What Is No-Code And No-Code Automation?

In 2017, Chris Wanstrath, former CEO of Github, walked into a room full of coders and said, We believe the future of coding is no coding at all. Chris made a prediction that no-code automation would soon be a promising alternative to traditional software programming.

Three years later, no-code is one of the best emerging trends in the business environment.

More interestingly,

According to Forrester’s Research, the low-code and no-code development market will reach the $21.2 billion mark by 2022.

It seems like Chris was right about the future of coding.

In an era where the need for software solutions exceeds available skilled developers, no-code technology enables businesses to meet the ever-increasing software demand. It’s empowering everyday users (developers or not) to drive innovation and develop enterprise-grade web solutions without knowing or learning how to code.

In this article, we’ll explore further into what is no-code, understand its benefits and risks, and help you figure out whether or not to use no-code to grow your business.

Let’s start with the most straightforward question—What is the meaning of no-code?

So, what is no-code?

The simplest definition is;

No-code, shortened from no-code development, is a method of building web and mobile applications that do not necessarily involve writing code.

It’s basically a better and more inclusive approach to application development.

Unlike traditional heavy coding, no-code uses a drag-and-drop GUI environment that requires little to no experience in programming.

Using no-code automation tools, even non-technical users like marketers, sales executives, or HR reps can build their full-fledged applications. All they’d need to do is click, scroll, or drag and drop.

If you’ve heard or used no-code before, chances are you come across the term low-code as well. And you’ve probably asked yourself—Are no-code and low-code related?

Let’s compare the two and find out.

No-code vs. Low-code: What are the differences?

People often consider no-code and low-code to be related and interchangeable. But that’s not true.

Sure, there can be a few minor similarities between the two. For example, both are providing the means to agile software development using visual, drag-and-drop interfaces.

But, in the big picture, no-code and low-code are entirely different.

Here’s a quick comparison that will show you the differences.

An industry example of no-code would be automating everyday business tasks by achieving integration between systems. In this case, users aren’t necessarily aware of the back-end infrastructures. They use no-code platforms to create or customize processes based on their needs.

For low-code, a typical example would be creating web products ranging from HTML websites to enterprise-class applications. Users, primarily developers and IT teams, bring together components provided by low-code platforms to deliver desired projects faster and with lower technical dependency.

Time for an important question—Which is better? No-code or low-code?

Since the long-term goal is to simplify programming for the masses, the no-code approach is most certainly a better choice over low-code.

And while no-code solutions focus on helping almost everyone build custom applications of their own, there’s another category of automation and iPaaS solutions that focus on improving the interoperability of every new and existing app.

Read on to know how the two fit together.

How did no-code enter the market of automation?

Honestly, no-code and automation belong to the same market.

In general usage, automation is the creation of software and systems to replace repetitive, manual processes.

It’s similar to what no-code development does.

But before getting to any conclusion, let’s comprehend in detail why exactly automation is needed in software development.

As a business starts to grow, everyday processes and workflows often become cumbersome—especially when the team has to do everything manually. The method of application development is no different.

From initial analysis to final integration, there are scenarios during development where teams often repeatedly find themselves doing the same task. In these situations, the need for having an automated system comes into play.

No-code automation offers a viable solution to individuals and organizations who wish to automate processes while limiting manual errors and interferences.

Need another reason why you should opt for no-code? Well, we’ll give you more.

Why use no-code automation?

Increase agility

No-code automation removes all the complexities from everyday business processes and replaces them with pre-built modules/workflows. That means it becomes easier to get more done in less time.

Think about it like this, half of the work during development goes into keeping everyone in sync. Delegating tasks, sharing progress, or tracking budget—many things are happening at once. What makes the process even slower is the necessity to update everything and everyone in real-time. As a result, the process slows down↓.

Fortunately, one automation workflow can solve this.

If you use different apps for development (ex. – GitHub) and CRM (ex. – Salesforce), you can use no-code workflow automation to connect the two apps automatically. You can integrate GitHub and Salesforce so that every time there is a new issue reported in GitHub, a contact is created in Salesforce automatically.

Also, if you use project management tools such as Notion to archive and track updates in projects, you can further use automation to keep your project archive up-to-date instead of manual copy-pasting.

You can set up integration between Notion and Salesforce so that every new lead, contact, or opportunity in Salesforce is automatically saved in your Notion Database.

Reduce project costs

Hiring is expensive.

Companies have to spend immense resources searching for experienced professionals and bringing them onto the team. A study shows that, on average, it costs $4,000 to recruit new hires in a company with 0-500 people.

No-code might not eliminate the need or cost for hiring developers entirely, but they surely empower non-developers enough to take innovation and app development into their own hands.

With the use of no-code automation, you no longer have to rely on the availability of resources to deliver projects. Instead, you’ll encourage your teams (IT and non-IT) to be productive and self-sufficient, at a cost saving of 40-75%.

Get a better grip on your data

According to the Forbes Insights survey, 1 in 5 companies today are experiencing cyber events due to the use of unsanctioned IT resources. Example;

• Using personal accounts or devices to conduct business
• Using third-party SaaS applications without the knowledge of your IT team

Many of these organizations have lost critical business and customer data because of the risk of Shadow IT. But the same can be avoided in your business if you adapt to no-code.

This is because, in a no-code environment, you get better control of how and where your data is stored or used as each app and workflow is created by you for specific use-cases.

Extra focus on user experience

A significant problem with the traditional business approach is that sometimes teams get so bogged down in details that they forget about the thing that matters the most, i.e., customers.

Fortunately, teams can automate their repetitive tasks and focus more on customer’s needs with no-code automation platforms.

For example – you start an online store on Shopify and you’re using Microsoft Excel to manage your orders. In that case, you can integrate Microsoft Excel and Shopify to automate your entire order processing. For every new Shopify order, you can trigger an action to add a new row to the end of the selected worksheet in Microsoft Excel.

You can set up similar automated processes across your sales, support, marketing, or bookkeeping, and automate your entire eCommerce business in no time.

Before you decide to work with no-code automation tools, you have to understand what your requirements are. More importantly, you need to be convinced that you’ve picked the correct option out of hundreds of tools available.

Choosing the right no-code automation tool for your business

Here’s a no-code checklist that will help you find the right tool.

Interface

Search for automation tools with intuitive UI. You should be able to quickly build and test automation using drag and drop or by visual modeling.

Integrations 

Prefer automation tools with a good number of pre-built and custom app integrations. You should be able to automate processes across applications you use, such as Notion, Slack, Salesforce, Gmail, HubSpot, and more.

Reusability

It only makes sense to automate processes when all present and future projects benefit from it. Therefore, look for automation tools that allow you to save and reuse automated workflows as needed.

 

Now you know what to expect from an ideal no-code tool. Next, let’s look at the tools available.

What are the best no-code tools?

Listed below are some of the best no-code tools available in the market for small to medium businesses.

No-code integrations tool —Automate.io

If you need to build automated workflows, Automate.io should be your new best friend.

The no-code automation tool allows you to integrate automated workflows across your processes and web apps—without any IT help.

With its robust set of workflow automation features and a library of 200+ app integrations, Automate.io proves equally functional for both experienced and citizen developers.

With Automate.io, you:

• Interactively connect 200+ apps (CRM, Marketing, eCommerce, Payments, Web forms, Collaboration, etc) in minutes
• Visually build and test integrations via drag-and-drop UI
• Transfer and sync data between apps with bank-level encryption
• Create and share automated workflows across teams
• Use Webhooks/Rest API to create custom app integrations

Pricing:

Automate.io has a free version as well as five paid plans.

• Personal: $9.99/month, billed annually
• Professional: $19/month, billed annually
• Startup: $39/month, billed annually
• Growth: $79/month, billed annually
• Business: $159/month, billed annually

No-code project management tool —Notion

For too long, teams have been relying on complicated processes and complex project management systems.

Notion is an all-in-one workplace designed to bring together every aspect of every project within one system.

The platform offers components like wikis, notes, databases, kanban boards, calendars that are easily customized based on individual or organizational requirements.

With Notion, you:

• Don’t worry about opening multiple tabs and switching windows while working on projects and tasks
• Plan, track, and collaborate multiple projects using a single platform
• Organize tasks in multiple views—Kanban board, to-do list, calendar, gallery, or table
• Structure your data using wikis, images, bookmarks, videos, code, and more

Pricing:

Notion has different tiers and prices for personal and team plans. You can get started for free and then upgrade to Personal Pro at $4 per month for personal use. For businesses and groups, you can check,

• Team: $8 per member per month
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote

No-code website builder—Webflow

Webflow is a no-code platform for building custom, responsive websites without coding. The platform is a popular choice for users who want to design and launch websites quickly and easily.

With Webflow, users have the opportunity to save time spent on building web solutions from scratch every time. Instead, they can use a pre-built template and customize it to their needs with simple drags and clicks.

With Webflow, you:

• Build responsive sites fast, with more creative control
• Add interactions and animations in your design easily
• Review content by publishing it to a staging URL
• Design for every device, all at once

Pricing:

Webflow offers two different plans that serve different functions,

• Site Plans:
  • Website Plan starting at $12USD per month, paid annually
  • Ecommerce Plan starting at $29USD per month, paid annually
• Account Plans:
  • Individual Plan costs $0 to $35USD per month, paid annually
  • Team Plan available at $35 per person per month, paid annually, or $42 billed monthly

No-code app development—Bubble

Bubble is another no-code tool with great potential.

It’s a no-code software development platform that enables users to build SaaS platforms, marketplaces, and CRMs without code. With Bubble’s easy-to-use interface and an array of visual elements, app creators can design multi-user applications super-quickly.

Wish you could build interactive apps like Facebook or Airbnb? Thanks to Bubble, you can!

With Bubble, you:

• Reduce time and cost of application development dramatically
• Build beautiful, fully functional apps without requiring developers
• Add chat app, news feed, social media buttons, third-party integrations, and much more to your apps

Pricing:

Bubble has a free plan and three paid plans with additional app development features;

• Personal: $25 per month, paid annually
• Professional: $115 per month, paid annually
• Production: $475 per month, paid annually

No-code voice/chat app builder—Voiceflow

Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, or Cortana—AI-powered voice assistants are changing how we communicate at home and work. However, when it comes to using the technology in your business, things are more challenging than expected.

Voiceflow is a no-code tool that enables teams to create voice and chat assistants quickly and easily.

Voiceflow’s visual, no-code canvas allows teams to prototype personalized, detailed conversation designs that otherwise require IT or engineering executive’s assistance.

With Voiceflow, you:

• Design, prototype, and publish chat and voice apps in your browser
• Build voice apps for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
• Easily share your prototype with others for feedback or test
• Access direct integration with Google Sheets
• Create your own webhooks using the API block

Pricing:

Voiceflow offers a free plan for personal use. Additionally, it has two paid plans for smaller teams and scaling businesses,

• Pro: $40 per editor, per month
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote

There you go! These are some popular platforms you can try if you’re interested in exploring new opportunities using no-code at work. Each tool helps you enhance your way of work in some way or another.

Go ahead! Try them out, and you’ll understand what we’re talking about.

No-code automation & Automate.io!

The idea behind no-code automation is to make individuals and businesses more responsive and self-sufficient. At Automate.io, we work towards something similar.

We make automation easy and accessible to everyone so you can eliminate mundane aspects of your jobs and focus better on processes that drive your business forward. We enable you to integrate automated workflows into apps and processes you already use, all by yourself!

The result—you minimize errors and redundancies in your business process by 70% and boost everyday productivity by ten times.

And, that’s a tiny fraction of the possibilities you can consider with no-code. There’s a lot more to explore!

So, what’s the wait? Jump on to the no-code automation train today!