App builders: how to evaluate their worth?

Question

A simple Google search for 'appbuilder' reveals a whole load of new services that claim to help you build your app with their stuff, and deliver a thing ready to go on the app/android store. Here are a few:

• Tiggzi
• Buzztouch
• The AppBuilder
• Apps Builder
• Rhodes (Motorola + Ruby or webcode)
• Appbreeder <- this one feels a bit off (as in codesmell)...

I've used PhoneGap, know how it compares with Titatium, and read up a little about about Sencha, so (without spending a week trying them all out) what's the deal with all these new services? Has anyone used them, or can they recommend any of them? Do they generate rubbish native code or use the web view? I'm aware this question is not specific, but I'm hoping this is a good place to ask such a question, since it's likely that SO users have tried at least some of these.

Picking up links from a similar question suggested below, there's another question with a pile of links to related resources, and another outlining limitations. A concise yet detailed resource is a more recently updated article (2012) by Dodgy Coder: Modern Cross Platform Development - that helped sift through the pile, but doesn't cover any of the newer crop above.

Finally, this question has some excellent answers comparing iOS/Android - Objective C/Java.

They just keep coming: madewithmarmalade.com...

Answer 1

This is something that I have talked to a lot of people about. While I haven't tried all of them, I can answer (at least partially) your questions.

1. What's the deal with all these new services?

The reason why all these new services are coming out is because all those companies believe that we are in a so-called "programming revolution" where everyone thinks that it would be so cool to make an app and publish it. However, those companies also know that most people don't want to learn how to program hard-code, so they create drag-and-drop programs instead, and collect the money users pay them.

2. Do they generate rubbish native code or use the web view?

The answer is: neither. The company that designed them creates the code behind what you see and runs that when it comes down to building and running the app. While it seems that there is absolutely no coding involved, let me tell you, there is a lot more code behind-the-scenes than you know.

As for the middle question, yes, people (such as myself) do use (or have used) those programs to build apps. In my opinion, they are just ways for companies to get money, as they don't give you a lot of 'wiggle room' with what the app can and can't do. If you're looking to build apps without coding, I would try MIT's App Inventor (formerly Google's App Inventor). It allows you to program without knowing a lot of programming, and lets you have a lot more customization than most other, similar programs.

Answer 2

@Dave: Indeed there are lots of services online that provide ways to help you get into mobile app dev, create an app, or get something simple going. When you're ready to take the next step, I would recommend taking some time to tinker with each solution to see if you can get an understanding of the different offerings. Each has limitations, benefits, drawbacks, etc.

@Cory: "In my opinion, they are just ways for companies to get money, as they don't give you a lot of 'wiggle room' with what the app can and can't do" There are some services, such as ours (buzztouch.com) that are not "just ways for companies to get money" and offer 100% of the generated source code leaving plenty of "wiggle room." We are sincere about helping folks get their OWN iOS or Android app created and pride ourselves on our systems deliverable - the entire iOS or Android project, source code included ;-)

Great post and good comments ;-)