Nowadays, it’s no problem anymore to launch your own website even if you don’t know web development. But what is, if you have an idea for a web application? That’s also cool because a new breed of drag-and-drop builders is making a splash and they allow you to build and launch your custom solution.
Think of it like this: A custom web app is just a more complex website with features outside the scope of conventional website builders. Ycode gives you tools such as user authentication, a database for dynamic content, and of course a template gallery along with a drag-and-drop builder for you to realise your ideas. Interesting is that Ycode offers workflows for you to automate tasks and integrations to services such as Airtable. Not to forget, you can fetch data from any API to use in your application.
Ycode is a service launched by The Remote Company which is behind MailerLite and MailerSend. Ycode is a product to scratch its own itch: The development team realised that they were repeating the same tasks again and again. They got tired of it and built a tool that had building blocks and workflows so that other teams and team members who don’t know how to code could also build stuff.
Pros and cons of Ycode
With the online service Ycode, you can now realise your ideas for custom web applications. You get all the tools that you’d expect from a standard website builder such as a template gallery and a drag-and-drop editor. But for you to realise a custom solution, it also comes with building blocks and elements to create your web layout.
You can invite your teammates and give them roles to work with you on your projects. Ycode allows you to create even advanced workflows to automate tasks. As you’d expect for apps, you can show dynamic content, show or hide visual elements based on different conditions, or let users filter. You can also add user authentication and then show content only related to that specific user.
Ycode comes with integrations to Airtable and Zapier. Should these not be enough, you can connect to the API of any external service and use its date in your web application.
Pros
- Forever free plan
- Reasonable pricing
- Gives you full control over the generated code
- You can create a custom web app using a mouse
- Collaborate in a team
- You can test your code in staging before publishing
- You can export the code
- You can add custom code with HTML embeds and by injecting into the “head” tag of every web page
- Images are automatically scaled and optimised for the different screen sizes
- You can secure your projects by backing them up (only with a paid account)
- You can reuse components across multiple projects
Cons
- May have a learning curve for beginners, especially if you’re not familiar with web development principles such as the box model
Who is Ycode for?
Ycode is not focused on a specific industry but it aims to be the tool for everyone who wants to launch a web application or start a business. It’s a great tool for designers and agencies since you’ll feel right at home if you know tools like Figma or Webflow.
Ycode was first built for non-coders by The Remote Company, but you’ll get far more done if you know some fundamentals about web design such as the box model.
How easy is Ycode to use?
The first step in building a web app is to choose a template or start with a blank page. When you’ve picked a template it can take a while so Ycode sends you an email to notify you when the template is ready for you to customise.
Ycode’s editor looks a lot like the ones in Quarkly and Webflow. You get the layers tree, database, workflow view on the left side with the main panel showing your page and on the right side you get the design and settings menu.
You can work directly with Ycode’s internal database to show dynamic content. You need to connect elements in your layout to the data fields of your database. Other panels in the outermost left menu give you access to workflows, your assets, pages, and design elements.
You see that Ycode was first built for non-coders by The Remote Company, as it’s uncluttered and well-thought-out. Just take how easy it is to use Ycode’s internal database. Creating workflows is just as easy.
If you’re a novice, the tool may take a bit of getting used to since you need to get to grips with layers, the box model, and other web design jargon. But overall, Ycode does a great job. It has a self-explanatory interface, easy to use building tools and you see directly what you do. Ycode autosaves your project for your convenience and of course the undo and redo button aren’t missing.
Design and templates
You don’t have to but can start with a blank page. But nothing beats choosing a template from the gallery and customising it for a quick way to launch your web app.
How easy is managing your ecommerce store with Ycode?
With Ycode, you design and built the store of your dreams from the ground up. This means, it’s up to you to add features for the frontend and backend of your store.
Integrations
You can connect your web app with Airtable and Zapier. For email automation you can connect it to MailerLite and Mailchimp. You can use data of any service that offers an API. Once your app is connected to the service, you display the data in your layout.
What marketing tools does Ycode provide?
Ycode comes with what you need to optimise your web app for search engines:
- Image ALT tags
- Meta tags
- Sitemap
- SEO-friendly, clean, semantic code
Blog
It’s up to you to create a blog. You can start with Ycode’s blog template or build your own blog by designing the layout and connecting the database fields to elements in your layout.
Payment options
In order for you to accept payments, you need to connect the appropriate API first and then insert the payment element into your layout.
Security
All websites created with and hosted on Ycode are encrypted with an SSL certificate. You can backup your projects if you’re subscribed to a paid plan. If you need to export the source code of your web app, you can contact Ycode and get it to do it for you (needs at least the Business plan).
Customer support
You can browse Ycode’s documentation or ask its community your question. If you’re new to the no-code movement, you can enroll in Ycode Academy. If you need more help, open its chat window. If you don’t see the team online, you can also send an email and it responds usually within a few hours.
Pricing
Ycode is a subscription based service with a free plan for you to get your feet wet without any risk. If you need to export your source code, you need to subscribe to the Business or Enterprise plan. If you’re an individual, choose a project plan. You need an account plan to manage users and projects.
Is Ycode the right solution for you?
Ycode is more than the prevailing website builder since it gives you a lot more freedom when it comes to customisability of the design as well as what you can do with it. You’re not limited to just websites but can build a custom web solution and see your idea come to alive.
Ycode was launched by the same team that already has created MailerLite and MailerSend. Both are easy to set up and to use for all walks of life. The same applies to Ycode.
Why not try Ycode out for free and see for yourself, how easy it is to realise your own custom solution?
Original post here: Ycode review – build web apps without code
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