Bubble: Capabilities and Limitations You Need to Know

Do you want to develop your web app at a low price? A Bubble no-code development service can be a perfect solution for this goal!

Many companies require sites and web apps that use widespread modules. For example, a store needs to combine product profiles and a checkout. 

Bubble is a technology that assists with developing such sites. Bubble platform features numerous popular site and app elements. 

You can integrate checkouts or add social media buttons. Bubble apps have immediate access to services of Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.

No-code and low-code development are cheaper than traditional approaches. For this reason, we get many questions about Bubble limitations. Our clients want to know what developers can and can’t do with its assistance. 

The primary goal of this article is to help you understand the core strengths and weaknesses of Bubble. Read further to learn what is workable in this framework.

What Can You Do with Bubble.io?

The modern web and development world is changing. Development is becoming increasingly complex and costly. Bubble.io has emerged as a game-changer that breaks this trend. 

What does Bubble.io enable? This tool empowers users to create advanced apps without having programming knowledge.

Moreover, the platform has created a new profession, that of a Bubble developer. This type of developer combines no-code approaches with custom solutions. 

In this way, one can reduce development time and costs by at least 40%. Keenethics is among the companies that use this unique combination to deliver apps for customers.

Below, you can discover a comprehensive review of the possibilities Bubble.io offers. As you’ll find out, solutions range from MVP development to hybrid app creation.

Developing Minimum Viable Products

MVP development is a crucial step for both startups and big companies. Bubble.io helps entrepreneurs validate app ideas with minimal resources. For example, Instagram once was an MVP. 

Bubble.io is a perfect platform for MVPs. Why is this the case? It’s an easy-to-use environment, where developers can prototype and test diverging concepts.

The core advanced feature of the platform is its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. You don’t need to write hundreds of code lines to analyze a certain idea. Instead, you can choose an element from a list and add it to your app in two clicks.

Bubble.io provides a seamless user experience. Using its drag-and-drop interface, a developer can create UI/UX, workflows, and even databases without writing any code. Moreover, these elements adapt to a wide range of devices. One can use them on hardware with almost any screen size.

Ultimately, this approach raises development efficiency. You can develop faster and get more feedback because it’s easier to create product iterations.

The variety of apps that Bubble supports is also impressive. Bubble.io developers highlight digital marketplaces, government apps, and enterprise sites on their case study page. 

Education technology and AI are similarly easy to integrate with Bubble. Projects such as Synthflow AI and UCL Medical School education ecosystem prove this.

Integrating 3rd-party plugins

Bubble.io developers have invested in creating a large community around the platform. They do everything to assist their users in creating plugins. 

For this reason, Bubble.io is notable for having one of the largest plugin ecosystems in the no-code market. The plugin page of this app development platform has over 5000 approved add-ons.

Why is this feature so vital? Contrary to traditional development, no need to reinvent the wheel is present. You can extend your app without investing in custom software. 

Bubble.io supports numerous solutions such as payment gateways, social media integration buttons, analytics frameworks, and even marketing instruments.

Let’s imagine your app needs payment processing. Bubble.io offers a simple solution for this goal. You can integrate Stripe or PayPal in several clicks via plugins. Social media is easy to add, too. Bubble’s plugin ecosystem has add-ons for Facebook or Twitter. 

In this way, one can enhance apps with minimal effort. For a complete list of features, you can visit the integrations and plugins pages on Bubble’s official site.

Moreover, Bubble.io’s plugin marketplace is expanding. Integration and expansion tools multiply each day. By utilizing this approach, you will always be able to stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and client requirements.

Adding custom code to your app

Bubble.io is a platform developed with non-coding users in mind. Nonetheless, the system doesn’t neglect the needs of clients who require more control. In this respect, Bubble.io allows injecting custom JavaScript, HTML, and CSS code into your apps.

Why is this feature so vital? Firstly, it’s crucial to add unique functions not available in Bubble repositories. A Bubble agency like Keenethics can add features such as external databases or AI modules. 

Secondly, one can use custom code to improve Bubble app performance.

The ability to add custom code removes constraints. Here, Bubble community acts as an assistant. You don’t have to rely on Bubble in everything. 

There’s a pathway for more complex or unique solutions and a mechanism for adding user-friendly interface elements and workflows without coding.

Building comfortable and fast web apps

The number and variety of devices are tremendous these days. One can use smartphones, laptops, tablets, PCs, and even smartwatches to access the Internet. Hence, you must optimize your app for various scenarios. 

In this regard, Bubble.io provides robust instruments for creating responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes. Often, Bubble app builder automates this process.

In more complex cases, you get a full range of capabilities for optimization. Bubble.io includes a visual editor that allows changing the layout of your app on different devices. 

It’s possible to configure your Bubble application for almost any type of device. 

In short, Bubble offers an advanced customization option for smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Our experience shows that layout changes function well with basic blogs and intricate e-commerce websites.

Creating progressive web apps

PWAs or progressive web apps are a complex type of web application that combines the elements of both web and mobile software. The key feature of PWAs is their ability to function offline and offer a native app-like experience.

Bubble.io allows the creation of many PWAs. These apps not only work fast but also serve in multiple environments. Bubble does this through an impressive feature named service workers. 

They manage caching and background processes, allowing one to launch apps offline and speed up the loading process for users.

These features are essential in many scenarios. Above all, a custom Bubble plugin for service workers helps create a native-like experience despite maintaining high flexibility. This approach is beneficial when you need to reach users with low-quality Internet connections.

Developing hybrid apps

Hybrid apps are an alternative to PWAs. PWAs work in the browser even if they allow offline usage as a custom feature. Hybrid apps use wrappers to turn your web app into a full-scale mobile solution.

Solutions like PhoneGap/Cordova can wrap a Bubble app into a native container. Then, you will be able to offer your application to customers through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

Why is this approach so vital? There’s no need to redesign your app for mobile. You can use the existing codebase to transfer an app with complex design to mobile and desktop platforms.

In this case, hybrid apps are superior to PWAs because they can benefit from core mobile services like push notifications and access to device hardware.

Limitations of Bubble.io

Bubble.io is among the most popular tools for intuitive app building. The central reason for its popularity is the ability of the platform to empower users to create complex apps without writing code. 

Still, Bubble.io has serious limitations you need to know about. In this section, we’ll delve deep into those key limitations.

Exporting code is impossible

The most significant problem with Bubble.io is the inability to export generated code. Bubble.io is a closed system that runs applications exclusively within its environment. 

As a result, the users don’t possess full access to the underlying Bubble capabilities.. This issue results in several additional problems.

The first problem is vendor lock-in. Since you can’t export code, you must rely on Bubble for maintenance. 

This is a significant concern because migration from Bubble to a different platform may pose challenges. In many cases, your projects may require a more or less full rewrite.

Another issue is limited customization. Bubble.io supports some custom features, of course. However, not everything is possible: deep rewrites aren’t available to customers. 

This factor highlights one more advantage of traditional coding. It’s more difficult but offers greater flexibility and user control. Proprietary frameworks like Bubble close your capabilities for customization in many cases.

Bubble may hinder learning and development, too. A risk of stagnation in developer skills is present since it doesn’t show the underlying logic of certain apps. The optimal approach is for Bubble developers to also work on non-Bubble solutions.

Building iOS/Android apps is impossible

Bubble.io is great when you need to create web applications and progressive web apps. However, it doesn’t offer tools for native iOS or Android apps. 

Consequently, several major problems arise for this platform.

Above all, Bubble.io mobile apps created through wrappers will have lower performance. Native applications work directly with various databases and hardware on mobile platforms. 

In this way, they can get data faster than web apps. If you target smartphones, Bubble may be a suboptimal solution.

Seamless experience is hard to achieve in frameworks like PhoneGap/Cordova. Your interface elements won’t fit the exact requirements of Android or iOS. 

A risk of encountering problems with hardware tool access also exists. Native apps have fewer issues accessing device-specific features, like GPS or camera.

Hosting your app on private servers is impossible

Another limitation of Bubble is the inability to host apps on private or on-premise servers. Its development team hosts all apps created with the help of Bubble editor in its cloud infrastructure. Therefore, you don’t have full control over the hosting environment.

This issue manifests in three fundamental problems. Firstly, Bubble.io may fail to meet the data privacy and security requirements of certain companies. On-premise hosting is safer.

Secondly, while optimizing costs, Bubble.io reduces your ability to adapt hosting environments to your needs. 

It’s impossible to enable custom security measures or server settings. Ultimately, you relinquish all control over those parameters to the Bubble team and must rely on their policies.

Using scripting languages besides JavaScript is impossible

One more limitation of this platform is the inability to use languages apart from JavaScript for custom code. If you need Python, Ruby, or PHP, Bubble may limit your ability to achieve maximal flexibility.

JavaScript is primarily a scripting language for the web. Consequently, it’s likely to be suboptimal for a wide range of tasks that involve complex calculations. One may need to rely on external APIs and services to bridge this gap, adding unnecessary complexity to a project.

Creating advanced UIs is difficult

The final limitation of this platform involves interfaces. Bubble offers multiple UI elements, indeed. However, they may be insufficient for your goals. Bubble is great for fast development, but you’ll inevitably have to be inventive regarding pre-made components. 

If you need something complex, a superior decision is to use traditional methods. It’ll be possible to better optimize connections between UI/UX elements this way. Your designers will also have a wider range of options for crafting interfaces.

Why Choose Keenethics as a Bubble Development Company?

Keenethics is your best choice for synergetic Bubble development. Our company has more than 8 years of experience in creating custom solutions for its customers. We develop both traditional apps and no-code solutions for our clients.

A unique approach we offer is synergetic development. We use a combination of JavaScript and Bubble to deliver a solution for you at a 40% lower cost.

This method is especially vital for startups because it minimizes expenditures. Bubble is a perfect platform if you need a cloud app at a low price.