Comparison

4 Best Web App Builders for Non-technical Startups in 2022

This article is a comparison guide of four web-app builders: Softr, Wized, Bubble, and Drapcode, with an overview of each tool's pros and cons, and the type of web apps that can be built using them, the author personally tested and reviewed each one of them, and you can see at a glance which web app builder is best for you.

Softr vs Wized vs Bubble vs Drapcode

If you want to see the best Web app builders in one place, then you’ll LOVE this guide.

I personally tested and reviewed each one of these tools.

‍

Now we’re going to clarify the following questions:

What is it? Who is it for?

Why should you care?

Softr

Pros: 

  • Extremely easy to use
  • Good performance
  • Great for rapid development
  • Beautifully designed blocks
  • Lots of integrations
  • Lots of cloneable templates

Cons:

  • Limited functionality
  • Can’t connect to custom APIs
  • Design limitations

What is Softr?

Softr is the simplest web-app builder from this list.

With Softr, you can turn your Airtable data into a beautiful Website or web app in record time.

When I was testing the platform out, I built and deployed a simple responsive app in less than 15 minutes!

What can you build with Softr?

Lots of things, but not anything…

Softr is great for building client portals, dashboards, landing pages, and even simple e-commerce stores.

‍

They have a library of over 30 cloneable templates to help you get inspired. You can use these templates as a starting point for your web app. 

They have 42 integrations as of May 2022., and they’re constantly adding more to the list.

By combining Softr with Zappier or Make.com, you can build some pretty advanced apps in no time. 

While this tool lets you build lots of different apps, it certainly has its limitation.

The integrations they have is all there is… If you need an integration that’s not on the list or if you want to connect to a custom REST API, you’re out of luck.

Sometimes, you will be able to resolve the issue by using Make.com or Zapier as your backend, but this won’t always be the case.

Another limitation of Softr is design freedom. 

The design customization options are relatively limited. They have a limited number of blocks that you can use, and you can’t change the design too much. There are only a few properties that you can change, and for the rest, you will need to write custom code.

However, this can be a good thing. We will get to that in a moment.

‍

Who is it for?

Softr.io is incredible for non-technical users. You can build an MVP of your app literally in a day! Also, all of the components are beautifully designed, and they mix and match seamlessly. 

If you’re not a designer, and you want to get a business up and running quickly, then definitely give Softr a try. 

If your Web app is complex, and if it has lots of moving parts, then you might run into issues. Also, if you have some developer experience, or if you have a flair for design, you will feel a little limited. 

Wized

Pros:

  • No design limitations
  • Unmatched performance
  • Lets you build secure, scalable, and professional web apps
  • Send data to any app that has a REST API
  • Receive data from any app with a REST API

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve

What is Wized?

Wized is a professional web-app builder that lets you turn your website into a web app. This makes it very different from the rest of the builders we mentioned in this article.

With other app builders, you are designing and developing in the same tool. Wized separates visual design from functionality. Wized lets you use any website builder you like, allowing you to have complete design freedom over your app.

Once you’re happy with the design, you move over to Wized to add logic. A great way to think about Wized is as a no-code front-end framework.

Wized is a professional tool, and it definitely has a steep learning curve when you’re starting out. But once you understand the basics, you will feel limitless.

Also, if your project is optimized, Wized app can be blazing fast.

What can you build with Wized?

Anything! Well, almost anything… 

You can build:

  • An NFT portfolio site
  • An e-learning platform like Udemy or Teachable
  • Client portals
  • A paid community tier
  • An ad-listing site like Craigslist
  • And much more…

‍

With Wized, you can build a lot of different web apps. You can connect to Airtable, Stripe, Xano, Google Firebase, or quite frankly to any REST API on the internet. 

 

If you want to see what else is possible, head over to the showcase section. There, you can find over 20 cloneable templates which you can use to start your next business.

 

Wized comes with a ton of features out of the box. You can authenticate users, protect pages, send or receive data, receive user inputs, and set up custom actions and requests without writing a single line of code.

 

If you do know a little bit of JavaScript, you can use the Wized API to enhance the functionality even further.

Who is Wized for?

The short answer, Wized is for pros.

Wized definitely has a steep learning curve when you’re starting out, but it’s well worth it. With Wized, you can build professional and secure web apps, that no one will believe were built without code.

If you’re a passionate Webflow user, you definitely want to look into Wized. Wized will help you bring your technical understanding to the next level. Companies are paying anywhere from $10K-$100K to build custom web apps, that can be built with Wized and Webflow.

In other words, learning Wized can open a whole new World for you.

Bubble

Pros:

  • Lots of plugins and integrations
  • Lots of features for front-end and back-end
  • A large, active, and helpful community
  • Lots of courses and tutorials
  • Can be extended with custom code
  • Designing in Bubble feels intuitive

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • The number of features can feel overwhelming
  • Bubble apps are slow 🐌

 

Bubble.io is an app builder that lets you design, develop, and applications without writing any code.

Bubble has been around for a decade making it the oldest kid on the block. 

What makes bubble unique is that it offers lots of features for both front-and back-end development, and a huge ecosystem of plugins and integrations.

The biggest downside of bubble apps is performance. Bubble apps tend to be incredibly slow. 

Even their homepage scored a performance score of 11 on Lighthouse ( as of May 2022), and I got presented with the following message:

“The page loaded too slowly to finish within the time limit. Results may be incomplete.”

Other than the performance, the range of apps that you can build with Bubble is pretty impressive. They also have a showcase where you can see what others built.

So what can you build with Bubble? 

With Bubble, you can build almost anything:

  • Custom Marketplace
  • Social Network
  • Booking App
  • Personal Finance Tools
  • Community and Review Site
  • Internal Management Tool
  • Jobs Boards
  • Educational Tools
  • Much more

There are hundreds of plugins out there, and you can definitely build more functionality with Bubble than with Softr.

If you want to build a simple web app that displays some data that you’re getting from an API or if you are ok with having a limited UI, Bubble.io seems like a good fit.

The platform is fairly intuitive and the tutorials Bubble provides are really worthwhile. 

Who is Bubble for?

Also if you are a founder who doesn’t have any app development or Webflow experience, then you might want to give Bubble a shot. 

Bubble is great for creating simple apps, and minimal viable products (MVPs). You can build a product really quickly, and start getting real users, which is incredibly valuable.

At this stage of the product cycle, you don’t really care about performance, and this is where Bubble really shines.

On the other hand, if you’re building a complex application that needs a lot of customizability, or if you need the app to be fast, I would stay away from Bubble. 

Drapcode

Pros

  • A lot of functionality
  • All of the code can be exported
  • Lots of integrations
  • REST API and Websocket connections are possible

Cons

  • The interface could be improved
  • Performance could be better

 

Drapcode gives users complete control over their application’s flow, design as well as deployment. The cool part is that almost all of the functionality can be extended with custom code, including Javascript.

What’s incredibly cool is that all of your code can be exported! This is an incredible time-saver if you ever decide to leave the platform.

The platform is also packed with cool features. You can connect with REST APIs, and Web sockets with ease, and there are a bunch of useful plugins which you can use.

Drapcode is also a great alternative to Bubble.

One of the first differences I’ve noticed between the two platforms is that Drapcode uses the model, whereas, in Bubble, you can move and resize elements with the cursor. 

Drapcode feels like Bubble for pros, but the ecosystem is not even closely as big as Bubbles. At least not yet.

I believe that a little bit of investment into user experience design and tutorial creation could help the platform gain more traction.

The performance of Drapcode apps is definitely better than Bubble, but it’s not even close to Wized or Softr.

What can you build with Drapcode? 

With Drapcode, the possibilities are almost endless. 

It’s easier to think about what you can’t build with Drapcode. 

You can build probably anything that you can build with the other tools that we mentioned, including: 

  • Social Network
  • Booking App
  • Personal Finance Tools
  • Community and Review Site
  • Internal Management Tool
  • Jobs Boards
  • Educational Tools

Drapcode also has a huge template library which you can use to get inspired and to build your apps even faster. 

Who is Drapcode for?

Drapcode is targeted at more advanced users with a basic technical understanding of web development, and anyone aspiring to become professional no-code dev.

If you are a Webflow developer or a front-end dev, you’ll be able to learn Drapcode in no time. On the other hand, if you don’t have any technical skills or if you don’t know how the box model works, the learning curve will be steeper.

Drapcode is great for building MVPs, but due to its extensibility, the platform can also be used for more complex projects.

So what’s the best web app builder for you?

I believe that by now you have a clear overview of the different platforms, but here is a short summary. 

If you are not a designer or developer, and if you have a simple app in mind, you should probably go with Softr if it has all the features you need.

Wized is your best choice if you have some experience as a Webflow developer or if you are a front-end dev. Wized ads a powerful logic layer to Webflow.

Bubble is great for users who need advanced functionality, but don’t care too much about design control, and performance.

And Drapcode is great for users who have a fundamental understanding of the box model, web development, and backend technology, and that want to be able to handle their front and backend in one app