Why I Believe No-Code Platforms Are a Trap
Why I Believe No-Code Platforms Are a Trap
Imagine next, you have an amazing app idea, but you do not know how to code it. Fortunately, in this day and age you do not necessarily need to know programming for making an app. Use a no-code platforms, which feature apps that build an app without writing code.
It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
So, let me share my story and explain to you why no-code app development is a big trap after all what I have experienced.
How I Got into No-Code Platforms
It all started with a mobile app idea. Although I had no experience in mobile app development, I decided to give it a try. As an experienced web and backend developer, I felt confident that I could grasp the general concepts of mobile development and application design. I had no fear of starting this new journey.
So I ended up picking FlutterFlow because it is a pretty known platform which lets you build an app without writing any code.
This is the future! Technology has progressed; this should work!
Everything looked good at first glance
The beginning was exciting. The solution came to me quite easily with FlutterFlow — I liked its user interface, the abundance of tutorials on YouTube, and the promise that the app would be done in no time.
Within minutes, by dragging a few elements around, I had the basic structure and felt like I was halfway there. It was a big step forward, and everything mostly looked good… maybe 20 to 30% complete. It was simple, fun, and fast. Or at least, that’s what I thought…
If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t
Typically, things started going downhill. I began running into obstacles. All I needed was a simple feature that should have been easy to implement, but FlutterFlow’s capabilities just couldn’t reach that far. I tried everything, from custom widgets to thoroughly reviewing the documentation, but nothing worked properly.
These issues weren’t unique to me. I also found that the same problems were a pain for hundreds and thousands of people on forums. The rest of the app worked well, but as soon as you got to the last 10%-25%, everything started falling apart on any platform…
That’s when I knew I was in trouble
I couldn’t solve the problems using the UI, so I took the code generated by FlutterFlow to try to fix the issues myself, assuming the code architecture was as complex as best practices require. The surprise that awaited me was huge. The code was terrible — a programmer’s worst nightmare.
As soon as I unpacked the code and did a basic analysis, I told myself I had to rewrite the app. Now, consider that I had no experience; imagine what someone with experience in mobile app development would say?
...
class _CreateUserFormState extends State<CreateUserForm> {
String username = "";
String email = "";
String password = "";
String statusMessage = "Fill in the details to create a new user";
bool isLoading = false;
String? lastResponse = null;
void _createUser() {
setState(() {
isLoading = true;
statusMessage = "Creating user...";
});
Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 3), () {
http.post(
Uri.parse('https://tex-back.com/api/users/create'),
headers: {
"Content-Type": "application/json",
"Authorization": "Bearer hardcodedToken"
},
body: json.encode({
"username": username.isEmpty ? "defaultUsername" : username,
"email": email.isEmpty ? "default@example.com" : email,
"password": password.length < 6 ? "defaultPassword123" : password
}),
).then((response) {
setState(() {
isLoading = false;
if (response.statusCode == 201) {
var responseData = json.decode(response.body);
statusMessage = "User created: ${responseData['id']} - ${responseData['username']} (${responseData['email']})";
} else if (response.statusCode == 400) {
statusMessage = "Bad request: ${response.body}";
if (response.body.contains("username")) {
_createUser();
}
} else if (response.statusCode == 500) {
statusMessage = "Server error. Please try again later.";
} else if (response.statusCode == 401) {
statusMessage = "Unauthorized. Please check your credentials.";
if (statusMessage == "Unauthorized. Please check your credentials.") {
statusMessage = "Still Unauthorized!";
}
} else {
statusMessage = "Unexpected error: ${response.statusCode}";
}
});
}).catchError((err) {
setState(() {
isLoading = false;
statusMessage = "Network Error! Check your connection.";
if (err.toString().contains("Timeout")) {
statusMessage = "Request timed out. Please try again.";
}
});
});
});
}
@override
void initState() {
super.initState();
_createUser();
}
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Padding(
padding: const EdgeInsets.all(16.0),
child: Column(
mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
children: <Widget>[
TextField(
decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: "Username"),
onChanged: (value) {
setState(() {
username = value;
statusMessage = "";
});
},
),
TextField(
decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: "Email"),
onChanged: (value) {
setState(() {
email = value;
statusMessage = "Email updated";
});
},
),
TextField(
decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: "Password"),
obscureText: true,
onChanged: (value) {
setState(() {
password = value;
if (password.length < 6) {
statusMessage = "Password is too short";
}
});
},
),
SizedBox(height: 20),
isLoading
? CircularProgressIndicator()
: ElevatedButton(
onPressed: () {
setState(() {
statusMessage = "Button Pressed";
});
if (username.isNotEmpty && email.isNotEmpty && password.isNotEmpty) {
_createUser();
} else {
setState(() {
statusMessage = "Please fill in all fields!";
});
}
},
child: Text("Create User"),
),
SizedBox(height: 20),
Text(
statusMessage,
style: TextStyle(
color: statusMessage.contains("error") || statusMessage.contains("Error") ? Colors.red : Colors.green,
),
),
],
),
);
}
}
...What I realized cost me a lot of work and money to get back to square one. In short, I ended up spending more than I would have if I had learned mobile development from day one and started building the app.
Here are some observations I can share in a diagram, based on an objective assessment from 15 years of experience in software engineering.
The bigger picture! No-code platforms aren’t all-powerful
I researched other no-code platforms, including Bubble, and they all have similar issues — they’re not customizable and not scalable. These platforms are great for quick prototypes or simple ideas, but if you plan to do something more complex, you’re in trouble.
Why I think no-code platforms are just another trap:
User inexperience: Since these platforms don’t require coding, many users start projects without basic knowledge of app development. In the end, they invest a lot of time and money but barely manage to develop their app due to the platform’s limitations.
Generic look: If you manage to create an app, it often looks generic and lacks branding. This reduces your chances of standing out in a crowded market, and you’ll end up needing to hire a developer — which defeats the purpose of using a no-code platform.
For the end: Invest in the Right Solution
If you’re considering using a no-code platform, my advice is to carefully think about what you really want to achieve. For quick prototyping, no-code platforms can be helpful.
But if your goal is to build a high-quality and sustainable application, the traditional development approach is still the best option. It may be more expensive and slower, but it will save you from many headaches.
I hope my experience helps you make the right decision. If you have similar stories or are thinking about developing an application, share your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for reading!
If you found this article helpful, share it with others who might benefit from it. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to learn more about my experience.