Can Wappler build “real" apps?

Been searching around, still can’t find a solid, clear answer for this. Can Wappler build “real”, scalable apps? I mean, with Bubble there were tons, and all I’ve seen from Wappler is a few website landpages and shopping platforms. I’ve seen around that this may be because people don’t want to share that they’ve built a platform with a no-code maker - but isn’t this the same case for Bubble? Why do people share their apps built with them?

I’d just like to know what Wappler is capable of so I know whether to invest time in it or not.

Here are some powerful Bubble apps for comparison:

A UK Mobile Network App (yes, really) called Honest Mobile, relatively new:


A quick-loading freelance business manager app called Incomee:

A debt-free finance app:

Home renting app:

A design community platform:

A no-coders forum:

A ride share app (kind of):

I can’t find a lot of good examples like these from Wappler. If I were to judge both based on this, I would choose Bubble. I’m planning to try out Wappler, but I’ll need to know whether Wappler is really worth it. I’m planning to move away from Bubble - I just don’t where right now.

Nope. Just fake ones :slight_smile:

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I didn’t mean it like that. Didn’t realize this community was so toxic. I’m simply asking for examples of good apps, or is that to much to ask? I like Popdish, but that’s not even available where I am.

You question was weird and already replied to in the forum.

Wappler as a product is perfectly capable of cloning all those apps and then some more if that is what you are asking.

You just have to go through the documentation and videos to see what Wappler is capable of.

That being said Wappler is not always the right fit for everyone.

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Yes, essentially… If you are willing to put in the effort and learning you can build the above with Wappler. As a developer who has deployed apps to the App Store we know this is possible. Unfortunately our apps are not publicly listed so you’ll just have to take our word for it. Apps that use location services, database driven content, API’s, and other functionality can all be created within Wappler.

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Okay. This is great to know because I’m building a mobile app. Did you have any issues with using Wappler? I read that they don’t focus a lot on mobile support.

Okay, thanks for your response. Could you show me where that other reply is? :smile:

Sure thing.

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A few issues but not necessarily all Wappler based. Most are OS specific. Essential to have packages like Gradle updated and ready to go, likewise with Node, Android Studio and its plugins. This is all well documented on the specific providers websites and within their documentation… Takes a little tweaking here and there and simple trial and error but once past these initial hurdles everything becomes quite stable predictable. Few errors here and there but the debugging functionality within tools like Android Studio really help out in diagnosis and resolution. The best thing to do is to just go for it and post any questions on here, rather than waiting for people like me to finish guides and how to’s etc… Just too much work right now to concentrate on writing these things unfortunately…

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Okay. I didn’t expect guides as mobile apps aren’t really what Wappler is about. But yes, I’ll be sure to ask my questions here.

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I covered some of the basics a while back, may find the following useful:

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Hi @rukevweb Welcome to Wappler. Whether you decide to adopt it or not is up to you! However having used Bubble for more than 6months for some side projects and now Wappler for 2 months, I can tell you that what you build with Wappler is going to help you

  1. Scale better because of better code
  2. Help you have control & ownership of your code-base and free you from lock-in in case you decide to move out of the Wappler platform.
  3. Wappler team is building a powerhouse of a product, there are next-level features (I DO NOT say that lightly at all) coming out with every release which is every week btw. The vision for the product is :exploding_head:. You can see George’s or Teodor’s comments on a few thread which gives hints to this. And they prove this week on week. Honestly, bubble has been just stagnating.

With Wappler right now, you can already create web apps, mobile apps (both android & iOS) and desktop apps for Mac all in one suite.

Why you do not see many “real” apps in the showcase is that Wappler is new to the market and the user base is a fraction of what bubble has. Having said that some of the early apps which have used the power of Wappler are Tiny Opera House & Popdish (which you’ve already seen). Also because it takes a village (in terms of effort) to create a class product, I believe it is a matter of year before that the Wappler showcase will be on par with.

With Bubble what I noticed was that it was very easy to get started, and rightly so as their audience is someone with no prior programming experience at all. And the initial results (the dopamine hits of seeing something come live) were easy to achieve (a couple of hours of tweaking could get you to a basic app).

But their dumbed down version of front-end and back-end (though easy to get started with) causes troubles down the line. IMO Bubble is like a toy in front of Wappler. And it makes sense for many bubble users who don’t want more.

As many people who’ve moved here from Bubble, I like Bubble for what it is, I built my MVP there. It is just that as soon as you hit any scale or complexity, you will outgrow it because of its rigidity. Again, you can make much of it work in Bubble, but the constraints seem to bite you sooner or later.

Whereas, Wappler can be used as no-code, it really is low-code. You get all the power of code, without really having to code, unless you need to or want to. Apps are much faster and built in a way that is not a blackbox. There is a learning curve, because the concepts are new. For me, a combination of the official documentation, Wappler unwrapped videos, DMXZone videos and asking questions in the community has helped me get started.

Do I wish the docs or showcase was better? Of course. And they will keep evolving.

But it’s enough right now for someone with the attitude to learn to create amazing products on Wappler. The features are all there, you need not worry about it. If you can do it in Bubble, you can do it in Wappler and much more. If you hit a roadblock, the community has a solution. If nothing, you can hire a developer to write some code since the code is with you (For the bubble apps you linked here it’s not even going to be an issue)

So it becomes a matter of will. And if you need to put your idea out there and put the best version out there, you would agree that you need to have that. All the best…Sorry for the long form but hope this helps answer some of your doubts.

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Ex Bubbler - Built 2 apps in Bubble, both complex, one a 3 sided marketplace but never had confidence they would be anything other than a MVP. Wappler has a steeper learning curve but I’m optimistic it can support a fully scalable app.

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I’m also currently building an enterprise grade, scalable, SaaS web app and it’s all been possible in Wappler.
I’ve brought in a couple of outside libraries but nothing but a bit of learning and some custom JavaScript.

The possibilities are endless.

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Hey @JonL, it didn’t feel so good to read those words… I would appreciate hearing you own your reaction and explaining that it felt weird to you!

It doesn’t sound very welcoming to a potential new Wappler user or represent in any way the great community we have here…

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Hey there @rukevweb

Welcome to the Wappler forum! :slight_smile:

I’m close to launching a big business admin app that Bubble couldn’t handle and Wappler handles with ease…

Not to mention that I control the code and the hosting environment!

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I’m sure @JonL doesn’t need defending but the initial post did come across as a little bit like a Bubble advert in some regards, and therefore a little troll like… Its all too easy to be trolled these days. Thankfully it doesn’t appear the OP is trolling, but could quite easily be misunderstood so I know where Jon is coming from… And if that is not what Jon was thinking… I certainly was at first.

:wink:

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I rest my case :slight_smile:

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Please don’t get me wrong, I was just wondering whether Wappler could do better than those apps. I wasn’t trolling.

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I still prefer a world where we own our reactions rather than make blanket statements which sound like everyone believes the the same thing.

Your question was weird” just makes me go “ouch” and want to react and say “Nooo, it didn’t feel like that to me!”.

Your question was weird to me” just sounds like a very reasonable personal reaction from an individual’s own viewpoint.

Not wanting to get too pedantic, but am wanting us to have a warm and friendly feeling to newcomers on here who rightly want to know they are making the right choice in what could be a massive decision in their lives.

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