforms like AppMaster allow for deep customization on a double level:
- using no-code elements within the platform;
- accessing the back-end code and editing within or outside the no-code platform.
No-code is for simple and light-weight apps
Another popular misconception is that no-code can only be used when you need to develop very simple apps. This isn’t true: not only can no-code be used for complex apps and website projects, but it can also ease the process and help you obtain better results.
Having a no-code platform helps you simplify the significant complexity into smaller tasks. You can have control of the single tasks while still having a comprehensive view and understanding of your project more efficiently with a visual tool like a no-code tool can be.
We can go even deeper than this. No-code makes another aspect simple: updating. Whether you create a simple or complex website or app, you’ll need to update it constantly. If you are a developer, you already know how updating the code manually can be exhausting and never-ending. With no-code tools updating, mobile apps or other projects become a lot easier.
No-code doesn’t leave space for flexibility
The last misconception concerning no-code is that it limits the developer in some ways: for example because no-code tools have limited features; therefore, your development process and creativity are limited to those features.
There is a lot to say about this. First of all, your no-code tool can limit your work only if you opt for the wrong one. When you opt for the top-quality no-code platform, you have no limits.
Why does no-code provide no limitations?
- Suppose you have opted for a no-code platform like AppMaster (one of the best in circulation) and limit yourself to using the provided interface (without coding yourself). In that case, you have zero limitations because of the high-end level of the provided elements and integration between them. Of course, it’s essential that you opt for a quality no-code platform like AppMaster.
- As no-code tools like AppMaster guarantee access to back-end code, you have no limitations because you can edit the code in any way you like. You can go even further than that: export the back-end code and continue developing your website application or mobile application outside the no-code tool.
Do no-code platforms have any limits?
To provide the shortest answer: no-code platforms have limitations if you pick the wrong no-code app development platform. As we’ve mentioned many times in this article, it is vital that you only rely on high-end no-code tools like AppMaster. What limitations could you experience if you pick a low-quality no-code platform?
Limiting templates
When you build an app with a no-code tool, you usually start from a provided template. You should avoid no-code platforms whose templates are too rigid and not flexible enough to have complete freedom of customization.
Lack of security
You only want to pick no-code tools that give you full control over the app you're building. Why? Because you don’t want limits to your creativity, but also because you want full control of security and reliability.
The control is in the hands of the no-code app providers when you don't fully control the app you're building.
Lack of code ownership
Make sure that the no-code platform you opt for not only allows you to build with full freedom and control over the app you’re building and that it provides access to the code.
You can only fully control what you are building with access to the code.
Can your business benefit from no-code development?
The no-code approach is becoming more and more critical, especially for businesses. The main benefit is that it lowers the cost of creating a custom mobile app or web application.
Nowadays, businesses can't survive without social media. Being present on the Internet is vital, and the best way of doing this is - in many cases - providing their clients with a web application they can interact with or a mobile app to browse the business’ offers from their smartphone.
However, no-code isn’t only helpful in building custom apps for business clients. As you may know, sometimes, automatizing some processes can make the work and workflow in the company much smoother, easier, and quicker; therefore, productivtìity can be increased. Creating no-code custom apps is a great solution to automate these processes. Businesses no longer need to hire expensive development teams to create simple custom apps to ease their workflow.
Businesses that have not still begun their digital transition are probably scared of the costs that such a change can require. For them, it’s essential to know that there is a no-code approach that can lower the cost while enhancing the quality of the results.
Conclusion
This article has been for anyone who needs to build a custom app or web application for their business or private use but is scared to rely on no coding tools. Your fear depends on some thoughts concerning no-code software development that are, however, misconceptions. We hope that this article has helped you understand the value of the no-code approach. We’ve also highlighted limits that no-code tools can have, but we’ve also shown you how to overcome them: rely only on high-end no-code platforms like AppMaster.
