Key takeaways:

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• No-code development platforms truly enable non-technical teams with a builder mindset to launch successful no-code MVPs.
• No-code apps can successfully raise funds. 
• The combination of various no-code development platforms helps build unique and powerful products.

Here are some examples of no code apps built using Softr for marketplaces: SharedC, Boats by Owners, Humble Help, and more.

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Key takeaways: 

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• Monetizable directories are the easiest and fastest use case for no-code development platforms.
• No-code tools make it viable for working professionals to build, launch, and scale side projects.

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Key takeaways:

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• No-code tools enable founders to scale down development costs while experimenting with new-age features.
• No-code apps seamlessly integrate with APIs to implement advanced Generative AI features.
• No-code app development platforms like Bubble allow the creation of mobile-first SaaS apps.

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Key takeaways:

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• Combining no-code platforms with custom code enables the launching of complex features while reducing development costs.
• From launching manual MVP to gradually building automated software — no-code tools support every stage of product development with ease.
• No-code tools are ideal for building software across new product categories via an iterative development approach.

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Key takeaways:

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• Compared to traditional custom code, no-code development platforms reduce software development and maintenance costs. This helps compete with bigger players.
• No-code tools are capable enough to build and scale end-to-end SaaS applications.

No-code enables businesses to launch AI features to their products, just like how Better Legal recently did with its AI-powered contract analysis tool.

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Key takeaways:

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• No-code development platforms help speed up your MVP launch to successfully establish a first-mover advantage. Alex built FounderGigs in a single night!
• Social media has played a key role in Alex’s journey to acquire the first set of users, monetize the product, and also get acquired.
• The acquisition of FounderGigs for six figures illustrates that even simple ideas built using no-code platforms can lead to significant financial outcomes when executed effectively and aligned with market needs.

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You can build something like FounderGigs, a talent marketplace, using Softr’s no-code app development platform —

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Key takeaways:

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• It is faster, cheaper, and easier to build custom apps with user-friendly interfaces using no-code app development platforms rather than spend time customizing and paying for third-party SaaS.
• No-code tools provide a cost-effective and secure alternative to traditional coded business apps for managing enterprise operations.
• Custom business apps built using no-code development platforms improve data accessibility and maintain consistent experience across business operations.

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Key takeaways:

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• No-code development platforms help quickly build MVPs, launch for feedback, and scale toward product-market fit.
• No-code tools with APIs from OpenAI, Claude, etc provide an easy and cost-effective way to build Micro SaaS applications.
• Find and use relevant communities for initial product launch and feedback.

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Key takeaways:

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• For building a learning community, is it key to use a no-code platform that allows experimenting with learning path and user experience for optimal completion rates (like Softr’s community template!).
• Strategize user acquisition using social media like Twitter and Product Hunt.

Here are some examples of no code apps for communities made using Softr: Pivit, Missing Black People, and more.

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Key takeaways:

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• Adopting no-code tools helped MIT save development resources and enjoy the flexibility to experiment with portal design.
• MIT plans to adopt Softr across its digital experiences via admin dashboards, blog pages, publishing learning content, and more. This asserts no code’s ability to scale for established institutions.

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Step 1: Define project goals — why, who, and what

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As you may have observed across the no-code examples, all the makers were aware of what problem they wanted to solve by using their product’s concept.

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For example, Alex Friedman in our no-code app example #6 observed how founders in the early stages of establishing a business had no way to apply for part-time jobs to sustain themselves. So she built a talent marketplace for founders looking for fractional part-time roles.

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Also, it doesn’t have to be a problem statement — it can also be an opportunity you discovered.

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In the case of CollabWORK, our no-code app example #1, the maker Summer Delaney saw an untapped opportunity to use existing professional communities for hiring via referrals.

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If you have multiple such problems and opportunities to build for, use the below table to pinpoint your no-code project goals. Choose the most viable or interesting one to build for using no-code tools:

When you choose a problem to work on, create an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) who will use this product. You can use ChatGPT prompts to help create ICP.

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Now, find these ICPs to create a user group for further user research, validation, and product testing.

Step 2: Choose the right no-code development platform

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From Step 1, you have the problem/opportunity defined and which features would help build the solution.

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Now, we must find relevant no-code app development platforms that would help make these features.

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There are 5 key criteria your no-code platform must fulfill to ensure effective no-code app development:

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• Learning curve: How much time will it take for you to learn the no-code tool to build your product? A way to judge this is by considering build tutorials available for your closest competitor or product type. For example, if you want to build a web app-based talent marketplace, then go to YouTube or Udemy and search for ‘Build Upwork clone using No-Code tool name’. Check the build tutorial — that’s the bare minimum time you will take to learn the no-code tool and build a custom project on similar lines. Also, check for the availability of templates, which helps speed up the build process.
• Budget: Check the pricing page of the no-code software and how much experimentation their free plan allows. Also, check how the paid pricing tiers increase — calculate potential costs as your user base increases. 
• Scalability: Check for customizability, integrations, API capabilities, and enterprise features to determine the potential need for custom code as you scale your product.
• Community: Does the no-code app development platform have an active builders community? Check for available resources on their website, tutorials by no-code influencers, and social media posts about the software. Contact makers on Twitter or LinkedIn and ask how the existing projects made using the no-code tool are performing.
• Customer support: Active customer support helps with troubleshooting and establishing trust in the no-code platform’s future via product announcements.

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At Softr, we take pride in our customer support and community, having nurtured an active and dedicated Softr community of builders, experts, and enthusiasts alike — explore all things Softr.

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Use this table to rate each no-code tool on the above parameters:

Here are some examples of no code platforms you can consider:

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• Web apps: Softr, Bubble, Webflow.
• Mobile apps: Softr, Adalo, Glide, Thunkable.
• No-code automation tool or database: Softr, Airtable, Zapier, Baserow.

Step 3: Plan your features to create a no-code Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

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Before you start building, it is important to narrow down the focus on your product’s core functionality. For example, if you’re building a marketplace app, prioritize listings and user accounts before adding advanced features like in-app messaging.

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The best way to plan features and speed up the no-code MVP build process is — using customizable templates. Your no-code software must have a comprehensive template library, including the ones for your use case and industry.

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Let’s say you’re building legal software that streamlines operations. Go to the no-code tool’s template library and check how many features it can cover.

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For example, a quick search of Softr’s templates reveals 5 dedicated legal templates that cover document management, client portal, case management, quote generator, and forms. You simply must copy, edit, and stitch these features to launch the MVP, thus significantly reducing the learning curve and build time.

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Step 4: Prototype and test your idea using the no-code software

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Create a customer journey map to visualize how your customers will interact with the product. Use this map as a basis to design your product’s user experience flows.

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Image Source: Customer journey map framework by Product Marketing Alliance

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Now, design a clickable prototype on Figma or Adobe. Share this prototype with your user group created in Step 1 for testing and iterate the design based on their feedback.

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But Figma prototyping is a lot of work — speed up this process using a no-code app development platform. These offer a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface builder, using which, you can directly build a working prototype.

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Using Softr’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface builder, you can mix and match its 100+ components to design unique, interactive, and intuitive interfaces. Simply click on them and drag them at the required position on the visual interfaces builder, add content, edit styling, and preview to check the results.

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As you design the no-code MVP, you can also test for responsiveness:

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Further, you can invite team members as guest collaborators to get more hands-on designing the MVP.

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When you click on the ‘Preview’, you can check the designed user interface for different user groups and log-in status.

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Then, click on the ‘Get shareable link’ on the top right to allow your user group to test the no-code MVP. Iterate the no-code MVP’s user flows, add/remove features, and fix any bugs based on their feedback.

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Thus, no-code platforms like Softr help considerably save MVP development and testing time — all without a single line of code!

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Softr has a wide use case range too — explore top no code app examples made using Softr

Step 5: Launch and promote your no-code project product!

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Thanks to the no-code approach and tools, your project is now a working no-code MVP ready for launch. 

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From our no-code examples collection, you may have observed the critical role social media (like Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, etc) and Product Hunt or AppSumo launches play in capturing the first 100 users.

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From Max Haining testing the #100DaysOfNoCode Challenge on Twitter to David Bressler’s (Formula Bot) viral Reddit launch, and Akhil BVS (LetterHunt) ‘#1 product of the day’ on Product Hunt — the boost from these platforms is one of the reasons why they made it into our ‘successful no-code examples’ list!

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Take your product launches seriously — here are a couple of helpful resources to get started:

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• How to launch on Product Hunt with successful case studies: Product Hunt Launch Guide
• How to use Reddit for product marketing and feedback: Guide by Zapier and Semrush
• How to use X (formerly Twitter) for product launch: Product launch tweet examples and free Twitter Marketing course

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Don’t just sell — the launch should primarily be an opportunity to collect real-world feedback for your product. Be quick to fix any bugs and take note of feature requests. Collect testimonials and add them to your website to establish trust as you keep promoting your product across platforms.

Bonus tips for a successful no-code app development and product launch

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• Join relevant communities: If you simply share a launch post on Reddit, you will end up making anonymous enemies. One must nurture a relationship with community members from ideation to launch and beyond. Be active in all communities across social media, no-code, development, startups, etc to gather feedback on all aspects of your product-making journey.

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Focus on being authentic — the no-code community is always helpful! Join these communities for a start — IndieHackers, Softr Community, Startups subreddit, YCombinator, Makerpad, etc.

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• Follow tutorials: Choose no-code software that provides exhaustive development resources. For example, Softr has built a dedicated ‘Softr Academy’ to help everyone make the best of Softr’s features. You can also become a Softr certified professional or simply hire an expert to get it done.

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1. What is a no-code app?

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A no-code app is a software application that you can build using minimal or no writing of code. The no-code approach uses a graphical interface development framework or even AI prompts to generate software applications. These provide user-friendly drag-and-drop interface builders, building blocks, and pre-built components to design custom apps across web, mobile, and PWAs.

2. Can you make an app without coding?

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Yes, no-code platforms like Softr, Airtable, Bubble, etc, help build software applications across portals, marketplaces, communities, directories, AI SaaS, and much more, all without coding. These user-friendly tools are accessible to everyone, even non-technical users. Using the no-code approach via visual interface builders, anyone can design, test, launch, and scale modern applications with intuitive interfaces.

3. What are some examples of no-code apps

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Today, no-code powers more than 70% of organizations in the US across industries. For example, Netflix uses Airtable to streamline post-production content, Skylight Ventures raised £150k with their Softr app to fund refugee entrepreneurs, UserLoop uses Bubble to enable customer feedback collection, Outsite is a Webflow-based coliving app, COIN helps manage personal finances with its Flutterflow app, and many more.

4. How much does it cost to build a no-code app?

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No-code platforms like Softr allow you to build a no-code app for free. Simpler no-code tools like Airtable and Notion’s pricing plans start at $12–$20/month, depending on the number of users and features. While advanced no-code tools like Bubble and Zapier have usage-based pricing.

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If you calculate, the no-code app would cost merely $200–$1000 per year, including development and maintenance. That’s significantly less than traditional code, which may easily cost at least $50,000 – just to build the app.

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