Ask HN: Why someone would use a nocode tool vs. a cloud CMS?
With the rise of the nocode movement we see a lot of services that allow anyone to build a website on top of Airtable, Notion or Google sheet.
(almost a new service a day just on PH).
However non-techies have already countless of solutions to build their portfolio, their website or their e-commerce (think Wix,SquareSpace, Shopify or even Google Site). These solutions are extremely easy to setup (usually just blocks to add or remove) and at a very accessible price. Cherry on the cake: they have millions of templates and customisation possibilities that no-techie love.
So why should someone pick a no code tool for her website?
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Non-techies shouldn't need to care about the HTML/CSS/JS/Whatever of the website, the site just needs to look good for them to use it.
A no-code site (Wix, SquareSpace, Shopify, etc.) may just be enough for them just to get to market without looking too deep into the code.
Just get/buy a template, customise it further (if you've got the skills) and you're ready to go.
-If you're really not into code, Wix or SquareSpace are good choices. But they have very limited capabilities beyond static pages.
- For dynamic pages or a full control on your website's functionality, Wordpress is an excellent choice. But it's hard to implement without any coding skill! You can have a lot of functionalities but you can't customize them if you are not a developer.
- Airtable or Notion gives you a lot of customization without any coding skills. So can make a nice dynamic page based on them with the help of an external no-code tool. Their problems? Very functional but without a decent UI!
It was my experience and I could be wrong. But as a no-techie, I think my experience could be relevant!
As a techie, I can do it myself. Between the tools I am familiar with vs learning a new UI that I am not familiar with, I would choose the former for zero cost.