Every obstacle is for the best - what are the advantages of Wappler over Bubble?

From Bubble to Wappler
#1

Hello everyone.

I moved from Django to Bubble a few months ago. I created a personal feature rich note-taking app in Bubble. I also started developing a web based game. Reaching one milestone after another I was surprised by the speed of development.

In the beginning I was reluctant fearing that if Bubble evaporates as a company then I’ll be screwed. Still, I took the risk because after trying Bubble it was so much easier compared to Django. (I still love Django but I am a medical student and I don’t have so much time for development)

As most of you have noticed, yesterday many Blubbers realized that it is very likely that the Bubble team will introduce any number of new restrictions which will hinder development or render acquired skills useless overnight.

I read a lot of posts in the Bubble forum yesterday talking about similar instances in the past which shows me that yesterday isn’t the exception.

It feels like Bubble is leeching on its clients (that are its users) for the profit of big investors. I wonder to what kind of platform it will evolve in the future if it continues that way.

In any case, it is their right and I respect that.

I’ve never heard of Wappler and it looks very promising. I am glad I found out about it because I sacrificed some features without knowing that there are other solutions that might actually support them in a no-code way. In other words it looks like the bubble exodus might be an advantage for my future apps and for my skills.

Maybe one of the biggest wins if that with Wappler I’ll be able to create offline apps through Electron. I looked at a tutorial and it looks easy.

Most importantly I can profit easier on the skills I’ll acquire if I ever want to freelance with Wappler without having to pay around 80$ for it and without locking my clients in an unfriendly hosting environment that might cause bigger issues in the long run. I can’t recommend Bubble to anyone anymore because it feels like I am leading them to a trap. If you are a big company you’ll be able to take the hit and adjust but as a newcomer if you “haven’t made it yet” then you don’t know if you will be taken out by a big blow and then you’ll have to start again from square one.

I would be very happy if some Wapplers could point out some other major advantages of Wappler over Bubble. It looks like it is more feature rich. Can I for example create an app and make it open source? Can I run the platform offline at times? How easy is it to collaborate with other users?

Also, are there any limitations with Wappler I should be aware of?

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#2

There are numerous topics related to this so kindly bear with me if I am brief. I know as a fact other users will spend more time providing you with a longer answer.

You will face no limitations with Wappler whatsoever as Wappler is a desktop tool that produces standard code that you can take with you. Feature wise you are also not limited as Wappler has a huge set of out-of-the-box components and for specific needs it’s extensible.

Regarding open sourcing your app it’s a tricky question but not in a negative sense. Wappler is a desktop tool that produces code that will make usage of popular libraries(normally released with MIT license). But they also have two proprietary libraries(App Connect and Server Connect) which are needed for your app to work. They are core to the product.

As I said right now they are copyrighted so you would be able to release your work as Open Source but those files should respect copyright.

There is an on-going discussion about open sourcing App Connect and Server Connect because the team knows very well that their main selling points are the desktop app, their own focused and helpful team and the community. So for them I believe there is no added value in keeping those libraries proprietary. It’s just a matter of time that all the code generated by the desktop app for your app is open source(if that is your desire).

Offline is not available fully out-of-the-box but it is in the roadmap. But as Wappler is extensible you could always make it happen.

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#3

Oh and Wappler is bootstrapped. No external investors :wink:

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#4

Thanks for your answer and the input.

I can work my way around code if it is required for offline use of an app.

In the past I was ok with Django (I still love it). But I prefer having something faster and easier for development. Maybe Wappler is exactly what I was looking for.

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#5

If you are comfortable with code you will love Wappler! You get the best of both worlds.

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#6

Almost! Missing my Models!/ORM

#7

Yes I am. At no point a pro but I know may way around python and I’ve been learning javascript. I don’t mind searching for the right code snippet so I can add that feature I really want if it isn’t supported!

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#8

With Wappler you are not bound to a service like with Bubble, Wappler is a tool/editor that allows you to create applications that you then can host anywhere you want. So the main advantage with Wappler is that you own the product that you create with it.

Wappler is probably a bit more difficult to master then Bubble, but a lot more is possible. Once you get used to the interface and how Wappler works it makes development a lot easier and faster.

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#9

Bubble was very easy because of the web dev experience I had already acquired. I knew the basics about databases and the logic of coding. It took me 1 tutorial to understand how it works and I figured out the rest from there on.

I really like the idea that a lot more is possible. Btw the interface reminds me of Bootstrap Studio which I played around with in the past.

#10

Have a look at the courses linked to in this community. The one by @mebeingken is highly recommended although it’s not yet updated to v4 but the concepts are still pretty much the same.

I’ve said many times, there are some fundamentals about Wappler which you’ll need to understand but, once you do, you can pretty much do anything.

And this community is the best community on the net :slight_smile:

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#11

You guys need to put this up as a banner on community… next to Releases.
So all new interested Bubble users can get a one line answer to begin with.

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#12

This made my brain relax in a way I didn’t know was possible. This is often the #1 reason clients do not want to work with Bubble-based solutions and my #1 concern as a solutions provider. Hard to over-state the importance of this element alone.

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#13

nice to see you here as well @plaidpixel

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#14

Thanks, I’ll check them out.

I already like the fact that, as a desktop tool, it runs faster.

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