Table of Contents
- 😍 What is no-code?
- 🤔 Why learn to no-code?
- We don't have enough coders 😢
- No-Code can fill the gap 🧗🏻
- 🧱 What can I actually build with no-code?
- ⚡️ Real world case studies
- 👀 Want some more examples??
- 🙌 What’s stopping you?
- 🦄 Bonus - see what our alumni created!
- 🚃 A quick tour around the no-code tool landscape
- ⚒️ An introduction to the no-code tool landscape
- 🙌 Breaking down the tool landscape
- 🧰 Tips for picking your no-code stack
- 🌩 Learning the lingo
- No-Code FAQ's 👀
- 🙇 Who to follow in the no-code space
Do not index
Do not index
😍 What is no-code?
We figured this was probably a good place to start, right? We won’t dwell too long on this side of things, but we at least wanted to paint a better picture of the landscape for you!
So, sit back, relax and start making your way through the resources below.
Let's go!
No-code is the name given to a huge collection of software and platforms that let anyone - not just trained developers - build powerful apps for your business. You'll get the idea if you've ever used WordPress, Wix or Squarespace to build a website; no code is like WordPress but for software and apps.
Most no-code tools have replaced writing code with visual development - meaning you can make an app do something or look a certain way by choosing an element from a menu and dragging and dropping it where it needs to go - just like lego. There are a bunch of different no code tools available now, which let you build anything from online stores to community spaces to CRM’s to internal tools yourself.
No-code is just programming, at a higher level of abstraction. Instead of expressing computer instructions through symbols and syntax (code), the no-coder designs and builds solutions with boxes and buttons. It’s software development, in a visual programming language.
Let's dive into this a little more...
What impact will no-code have and what can you build with it?
📚 Further reading
Hopefully the above has wet your appetite to dig a little deeper into the whole no-code thing. We certainly don’t want to send you down a rabbit hole, but the below material is just too good not to share with you!
🤔 Why learn to no-code?
Now, the fact you’re already signed onto this Intro to No-Code course suggests that we don’t need to heavily persuade you on the benefits of learning this skill. But, who knows, maybe you need that extra clarity and motivation to go all in! So feel free to have a read below and get inspired...
We don't have enough coders 😢
The fact that only 0.3% of the world's population can code is a big issue.
Tech innovation relies heavily on silicon chip based devices which have some sort of software running on them — an operating system, a set of applications, a browser to access the web, your smart watch, your TV — the list is ever growing but the number of people building this software is not increasing in line with it's growth. Nowhere near.
Coding is not for everyone, it can be difficult to wrap your head around and can take years of learning and practice to get half decent at the job. Even the promise of a good salary is not enough to entice people into the field. For example, in the UK in 2021, the average yearly base salary for a Software Engineer is £37,939 which is comfortably above the national average across all industries of £29,600.
It's as if we have become a society of people happy to use applications to consume content from the web in the form of YouTube, TikTok and Disney+ streaming but few of us ever consider producing for the web. I mean, it's easier to consume than to produce, right? But is it as fulfilling? There are only so many box sets you can watch before you get that feeling that you might just be wasting your life away and perhaps you should be contributing something to the world.
Just like the common saying that we all have at least "1 book in us", maybe we all have at least "1 app in us" too! What would your app be if you could make one? Let that seed plant in your mind and give it a little water.
No-Code can fill the gap 🧗🏻
That’s what where we come in at 100DaysOfNoCode - we’re on a mission to empower 1 million people with no-code.
Anyway….
In theory, if you can use a computer, you can create software — web apps, mobile apps, automation flows and more — using no-code tools and techniques.
You just need to read Gartner's prediction👇 to see the conviction big companies have in this movement...
Gartner predicts that by 2025, 75% of large enterprises will use at least four low-code/no-code development tools for both IT application development and citizen development initiatives.
And this speaks to one big pathway where your no-code skills can reduce the dependency on traditional developers:
1. Leveraging no-code at work ⚡️
I recently heard that Nike have a "Head of Airtable" too which is one of the core tools we teach in our curriculum.
Anyway, what this means is that instead of waiting for sign-off from other 'tech teams', you can start automating your own work, creating powerful prototypes and moving with more speed. Just take a read of this article to see the impact no-code is already having at work. And this isn't just big companies, it's small-medium sized businesses and startups too.
With demand for these skills growing by the day, no-code opens up another opportunity to...
2. Become a no-code freelancer ⚡️
Most companies don't have the in-house expertise to leverage the power of no-code. That's why we're seeing a booming no-code freelance market where companies are getting experts to help them automate processes, build their MVP's, create powerful lead magnets etc...
Just checkout these no-code job board marketplaces to get a feel:
And becoming a no-code freelancer can be the gateway drug into starting your own no-code agency. There are already 100+ around which you can find
. Case in point 👀...
You just have to look at this graph to see how much the no-code development space is growing...
But then of course, if you're building other people's ideas as a freelancer or agency owner, you'll naturally get the itch to start bringing your own ideas to life. That's where the next pathway comes into play...
3. Build your own ideas ⚡️
You may want to build a side project, MVP or full scale venture. And that's where no-code can give you a unique advantage with the added speed, flexibility and affordability that it will give you versus the "go and spend $100K on a developer to build your unvalidated idea in 6 months 😬" route.
🦄 BONUS - Make your life easier with no-code
And one last reason for learning to no-code; it can make your life a ton easier!!
We rarely talk about how no-code can simply improve our everyday lives. You don't have to use it to build a startup or project with. You can instead use it to solve some of your daily pain points.
Like Audrey here (who is a 100DaysOfNoCode alumni!) 👇 ... turning her list of meals (that I assume was easily lost around the house or eaten by a pet!) into a digital directory that can be accessed anywhere from her phone.
Here are a few more ideas for inspiration....
🌍 Plan your next holiday with a Notion template
🏠 Find your next house using Airtable databases
🥘 Get ready for your next shop with this shopping list template
And here's a related idea for you to stew on...
❌ Problem: travelling to a new country without knowing the language
✅ No-code solution: create a simple automation using Zapier (which you'll be learning soon!) that sends you a new word from that language each day before your trip.
And one last example for good measure! Tracey, one of our alumni, built "What's for Dinner"; a meal planning app. Take a look at her demo below 👇 It's built in Softr, another tool that's in our core curriculum...
🧱 What can I actually build with no-code?
No-code is a world of possibility. That’s because you can build lots of weird and wonderful things with these tools, now at our fingertips. From Instagram clones to interactive online escape rooms, it’s hard to find something you can’t build with no-code. In this section, we’ll dig into what exactly you can build.
The first project made with no-code that made a splash and got people thinking "oh, no-code is actually a thing" is Not Real Twitter (don't skip the intro section, it's a powerful 1 min read); a Twitter clone built in 2015. They've since created an updated version, you can check out here.
All sorts! The list below doesn’t cover it all, but hopefully gives you a feel for what’s possible and gets your creative juices flowing.
👷♀️ Info products
A PDF, Notion Doc, Video Course, paid newsletter or eBook that you can charge people to download (or keep free).
👷♀️ Resource directories, job boards & marketplaces
A directory or listing site that curates content in filterable lists. Or a marketplace that helps buyers and sellers meet on a single site around a niche.
👷♀️ SaaS, Mobile apps and Web apps
These are the most high leverage products you can build but they’re harder to build.
👷♀️ Physical products
Stores that ship products you create, curate, or are an affiliate for.
👷♀️ Internal business solutions
Digital solutions that help teams be more productive and collaborative.
- Wikis
- CRM’s
- Project management dashboards
👷♀️ Other (video games, chatbots etc...)
This is basically everything else!
- Voice apps like these
- Automations like these
- One wheel (video game)
🦄 One more thing
You can also create your own no-code tool (using no-code tools) - could it get more meta than that?! I think not. Scan through the answers to the Twitter question below for some eye-popping examples (if you’re a sucker for shiny things, don’t click on the tweet 😅)...
⚡️ Real world case studies
Seeing is believing, right?! So let's spotlight a few examples and paint some more context on the impact each are having on the world.
💡 SwagUp
SwagUp grew from MVP to $10M in annual revenue using no-code workflows to power internal prcoesses. You can check out the different automations they built here, all with Zapier.
💡 Missing Black People
Missing Black People is a directory that Dominic Norton built to amplify the search for missing black people. It took him only 1 hour to build using Softr and Airtable, and went viral on Twitter after he launched. He’s since been able to gather 20K petitions to prompt the government to conduct a public inquiry into finding Missing Black People, and has been featured in major media like Vice, the BBC and the Independent.
💡 Bad Unicorn
Bad Unicorn is a product studio that build fun, quirky and often halarious business ideas every two weeks all with no-code tools. They’ve gone viral on multiple occasions and have even been featured in some heavyweight media outlets like Forbes, TechCrunch and Bloomberg.
💡 UK Homes for Ukrainians
UK Homes for Ukrainians is an app Max and Glenn built to help Ukrainian refugees find UK sponsors to host them. We built an Airbnb like matching platform in under a week and had 5K+ users connecting on this app. We were featured across major UK publications.
💡 Apocalypse no-code
Apocalypse no-code is a digital escape room built with a chatbot tool called Landbot. It’s fun to play and shows you how far imagination (and chatbots) can take you in no-code.
💡 Otter
Otter is a marketplace that matches parents who need childcare with stay at home parents. They built the first version of the product using no-code tools to validate their idea, before raising $28 million in venture capital funding.
💡 Civilisation
If you’re into gaming, you may like this. Sako Buniatyan created a replica of the game Civilisation which you can play with here. It’s the largest project ever built in Webflow.
👀 Want some more examples??
We’ve only just scratched the surface with the examples above. So recently, to let the products do the talking, we have put together a database of 200+ products built with no-code which you can find here...
🙌 What’s stopping you?
Hopefully the above has given you a taste of what’s possible in this space. Whether you want to create a profit generating business, build a fun side project or have social impact on something that matters to you, no-code makes it easier than it ever has been before.
🦄 Bonus - see what our alumni created!
See what alumni from our most recent No-Code MVP Bootcamp built with no-code!
🚃 A quick tour around the no-code tool landscape
We talk a lot about no-code as a movement (which it is!) but it’s the tools themselves that make it all possible, and what you’ll be spending a lot of time in once you take the leap into no-code! So, it’s probably best if we get a little accustomed to them now.
⚒️ An introduction to the no-code tool landscape
From Instagram clones to interactive online escape rooms, we’re now at the point that “there’s a no-code tool for that” is the new “there’s an app for that”. This speaks to the diversity and breadth of the no-code tools now at our fingertips. You just have to take a glance at the image below, to see how rich the landscape is. And it’s only just getting started. It’s exciting to think how this will develop over the next 2, 5 and even 10 years! Who knows, we may even be able to build space rockets with no-code by then 😉.
🙌 Breaking down the tool landscape
When you see all the no-code tools in one big blob, it’s a tad much. So to make the tool landscape a little easier to digest, we’ll walk you through it, category by category and show you the best tools in each.
⚡️ Landing page builders
These tools are great for building simple websites like a homepage or personal website with little extra functionality beyond being able to capture emails for example. Where you’ll find the key differences lie between these tools, is in how flexible they are from a design perspective and how fast they are to learn/build with. For example, although Notion may be faster to build with, if you need more control over what your pages, fonts and positioning is like, then Dorik may be the better option. And then if you're looking for some extra functionality, Typedream now gives users the option to create a blog.
- Carrd
- Framer
- Typedream
- Dorik
⚡️ Form builders
These tools allow you to capture data from users. For example, you may want to conduct some research, and use a form for people to fill in the answers to your questions. Where each tool will differ is again in how much control you have over the design of your forms (e.g. how they look and feel), but also in how complex you can make them. For example, a simple Google form won’t allow you to add the level of conditional logic that you can in something like Tally, where you can show users different questions or steps depending on their form responses.
- Tally
- Typeform
- Landbot
- Jotform
⚡️ Spreadsheets and databases
Spreadsheets and databases offer you a place to hold and manage your data, and often store the content that we see across most websites and apps. Where they differ is mainly in what extent you can view the data in the way you want, but also in how you can relate your data together. For example, Airtable lets you group, filter and sort records, on top of being able to relate different tables together, which you can’t in Google Sheets. And then if you're looking for a fully scalable database backend, Xano would provide the most robust solution, even though it does come with a higher learning curve.
- Airtable
- Google Sheets
- Notion
- Xano
⚡️ Automation
Automation tools allow you to automate manual repetitive tasks. They do this by sending information from one app to another. For example, in case you didn’t want to manually add every new form entry into your spreadsheet, could create an automation that sends any respones straight to your spreadsheet. The key difference in these tools is in how many apps they allow you to connect and what extent you can automate something. For example, whilst Zapier has more integrations with lots of different apps, you can’t create as powerful automations with it as you can in Integromat. And then a tool like Bardeen comes from a different perspective by actually recommending you automations to implement based on your everyday tasks (powered by it's AI engine).
- Zapier
- Make (formerley Integromat)
- Airtable
- Bardeen
⚡️ Mobile app builders
Mobile app builders do what they say on the tin; let you build mobile apps! They differ on design capability, the functionality you can add but also, most importantly for some, in whether you can publish your app to the appstore. With Glide for instance, you can only publish your app as a PWA (check our jargon buster), versus Adalo (or Thunkable) which you can use to publish into the Apple or Android stores. And if you don't want to be locked in by a platform, Draftbit enables you to export the code from your app, to make it easier for you to create your own custom coded solution.
- Glide
- Adalo
- Thunkable
- Draftbit
- Flutterflow
⚡️ Web app builders
Technically mobile app builders are also web app builders, but it’s good to make the distinction, as this category of tool optimises primarily for laptop/desktop over a mobile experience specifically. An example of a web app would be something like Airbnb, which will have far more functionality than simple landing page builders. For example, allowing users to create accounts, make payments, interact with eachother and more. Like the previous categories though, the big differences between each comes down to the level at which you can control the design and features of your web app. Although you can build a lightening fast marketplace with Softr, you can’t as easily add messaging functionality and account management as you can in something like Bubble or Bildr.
- Softr
- Bubble/Bildr
- Webflow
- Voiceflow
⚡️ Other
We’ll be exploring more tools in the following sections on no-code x ai which fall into this “other” catagory.
This ‘other’ category is the odd one out. You’ll often find these are ‘bolt-ons’ to existing no-code tools. For example, you may want to integrate Mailerlite with Softr as a means to capture emails into a dedicated mail provider. Or you could use Outseta with a simple landing page builder like Carrd to gate content, so that a certain type of user can only see specific pages, to reflect which tier they're on for example. Beyond this, you have platforms like Buildbox, focusing on more niche usecases such as no-code video game creation.
- Outseta
- MailerLite
- Buildbox
🧰 Tips for picking your no-code stack
Although all these tools are exciting, it can be pretty overwhelming. How could you possibly choose between them all - we find folks can get into analysis paralysis - this bootcamp is designed to stop that. Now, this isn’t something you need to worry about too much now, but below are a couple of points that you should bear in mind when deciding what tool stack to learn and build with (especially for your MVP)...
1. Skills are transferable
Some beginners new to the space end up wasting a lot of time worrying about which tools to learn and invest in. Of course, you want to pick those that you’ll use in the long term, but don’t let this stop you. Getting started is more important than picking the right tool(s). In fact, what you’ll often find is that the skills you pick up in one tool will help you learn another tool even faster. That’s because you’re subconsciously taking in the cross-cutting concepts that most, if not all, no-code projects have, which we touch on next. So, the bottom line here is, try not to dwell on this decision for too long because regardless of what platform you’re using, you’ll be able to utilize the knowledge you learn on future no-code projects.
2. Some tools will feel more intuitive to you than others
Depending on your background, experiences and tech savviness, some no-code tools will be easier for you than others. It may just click in one and feel ultra confusing in another. This will also come down to your style of learning too. For example, are you a visual learner? If so, Adalo’s infinite canvas (below) may make sense to you more than Glide’s block based editor. That’s why, it’s important for you to try out a few tools that you’re interested in, rather than putting pressure on picking the ‘right’ one off the bat, because there isn’t a ‘perfect’ or ‘right’ tool - each one serves usecases and people in different ways.
3. You can always change your toolbox
Remember that you can change tools if you need to. You’re not locked into any, so don’t feel trapped. As you’ve seen above, there are so many tools, that if one doesn’t fit your needs, there’s likely to be another that does. And what you need will evolve over time.
If you're you're looking for some extra tips and tricks for no-code tool selection, take a watch of the first 26 minutes of a workshop we ran last time around with Katt...
You should now have a better grip on who’s who in the no-code tool landscape!
🌩 Learning the lingo
Whilst no-code tools allow non-techies like us to create websites, apps and software without code, it could certainly be more accessible. One thing that trips up lots of beginners is the language used within the tools themselves and throughout the space more broadly.
There are two elements to this:
1. Understanding the language used across the whole no-code space
2. Understanding the language used for each tool specifically. For example, Bubble, which is a no-code tool, has it's own glossary for the labels it gives certain actions in the tool.
💡 Tip: Whenever you start learning a new no-code tool, make sure to first familiarise yourself with the jargon related to this tool. You can often find this as part of their 'glossary documentation'. If you don't know what the language means, you won't know how to leverage specific parts of a tool, so read up!
Anyway, let's ease you in with 3 words we've touched on in the last section on "key no-code concepts" - and you'll notice different words are used to mean the same thing...
😎 Databases
Think of a database as a warehouse that stores all the information related to your app.
If we took Airbnb's database, it would store information on users (email, name etc..), listings (location, images, availability etc...) and more.
A database is a place that stores all of this information, which can be managed, updated + retrieved.
😎 Frontend / backend
In a car, the back-end would be the engine and the front-end would be the dashboard and the gas pedals.
The dashboard (front-end) takes user input and translates it to the engine (back-end) to move the car forward.
If we continue the Airbnb example, their website is what you see (UI) and interact with as the user and the backend would be the database.
Unless you're just building a static website, most no-code projects have a front and backend.
😎 Workflows
This isn't a technical term per se but it's used frequently in the no-code world to describe a set of steps (or logic) that occur in order for something to happen.
For example, you could trigger a Slack notification to be sent after a new order arrives in your e-commerce store.
Now that's got you warmed up, you can read up on the most commonly used jargon in the no-code space below with the list we've put together. Make yourself familiar with these, and use it as a resource to refer back to if you ever stumble across a term you don't quite understand. Oh and do let us know if there's a term we haven't covered and we'll break that down for you!
🦄 P.S You can also checkout this list of technical terms (some of which you don't need to know) which visualises each term. This is great if you're more of a visual learner.
No-Code FAQ's 👀
You may still have lots of questions floating about, and that's completely normal...we're only just getting started! That's why we've also put together a list of FAQ's around no-code that may help too! And if you have any others, you can just pop them in Slack!!
🙇 Who to follow in the no-code space
A large segment of the no-code community and ecosystem reside on Twitter (X)
Advice, tips and learning is shared everyday by those new and old to the space. In order to fully take advantage of these insights that'll accelerate your learning process, you need to create a Twitter account right this second, if you haven't already.
This may sound like a counter intuitive approach..."isn't Twitter just for people that want to argue and mindlessely scroll". Nope. Well, at least, it doesn't have to be, especially if you curate who you follow and engage with, to optimise the interactions and wisdom you're exposed to.
That's why we've curated a list of 100 members of the no-code community to follow, as a starting point. Check it out here.
Of course, we're here to learn how to no-code. However, Twitter is a vehicle to learn this skill at 10 times the speed. So below, is some good guiding principles on how to make the most of Twitter in the no-code space...
🏓 Give first
🏓 Share what you learn along the way
🏓 Ask interesting questions
🏓 Support others and cheer them on
🏓 Treat your profile as a landing page by being as descriptive as possible about what you'll be tweeting about
🏓 Use DM's but be personal when directly reaching out to people and they will be happy to spare the time for you.
Written by
-p-500.png?table=block&id=438bcb51-5c95-429b-90e6-62301e47c0f6&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=ba7da108-bfcd-4531-af2b-096d22cf7bed&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=d985fff5-7f57-43bb-86e6-402d650f5577&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=8a983f22-c51d-41b0-bb71-6b27b69f7527&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=89969c3d-5c3b-45d0-919a-c00944f65bcd&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=7fb873dc-6de6-46cc-8a94-f7e175857349&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=3bfb117b-51ef-4067-aa28-b44fc13d2604&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=a5520d3a-54ce-4e5e-bcab-dd9e01a0ceb5&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=c0c88427-d102-4334-a5c8-83ba1ab9e44c&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=36d1c878-416e-4bff-bb0b-f7c857563da2&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=27c6a765-398c-4f57-b1c0-cb97c3a29787&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=c6318ae6-b97d-432e-a7e4-98330defa14a&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=b7d06879-30ca-47dd-8764-a41ec8c59c86&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=33b27c4e-17f8-4b58-8487-925d8342fe3a&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=be7b3cd2-0bc1-4f66-bd4e-805e576670eb&cache=v2)
-p-500.png?table=block&id=56384565-bb8c-44cf-9d2a-7f77f9670abf&cache=v2)
