Introduction
If you’re familiar with the no-code and low-code spaces, you’ll know that there’s a real battle between platforms. It’s hard to take your pick from all these tools with equally wonderful promises and exciting interfaces.
Glide and FlutterFlow are two of the web app builders that have gained popularity in recent years. But which of the two is the best no code/low code platform? Let’s explore which tool could be the best fit for your project, going over the drawbacks and benefits of both.
What Is Glide?
Glide offers you the opportunity to make powerful and high-quality low code apps by using Excel, Google Sheets, and Airtable. You’ll start out by choosing a spreadsheet, and then Glide will automatically transform it into an aesthetically pleasing working template to use as a foundation. You can then personalize the template as needed, though you could also choose to leave it as is. You can check out our deep dive into Glide for more information about how it works.
What Is FlutterFlow?
FlutterFlow confidently boasts being ten times faster than traditional app development. The platform acts as a visual way of creating apps using the programming language Flutter as its source. Don’t be alarmed though, you won’t ever have to write one single line of code with FlutterFlow.
By leveraging a visual interface and a robust backend built in Firebase, you can do pretty much anything including publishing your own native app into the App Store and Play Store. You’ll be able to quickly design the app of your choice within the interface, according to your functionality needs and design requirements.
Glide vs. FlutterFlow: Quick Comparison
Let’s cut to the chase: Glide is more versatile and user-friendly than FlutterFlow because its sole purpose is to be an app-builder, using Excel, Google Sheets, or Airtable as a data source. It provides an easy-to-use interface and with no coding experience at all, you can create a beautiful, robust app with Glide. You’ll also be able to benefit from third-party integrations like maps, APIs, and more.
With FlutterFlow, which makes use of Firebase, things are slightly different. In turn, FlutterFlow is far more scalable because it can handle millions of records, which means more users of your app. In contrast, you can only keep tens of thousands of records in Glide.
As a result, configuring FlutterFlow apps is substantially more challenging than with Glide. If you don’t have an experienced software developer or graphic designer, the expanded selection of ready-to-use templates at Glide will make creating an app a seamless experience.
With FlutterFlow, you’ll enjoy more design freedom, which comes with a steeper learning curve. Glide, however, can’t produce native apps, meaning that you won’t be able to publish your Glide app on the App Store or Google Play store. Expect Glide apps to act more like websites than traditional apps, which actually makes things a lot easier – changes will be applied instantly whenever you need them, instead of having to go through the App Store’s approval process.
With FlutterFlow, you need to submit your changes to the App Store, so it’s a much more complicated situation. FlutterFlow requires a heftier financial investment: you have to pay both the platform and the App Store on an annual basis. Glide is cheaper and can be billed monthly, which spreads out the cost.
If you’re looking to save time in applying the changes to your application, you’ll appreciate the way in which Glide manages changes automatically. That means that you just have to edit in the no code app builder, and Glide will apply the edits without you having to do anything more.
There are no multilingual apps in Glide, which is a major advantage of FlutterFlow over Glide. Another advantage of FlutterFlow is that it features more options for plug-ins and integrations because of its use of conventional code.
Glide vs FlutterFlow: Ease of Use
There are two options with Glide. You can start by syncing your data from a spreadsheet to your app, or you can choose to start from scratch. Bear in mind that the data you choose to fuel your app can come from a number of data sources.
Once you connect your data, you’ll be ready to develop your app without coding. Developing an app with Glide is quite intuitive as it mostly consists of manipulating drag-and-drop components. There are many possibilities for adding visual elements to display your data in a way that’s interactive and easy to understand. With Glide, the great advantage is having access to pre-made elements such as lists, charts, buttons, and colors.
In the case of FlutterFlow, you will be creating the design yourself without the convenience of pre-made templates. If you want to build something of a high standard without any previous experience, you will have to hire someone who knows about design, user experience, and user interface.
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However, FlutterFlow does have an impressive range of pre-built components to play with. As a matter of fact, there are more than 80 prebuilt components to choose from. These components include list items, drag and drop cards, and the development of user-profiles. With FlutterFlow, you have the freedom to choose the details that will ultimately be important aspects of your app.
Glide vs FlutterFlow: Teamwork and Changes
With Glide, it’s easy to curate an app working along your team. Any changes and updates can be effortlessly reviewed by teammates. In fact, Glide claims that updating an app is as smooth a process as editing a document, and any changes that you make will go live for all interested users in a matter of seconds.
So if you’re wondering what it’s like, imagine working on a Google doc with your team, sharing comments and edits as you go along. With such quick iteration, you can expect your users to always be able to access the latest version of your app.
FlutterFlow too encourages open communication and creative team collaboration by making it simple to add editors to any project you’re working on. So, whether you would like to have team members, clients, or any other interested parties on board for the development process, you can do so in a truly intuitive way.
If you need to collaborate with users who speak different languages, FlutterFlow makes it easy to translate your entire app into another language using Google Translate. However, at the time of writing, that is not a feature that Glide offers.
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Glide vs FlutterFlow: Resources and Support
Throughout the years, Glide has cultivated a dynamic space where its community of users help each other in addressing all types of problems and concerns. You’ll find a world brimming with suggestions to guarantee the best experience of creating your own app. It offers plenty of resources that people of all experience levels can access in order to learn how to navigate the different components and tools the platform offers.
Glide invites users to read through the articles and watch instructional videos to understand the ins and outs of the app-building process. Thanks to these guiding concepts, users can get a clear idea of the processes involved.
These resources are quite well structured and include 16 core concepts. For further understanding of more advanced processes and tools, users are able to then move on to intermediate guides.
In contrast, FlutterFlow offers a collection of pages on its website that provide users with the knowledge they might require as they advance through their app-building voyage. This knowledge is not, however, always particularly easy to understand. It is less proactive and more reactive.
Additionally, you won’t find a public forum where FlutterFlow users can discuss common problems, suggestions, and ideas; you’ll have to create a FlutterFlow account first, and through the builder, get access to their community. This differs from the whole Glide experience, so if community guidance is important to you, you may want to consider Glide before FlutterFlow.
Glide vs FlutterFlow: Learning Curve
With FlutterFlow, you’ll be spending more time getting the hang of the platform before you can actually get somewhere. You will have to spend more time, creativity, and effort building your app, or you might even have to outsource it to a more experienced user.
With Glide, however, you’ll get your app up and running in no time with a self-explanatory and easy to follow process.
Glide vs FlutterFlow: Who Wins?
Glide and FlutterFlow are two very different kinds of platforms, and they both cater to different needs. At the end of the day, it all comes down to whether you want a low code platform that straightforward and effortless to use, or whether you’re after a tool that allows for meticulous design and complex functionalities.
Perhaps it’s a good idea to draw up a quick plan of what kind of design and elements you’re looking for before you decide. In order to achieve your ideal outcome, it’s important to maintain a balance between understanding the tool you’re using and having a clear idea of what you’re building.
With more than 500,000 users worldwide, Glide has proven to be the easiest and friendliest app, providing an accessible interface for building sleek apps that can be easily navigated. Glide’s features and usability make it simpler to edit, manage, and build than most other tools on the market.
FlutterFlow will provide a more original and unique approach to the development of your app. It’s clear, however, that building an app with FlutterFlow will require more of your resources, including time and money. Expect a much steeper learning curve, though you’ll be able to access more complex features and integrations as a result.
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Jesus is the founder of Low Code Agency: a low-code development agency that allows small business owners to get their mobile and web apps done fast and cost-effectively while maintaining quality.
