Native vs No-Code Apps: Your head will explode

Here is what’s left of Miguel from Grumo.com reporting from freezing-snowy Vancouver, Canada.

As many of you know, recently, I’ve been learning how to build mobile apps using a no-code app building tool called Glide.

My last app is an interactive version of Tim Ferriss’s book Tribe Of Mentors (watch app’s video)

I’m super proud of that app and can’t wait to make it public (providing I get the green light from Tim first)

Now, the apps I’ve been building are not apps you can download at the App Store.

They are what is known as PWAs (Progressive Web Apps).

PWAs are simply web applications that look and feel like a native app, but they lack some of the functionality of a native app.

For instance, a PWA app has limited access to your phone’s hardware.

This means that you couldn’t build a complex video game or photo processing app using the PWA approach.

However, for 90% of apps that don’t require that level of complexity, a PWA app can do all you need.

And the great advantage of a PWA app is that, thanks to tools like Glide, you can build them in a matter of minutes, without having to code anything, for a fraction of the cost.

How much harder is it to build a truly native app?

This is where my head exploded.

Over the weekend, I did some digging to find out what it takes these days to build a native mobile app from scratch.

Luckily, there are plenty of in-depth tutorials on YouTube explaining step-by-step how to build native apps for both Android and iOS phones.

It had been over 5 years since I looked into learning how to build native apps, so I was hoping by now it would be a much straightforward process.

Wrong!

I’m going to save you a few headaches here and give you a quick recap of what it takes in 2021 to build a native app from scratch.

I used this tutorial as a reference using React Native on a Mac:

1. Install Homebrew or equivalent Terminal tool to help you install some of the tools required to start programming apps (Yes, a tool to download tools).
2. Use Homebrew to install Node, a Javascript backend runtime environment.
3. Install Expo CLI to test your apps locally before deploying them.
4. Install a programming IDE like VS Code to write your code.
5. Install five VS Code extensions to help you develop in React.
6. Add VS Code to the Terminal path to run apps from Terminal.
7. Install XCode to run the iOS app emulator (this takes up to 20mins to install).
8. Create a test React Native app using Expo CLI
9. Install Android Studio to run the Android app emulator (another huge installation).
10. ​Set up your Android Studio emulator, so it runs on your system (this created all kinds of issues with my Terminal).
11. Launch your test app inside the iOS app emulator.
12. Launch your test app inside the Android Studio emulator.
13. Program your app (this could take months even if you know what you’re doing).
14. Export your app code for iOS.
15. Export your app code for Android.
16. ​Sign up for an Apple’s developer program.
17. Submit your app to the App Store.
18. ​Sign up for the Google Play Store developer program.
19. Submit your app to the Android Store.

Ok, after 7 hours of tinkering, I got to step 12… and that was the fast way!

Thanks to React Native, you don’t have to code your app separately for Apple and Android phones. Yeah!!

To give you a sense of how much more insanely convoluted it is creating native apps than using a tool like Glide, in the same time it took me to get nowhere following the steps above, I can build 7 fully functioning mobile apps using Glide.

For instance, I built CourseApp over a weekend. I didn’t have to install anything, code anything, or spend hours debugging my code.

In only 2 days, I created a beautiful mobile app that works perfectly on both Android and Apple phones.

Yes, that’s why my head exploded.

Yes. That’s why tools like Glide are the future.

Learn to code and die,

or…

Learn to Glide and fly!

Peace. Love. Cookies.

Miguel @ Grumo.com

P.S. Did you miss CourseApp? CourseApp is the easiest way to sell courses on a mobile phone. Learn more → HERE​

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