Advice on whether Plasmic can replace Bubble?

Hey everyone. I’m seeking advice from anyone on whether Plasmic is the right platform for me - any perspectives are appreciated! I’ve been using Bubble for a while and looking to upgrade to something that let’s me customize the UI more precisely, has better performance, and something that let’s me export code if needed. Plasmic seems perfect for my front-end, but I am basically non-technical (know some html/css and understand the concepts of Javascript/React but have basically never coded before in any language). I’m a startup founder and don’t work with anyone technical.

Looking for any perspectives on how big a hurdle it would be to learn enough about Plasmic/Javascript/React to build a complex app with features similar to Twitter or Notion. I’m happy to invest a month or so of just learning, but I would be interested to know whether building a fully customizable complex app in Plasmic requires more technical experience than that. Thanks!

while Plasmic will definitely help you with building the visual aspects of your app, note that Plasmic is not a no-code builder like Bubble is; you will likely have to learn how to put together a full React application and write a non-trivial amount of code to implement your application logic, state changes, backend, etc.

Thanks Chung! This is useful.

@attractive_gibbon @chungwu is 100% right on that. to build a complex app like Twitter or Notion takes real expertise. it is best done by a team to do it right. I run a boutique shop that does just that so let me know if you’re looking for help on that. I work with a lot of startup founders so I know the terrain.

Thanks Kurt! For the moment I’m planning to use Backendless to set up the backend myself and connect to Plasmic on the front end, but I will certainly reach out if I run into issues and need to consider outsourcing.

:+1::+1: no worries. all the best.

Hi @chungwu one of the selling points in the Plasmic’s website is that it allows you to build rich web apps. Could you elaborate more on what a person can’t do with Plasmic that can be done in Bubble?

2023/2024 Update: Plasmic now has app building! Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lwPRuCRv3U

The big differentiator with Plasmic is its seamless integration with code–you can easily add custom code, self-host, etc. In Bubble, if you hit a no-code ceiling, you’re kinda stuck. There’s no such no-code ceiling with Plasmic.