Discover the 6 Best Free App Builder Platforms in 2023 | Site & App Builder | Builderly

Discover the 6 Best Free App Builder Platforms in 2023

Explore and Compare Top App Builder Platforms: Discover Key Features, Community Building Capabilities, Custom Design Options, and Pricing to Find the Perfect Fit for Your Online Venture

Are you a content creator tangled in the web of creating a digital presence? You've probably heard you need a website, maybe even a mobile app, but then there's the whole other side of monetizing through donations or subscriptions.

Navigating this can be daunting, especially when you'd rather focus on what you do best: creating content. You didn't sign up to be a jack-of-all-trades, learning every intricate detail of online platforms, only to find that it leaves little time for your true passion.

We've been there, asking the same questions, searching for a streamlined solution that truly serves the creator. And that's exactly what we've been tirelessly developing—a singular platform that redefines simplicity for content creators.

To give you a clear picture of our unique approach, how we stand out in the market, and who will benefit the most from our platform, we've conducted an in-depth study. We're sharing our detailed findings, with all sources linked, to save you time and help you quickly and easily find the answers that are crucial for you. Let us guide you through this, so you can get back to creating content that resonates with your audience.

Here's a comparison of some noteworthy platforms including Builderly, Bubble.io, and Passion.io, alongside others that offer a mix of free and paid (with well-priced trial) options:

Platform Stores Scheduling Services Course Creation Subscriptions Custom Designed Pages Chats Community Building Mobile App Web App Website Managed load-balancing Pricing
Builderly Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes €1/month (first 2 months) then from €19.13/month
Bubble.io No No No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Try free
from $29/month
Glide No No No No No No No Yes Yes No No Free tier
from $25/month
Draftbit No No No No Yes No No Yes Yes No No Free tier
from $19/month
Bildr No No No No Yes No No No Yes Yes No Free tier
from $29/month
Passion.io No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No No free tier
From $79/month

Platform : Builderly

Stores : Yes

Scheduling Services : Yes

Course Creation : Yes

Subscriptions : Yes

Custom Designed Pages : Yes

Chats : Yes

Community Building : Yes

Mobile App : Yes

Web App : Yes

Website : Yes

Managed load-balancing : Yes

Pricing : €1/month (first 2 months) then from €19.13/month


Platform : Bubble.io

Stores : No

Scheduling Services : No

Course Creation : No

Subscriptions : No

Custom Designed Pages : Yes

Chats : No

Community Building : No

Mobile App : Yes

Web App : Yes

Website : Yes

Managed load-balancing : No

Pricing : Try free
from $29/month


Platform : Glide

Stores : No

Scheduling Services : No

Course Creation : No

Subscriptions : No

Custom Designed Pages : No

Chats : No

Community Building : No

Mobile App : Yes

Web App : Yes

Website : No

Managed load-balancing : No

Pricing : Free tier
from $25/month


Platform : Draftbit

Stores : No

Scheduling Services : No

Course Creation : No

Subscriptions : No

Custom Designed Pages : Yes

Chats : No

Community Building : No

Mobile App : Yes

Web App : Yes

Website : No

Managed load-balancing : No

Pricing : Free tier
from $19/month


Platform : Bildr

Stores : No

Scheduling Services : No

Course Creation : No

Subscriptions : No

Custom Designed Pages : Yes

Chats : No

Community Building : No

Mobile App : No

Web App : Yes

Website : Yes

Managed load-balancing : No

Pricing : Free tier
from $29/month

 


Platform : Passion.io

Stores : No

Scheduling Services : No

Course Creation : Yes

Subscriptions : Yes

Custom Designed Pages : Yes

Chats : No

Community Building : Yes

Mobile App : Yes

Web App : Yes

Website : No

Managed load-balancing : No

Pricing : No free tier
From $79/month


A table is great for visualising information, however, as long as you're here - let's take a deeper dive.

Builderly core features:

  1. No-Code Development: Builderly is a no-code platform that enables users to create functional and visually appealing apps and websites without the need to write any code. Users can simply add components and configure options to build their apps​.
  2. Click-to-add Interface: Builderly provides a click-to-add interface with components like texts, images, vides, products, services, courses,  maps, forms, etc. making it easy for users to create apps and responsive websites without coding knowledge​​.
  3. Data-Driven Apps: Apps created with Builderly are driven by data. Users can add their own data, such as pages and products, and the platform will take care of the rest behind the scenes

 

4. Mobile and Web Apps: Builderly allows for the creation of both mobile and web apps that can cater to business needs.

5. Intuitive User Interface (UI): Builderly has an intuitive UI with features like pane, screen aree, device preview, and configuration panel. This makes it easier for users to navigate through the app building process and visualize their app in real-time​​.

6. Integration with Third-Party Solutions: Builderly offers integrations to Zapier and Webhooks (for advanced users)

7. Push Notifications: Glide has a feature to stay connected with app users through push notifications, which can be a vital feature for user engagement and retention​.

8. Stores: Builderly has a built-in store module for physical and digital products, inventories, invoices, card payments, etc.

9. Scheduling: The platform offers a built-in scheduling module for hourly booking, events by date, and even date-to-data booking options. The option to have multiple staff members ensures that a wide range of use cases are covered.

10. Course creation: As with the stores and booking services, the built-in courses and programs module covers a wide range of coaches and educators' use cases.

11. Subscriptions: Builderly has deeply implemented Stripe for all payment services, that includes recurring subscriptions, that creators can define for their apps and websites.

12. Communities and Chats: Builderly has a built-in social media builder, that allows for all types of content - from text and images, to reels and long videos. Furthermore, Builderly has implemented an AI content recommendation algorithm that allows for sponsored posts. Builderly has implemented a business dashboard for advertisers, and the option to share revenue with content creators inside the social media. Owners of such an app can even define their own commission for all services, including mega-app features with stores, services, programs, subscriptions, and exclusive content inside every profile inside their app.

13. Website: Builderly offers it's users to simultaneously create a server-side rendered website and client-side rendered app.

14. Managed load-balancing: Whats's that? The ability to scale the servers when the usage is extremely high. Builderly can take care of scaling, so businesses can rest easy when it comes to extreme growth.

15. Usage from mobile devices (touch screens): Since Builderly's interface builder is click-to-add, rather than drag-and-drop, the platform could be used from a mobile device as well - given the screen is large enough.

16. Free on-boarding sessions: Perhaps the biggest advantage of this list, is the ability to book a free online meet with the staff, to help you get started with the platform.

Bubble.io core features:
 

  1. Visual Programming: Bubble.io uses a visual programming language, which allows users to build applications using a visual editor instead of typing code​1​.
  2. Customizable User Experience (UX): Users can customize the user experience of their apps, likely through a drag-and-drop interface​2​.
  3. Data and Account Management: Users have the ability to manage data and accounts within their apps​2​.
  4. Integration Capabilities: Bubble.io provides the functionality to integrate with other platforms or services​2​.
  5. Logic Building: Users can build out logic to determine the behavior of the app as users navigate through it​2​.
  6. Extension through Plugins: Bubble.io's functionality can be extended through user-generated extensions and plugins, similar to how WordPress operates​3​.
  7. Complex Application Building: Despite being a no-code platform, Bubble.io empowers users to build complex applications without the need for writing any code​4​.

Glide core features:

  1. No-Code Development: Glide is a no-code platform that enables users to create functional and visually appealing apps without the need to write any code. Users can simply add components and configure options to build their apps​1​.
  2. Drag-and-Drop Interface: Glide provides a drag-and-drop interface with components like lists, maps, signature pads, and file uploaders, making it easy for users to create apps even without coding knowledge​2​.
  3. Data-Driven Apps: Apps created with Glide are driven by data. Users can sync data from various sources like Google Sheets, Airtable, Excel, or use Glide's editor to add data. This data can then be utilized to create actions within the app, making the data work for the users​3​.

4. Mobile and Web Apps: Glide allows for the creation of both mobile and web apps that can cater to business needs. It's highlighted as a fast and easy way to create custom software without code​4​.

5. Intuitive User Interface (UI): Glide has an intuitive UI with features like tab pane, screen area, data area, device preview, and configuration panel. This makes it easier for users to navigate through the app building process and visualize their app in real-time​5​.

6. Integration with Third-Party Solutions: Glide offers seamless integrations to third-party solutions which likely extends its functionality and allows for more complex app behaviors​5​.

7. Push Notifications: Glide has a feature to stay connected with app users through push notifications, which can be a vital feature for user engagement and retention​5​.

Glide positions itself as a simple yet powerful tool for creating apps without the need to code, making it accessible for individuals and businesses who may not have technical expertise. Its drag-and-drop interface, combined with its data-driven approach and integration capabilities, provides a solid platform for creating functional apps that can be deployed on both mobile and web platforms.

 

Draftbit core features:

  • Stores: No built-in feature, but possible through customization or external connections.
  • Scheduling Services: Not mentioned.
  • Course Creation: Not mentioned.
  • Subscriptions: Not mentioned.
  • Custom Designed Pages: Yes, through low-level and higher-order components​1​.
  • Chats: Not mentioned.
  • Community Building: Not mentioned.
  • Mobile App: Yes, Draftbit is designed for building mobile apps​1​.
  • Web App: Yes, it supports publishing to the web​2​.
  • Website: Not mentioned, but possibly achievable through its web app capabilities​2​.

In summary, Draftbit's strength lies in its flexibility and customization options provided through its component-based building approach. It allows users to visually build applications with a focus on mobile and web app development. Its features like low-level components (Bits), higher-order components (Blocks), and the ability to connect any REST API service make it a powerful tool for creating a wide range of applications, though it might require external integrations or custom code for certain functionalities like e-commerce, subscriptions, or community building​1​​3​​2​​4​​5​.

Bildr core features

  • Stores: Not mentioned.
  • Scheduling Services: Not mentioned.
  • Course Creation: Not mentioned.
  • Subscriptions: Not mentioned.
  • Custom Designed Pages: Yes, through unmatched custom no-code logic and intuitive and innovative interactions​1​.
  • Chats: Not mentioned.
  • Community Building: Not mentioned.
  • Mobile App: Not mentioned.
  • Web App: Yes, tailored to build scalable data-driven web apps​2​.
  • Website: Yes, allows the building of web apps, and possibly websites by extension​3​.

Bildr is described as an all-in-one no-code platform with a focus on rapid development for creating data-driven web applications. It provides a visual development environment and supports custom logic without code, making it a tool for building custom full-stack apps significantly faster than traditional methods​2​. It also offers the flexibility to build on existing data from anywhere and establish intuitive and innovative interactions through its no-code logic capabilities​1​. There is also mention of being able to connect with various data sources including Postgres, REST APIs, GraphQL, Firebase, Google Sheets, and more​4​.

However, there's no information available regarding its capabilities for e-commerce, scheduling services, course creation, subscriptions, chat, community building, or mobile app development. The platform appears to be more geared towards web app and possibly website development, with an emphasis on data-driven applications and custom logic design.

Passion.io core features:

  1. Drag-and-Drop Builder: Passion.io features a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder, which allows for the creation of customized apps without the need for any coding knowledge. This feature simplifies the app development process and accelerates the time to market for your digital products​1​​2​​3​​4​.
  2. Course Creation and Monetization: One of the standout features of Passion.io is its robust course creation module. This platform provides tools to create, market, and sell online courses, thereby serving as a comprehensive solution for educators, coaches, and creators looking to monetize their knowledge​5​​6​​4​.
  3. Mobile App Development: Passion.io facilitates the development of mobile applications, enabling creators to reach their audience on the go. The platform supports both iOS and Android app development, ensuring a broad reach across different mobile ecosystems​7​​8​​4​.

4. Community Building: The platform has features that support community building, enabling creators to foster a sense of belonging among their audience, which in turn can drive engagement and customer loyalty​9​​10​​4​.

5. Subscription Management: Passion.io provides subscription management features, allowing creators to set up recurring revenue streams through membership and subscription models. This feature is crucial for sustaining a profitable online business​11​​12​​4​.

6. Customizable Branding: With Passion.io, creators can maintain a consistent brand identity across their digital products by customizing the look and feel of their apps and courses​13​.

7. Marketing and Analytics: The platform provides marketing tools and analytics to help creators promote their products and understand their audience better. This data-driven approach can inform marketing strategies and help optimize the user experience​4​​14​.

8. Integrations: Passion.io offers integrations with various third-party tools and services, enhancing the functionality and efficiency of the platform. These integrations allow for a more streamlined workflow and can extend the capabilities of the apps and courses created on the platform​4​.

9. Support and Resources: The platform offers support and resources to help creators succeed. From tutorials and templates to a community of like-minded individuals, Passion.io provides a supportive ecosystem for its users​15​​14​.

In a nutshell, Passion.io provides a holistic solution for individuals and businesses looking to create and monetize digital products, particularly online courses. Its user-friendly interface, coupled with a rich set of features and support resources, makes it a compelling choice for those looking to build and grow an online business.

 

In conclusion

Whether you are an aspiring app developer or a business owner looking to expand your online footprint, these platforms offer a range of features to help you create a free app. If you are specifically looking for a free online app builder, platforms like Appy Pie or an online app builder for free like Mighty Networks, with its free trial, can be ideal starting points.

For those with a penchant for community building and course creation, platforms like Thinkific and Passion.io are worth exploring. They not only serve as an application builder free of high learning curves but also provide extensive resources and features to foster engagement and learning.

Moreover, if you are eyeing to create a free mobile application or a free phone app, Builderly, Bubble.io, and Appy Pie stand out with their mobile-centric features. Their intuitive interfaces make them a go-to free mobile application builder for many.

In conclusion, the right apps maker free of cost or at an affordable price exists; it's about finding the one that aligns with your needs and technical prowess. Explore these platforms, leverage their unique features, and take a step closer to bringing your online vision to fruition.

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Step 2
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Step 3
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