What is the Nocode? Everything you need to know for 2023

What is the Nocode

Nocode refers to a set of tools that enable software development without programming skills. These tools are often referred to as visual programming, since they offer visual interfaces that provide a highly intuitive experience for Nocode developers to carry out all kinds of actions based ontriggers.

Nocode focuses on simplifying the technology creation process by providing simple ways for users to design, deploy and manage applications without knowing how to code.

So indeed, this term may seem provocative or nonsensical to some, as these tools are indeed developed with code. This concept is more focused on the user, i.e. the Nocode developer, rather than the designer of the Nocode tool - i.e. a traditional developer. Are you with us? 😉

What socio-economic issues does the Nocode address?

Several socio-economic factors partly explain the rise of the Nocode in the media in recent years. These include the under-representation of women in the tech world, and the under-representation of diversity in the broadest sense. As well as a profound lack of technical profiles in the world: only 0.3% of the population knows how to code today. Other interesting data: according to a Burning Glass Technologies report published in 2021, companies spend an average of 43 days hiring a developer, and their salaries have risen by 19% over the last five years.

These last two points are very much linked. According to a recent McKinsey study in 2023, women would be the best lever today to try to solve the talent shortage. For your information, women represent only 8% of DevOps jobs.

That's why Nocode is a great opportunity to meet these challenges: the learning curve is much less steep than learning code and the learning curve is more accessible. Without saying that it is easy, far from it, training in Nocode opens the possibility for people - who could be discouraged by this perspective - to enter quickly in the tech industry.

Another important point to emphasize is that in large groups, technology issues are mainly managed by IT(Information Technology) teams for governance and security reasons. But this is somewhat of a problem since innovation comes from business teams. It is a crucial economic issue for companies to give back the hand to these business teams to accelerate their development and growth.

The advantages and disadvantages of Nocode

The advantages of Nocode

Accessibility : This makes it possible to create applications and websites without the need for technical skills.

Speed of development: It enables applications to be developed faster than using code, as users can take advantage of pre-built templates and drag-and-drop platforms.

Lower cost: It can reduce development costs by enabling companies to use in-house resources rather than expensive developers.

Flexibility: Nocode platforms let you customize applications to meet your specific needs, without having to write code.

Easy maintenance: applications created with Nocode are easier to maintain and update thanks to their visual structure.

Scalability: Applications can be extended and upgraded according to business needs, without having to completely rewrite the code.

Increased collaboration: Nocode platforms allow multiple people to collaborate on a project without having to coordinate with developers.

These advantages make Nocode an attractive option for companies that want to develop applications quickly and efficiently, without having to spend a large amount of time and resources on programming.

The disadvantages of Nocode

You need to have a very good understanding of your needs. They have the advantage of offering users a great deal of freedom in the architecture of their application or product. However, it's important to clearly define your current needs and try to anticipate future requirements, so as not to go off in all directions. That's why it's a good idea to enlist the help of a development studio - especially when it comes to drawing up specifications.

Limited templates and components. Although most tools allow you to add custom code, you may be limited by some in terms of functionality. So it's important to identify your needs and compare them with the different features offered by the tools. Like Bubble and its alternatives, they will allow you to go very far in the level of customization, but may be too complete for relatively simple, targeted needs, for example.

Security & Compliance. Because you use SaaS software, the data is managed directly by the publishers. It may be worth looking at where this information is hosted, and whether you have a choice of server locations. They do not have the levels of certification expected by certain industries such as Healthcare or Banking/Insurance. That said, this issue is intrinsic to all of them - not just Nocode tools.

What are the differences with low-code?

Low-code and Nocode are often considered similar concepts, but there are some key differences between the two:

Code required. Low-code implies a minimum of programming skills, while Nocode is sufficient for the tool itself. The latter generally offer the possibility to add custom code to develop very specific features. But this remains at the margin.

Complexity. Low-code applications are often more complex than Nocode applications, as they involve a combination of pre-built templates and custom code.

Target. Low-code is often aimed at developers and technology professionals, while Nocode is open to a wider audience, including businesses and users without programming knowledge.

If you want to know more about low-code, we have written a complete article on the subject.

How does this differ from traditional development?

Without getting into the debate that has for a while confronted Nocode with code, it is important to address the main differences in order to cover this vast subject.

In most cases, code-free projects are now more attractive, as they give greater autonomy to business teams and significantly reduce development time - and therefore project costs.

The learning curve is also a very differentiating point. It is indeed faster and less laborious to learn Nocode compared to programming. We like to say at Alegria.group that Nocode is an excellent gateway to the world of coding. It is obviously very interesting to know how to code to get out of certain situations.

The code, on the other hand, is more flexible on governance and data portability - which requires a dedicated team to deal with this given the technical nature of the missions and operations.

Here you can find more details about the differences between code and Nocode.

Who is the Nocode for?

Company side

Large groups. This is a major issue for large companies, as they see the benefits it can bring, namely greater innovation and autonomy for business teams. This is increasingly well documented, and more and more large organizations are using this type of tool - while maintaining control over data governance and security.

SMEs. One job has been exploding lately: Nocode Ops. It is the perfect profile for a stage of development such as that of SMEs since the challenges of structuring and bringing order to processes are necessary to move on to important growth phases.

Startups. Nocode is inevitable. The need to iterate on its product while questioning its users is imperative. Developing in code would be far too risky from a financial and time-to-market point of view. There are of course some exceptions like for high-tech/deep-tech products.

Business user side

Marketing and sales professionals who want to create web pages and lead capture forms without coding skills.

Human resources professionals looking to automate recruitment and employee management processes.

Finance professionals, for example, who want to automate all their reporting and customer collection processes.

Logistics and purchasing professionals who want to create applications to help them speed up delivery times and improve the quality of service provided to their customers.

Product team professionals who want to create prototypes quickly to test ideas with users in order to quickly iterate on the product thanks to feedback.

Application cases with Nocode

Website

Whether it's for a showcase site, a simple landing page or an e-commerce site, today's tools make it possible to push the graphic and user experience very far.

Marketplace

You can easily manage products, sellers and orders, and implement payment and delivery systems to create a complete e-commerce platform.

Business App

The flexibility offered by these tools makes it possible to create tailor-made business applications at very attractive development costs and timescales. This can include applications for project management, inventory management and the entire production chain. Users can also use these applications to automate complex business processes such as electronic approvals and signatures.

ERP / CRM

They enable users to customize ERP or CRM functionalities and processes to their specific needs. This can include adding new functionality, modifying the user interface or integrating new information sources.

Automation

They can also be used to automate complex business processes without custom development. For example, you can use them to automate employee recruitment and management, invoicing and order tracking systems.

The main Nocode tools on the market

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the main Nocode tools on the market.

Airtable

Airtable is a powerful database platform, offering numerous views and connectors to manage various aspects of the business, from CRM to HR and supplier management, to name but a few. Airtable can also replace the back-end of a website, be it a showcase or e-commerce site.

Bubble

Bubble is a high-performance Nocode development platform, enabling you to create complex applications without design restrictions, from websites to marketplaces and business applications. Getting to grips with Bubble can be a little more difficult than with other platforms, but the possibilities seem limitless once you've got the hang of it.

Make (ex-Integromat)

Make is an easy-to-use platform for creating workflows by adding modules one after the other, thus connecting different tools and automating tasks. Although Make is accessible, a learning curve may be necessary for the creation of more complex workflows.

Webflow

Webflow is a fully visual website and landing page creation solution, allowing you to create custom designs without having to write code. This platform is ideal for sites that want a "pixel-perfect" rendering and offers total freedom in terms of design and animation.

Workato

Workato is an alternative to Make, Zapier and n8n that enables users to design and develop automated workflows for business processes.

Shopify

Shopify is a complete, easy-to-use and intuitive platform for creating online stores. You can configure it to create, develop and optimize your online store simply and efficiently.

Softr

Softr is a site that lets you quickly and easily create web applications by integrating your database with Google Sheets or Airtable. The learning curve is easy to follow, making Softr accessible to everyone.

Notion

Notion is a knowledge management and collaborative working platform that helps you organize your teamwork, track projects and share information. With its many information management and layout features, the possibilities are almost limitless. The interface is intuitive and easy to use for all types of user.

Microsoft Power Apps

Power Apps is a software suite developed by Microsoft, comprising applications, services, connectors and a data platform. The suite is designed to enable the rapid creation of customized applications tailored to business needs.

AppSheet

Google AppSheet is a platform developed by Google that lets you design professional mobile applications without coding. It's cloud-based and easy to use.

Xano

Xano is a development tool that makes it easy to build your application's back-end. Not only does it store your information, it also defines your application's operational logic.

Flutterflow

FlutterFlow is a native mobile application development platform that lets you design and build applications with a small amount of code. It's an integrated tool that combines design and development functionalities in a single place.

Zapier

Zapier is a simple automation platform that links over 5,000 business applications to perform repetitive tasks. It lets you build automated workflows called "Zaps" of up to 100 steps, making tedious tasks easier to perform.

n8n

n8n is an alternative to Make and Zapier that can be used as open source software or as a service-as-a-service (SaaS). This tool lets you model your business processes and integrate over 200 third-party applications.

Glide

Glide is a tool for creating mobile and web applications. It lets you maximize the power and portability of your Google Sheets or Airtable databases by converting them into custom applications.

Adalo

Adalo is an easy-to-use development tool that lets you create, publish and maintain web and mobile applications without having to write code. It uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface to design and build customized applications.

The future of Nocode

There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, the growing demand for skilled developers and the need to rapidly develop applications for businesses are making these tools increasingly popular. On the other hand, they offer a great opportunity to address the under-representation of women and diversity in the world of technology.

Indeed, Nocode is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including those without a background in software development. This makes technology more inclusive and provides access to career opportunities for more people, including those who have not had access to traditional technical training.

Finally, these tools are also becoming increasingly powerful, which means they will be able to handle ever more complex and ambitious projects as demand grows.

So the future of Nocode looks bright and the opportunities for those interested in the technology are numerous.