The growing demand for mobile apps stems from the increasing reliance on smartphones for various tasks and entertainment.
However, traditional app development poses challenges such as requiring coding skills, consuming significant time, and incurring high costs.
Thunkable offers a solution to these problems by providing a no-code mobile app development platform. With Thunkable, individuals and businesses can create native applications without the need for extensive programming knowledge, thereby reducing development time and cost significantly.
Before we begin, you might find these resources helpful:
- Discover our 101 guide
- Learn more with our How to learn article
What is Thunkable?
Thunkable is a platform that allows users to create mobile applications.
This no-code app builder provides a visual interface where users can drag and drop components to design the app's functionality and user interface.
Thunkable supports both iOS and Android app development and offers a range of features such as integration with external services, real-time testing, and publishing capabilities.
It's designed to make app development accessible to a wider audience, including individuals, educators, and businesses, by removing the barrier of coding expertise.
Key Features of Thunkable
Thunkable offers several key features that make it a popular choice for no-code mobile app development:
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: A visual interface where users can easily drag and drop components to design the app's user interface and functionality
- Cross-Platform Development: Users can create mobile apps for both platforms saving time and effort in developing separate apps for each platform
- Integration with External Services: Thunkable allows seamless integration with various external services and APIs, enabling users to incorporate features like location services, databases, social media, and more into their apps
- Real-Time Testing: Users can test their apps in real-time on actual devices using it's companion app, which allows for instant feedback and debugging during the development process
- Publishing Capabilities: Thunkable provides easy-to-use tools for publishing apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, allowing users to distribute their creations to a wide audience
- Templates and Tutorials: Thunkable offers a range of templates and tutorials to help users get started with app development and learn how to use the platform effectively
Who can use Thunkable?
Thunkable best meets your needs if you are
- Focused on a mobile-first experience
- Want to create apps for phones and tablets
- Need to go from idea to minimum viable product in days, not months
- Want to create a native mobile experience by tapping into the device’s native capabilities like sensors, Bluetooth, camera, offline abilities, and more
- Require combination with third-party data sources
- Want complete control over UI customizations
- Need to create a custom logic
- Want to live test your app directly on your device
- Want a single project to be deployed to three different platforms
- Want to monetize your app with ads and in-app purchases
- Want to be part of a global user base of citizen developers
Benefits of Using Thunkable
Thunkable for mobile app development offers several benefits:
- No Coding Required: Thunkable's interface allows users to create applications without any software creation knowledge, making app development accessible to non-technical individuals
- Faster Development: By eliminating the need to write code, Thunkable accelerates the app development process, allowing users to build and iterate on their ideas more quickly
- Cost-Effective: Traditional app development can be expensive due to the need for skilled developers. Thunkable reduces costs by enabling individuals and businesses to create applications without hiring programming professionals
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Thunkable supports both platform's app development, allowing users to create apps that work seamlessly across different devices and operating systems
- Integration with External Services: Thunkable allows easy combination with various external services and APIs, enabling users to incorporate advanced features without writing complex code
- Real-Time Testing: Thunkable's companion app allows users to test their apps in real time on actual devices, facilitating quick feedback and debugging during the development process
- Community Support: Thunkable has a vibrant community of users who share resources, tips, and tutorials, providing valuable support and guidance to newcomers and experienced developers alike
Overall, it offers a user-friendly and cost-effective solution for mobile app development, empowering individuals and businesses to bring their app ideas to life with ease.
The Thunkable Experience
User Interface:
Thunkable's user interface features a drag-and-drop design canvas for creating app layouts visually.
The components panel on the left provides a variety of UI elements and functionality blocks. The properties panel on the right allows customization of selected components.
The blocks editor below enables the programming logic with visual code blocks for event-driven development.
Learning curve:
Thunkable has a gentle learning curve, making it accessible for beginners with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Initially, users can easily grasp the basics without prior software creation experience.
However, mastering more advanced features and creating complex apps requires time and experimentation. Overall, it's a progressive learning process that scales with the user's growing proficiency.
Thunkable reviews
Thunkable is a popular web and mobile app creation platform, known for its user-friendly interface and catering primarily to beginners and small businesses. Its widespread popularity has led to numerous user reviews of its services and features.
G2
- Ease of Use: It is designed to be intuitive, making it accessible even for those with no prior experience
- No Coding: Users can build fully functional apps without writing a single line of code
- Easy Setup: The platform offers a straightforward setup process, allowing users to start creating quickly
- Drag and Drop: It features a drag-and-drop interface, simplifying the app development process
- Speed: The platform enables rapid app development, significantly reducing the time needed to bring an app to market
Albert W.
“Thunkable is a highly beginner-friendly platform that truly makes building an app accessible for anyone! Rapid prototyping and iterating on mobile apps without having to pay a developer to build out a whole codebase. Also, making publishing to the app stores so so much easier!”
Heajin J.
“I don't have a coding background at all, but I found Thunkable surprisingly easy to learn and use. There was a small learning curve, but I was so astonished I was able to publish a prototype in just a matter of weeks. Thunkable removed the need to hire developer.”
Carlin M.
“Best App Builder in town, I love that you can build up to 50 Apps. I'm always having lots of ideas and Thunkable is great for being able to rapidly iterate.”
Matthew H.
“Faster Training and Cohesive Workflows. I have very little knowledge of code so this has allowed me to start playing with ideas for my department and how I can use an app for task tracking and implementation.”
ProductHunt
- Easy to use: Its intuitive design ensures that users can navigate and utilize the platform effortlessly
- Support Team: The platform offers a responsive support team to assist users with any issues or questions
- Interface: Clean and user-friendly interface, enhancing the overall user experience
- Active Community: The platform boasts an active community where users can share ideas, get help, and collaborate on projects
Christian C.
“I used it to prototype our mobile application”
Coco
“Easy to use and the support team is great!”
hoandung
“I don't know about programming but the application design is very good.”
Jagdish S.
“It was just easy to make basic apps”
Thunkable pricing and plans
Thunkable comes with its free plan, to help you get started building your native, no-code app, available to all users that sign up to the website.
You can of course upgrade to a different plan according to your needs.
Keep in mind that for your app to be published to a store so people can download it is through the Pro plan or the Business plan.
Unfortunately with the free and starter plans you cannot publish. These are the available plans:
Conclusion
Thunkable is an easy-to-use native mobile app builder that uses no code to help you create an app without the need to know how to code.
Its environment is very user-friendly and not complicated to understand. Thunkable is here to help you understand the world of app building and make you feel at home.
To deepen your understanding, don’t miss our comprehensive 101 guide and how to learn article.
