Thanks guys, this is very interesting. I have 3 apps on Bubble at the moment, if I get to 4 and Wappler also offer an in-house DB, I think Wappler will look very attractive to move to if I can get a grip with how the business logic is set up. Bubble’s logic is so fun to use though - but the speed is a killer at the moment.
As far as I know Wappler is not developing an in-house DB. Wappler is developing a feature to manage DBs. You still need to host the DB yourself.
Basically what wappler is doing is avoiding the nuisance of having to use a third party tool to create and manage databases like phpmyadmin(web app) or mysql workbench(desktop).
Of course this will give a jump start to less technical people. Advanced users will still use third party apps or the server console itself.
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Looking for Beta testers now, please message me for details and a great deal
I’ve been a Bubble user for several years. I’ve built basic Bubble apps myself and have made extensive use of Bubble specific freelancers whenever I needed to add more complex features.
Bubble has a decent sized freelance community. There are several Bubble specific agencies and a handful of quality independents. So it’s not difficult to hire Bubble specific developers when needed.
Are there Wappler freelancers for hire out there?
I’ve checked the Jobs category on this forum and there isn’t much activity there.
If anyone has a list of quality Wappler focused agencies and/or independents, please let me know.
Much appreciated.
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I agree with your statement 100%. I think Wappler really needs to make it more simpler for the non developer. I’m still having a hard time deciding what platform to use. I’ve been a Product / UX designer for the last 25 years or so and I know something about HTML, CSS too but if I really had to set a database up, worry about infrastructure, architecture, backups and have a relaxing coffee thinking my database and website is secure from hackers and that I’m not going to have clients take legal actions for mistakes I’m made, then thats another thing. This is something where Bubble gives me more confidence.
Don’t get me wrong, if I use Wappler I’ll eventually get my database ready, backups and PHP in order (after a very long time compared to Bubble), but I will never feel confident that what I have built has been built correctly and securely to have paying customers visiting my site. I really don’t want to end up in court for negligence.
Not sure if people understand my worry. I’m currently still building the prototypes on Adobe XD and testing it with users, but soon I have to make the decision for one platform or the other.
Thanks
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Hi @mangooly and welcome to our community.
I am not sure if you are worried about the hosting security or the Wappler generated code security. If it’s the Wappler code, then please take a look at George’s reply here, he explained in details how does the code protect your website/data:
Thanks for the quick reply. Sorry if this sounds rude, but that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You and Georges reply have mentioned so many new things and that I have heard in my past experience but would need 2 months to google it and understand what you are talking about to actually make sure that not only I am in control but make sure that i actually understand it. The more I read In Wappler, the more I’m really understanding that this really isn’t easy for the non developers. Yes, a static page is easy, but actually building a a dynamic website with membership area, paid subscription model and making sure user data is secure… I don’t know… it just seems so far away for me to actually get anything done, let alone setting up databases, backups, etc…
Has there been anyone in my situation that has been able to get there and feels it hs been worth it or even possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great tool for developers, but the non developer, I’m still having a hard time understanding how non developers can actually get anything done in an aceptable time frame. I still find Bubble wins in this area. Is Wappler planning to make it easier for non developers? Sorry, I still need help to decide what platform to use and I’m sure there are more people who feel the same. Yes, I love the freedom with this app, but does that mean instead of a few months to get my project live I need 2 years and a lot of dev support?
Thanks again
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If you have zero coding experience and by that I mean you don’t know what “hello world” means you should probably stick with Bubble. But I would stick as far as the MVP goes. You probably don’t want to go further than that on a proprietary platform like Bubble.
If you know the basics of coding or want to learn those skills Wappler is a good choice. As it gives you a jumpstart and lets you learn at your own pace. Wappler provides enough building blocks to build a web app and then you can improve it by adding your own code.
To summarise:
No coding skills? Bubble for the MVP until you have proved your business idea. Once there you could start recreating your app in Wappler.
Some coding skills or want to invest time in learning? Wappler.
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I hope I’m not speaking out of line but I don’t regard Wappler as a development tool for non-coders/non-developers. I see it as an excellent tool for coders to work much, much quicker with compliant and tidy code and be able to do some pretty advanced stuff quickly and solidly.
I’ve not used Bubble but I suspect that it aimed at non-coders but will be more limited as a result.
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I suppose it is all determined by ones perspective, but I definitely agree with you Jon and Jon. Full stack coders are always looking to do things faster and more efficiently, which results in editors that do more and more of the work. Non-coders are looking to build things without full stack developers, so platforms serving them come from a simplicity first view, and thus have to sacrifice functionality, performance, etc. But the two worlds are starting to collide, which for me as a builder is great as it gives me more options.
Here is what I posted over in the Bubble forum during a similar topic:
In the end we all are doing the same thing as developers . Some “code” and some “no-code”.
This applies to the editing environment as well (yes Bubble Is more than an editor, but I’m just speaking of editing for now). From the coding side, we have editors moving from plain text editors, towards gui. On the no-code side gui editors are evolving to support all the functionality code languages have. We are at the point now, where the editors are meeting in the middle, giving everybody choices… Mine used to be Bubble, but as of a few months ago, it is Wappler. Both great products, that meet different needs.
Good time to be a builder!
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Well, I look at it this way…
I started looking for an alternative to Bubble for the following reasons:
- Vendor lock-in
- Overall performance – at least at the pricing level I thought was reasonable to pay for
- Slow data manipulation (db inserts, delete, etc) even when using data api
- Rolling changes to production code with no visibility as to the changes
- Too much reliance on community for support, even on a professional paid plan
- Very difficult to customize once the GUI editor falls short
- No frameworks
- Limits: performance units, csv upload, collaborators, workflow length, etc.
- Some long-time missing basics like order of operations, auto increment field to ensure uniqueness at the db level, date types that are not impacted by timezone, etc.
- Can’t collaborate because every single keystroke a developer makes, causes the preview to force a refresh regardless of where the change was made
- etc., etc. etc.
It was an easy decision to try Wappler because:
- Investing time in learning is fun for me
- I know how to stand up my own infrastructure in the cloud and already had a place for this to live
- I know my way around a relational database
I stayed with Wappler because:
- None of the issues noted above occur with Wappler
- When there are bugs, they are appropriately prioritized and resolved
- The business model is more to my liking…pay monthly for the editor, and do whatever you want with the deployment that meets your needs. It focuses the team on what I need most, a solid editor, not a production environment
- Thursdays.
It is great fun to wake up on the west coast to a new version of the editor that typically has not only bug fixes, but significant feature improvements. - Even without feature improvements, I have yet to run into a situation where Wappler could not deliver, mainly because you can drop into the actual code and do whatever is necessary.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say again here – Bubble and Wappler are really targeting different market segments. There is of course overlap, but having used both the distinction to me is clear. They both are very good at what they do at their core, but their core is different – Wappler provides an editor. Bubble provides an entire platform.
I would not recommend Wappler for everybody, anymore than I would recommend Bubble for everybody. For me, it has been like night and day – my style of working and my skillset are much more aligned with Wappler. I could not be happier. I’ve seen plenty of comments of the opposite experience, but that isn’t due to the product, it is due to the individual needs of the user.
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Hi all, I came here over from bubble because I’m worried over the price increase. The thing I’m worried the most about wappler is that bubble can allow for multiple users to edit and develop the app at the same time. Can wappler do the same thing? What are the limitations that wappler has in this regard?
Contemplating the switch because I have 2 non coders and 1 coder in the team…a switch to a platform without the ability to collaborate real time would be very impactful .
Thanks!
I’ve never figured out how people work simultaneously in Bubble with the way it refreshes on every change…but glad it is working for you!
In wappler, you would rely on the industry standard way of collaborating amongst developers which is using git. With Wappler supporting git out of the box, it is actually a much easier process than using the command line version. You can create branches which allow developers to work independently and then merge the changes back together.
I’d recommend you search out a quick git primer to understand the basics.
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It involves a lot of page refreshing haha…not that bad actually when working on different pages .
Alright, will research on git!
Thanks @JonL and everyones opinions. Thay are really helpful. I guess my next question is:
Does Wappler want to go in the same direction as Bubble, make it easier for non coders? Does Wappler have this in their road map. As a non coder I think my best bet is to start with bubble and then if my MVP goes well than move to Wappler in the future, you never know, I might have money to have a coder in the team. Yes, I would have to rebuild it, but thats a good thing if my MVP goes well, right? Un less of course Wappler have plans to make Wappler easier for non coders into their road map, than it might make sense to stay and wait.
So I guess my question is: Does the Wappler team plan to take Wappler into the same direction as Bubble, making it easier for non coders. I think it would hugely benefit, I think there are many people like my self, that see huge potential with Wappler and the freedom it has, but feel its to complex to use still for non coders.
Thanks
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@mangooly indeed it is in our roadmap to make Wappler even easier for new users, integrating some features to help the so called ‘non coders’ build workflows easier and more visually.
More news about this and some other exciting new features are coming soon, so stay tuned!
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Ooh, I like being teased 
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So it’s one week since I purchased the license and I already finished my first full page. The login page
Everything in frontend and backend is working peachy.
It’s a simple cover login page that you can see in any other BS4 theme.
But I remember when I started with Bubble that I needed at least 2 to 3 months to get something looking this good and behaving correctly for all viewports.
Thanks for sticking with standards guys!
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