There is no question that making use of Bubble as a platform can have a transformative effect on your business, but you need to know the areas and situations in which Bubble is not able to fulfill your business requirements.
Finding the perfect Bubble agency like Creative Marketing to take charge of your no-code needs is vital, as they understand the way the platform works, and how it can be used to develop strong websites and apps, as well as being able to navigate the limitations it presents.
Using Bubble to develop excellent business projects, such as productivity apps, business tools, eCommerce platforms, marketplaces, dashboard, custom booking portals, and more.
Whilst there is no doubt Bubble is transforming the way businesses adapt and grow online they also have a few limitations that it is important to assess so that you can understand the best way to utilise the platform and play to its strengths.
What is Bubble?
Bubble is arguably the most advanced no-code development platform that allows users to build applications and websites much faster and more affordably than through typical means, making it ideal for mobile applications, internal tools, and websites.
In fact, Bubble has the perfect ecosystem that helps to provide users with the ideal features, tools, and plugins to make integration as effortless as possible. This allows you to create and release a fully functioning app as smoothly and easily as possible, such as a social media app, like Facebook, or an online marketplace app like Airbnb.
Providing users with an intuitive and functional interface, Bubble is a great platform for helping businesses improve their visual aesthetic, as well as developing apps that are necessary for long-term success. There is a good reason why more than 35,000 websites are active Bubble customers, and this number is growing.
Builders can use the features Bubble offers to allow them to create and design dynamic and responsive content that presents and scales well across both mobile and desktop platforms.
Overall, Bubble allows for those without any coding knowledge or skills to be able to develop websites and applications without having to write a single line of code. This is going to transform the world of business in the coming years, and many people are already embracing Bubble as their go-to no-code platform.
But, it is not without its limitations, and understanding these is really important for making Bubble work better for you as a business.
What are Bubble’s Limitations?
Bubble app is one of the most useful app and website development platforms out there, and it is used primarily as a full-stack platform that supports large-scale software projects.
As a leading Bubble agency, Creative Marketing deals with the platform and its intricacies on a large scale, as well as dealing with any questions and queries people might have about the capabilities of Bubble as a platform.
Here are some of the key things that the Bubble app can be used for:
Creating Hybrid Mobile Apps
Bubble editor allows for the creation of hybrid mobile apps, which are a wonderful advantage to developers who wish to update their app regularly without having to resubmit a new version. Hybrid mobile apps can be deployed across both Android and iOS, making them more time-efficient and cost-effective.
Developing Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps (PWA) are easily installable, update automatically, and are smaller in size than responsive web apps. One of the things they work best for is SEO investment and development, and this is something that is made so much easier with Bubble.
Scalability
Scalability is a common concern for a lot of businesses and app developers, and the great thing with Bubble is that they are leaning hard on scalability and improving performance, and you can enjoy dedicated plans that suit your application performance needs.
Build Responsive Web Apps
Building responsive web apps that are robust and powerful is simple with Bubble, and this can include anything from social networks to SaaS.
Manage Data & Privacy
Bubble is a very open-ended platform, which makes it open to the public. However, there are plenty of tools Bubble provides that can be used to help configure data access and protect information through stronger privacy settings.
What are Bubble’s Key Features?
Every platform has positives and negatives, and, since Bubble was launched in 2012, the company has continually evolved and improved its no-code/low-code features. Understanding how Bubble is limited is essential for allowing you to decide if it is the right platform for your project needs.
Here are some of the limitations that present themselves with the Bubble platform, and that you need to be aware of moving forward:
Front end performance
Front end loading times are a source of frustration with some in the Bubble community. Waiting for a page to load is always something that can prove irksome, and, to be fair to Bubble, they have come up with the New Responsive Engine, which, coupled with updates, has helped somewhat. But this remains an issue for some users.
Only JavaScript is supported
JavaScript was the language used to write the core engine of Bubble, and as such, is the only language to date that can be used to build custom integrations in Bubble. Whilst users can grow the features of their application in Bubble, JavaScript is the only supportable language thus far.
Beginner apps can look poor
Some beginners to Bubble have said that the apps they have encountered often do not look great, and this could well be a case of being beginners to the platform. This is why it is imperative to contact a strong Bubble agency, like Creative Marketing (NW) Ltd, who can take care of this for you.
Can’t build native apps
To date, Bubble does not have the capabilities that allow for building and deploying native apps. It’s still possible to create and build mobile PWA apps or deploy hybrid apps, but so far this is not doable with native apps. Bubble lacks an “export to Android and iOS” feature, and it doesn’t seem that this will happen any time soon.
Server location isn’t ideal
One of the limitations that Bubble presents is that the server location is based in the United States, and this is where your app and database will be stored. This can be quite inconvenient for some developers, and so far, the only way around this issue is to pay for the premium price point.
Self-host on a private server
Right now, Bubble does not allow for users to self-host on private hosting servers or on-premises servers. It can provide hosting for customers on cloud servers like AWS, but when it comes to private servers, this is still something that is a source of frustration for many users.
Bubble Isn’t Suited for Everything
There are a lot of benefits to using Bubble, but it is also important to have a clear sense of direction and a clear idea of what you want to be doing. Determining whether this is the optimum no-code tool to meet your needs is an essential part of understanding the limitations of Bubble, and being able to use it more effectively.
There’s a learning curve
Though a no-code platform, you might need to spend a bit of time learning how to use the Bubble.io platform. And, whilst not necessarily a limitation, this is certainly something that can prove to be a stumbling block for a lot of newbies. This is even more reason to contact a Bubble agency.
How Hiring a Bubble Agency Helps With This
Clearly Bubble is an excellent platform to use to help improve your business via things like website development, as well as creating productivity tools and apps, and there are loads of benefits to this. But, of course, there are limitations to the platform, which can sometimes prove a roadblock if you’re not sure of the best ways of using it.
Mobile apps are expected to generate more than $935 billion in 2023 alone, so this is a growth market that you need to be active in. Bubble is one of the platforms that helps you stay on top of this, and develop robust mobile applications.
This is why you need to look at what you can do to hire an expert Bubble agency like Creative Marketing (NW) Ltd, who will be able to take charge of this for you. They are essential for helping you when it comes to getting a better handle on Bubble.io, and figuring out the best ways of using it as a business.
Bubble experts know the platform inside out, and they understand its limitations with regards to specific projects. This means they will be able to help you develop projects that are suitable for Bubble, and use the right kinds of specifications accordingly.
They will also be able to help you navigate the platform and use it to get the best outcome for your website and mobile applications. Overcoming limitations is essential to making sure Bubble works best for you, and hiring an agency is a great way to fast-track this, and ensure you are getting the most from the platform.
Closing Thoughts
It’s clear that there are many advantages to Bubble, but the platform also has its fair share of limitations as well. For many users, these will only represent minimal issues that can be easily and comfortably overlooked, whilst for others they might be deal breakers.
From your perspective, it is vital to team up with Creative Marketing as your Bubble agency of choice, and work with them to understand the limitations that come with Bubble, and how best to navigate these, as well as determining whether or not this is the right platform for you.
