Over 257 billion mobile apps were downloaded in 2023. That’s billion with a - ‘B’! 🤯
Mobile app usage is booming. And with that, the demand for efficient and user-friendly mobile app development tools is at an all-time high.
However, for many businesses, building the perfect app feels surreal because they cannot be a part of the process if they aren’t sound with development skills.
Luckily, there’s a large market for no-code app builders that cater to varying skill levels and project scopes — from beginners eager to create their first app to enterprises seeking robust solutions for complex projects.
Thunkable is among those many no-code app builders. Despite its initial popularity, many users seek alternatives to Thunkable because they want something more flexible, customizable, scalable, and cost-effective.
In this article, we’ll explore and recommend the best Thunkable alternatives for personal projects and enterprise-level app development.
Among these alternatives, Softr stands out as a compelling choice with its unique user-friendly features, versatility, customization capabilities, and scalability.
About Thunkable
Thunkable is a no-code mobile app development platform. It lets you create, test, and publish native mobile apps that work offline and dynamically adapt to users' preferences across Android, iOS, and the mobile web.
Thunkable is popular among solopreneurs and small businesses. However, it does have its drawbacks and limitations, such as:
- Lack of enterprise-level features and scalability
- High costs associated with premium plans for extensive use
- Performance issues with large-scale or high-traffic applications
- Integration challenges with (complex) third-party services
Let's dig deep into why people seek alternatives to Thunkable.
Why Look for a Thunkable Alternative?
Thunkable focuses on mobile app creation, distinguishing itself from other no-code platforms that may primarily target web applications. Nevertheless, it's not the most reliable mobile app development tool either.
Here are a few reasons why:
1. Many features are behind the paywall
Access to necessary features can be limited and costly within Thunkable, especially for small businesses or startups. For instance, Thunkable’s free plan gives limited access to components required for building high-quality UI mobile apps.
2. The free plan does not allow for private projects, meaning all apps built on this plan are public
Thunkable's free plan doesn't allow deploying private projects. The lack of privacy in the free plan is concerning for businesses that need to protect their app's intellectual property.
3. Additional fees are charged for certain components and in-app payments made through Stripe
Thunkable charges a maintenance fee for using certain components, such as in-app ads by AdMob and in-app payments via Stripe.
Specifically, the payment component powered by Stripe incurs a fee of 4.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, with 2% of that fee going to Thunkable as a maintenance charge.
When users make payments through Stripe, they will be crushed by these processing fees. Even worse, extra fees for in-app payments can cut into profits and complicate revenue management.
So before you sign up with Thunkable, it's worth looking at your options.
Let’s start with finding a platform that aligns with your specific needs and budget.
Criteria for choosing the best Thunkable alternatives
Here are some key factors to consider when choosing an alternative to Thunkable:
- Ease-of-use: Look for no-code app builders that are easy to use and don't necessarily require extensive training to master its usage. For example, opt for easy app makers with drag-and-drop functions, plug-and-plug integrations, and an intuitive interface to play with.
- Features: Ensure the app development software provides essential features and functions to create dynamic mobile apps. Such as cross-platform app development, private projects, integrations with third-party services, and advanced functions.
- Scalability: Consider platforms that can accommodate the growing needs of your business and support enterprise-level projects.
- Integrations: Look for no-code app builders that integrate with your existing tech stack and allow you to extend app capabilities with further plug-and-play integrations. Softr offers live connectors to Airtable, Google Sheets, and more databases, allowing real-time data sync.
- Cost: Compare Thunkable alternatives for flexible pricing options that fit your budget. If you want to test a tool before making an investment, consider free app builders that offer the required features for your app development projects.
- Customer Support: Choose alternatives that provide reliable support and assistance for users. Bonus if the tool hosts a lively community where you can seek assistance and exchange knowledge. Review sites like G2 or Capterra and forums like Reddit are ideal for skimming through user reviews.
Top 5 Thunkable alternatives to choose from in 2024
Alternative 1: Softr
Softr is a no-code web and mobile app development software. It's an excellent alternative to Thunkable because of its ease of use, integration capabilities, and flexibility in the no-code space.
Softr lets you create and share dynamic PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) via an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, regardless of your background and coding knowledge.
Choose from hundreds of customizable mobile app templates and building blocks to build responsive apps that can be downloaded and fit different platforms, purposes, user experiences, and screen sizes.
For example, Softr's Project Tracker Template is perfect for building a task management app with collaboration features and notifications.
You can make basic customizations, such as change the app’s layout, fonts, and colors. Plus, add custom code snippets (Javascript, CSS) to extend the app’s functionality with advanced features.
Use Softr’s Sales CRM Template to build a simple custom CRM app for your business. Use live data connectors to replace template’s mock data with your database on Monday.com, Airtable, and more cloud apps.
Set up granular permissions to tailor what data different user groups can view, access, and edit on the app.
Not a fan of templates? Try Softr's visual app interface builder to build PWAs from scratch.
With Softr's app builder, you can:
- Drag and drop preset building blocks to create feature-rich apps
- Customize app appearance, layout, and colors to match company branding
- Enhance user mobility with navigation buttons and actions like open pages, trigger modals, and jump-to sections
- Set up page rules to define which pages each user group should see after signing in/up, out, and when trying to visit an unauthorized page
Softr's real-time preview lets you visualize the app layout on different screen sizes and devices. It has never been this easy to see how your app would look on the desktop and mobile simultaneously.
Key features
- Web app focus: Unlike Thunkable, which primarily focuses on mobile apps, Softr also specializes in creating fully functional web applications.
- Multi-Platform PWAs: Softr's multi-platform PWAs make your app accessible to users across iOS and Android. Apps will automatically adapt and look great on every screen without any extra design or resources.
- Integration with Airtable: Softr features live data connectors with Airtable and other data sources (including SQL databases), allowing you to use Airtable databases as the backend for your mobile apps.
- Text-to-app: Softr AI lets you describe your app's purpose and functionality in plain text language and generate the foundation layout of your dreamy app.
- Membership and user authentication: Softr's built-in user authentication and membership management features let you create membership-based applications with gated content and manage user authentication to different parts of applications based on user roles and permissions.
- Customizability: Softr offers a wide range of customization options for styling, content management, and functionality, providing flexibility for various projects. For users with coding knowledge, Softr allows the addition of custom code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to further customize applications.
- Responsive design: Mobile apps built on Softr are fully responsive and optimized for different devices and screen sizes. All our templates are designed to be responsive, adapting to different devices and orientations.
- Support and community: Softr has an active and supportive community where you can share ideas, get feedback, and find solutions to their problems. You have access to responsive customer support, comprehensive training resources via Helpdocs, and a dedicated Softr expert to help new users get started.
Pros and cons
✅ Easy to use and set up, with quick onboarding, training resources, and an incredible support team
✅ Apps built with Softr are designed to handle increasing traffic and data loads efficiently
✅ Integrated AI helps in creating fully functional apps using text-based prompts
❌ Softr allows building web applications with the free plan. However, to transform your web app into a PWA, you must upgrade to the professional plan.
Pricing
Softr offers a generous free forever plan (no credit card required). It lets you publish one web app with unlimited collaborators, data sources, and app visitors (non-logged-in-users).
However, to create feature-rich PWAs (Progressive Web Apps), you must upgrade to one of our subscription plans:
- Basic: $59 per month
- Professional: $167 per month
- Business: $323 per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Alternative 2: Bubble
Bubble is an AI-powered, no-code mobile app development software. It lets you build interactive, multi-user apps for desktop and mobile web browsers without the need for traditional coding.
Key features
- Use Bubble AI Page Designer to create entire front-end designs by simply describing what you want and how you want using plain text prompts
- Develop sophisticated AI-empowered apps that leverage OpenAI's GPT models, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and more
- Built-in user management systems and in-app usage analytics to grow your audience
- Create complex app workflows by dragging and dropping conditions, logic, and triggers in a visual interface
- Offers a dedicated marketplace with thousands of third-party plugins and templates for well-orchestrated app development
Pros and cons
✅ Bubble marketplace houses expert Bubble app developers, training courses, and one-on-one coaching
✅ Offers extensive customization options to define workflows, customize UI/UX designs, and integrate third-party services via APIs
✅ Built on AWS, Bubble supports scalable applications capable of handling high-traffic volumes
❌ Doesn't allow published apps on the free plan
❌ Restricts team collaboration on projects (one collaborator with the free plan and up to five with the team plan)
Pricing
Bubble offers a free plan, which is best for developing and testing apps. However, you are limited to one editor and cannot push your app to the internet.
- Starter: $32 per month
- Growth: $134 per month
- Team: $399 per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Alternative 3: Draftbit
Drafbit is a low-code mobile development platform. Its powerful visual app builder and robust collaboration feature make it a compelling alternative to Thunkable.
Also, unlike Thunkable, Draftbit generates React Native source code in the background as you build your app. So you're never locked into Draftbit and can continue development using the exported code.
Key features
- Has a robust visual builder with a wide range of components, layouts, and themes to create pixel-perfect UIs
- Customize every corner of your app with advanced properties, themes, and custom code
- Build complex navigators and connect the user journey in the app via views, touchables, icons, buttons, and much more
- Experiment and compare multiple app ideas using version control, draft apps, and live previews
- Add team members to collaborate and share feedback without leaving the platform
Pros and cons
✅ Get help with app store review and publishing from app store veterans
✅ An active community of experts and peers for knowledge-sharing
✅ Allows exporting your entire build as one clean, repo-ready package
❌ Users flag a poor UI design, which leads to a complex app development workflow and a higher learning curve
❌ Some low-code features can be obtuse and require actual coding knowledge
Pricing
- Free Forever
- Basic: $29 per month
- Pro: $79 per month
- Team: $249 per month
Alternative 4: AppyPie
AppyPie is a popular no-code app development tool. It has an intuitive and flexible user interface that is easy to learn, even for beginners and counts among the most affordable yet powerful alternatives to Thunkable.
Key features
- Has a drag-and-drop app builder that lets you edit and customize the app layout while the changes are reflected in real-time
- Use AppyPie's AI-powered app generator to turn your text or speech input into a fully functional app
- Customize apps with features like push notifications, ads, in-app purchases, analytics, and more
- Integrate with 1000+ apps, including all popular tools across various domains such as CRMs, e-commerce marketing, finance, social media, and more
- Get native-like app building experience with dedicated app builders for Android and iOS
- Built-in publishing across various app stores like Google Play and Apple App Store
Pros and cons
✅ Unlike Thunakle, AppyPie is beginner-friendly and affordable
✅ It reflects changes in real-time without the need to reinstall or update the app
✅ Integrates AI capabilities for quicker app development
❌ Doesn't support code export, which means users are locked into the Appy Pie ecosystem
❌ Limited customization options for templates
Pricing
- Basic: $39/app per month
- Gold: $60/app per month
- Platinum: $99/app per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Alternative 5: FlutterFlow
FlutterFlow is a low-code visual development and prototyping platform that lets you build native mobile, desktop, and web apps.
Key features
- Has an intuitive drag-and-drop builder with 80+ preset app-building widgets and 170+ design components
- Add powerful features to your app, such as animations, push notifications, group chat, light/dark mode, and more
- Accept payments directly in your application with RazorPay and Stripe integration
- Use the StoryBoard view to map out and visualize the design and navigation of your entire application
- Create multiple app versions and leverage automated testing to find the best app version instantly
- Import theme colors and font styles from Figma or easily create and manage them within FlutterFlow
- Access hundreds of ready-made templates, widgets, and custom codes with FlutterFlow's native marketplace
Pros and cons
✅ An intuitive, beginner-friendly interface that supports cross-platform app development
✅ Generates source code of apps for extended use outside the platform
✅ Extensive gallery of pre-designed widgets and design components
❌ Users flag poor customer support and help resources
❌Performance can be an issue for large-scale and complex applications
Pricing
- Free Forever
- Standard: $30 per month
- Pro: $70 per month
- Teams: $70/user per month
Wrapping Up: The best alternative to Thunkable
Whether you’re a low-code or no-code expert looking for user-friendly alternatives to Thunkable, Softr allows you to build robust and scalable apps, without extensive coding.
With Softr, you get:
- A no-code, drag-and-drop app builder with hundreds of preset widgets, building blocks, and containers
- Access to ready-made templates to build the foundation of your mobile app
- Hands-on resources and customer support to guide you through the app
Also, even if you’re new to no-code space, Softr offers various pricing plans, including a free tier, to help you get started. And guess what?
We don’t even ask for your credit card. Build your first app for free today!
What is Softr
Softr is the easiest way to turn your data into powerful business apps—no code required. Connect to your spreadsheet or database, customize layout and logic, and share with your team or clients.
Join 700,000+ users worldwide, building client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, project management systems, inventory management apps, and more—all without code.
Join 700,000+ users worldwide, building client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, project management systems, inventory management apps, and more—all without code.
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