Traditional software houses will either evolve into no-code agencies or be left behind. 💀
This may seem controversial, but let's take a deeper look! No-code platforms are taking the world by storm, and they're not just a passing fad. 🌊 Tools like Bubble, Xano, WeWeb, Softr, Retool or Glide are not small startup companies but advanced software platforms that allow us to create really complex things. 🚀 Also, lots of Webflow agencies are looking into making apps, either by using Wized or learning how to build with Bubble.
I am recording a series of video interviews featuring no-code agencies from around the world at NoCode Shorts. The goal is to showcase the potential of no-code development. And the fact is the more I am speaking with no-code agencies and seeing them grow exponentially the more I believe in a massive disruption in the tech industry. 📈
Let me give you some international examples like Kreante Agency, from zero to 25 developers and millions of dollars in revenue in 3 years 💰 or Creme Digital, from zero to revenues > $1M USD in 2 years 💸
Or some of the biggest Bubble agencies like Rapid Dev which hire over 50 developers and have over +200 projects 🚀 And all of this thanks to nocode!
This is the story of Kreante, I've recorded a while ago: https://youtu.be/OFjUupEFYxE
In Poland, where we have lots of software houses, this is just the beginning, but agencies like Davinci, Havenocode, or Personit are taking over the industry with their no-code approach! 💥
And this is an example story of Personit: https://youtu.be/fSO_yTLn1H0
On the other hand, many software houses are laying off people and struggling after years of growth. 😰 They cannot be competitive in the market anymore, where you can achieve similar effects with no-code:
⏱️ Speed to Market: Allowing businesses to bring their ideas to life in a fraction of the time compared to traditional coding methods. 🚀
🔁 Agility: Allowing to adapt quickly to changing market demands 🏎️
📈 Scalability: No-code platforms are built for scalability - if you have doubts, check my latest interview with Maxime Topolov from code.store, where he explains how they are working on one of the most complex enterprise projects using low-code and no-code stacks. 🏢
This is the interview part: https://youtu.be/DLTKecg1Yf8?t=356
So, what does this mean for traditional software houses? 🤔 In my opinion, they have two choices:
🌉 Embrace the no-code revolution by transforming themselves into no-code agencies. 🚀
🥇 Acquire or partner with existing no-code agencies, harnessing their expertise and staying ahead of the curve. 🤝
What are your thoughts on this?
Traditional houses will just keep themselves busy writing no-code products ;)
Haha that's a good one 🤣
I don't think so.
No-code platforms can do a lot, but they are super limited and create supremely inferior products. They are fine for protyping and MVPs, but nobody is going to use them for production apps that have to perform well and scale.
Look at Wordpress. They have drag and drop visual editors, and a lot of people use them. They are great for non-technical people to throw together a brochure site. If you need a fast site, however, you build one with code using a modern framework like react or vue.
It's the non-technical people who use Wordpress who are going to be the people who use no-code platforms to build apps. Then after they get a few customers they will hire actual software engineers to rebuild their app using modern technologies like next.js or rails so that it performs well and can scale.
The choice of technology must be the right one for the job. But underlining the fact the lowcode and nocode tools are not designed for complex projects is so unfair. Especially in 2024! There are hundreds of examples of creating complex (and enterprise) projects with lowcode/nocode.
Also we can see the examples of nocode agencies (like havenocode or code.store) which hire only developers who'd like to transition to nocode (eg. Xano). This is also an interesting trend.
Yeah, it just seems like a bunch of hype from people who want this to be the direction that things go.
Just like Wordpress, a lot of non-technical people will use it, and then there will be tons of slow, poorly built apps out there bumming out everybody who uses them.
So, there will undoubtedly be a bunch of agencies and apps built with no-code, even enterprise software, but it won't be very good. And after a while they will have it rebuilt by people who can give the attention to detail to every line of code that a modern, sophisticated piece of software deserves.
But again, not to say that no-code doesn't have a place. It's great for non-technical people to throw something together without having to hire expensive developers.
It also may be a good way for engineers to build a prototype. However, I can still prototype something faster with code, and it will be better engineered.
Thank you for this comment!
Good article, it is good to take a stand :)
I suspect the path of nocode is more likely to finish up with customers DIY’ing in the style of wix, shopify etc, especially with the assistance of AI.
There might be a short burst of software development houses adopting it, but the whole point of nocode is to move towards anyone can do it, and AI can bridge the learning gap pretty well; so this seems kind of inevitable.
That means that software houses that specialise in nocode are going to struggle after a while. Probably safer to focus on building components that will be available on nocode frameworks for people plug into their own solutions. The same way it has gone with Wordpress, Shopify etc that you would have to have coded yourself in the past.
Absolutely, there's a deeper potential with no-code beyond just creating simple components. For example, no-code developers could focus on crafting full solutions for specific sectors - and by addressing these demands stay focused with the "industry approach".
I work for a consultancy, and I've worked on a couple of no-code projects. And I can confidently say that you have no idea what you are talking about.
If companies were willing to sacrifice some flexibility by staying on the happy path using no-code and low code tools, then maybe there would be some truth.
But the idea that custom development will be replaced wholesale by no-code/low code is delusional. Many companies see the initial speed of development using no/low code and think they can increase velocity by adding more developers. That's just not possible. You cannot treat a no/low code tool like custom development. Most customers have not realized that.
Have you read the whole article and watched any of the videos? I mean you are possibly right from your perspective but I am wondering what type of projects and clients were you working on? And what kind of no-code platforms? I am asking because right now there are number of tools which are both flexible and allow to speed up the development - also for developers who are willing to work with custom code only.
I think they will include no code into their business, but maybe don't switch completely. There are still some benefits of coding, so I guess for the next 2-5 years they will include tools like Bubble for sure, but don't completely replace it.
That's also my take, to be honest.
Yeah nocode agencies are taking off like crazy
Indeed!
From my experience working at Fuzen.io I can validate that a lot of agencies are now moving towards no-code. It helps them save time and resources and maximise their profits.
Your analysis of the no-code revolution is compelling, showcasing its disruptive impact on the tech industry. The success stories and comparisons with traditional software houses highlight the need for adaptation and collaboration in this rapidly evolving landscape.
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