In a surprise move from Google, App Maker’s low-code app development platform was sunsetted in January 2021. To those of you who aren’t aware, App Maker was an application that allowed you to build custom apps for web and mobile using a drag and drop interface and some amount of coding knowledge.
App Maker was simple to use, and for organizations who were already using G Suite, it was a breeze to build and integrate custom apps within your workplace at the push of a few buttons. Sadly, if you were using App Maker, your apps will no longer function and you’ll need to look for an alternative as soon as possible.
Thankfully, the times have changed. There’s a series of alternatives available to replace App Maker in 2022, including Google’s own AppSheet and the revolutionary no-code platform Glide Pages. In this article, we take a look at 8 of the best App Maker alternatives to help you decide what’s best for you:
Glide: The Best No-Code Alternative to Google App Maker
Glide is a no-code app development platform for web and mobile. Unlike Google App Maker — which is a low-code platform — Glide lets you build powerful apps for work without any knowledge of code.
Glide is made of two components: Glide Apps for mobile development and Glide Pages for desktops and the web. Together, they let you turn boring spreadsheets into powerful apps using an intuitive drag and drop interface. All of the heavy lifting, including maintenance and updates, is handled internally by the app builder itself: so that you can have a launch-ready app in a matter of moments.
Glide is a no-frills development platform that’s rich in features, perfect for internal use in the workplace or for developing apps for personal use. It’s also extremely beginner-friendly, with a rich collection of community-made templates and features to help you speed things along. Sign up to start building Android and iOS apps with Glide today!
Airtable: The Best App Maker Alternative for Project Management
Airtable is a spreadsheet management tool for app developers. It’s a low-code development environment that helps you create relational databases without complex scripting. Airtable isn’t entirely no-code, however, meaning that you still require some amount of coding knowledge to build business applications using the platform.
At first glance, Airtable is a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. However, it’s got some really powerful features built in to assist developers with their workflow. For example, it’s got a streamlined user interface and options to collaborate with other users when building your databases.
Airtable is powerful, scalable, and feature-rich, but it may not be your best bet if you aren’t ready to get your hands dirty with programming languages. If you’re looking for a robust application and don’t mind a bit of coding, however, Airtable has resources to help you get started quickly.
Salesforce Lightning: The Best App Maker Alternative for Sales
For business users who don’t have a lot of programming experience, Salesforce offers its own component-based app development tool called Salesforce Lightning. Lightning is made to automate sales workflows, but if you need to draw from multiple data sources or your needs aren’t primarily sales-related, it may not be your best bet.
If you’re a sales user whose daily workflow is built around the Salesforce ecosystem, Lightning provides a native way to quickly turn your data into applications for internal use. The large selection of components and apps lets you expand your customer relationship management tool just the way you want, without leaning into complex code.
There are a few caveats. Salesforce Lightning users often complain about a poor onboarding experience and a lack of enough resources to get started on the platform. That said, Salesforce veterans who are used to working with this CRM may find a lot to love here.
Other Google App Maker Alternatives to Consider
Right now, the market is chock full of app development tools worth considering. Here’s a look at some other names worth looking into:
Google App Engine: App Engine bills itself as a fully managed serverless application development platform for Google Cloud users. It helps you build powerful web apps at scale without worrying about administration or monitoring. It’s a low-code cloud computing platform, though, so you’ll still need to know how to code if you want to use this platform.
Google Forms: Google Forms is not an app builder but a form builder. If you’re one of the many people who used App Maker primarily for data collection, however, it may just be the tool for you. Google Forms makes it ridiculously easy to build simple web-based forms to collect data from your audience, without having to learn how to code with HTML or CSS.
Microsoft Power Apps: Microsoft Power Apps is an all-in-one development platform that helps you build apps for web and mobile. It’s a tool built from the ground up for businesses using Microsoft 365. Power Apps claims to give citizen developers access to the same tools afforded by high-end enterprise development teams.
Zoho Creator: Zoho Creator is a low-code app development tool for people with minimal coding experience. It features a drag and drop interface that lets you build apps for both web and mobile using a cloud-based environment. While not as popular as Microsoft or Google, Zoho Creator is a great fit for users familiar with the company’s productivity suite for workplaces.
Retool: Retool is a low-code development platform with a host of features and third-party integrations to customize your app. If you’re familiar with SQL and Javascript and don’t mind a bit of coding, Retool offers a great alternative for App Maker users looking to switch to a different platform.
How to Choose the Right App Maker Alternative For You
So what’s the best alternative to Google App Maker? The answer depends largely on your individual or company needs. Here are some pointers to help you figure out which App Maker alternative is right for you:
Primary Goals: The first thing to ask yourself when choosing an app builder is what you’re actually going to use it for. What kind of apps are you looking to build? Which platforms will you be launching to? And who is your target audience?
For example, if you’re looking for the perfect app development platform for building workplace apps, Glide is your best bet. On the other hand, if you’ll mostly be dealing with forms, Google Forms is an excellent choice.
Third-party Integrations: It’s also worth considering your current software stack and looking into what you already have in place. Salesforce Lightning is a great option for sales teams who are already using the CRM, whereas Microsoft Power Apps is a good choice for workplaces that rely on the Microsoft 365 productivity suite.
Important Features: It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of features your app builder offers, which is why you need to figure out what exactly you need. For example, do you have coding experience? If not, you may want to look into a no-code app development platform like Glide, which lets you build apps using drag and drop. If you’re a professional developer who doesn’t mind writing a lot of code, Google App Engine might be worth considering.
See If Glide Is the Right Google App Maker Alternative for You
Glide is a no-code and no-design platform that uses a huge collection of pre-built components and templates to help you create a launch-ready app in minutes. It’s a great option for companies looking to build apps for internal workplace use as well as personal users without prior coding experience.
From a killer spreadsheet management tool to a standalone web app builder, Glide has a lot to offer beginners and professionals alike. But the best thing about Glide is our community, which serves as a near-endless resource for technical help and pre-build components to help you design and develop your apps with ease.
Want to see if Glide is the best App Maker alternative for you? Sign up today to check out what we have to offer!
