No-code Tools

No-code tools allow organizations to automate their workflows and processes, manage projects and teams, and build apps with little to no handwritten code. But before we dive into the list of our favorite no-code tools, let's find out how they helped to contribute to the success story of the internet.

Remember Clifford Stoll's 1995 article in Newsweek, where he predicted the internet would die after 1996? At the time, Stoll was living in Silicon Valley as a technology author and columnist for Newsweek.

He called Baloney on all these future-predicting technologists who think the internet will solve our problems: "... Commerce and business will shift from offices and malls to networks and modems. ... Baloney. Do our computer pundits lack all common sense?" he famously wrote.

While back in the day, this clunky thing called the internet was in its infancy, it required a boatload of developers, DevOps engineers, and system administrators to run. Nowadays, teams of three people build internet businesses, driving millions of dollars in revenue.

So, almost 30 years after Stoll's prediction, the internet is alive and well and affects all aspects of our lives. The question is - how on earth did this happen? One can point to many innovations that helped get us to where we are in 2023. One trend that accelerated the tremendous progress the internet has made growing up is countless organizations and developers launching tools and platforms to help us develop – with no code.

Benefits of no-code tools

Organizations that sit at the forefront of the low-code/no-code movement significantly reduce their lead times and total cost of ownership to get their apps faster into the hands of their internal and external customers.

Business professionals and developers can co-develop applications to streamline internal processes, integrate and connect different platforms, and eliminate most undifferentiating tasks like maintaining infrastructure, software patching, and configuration management.

Sounds appealing? Then, it would help if you jumped on the hype train so your business can take advantage of the tremendous cost and time benefits of no-code platforms.

We compiled a list of the Top 10 no-code tools that will help to kickstart your no-code development journey.

1. graphapi® - Start no-code turn pro-code

Ok, we are biased here. But seriously, with graphapi we demystified the whole setup of hyper-scalable databases and cloud infrastructure. We aim to empower business professionals and developers to build world-class internet-based apps and workflow automation.

Now, why do we consider graphapi® to be a no-code platform? Because it allows you to get your backend up and running without writing a single line of code. However, it doesn't stop there. If you need custom functionality, you can write code to augment the default behavior of our platform. So you start no-code and then turn pro-code.

Furthermore, our platform features an intuitive interface allowing business professionals to easily input and manage data in a spreadsheet-like user interface while providing developers with an easy-to-integrate GraphQL API to enable programmatic access to the same data.

With the graphapi® low-code backend platform, we support businesses in their digital transforming journey, allowing them to focus on growth and innovation rather than the upkeep and maintenance of complex cloud infrastructure.

2. Shopify - The no-code online shop

Most people contemplating selling stuff online stumble upon Shopify in their search for a simple-to-use e-commerce platform. Shopify is the no-code genius of online management systems.

Its comprehensive app store provides everything from loyalty programs, payment integration, analytics, bookkeeping support, tools for marketing and conversion, localization, and endless more. Eight thousand apps that underwent a 100-checkpoint review process allow you to customize all aspects of your customer's online shopping experience. Each of the apps could be considered a no-code tool in itself.

When your customer base is growing, and your traffic is spiking, you can switch to Shopify Plus, which comes with more scalability, e-commerce automation, better support, and everything you need for international expansion.

3. Hubspot - Lead-generation with no-code tools

HubSpot is renowned for its comprehensive suite of CRM tools. The platform takes a user-friendly approach to helping businesses manage their relationships with customers and leads. However, the platform offers a lot more products than just the CRM. It groups functionalities for different departments or functions around so-called hubs:

• Sales Hub
• Marketing Hub
• Service Hub
• CMS Hub
• Operations Hub

These hubs offer free no-code tools that business professionals can use for lead generation, email marketing, contact and deal pipeline management, customer service activities, data sync, and more.

For example, the Content Management System (CMS) allows your marketing and sales professionals to build simple websites, landing pages, forms, or business blogs and integrate them with your CRM pipeline.

4. Calendly - Automate your invites

Most people view Calendly as a tool for scheduling meetings. Very few people know that it also provides the ability to automate all the work the host usually does around an event, like sending reminder emails or text messages. On top of that, it allows its users to integrate with their existing business tool stack, like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, and web conferencing systems. But that's not all. An often overlooked feature of Calendly is its ability to collect payments for you. All these features make it a worthy entry to our no-code tools list.

5. Make - The no-code automation platform

Make is a no-code automation platform that allows teams to eliminate repetitive manual tasks without writing code. Automation platforms, like Make and Zapier, are becoming increasingly popular due to a growing business appetite for streamlining internal processes and workflows. It provides a great library of automation templates that teams can choose from to get started quickly.

Users must create a scenario with their visual scenario builder to automate anything in Make. The scenario builder supports adding filters, routers, and modules. A Make scenario begins by selecting a trigger app from hundreds of integrations that work plug-and-play and come with a pre-defined set of activities a user can choose from. Once selected, the trigger app becomes the first module on the canvas. Users then choose an action app and proceed with as many steps as necessary to achieve the automation flow they are looking for.

6. Webflow - A visual no-code website builder

Webflow is a DIY website builder that is well designed and feels a bit more accessible to the average business professional who wants to set up a website for their new business or marketing initiatives. The Webflow designer is a visual no-code tool that lets anyone take what's in their imagination and turn it into a working product. What makes it so powerful is the comprehensive marketplace, which offers a lot of free but beautiful templates to get started. More experienced low-code developers can take a peak at the code behind the design and make adjustments using Javascript, HTML, and CSS. For dynamic websites, Webflow can easily integrate with no-code backend platforms such as graphapi® to get data persistency and scalability.

7. FlutterFlow - Drag & drop to a mobile app

FlutterFlow is another platform for developing mobile apps. Two former Google engineers developed it on top of the Flutter framework, which Google developed and open-sourced. The idea behind the Flutter framework was to build cross-platform mobile apps from a single codebase. FlutterFlow is the no-code tool that brings the framework to citizen developers.

Its visual drag-and-drop user interface allows users to build apps with over 50 pre-defined UI elements. It features UI elements like image viewers, form fields, video players, list tiles, PDF viewers, place pickers, and complex components like generic HTML views and condition builders.

For the backend, it can integrate with Google's Firebase for writing and retrieving data. The possibilities are endless, and the flexibility for building cross-platform apps is impressive. However, it comes with a steep learning curve, which puts you quickly into pro-code territory.

8. Glide - No-code apps for your business

Glide allows you to create business apps for inventory management, event planning, field operations, client portals, company directories, or admin dashboards. Glide is optimized for mobile apps, making it a great choice if your primary target is mobile users. It offers pre-designed layouts that work well on mobile devices, reducing the need for extensive customization.

If you have an Excel or Google sheet, you can get something up and running in minutes just by walking through the onboarding flow. Glide makes switching between different representation styles for your data super simple. If none of the built-in UI styles, such as grid, table, calendar, kanban, or checklist, satisfy the needs of your users, you can also build custom layouts.

Glide provides the ability to add data collections and offers a range of actions and triggers. Still, it may have its limitations when it comes to setting up more advanced functionality. Overall, Glide is a user-friendly platform for creating mobile apps, especially for those who prioritize ease of use and quick development.

9. Framer - AI-powered landing page no-code tool

Need a landing page for your next AI conference? Framer has an input field on their website that allows you to enter just that, and off you go. As a result, you get an AI-generated mobile-optimized template ready to go. Don't like the colors? No problem; choose from one of the automatically generated color palettes. The onboarding experience of Framer is seamless and impressive. While it's a bit harder to customize and tweak, getting started with a great-looking website has never been easier.

10. Stripe - No-code payments infrastructure

Stripe has been the poster child of one of the most developer-friendly platforms for years. While integrating payment into your webshop and apps has long been a task for developers, Stripe didn't stop optimizing only the developer experience. Over the years, they also introduced many no-code options for using Stripe.

Whether selling with payment links, generating custom branded invoices, receiving in-person payments, or donations, Stripe has excelled in making getting paid as simple and secure as possible. It is possible to run an e-commerce business on Stripe without writing a single line of code using payment links. Granted, this wouldn't work for a buzzing online business with thousands of products and hundreds of thousands of customers, but it would allow you to test an idea and kickstart your business without first hiring a team of developers.

Stripe offers a fully integrated suite of payment products that allows you to start with no-code and turn pro-code as soon as your business grows—all that by retaining your existing customers.

No-code tools Conclusion

With our Top 10 list of no-code tools, we wanted to provide you a window into the applications' versatility and usefulness. No-code tools find their application across many use cases, allowing organizations to improve the effectiveness of their teams significantly. Whatever you want to automate, giving it some critical thought beforehand might save you a lot of operational overhead. That's why we recommend to follow Elon Musk's 5-step algorithm:

1. Question every requirement
2. Delete any part or process you can
3. Simplify and optimize
4. Accelerate cycle time
5. Automate

After completing the first four steps, what's left is the essence of what is required to run your business. If you automate these processes and tasks using no-code tools like the ones we listed in this article, you'll be able to innovate and stay ahead of your competition.

Feel free to get in touch for a strategy call to discuss how we can help you transform your business.