Which no-code platforms export code in 2023?

25th April 2024

No-code is great for rapid app development, but no-code has been proven to be shockingly limited.

To overcome the limits of no-code, modern no-code platforms have taken a hybrid approach to no-code.

These modern hybrid no-code platforms combine visual app development with source code exports. This means you can build at speed of no-code while getting access to real, developer friendly code that you can customize with a developer, export & own.

In this article we compare the top 3 hybrid no-code platforms that let you export your code.

The Top 3 No-Code App Builders That Offer Code Export (2023)

No Code App Builder	Dittofi	Flutterflow	Weweb
Frontend code export	Yes - export HTML, CSS & React.js code	Yes - export Flutter code	Yes - HTML, CSS & Vue.js code
Backend code export	Yes - export Google GO code	No option to export backend code	N/A (Weweb is a frontend only no-code platform)
Host your app anywhere	Yes - your React.js & Google GO export can be run from anywhere.	Host your frontend code anywhere, but your backend code must be hosted with Flutterflow.	Host your frontend code anywhere.
Code import	Yes - import HTML, CSS, JavaScript Google GO & SQL code	No	Yes - import HTML, CSS, Vue.JS components
Build cloud native apps	Yes - on enterprise plans Dittofi lets you export your infrastrucutre setup	No	No

Let’s investigate the top 3 no-code app builders that allow code export.

1. Dittofi

First on our list is Dittofi.

Dittofi is the world’s first full stack hybrid no-code app builder. Dittofi is also the only no-code app builder that allows you to export all of the code for your app.

The way Dittofi works is that it allows you to build your apps visually. The Dittofi code generators will then take your visual designs & transform them into frontend code & backend code for your app. The video below shows an example of how Dittofi takes visual designs & transforms these into code.

What is Dittofi’s Code Export Like?

On the frontend, Dittofi generates React.js code. React.js is a JavaScript framework that was developed by Facebook. React.js is used for high performance applications & can be converted into React Native code for mobile apps.

React.js is the most popular frontend language in the world currently. It is used by companies such as Facebook, Netflix, Yahoo, Codecademy, Dropbox, Airbnb, Asana, Microsoft, Slack and many more.

On the backend Dittofi generates Google Go code. Google Go is a new programming language developed by Google. Google Go was specifically created for companies building large, scalable software systems. Google Go is used by startups, scaleups, SMEs & enterprises such as Google, Paypal, Meta, Twitch, Twitter, Netflix, American express & so on.

Dittofi allows for a two way binding. This means that you export & import your apps source code. This means that you can import React and Google Go code into the Dittofi platform, as well as export the source code generated from your visual designs. This makes Dittofi perfect for mixed teams of developers, project & product managers, designers, citizen developers & marketing teams that want to build quality apps that are reliable, secure & highly scalable.

Finally – Dittofi positions you well to take advantage of the current trends in cloud computing. This is because Dittofi allows you to deploy your app on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or any other niche cloud provider. Dittofi also offers the opportunity to export a fully elastic & serverless infrastructure setup using Dittofi’s Automated DevOps Solution (ADS).

Who is Dittofi for?

Startups
SMEs with limited resources
Businesses building MVPs
Large teams
Enterprises that need highly custom, scalable apps

2. Flutterflow

Second up is Flutterflow.

Flutterflow’s no-code app builder allows you to build mobile & web apps. Using the Flutterflow, you’re able to visually build apps & Flutterflow will transform these into Flutter code.

What is Flutterflows Code Export Like?

Flutterflow allows you to export your Flutter code from their app builder. Flutter is a mobile app development platform created by Google. Flutter has several benefits. It is fast, open source & because it is cross platform you only need to support one programming language for mobile, web & desktop apps.

The downside to Flutter is that it is currently quite underdeveloped for the web. Furthermore, Flutter is based on another programming language called Dart which does not have a large developer community. Therefore, we suggest that Flutter remains a good language for:

Startups
Businesses with limited resources
Businesses doing a lot of MVP app development

Conversely, Flutter is not a good choice for:

Businesses with large teams
Businesses that need highly customized apps

Although Flutterflow’s no-code app builder gives you the option to export your frontend code, it does not generate backend code. This means that although you have access to the underlying source code for your frontend, the platform still aims to lock you in on the backend.

To get around this, many users will combine their Flutterflow mobile apps with Dittofi’s backend app builder. This will give you a Flutter frontend (generated by Flutterflow) & a Google GO backend (generated by Dittofi).

Who is Flutterflow for?

Startups
SMEs with limited resources
Businesses building MVPs

Who is Flutterflow not for?

Businesses with large teams
Businesses that need highly customized apps

3. Weweb

Third on my list is Weweb.

Weweb is a frontend only no-code platform. It offers a visual interface that can be plugged into Airtable, Make or Zapier. The Weweb system takes the visual components & transforms these into Vue.js code.

Weweb is a frontend only no-code builder. This means that you need to combine the Weweb code export with either another no-code app builder or traditionally coded backend. The Weweb system transforms visual components into vue.js code that can be exported by individuals or plugged into teams CI/CD pipelines.

Vue.js is not as popular as other JavaScript frameworks such as React.js or Node.js, however it is still very popular. For a list pros & cons on Vue.js, read this excellent blog written by DDI development.

A few positives of Vue.js worth mentioning are that Vue.js is:

Lightweight
User friendly
Highly customizable

A few of the negatives:

Limited community of developers (many of the elements frameworks are only available in Chinese – this can create language barrier problems)
Lacks scalability
Difficult to find developers

That being said, if your team already knows Vue.js, Weweb may very well be the tool for your team to build frontend code faster.

Who is Weweb for?

Startups
SMEs with limited resources
Businesses building MVPs
Larger businesses that already use Vue.js

Note: in all cases, Weweb needs to be combined with either a no-code backend such as Dittofi’s backend builder or a coded backend.

Do you want to build an enterprise grade app powered by the a quality, modern tech stack (React.js & Google Go) 600% faster than traditional coding?

Check out some of our case studies & see what people are building with Dittofi’s visual app development technology.

Dittofi is the only fully hybrid no-code app builder that enables you to build quality full stack apps that are performant, reliable, secure & scalable, without writing any code.

Article by

James Virgo

Co-Founder of Dittofi