As the app market continues to grow, a mobile app can take your business one step closer to success. It helps in business expansion and gaining an effective marketing channel.
Since this is the smartphone generation, a mobile app could be your ticket to triumph. However, if you are not an app builder and have no experience in app design or programming software, finding someone who can do the needful helps.
You can take assistance from in-house app builders or hire external companies for the same. However, if you are a small business or a start-up and are not able to bear the costs incurred in a full-blown app development, app builders will come to the rescue.
Let’s find out what an app builder is and how it helps. Also, we’ll learn about some of the best app builders, along with their pros and cons.
What is an App Builder?
As the name suggests, an app builder is a platform helping businesses build their mobile app. People with no experience in coding, designing, and app development can efficiently use the different online mobile app development tools and build mobile apps hassle-free.
Another good thing about app builder is it hastens the app development process. While the traditional app development process takes weeks and months, app builder involves easy tools that make the entire process shorter and ensures a high-quality and high-performing app.
Developing an app is not only time-taking but also a challenging process for app developers. It is mainly because it involves multiple steps involving idea creation, analysis, designing, testing, and implementation. However, app builders utilize simple tools that require the following:
- A rough idea of your app design
- App type
- Features
- User interaction format
App builders ensure you get a feasible mobile app for your business that showcases and promotes all your services and products for better engagement and increased revenues.
What are the Best App Builders?
App builders come in handy when you lack coding and design experience. Also, they shorten the usual app development lifecycle. Therefore, we have listed the top 10 best app builders to help you create a perfect mobile app.
Our list comprises app builders with varied features, tools, and pricing to ensure the long-term sustainability of your business. We have also shared the potential pros and cons of every app builder to provide you with a complete overview of each tool.
Check them out!
1. Appy Pie
Appy Pie could be the knight in shining armor if you are a small business and do not have peculiar mobile app needs. At the same time, if funds are the problem, Appy Pie is the solution.
It is one of the most reasonable and affordable medium that helps create a dynamic app without coding. All you need is to mention certain things like the business name, category, the device for app publication, and color scheme. Once selected, Appy Pie connects with your existing online store for a flawless customer experience.
It is more useful for small-scale e-commerce businesses as it allows creating of basic stores and following secure in-app payments. The payment is processed through the application itself.
Features of Appy Pie:
- Appy Pie Connect
- Secure payments
- Built-in publishing
- Reliable customer support
Along with these, Appy Pie allows pulling content from different platforms like Shopify, Etsy, etc. It makes app development easier. Moreover, tools like website builder, ChatBot, and LiveChat creation tools make it even more interesting.
Pros:
- Ensures secure booking and payments
- Multiple templates suitable for different industries
- Excellent customer support
- Offline capabilities
Cons:
- The ability to upgrade the app is limited
- UX may seem old-fashioned
Pricing:
The pricing is $16 per app per month for ad-free account.
2. Zoho Creator
Zoho Creator is a one-stop solution for developing customized apps. It is one of those platforms that are comprehensive and allows building a custom app for businesses. It lets you build forms, reports, and user interfaces without coding knowledge.
Another benefit of Zoho is it allows you to integrate the app with other products of Zoho and grab more by spending less. If you face some issues while using Zoho Creator, the tutorial videos and documentation will help tremendously.
The working module of Zoho Creator involves the use of AI app builder technology. It helps design custom apps even with zero knowledge of coding. On the basis of many historical data points predicting the outcomes becomes easy too.
Features of Zoho Creator:
- AI app builder
- Allows Integration
- Multi-app device creator
- BI and Analytics
Since it allows more than 550 integrations with other apps, it eases connecting business processes with the tools you already use.
Pros:
- Easy drag-and-drop UI feature
- Excellent built-in templates
- More features
- Affordable
Cons:
- It doesn’t support Java.
Pricing:
The pricing of Zoho Creator for a professional account starts at $25.
3. Thunkable
Offering a colorful interface and multiple features, Thunkable helps build mobile applications loved by creators and users alike.
With Thunkable, you get the perks of creating custom designs and adding interactions and animations. Moreover, you get a variety of components to include in the app and make it more interesting for the users.
It features a drag-and-drop design canvas, giving access to any device. Thus, it helps easy and productive native app development. While creating an app with Thunkable, you also understand the development language, so it’s a win-win.
Features of Thunkable:
- Drag and drop
- Native device
- Advanced logic modules
- Extensible and easy integration
With the advanced logic module, you can easily integrate complex structures into your application with just a few tabs. It gives you control over the application behavior on the basis of data, user input, and time-based conditions.
Pros:
- Interactive UI
- Easy and affordable
- Supports native apps
- Great technical support
Cons:
- It doesn’t involve app customization
Pricing:
The paid plan of Thunkbale starts at $13. You can also avail some of its services with free account.
4. Jotform Apps
Jotform app builder allows you to develop a completely customized app and download it on devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. It offers more than 200 templates to choose from that are suitable for different industries such as healthcare, education as well as e-commerce.
With the easy-to-use drag-and-drop components building a useful application for the business become hassle-free, and Jotform is all about that. You can utilize the elements offered by Jotform, like data collection, surveys, online payments, and a lot more.
One thing that makes Jotform interesting is it makes the app more interactive with its easy elements, adds forms, showcases images, and document sharing- everything can be done with just a few clicks.
Once you build an app with Jotform, there is no need to create different versions or send it for Google Play or App Store submission. In this way, it helps save time, effort, and money.
Features of Jotform:
- 200+ templates
- 70+ app widgets
- Easy and ready to use layouts
- Greater compatibility with more than 30 Payment Gateways
Pros:
- Helps develop customized app
- Connects with multiple payment gateways
- Multiple pre-build components
- Free to use
Cons:
- Integration between forms is limited
Pricing:
It is completely free to use.
5. Bubble
Another interesting programming tool that helps build applications is Bubble. It is a no-code visual programming tool that allows designing the app in the browser with a seamless drag-and-drop interface.
Bubble features an intuitive UI builder that helps include visual elements into the canvas, such as text. The web applications developed through Bubble are responsive in most aspects; therefore, localizing it for any language across platforms or devices becomes easy.
Once you create an app with Bubble, it delivers and hosts the app with drag and drop UI builder. Moreover, the presence of a version control mechanism ensures you can go back in time to your program with no fuss.
Features of Bubble:
- Delivers and hosts the app
- UI builder
- Powerful plugins
- Real-time collaboration
With Bubble, you can check the server metrics such as page visits. It also depicts the server capacity utilization to help you know the time to upgrade.
Pros:
- Easy drag and drop feature
- Great visual workflow
- Hosting in AWS cloud
Cons:
- Hosts on shared server
Pricing:
The price starts at $29 for every user per month.
6. Glide
When we talk about some of the best web-based app builders, Glides secure a good place. It helps create a fully functional and useful app based on its pre-built components and Google sheet approach. It helps even the non-coders and non-programmers develop a great app for their business.
Here, the sheet serves as the database that helps you edit and make changes to the app as required. However, the only limitation with Glide is that it supports CRDU interactions only that is- Create, Read, Update, and Delete.
As you start working with Glide, you get immediate visual feedback that helps hasten the process and make the desired adjustments. So, even if you are an amateur in app building, Glide will help you learn with your hits and trails to avail the best outcome.
With over 400 templates, Glide gives you the opportunity to choose any of them and start working on your app straight away. At the same time, the templates are centered on the design, ensuring you develop an attractive app with no fuss.
Features of Glide:
- Advanced themes
- Easy to collaborate
- Completely web-based
Glide helps you design an app that is feasible, useful, and alluring. The ready-to-use themes make it one of the best app builders of the time.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Pleasing templates
- Visual feedback instantly
- Offers freemium account
Cons:
- It doesn’t offer app store publication
Pricing:
It offers freemium as well as pro account that start at $32.
7. Wix App Builder
If you are seeking an app with full branding for your company, Wix app builder is your go-to solution. It helps you scale the business to the next level by giving you control over its services and features.
With just a few clicks, you can check the content packages and tailor them as per the requirements to develop a custom-made application.
The best thing about Wix is it allows you to track the analytics in real time. It helps you understand the ways users interact with the app. You can also check the retention rate, user behavior as well as downloads. In case of updates or events, Wix helps you create push notifications.
Features of Wix:
- Custom-made app development
- Real time analytics
- Community forum
Wix is highly useful for building and managing an online store as it allows controlling the inventory and uploading product images effortlessly.
Also, it enables customers to purchase and check the real-time updates of their orders. So, it’s a win-win deal for both.
Pros:
- Real-time analytics
- Excellent customer support and live chat
- Easy in-app payment
- Email and marketing campaigns
Cons:
- It is pricey.
Pricing:
The price is $200 per month.
8. AppSheet
If you are looking for the best app builders for Google, AppSheet is the best bet. It is one of the most efficient no-code Google app builders, giving you seamless features to develop a customized application.
The visual editor of AppSheet allows creating forms and reports. Moreover, it has multiple built-in functions through which you can automate tasks such as order approvals and user alerts and develop applications for both web and mobile. It also gives an idea about user views and intent.
With AppSheet, you can build an app suitable for different devices- mobile, laptop, and tablet which is one of the best things about it.
Furthermore, it enables you to incorporate data like barcode scanning, GPS coordinates, images, etc, from the end-user devices.
Features of AppSheet:
- Supports different platforms
- Easy data integration
- Multiple options for templates
Since AppSheet supports different platforms, you can build an application for Android and iOS devices with its help. In addition, it enables you to develop applications that are able to perform functions offline so they can be used without the internet too.
Pros:
- Ready-to-use UI
- Multiple device usage
- Attractive templates
- Workflow automation
Cons:
- To avail advance features, you need to use the paid version
Pricing:
You can use a few features for free and for the rest pay $5 per month.
9. GameSalad
For every game app developer, GameSalad is one of the best production platforms. It features a drag-and-drop feature and enables you to develop a game application for Android, iOS, and HTML5.
Apart from building the app, GameSalad allows you to test the game on Apple devices with its robust testing tool. You can check the game logic and behavior sets. Once tested, you can submit the app for App Store publication.
From the Comprehensive Library that enables builders to be more creative to In-App Previewer that allows quick code input, everything about GameSalad is appealing. With just a few clicks, developers can deploy the game to the web.
Features of GameSalad:
- Multiple platform building
- Socializing features
- Monetization option
- In-app Previewer
Pros:
- Allows prototyping the game
- Supports multiple platforms
- Great technical support
- Tutorials
Cons:
- Limited customization
Pricing:
You can create an account for free, but for a basic account, the pricing is $ 17 per month.
10. BuildFire
BuildFire is one of the most popular app builders, perfect for small businesses as well as those requiring complex solutions for large companies. What makes it popular is the easy-to-use features that enable even non-coders to build a functional application.
BuildFire offers an elaborative library of integrations and plug-ins so that you can develop an app as desired for your business. You can incorporate features such as tracking customer data, managing appointments, taking payments, sending targeted push notifications, and much more.
You can get real-time analytics with its drag-and-drop UI tool, enabling you to polish the app until it reaches perfection. BuildFire offers multiple templates to choose, or you can start from scratch to develop your own.
Features of BuildFire:
- More than 150 plug-ins
- Interactive emulator
Apart from these, you can add unique functionalities and features to your application, all thanks to BuildFire SDK. It allows you to interface the app with external and internal IT systems.
Pros:
- BuildFire SDK
- Drag and Drop UI
- In-app browser
Cons:
- Not suitable for e-commerce applications
- Expensive
Pricing:
The pricing starts with $150 per month.
So, these are some of the most functional and the best app builders that anyone with no coding and designing experience can use to build an application. While some are web-based, some enable you to develop an app for multiple platforms.
Advantages of Using App Builders
The advantages of app builders are obvious to non-coders. Apart from that, some major benefits are listed below:
1. Affordable
While traditional app development is expensive, an app builder makes the entire process reasonably cost-effective. Therefore, it is the best for start-ups and small businesses.
With app builders, you can create an app at a low price as the major technical difficulties hide under the hood, and the entire development process is streamlined.
2. User-friendly
App builders allow building an application with just a few clicks. The easy-to-use drag-and-drop UI in most app builders enables easy integration and configurations. It overcomes the difficulties of complex coding and other technical issues.
3. Flexibility
App Builders has multiple custom components that are pre-built and suitable enough to introduce into your application. You can also connect them to templates that make the process easy and time-saving. They allow you to develop different types of applications on the go.
4. Time-Saving
Traditional app development processes may take weeks and months, while app builders help them complete them quickly. Even if you are doing everything from scratch or have zero experience working with app builders, the tutorial videos will guide you to develop the application easily.
Disadvantages of App Builders
Even though app builders are a feasible option, some of them come with a few limitations. These are:
- Limited functionality
- Limited scalability
- Limited design options
So, if you are looking for something basic and straightforward, an app builder will do the needful. However, if the intention is to develop an app with unique features and functionality, the DIY approach may not suffice.
As per the reports, the highest number of smartphone users resides in India, China, and the United States, with over 6 billion smartphone users worldwide. It clearly shows that the app market will always show a steep increase, and the need for new and useful applications will never cease.
Since applications can work wonders in expanding the potential of your business, you can maximize success with every passing year. The best app builder can turn the tables and boost your conversion and revenue.
So, even if you are a non-coder and have little to no experience in app development, fret not, as app builders are your savior. With their help, you can design and launch a functional app with little time, money, and effort. At the same time, it gives you control over the creative process giving the desired features and services to the application.
