Betty Blocks Review: How Good is This Low-Code App Builder?

Developing apps and software often requires expensive outsourcing or skilled internal teams. In this Betty Blocks review, I tested this low-code cloud-based platform to see how it can streamline the process and enable your business to create apps and webpages without requiring coding knowledge.

But how does it compare to other low-code and no-code solutions like Mendix, Xano, Devin AI, and Appsmith, and is it worth the price?

Features

As someone with only basic coding skills, I got hands-on with the platform’s key features. Here’s everything you need to know about Betty Blocks:

Page Builder

Unlike Mendix, which requires a few hoops to jump, Betty Blocks’ core development tool is a drag-and-drop page builder. This is for creating your app’s frontend or a webpage without worrying about the backend code.

Any app you make is automatically cross-platform compatible, so users get a consistent experience regardless of their device or operating system.

All you have to do is select a component and drag it to the main window. Components come with an intuitive range of settings, such as styles, colors, fonts, spacing, and much more.

If you have coding experience, you can customize the components further, so you aren’t locked into a generic template system like with many other app builders.

To speed up the development process, you can apply relevant components in groups.

Betty Blocks supports custom branding and advanced template customization, so every app targets your audience and is different from what other users of the platform create.

When finished, it automatically converts your project into a working prototype.

Overall, it has many more features than basic tools like Appsmith or code-only generators like CodePal.

Data Integration

To function properly, your app will need to source and process data. This is configured under the Data model tab of the dashboard and offers a straightforward visual experience.

What stands out the most is the ability to integrate existing databases and IT infrastructure, allowing you to map your existing data structures to the Betty Blocks model and quickly create apps that leverage this existing data.

This is no-code, so you can manage data structures using a visual editor. It supports a variety of sources, including standard databases, APIs, and external services.

Moreover, it features built-in validation rules that ensure data consistency and accuracy within your app, plus security options like role-based access control and data encryption, which help to protect sensitive data.

Betty Blocks grows with your evolving needs, allowing you to easily add or modify data structures as the app scales up.

While other tools like Xano offer scalable backend development, API support, and database integration, they lack the comprehensive features of Betty Blocks.

Actions

Actions bring everything together through automation, streamlining your workflow and freeing up time from tedious or outdated tasks.

Using drag-and-drop and a visual steps map, you define what happens to the data at each step.

For example, as a simple test, I was able to automate the process of app registration and ensure that my data adheres to the conditions and what/ifs set out in the action steps. For example, if a user correctly fills out the form, they receive the confirmation email. If not, no email is sent.

Everything is fluid and customizable and you can play around until you get what you need. Again, those with coding skills can also create their own more complex action steps, leveraging the no-code options when needed.

For basic workflow automation, Xano is a good alternative, but I found it to be less intuitive and visually appealing than Betty Blocks.

Block Store

Whether your business already uses different web services and APIs, or you wish to include these from scratch, the Block Store has countless blocks on offer.

For example, a food delivery app could benefit from Google Maps integration. Simply find it in the store and follow the configuration settings.

The store also includes pre-built action steps and other components, so you don’t have to map out everything manually.

Collaboration and Governance

Anything you create within Betty Blocks is saved and accessible to your team. Developers can work together, expand on each other’s work, and easily reuse components for future apps or different prototyping stages.

The best part? Admins get full control over who can access what. Setting roles and permissions ensures there are no accidental data overrides by unauthorized employees and everyone focuses on their specific tasks. Your app remains secure and compliant with software development standards.

Build Any App and Modernize Legacy Systems

Betty Blocks is not just aimed at customers or public user-facing apps. You can leverage the platform for numerous business needs, whether that’s a standalone app used internally or streamlining the workflow and organization of IT systems in numerous departments.

It also revitalizes your existing software and legacy systems. Like a digital bridge, the platform extends and modernizes functionality without disrupting business operations. Make changes incrementally without losing data, while automating manual or outdated processes.

This can be a great cost saver, by eliminating the running costs of legacy systems and upgrading with low-code rather than expensive traditional coding.

Ultimately, if software, an app, a web portal, or an internal process can benefit from a modern and efficient coding solution, you can create one with Betty Blocks

Leveraging AI

Although Betty Blocks doesn’t use AI as part of the app-building process like Devin AI or Wix’s new AI tool, it offers a powerful toolkit for implementing AI into your apps.

This includes tools for building intelligent chatbots that engage with users in natural language conversations. Other features include:

• Summarizer – Allowing end users to identify key information within text and generate a concise summary of its content.
• Classifier – For automatically classifying text or prompts and sorting data into the categories that you’ve created.
• Anonymizer – Identifies and removes or masks sensitive personal information in bulk, without having to manually process documents and data.
• AI Search – Keyword searches can be tedious, but the semantic search tool lets you use natural language queries, such as “Show me all documents related to customer feedback.”

The possibilities are endless, but a simple example would be to use AI as part of your app or site’s knowledge base, so end users can find relevant info without using a traditional keyword search.

Alternatively, you might prefer to use an AI chatbot as an entry point for customer service before connecting with support staff.

Reporting

Betty Blocks provides several reporting features within its dashboard, including tools for gathering business insights and managing the flow of revenue.

Perhaps you need to display key performance indicators and other business data in a visual manner, such as charts, graphs, and heat maps. Or bring together information from different places into one easy-to-use display for the whole business to see.

Interface

As a web-based platform with no need to download any software, Betty Blocks is incredibly easy to use. You get a single overarching admin dashboard for managing your apps and accessing all its features.

Almost everything begins with drag-and-drop and is then displayed visually, with a low-code or even no-code approach. The most advanced it gets is filling out fields or selecting the options you desire for each component.

For admins, you get full application governance to maintain security and compliance, especially when citizen developers are involved.

Easily define user roles and set permissions to control who has access to specific apps or tasks. Then track and manage app changes, ensuring that updates follow established processes and guidelines.

Admins can also enforce passwords and 2FA/SSO, manage version control, roll back and restore apps, and change the status from In Development to Live.

Customer Support

Betty Blocks has an extensive knowledge base with documentation, training courses, videos, and webinars. It also boasts an active community of users and experts to answer queries.

For direct support, it’s good to see a 24/7 Live Chat, and I was able to get through to support staff in just a few minutes after bypassing the bot stage.

Alternatively, you can use an email form, and the highest plan offers a dedicated Customer Success Manager who is on hand for onboarding and ongoing support.

Pricing

Before committing to Betty Blocks you can request a 30-minute demo to experience the platform firsthand. Then, its pricing plans are as follows:

• SMB $1,000/mo (Billed Annually) – 50 employees, one app with a simple use case, governance, internal & external users.
• Starter $1,500/mo (Billed Annually) – Same as above with unlimited employees.
• Custom from £3,250/mo (Billed Annually) – Same as above but with multiple apps, complex use cases, anonymous users, private cloud, Customer Success Manager, and optional Service Level Agreement.

4-Week Paid Guarantee – Choose from one of 35 applications with a 4-week launch guarantee, developed in-house by Betty Blocks experts.  

Unfortunately, there’s no money-back guarantee or refund on any plan.

Betty Blocks Review – Verdict

There’s no denying that Betty Blocks is both a user-friendly and powerful low-code app solution that you can apply to almost any use case that requires app and web coding. With drag-and-drop and intuitive settings, non-coders won’t take long to pick it up.

In the future, it would be good to see a higher level of AI within the app-building process, but only a small number of alternatives offer this currently, with the likes of Devin AI still in beta.

It would also be beneficial to see an extended demo period and a money-back guarantee.

Nonetheless, to conclude this Betty Blocks review, due to the pricing, I would skip it as an individual or small team.

However, for medium to large businesses, it’s highly cost-effective, considering the comprehensive solution it offers.

Ultimately, it has everything you need to streamline development and business tasks, and create top-tier apps with ease. There’s not much else on the market with so many features.

Give the demo a shot and you won’t be disappointed.