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§ Comparison · honest · no "the best"

No-code vs custom dev.

No-code (Bubble, Webflow, Make) solves many real problems. Custom dev solves others. This comparison explains the point where switching pays off.

§ 10 objective dimensions

Where differences show

No-code (Bubble, Webflow, Make)
Custom dev (aGo)
01 Time-to-MVP
No-code: functional prototype in 1-2 weeks with Bubble or Webflow.
Custom dev: 6-12 weeks for equivalent MVP.
02 Year-1 cost (site + simple app)
Bubble/Webflow USD 25-100/mo + Make USD 16/mo ≈ USD 800-1500/year.
Custom: 80 UF setup (CLP ~3M) + USD 30/mo hosting ≈ CLP ~3.5M year 1.
03 Scale with 5,000+ users
Bubble: slow, costly (USD 500+/mo). Webflow CMS: 10k item limit.
Custom Django/Next.js: hundreds of thousands of users without architectural effort.
04 Complex business logic
No-code: visual workflows up to a point. Beyond that, illegible.
Custom: any complexity, testable, maintainable for years.
05 External API integration
Make/Zapier connect ~5000 apps. Limit: complex conditional logic.
Custom: any API, custom OAuth/JWT auth, bidirectional webhooks.
06 Lock-in
High. Bubble doesn't migrate, Webflow neither. You close and lose everything.
Custom: your code, your DB, your hosting. Real portability.
07 Cost per active user
Bubble: USD 0.5-2/user/mo at scale. Webflow CMS linear.
Custom: < USD 0.01/user in hosting + amortizable.
08 Performance / Core Web Vitals
Webflow: good (static). Bubble: regular (3-5s typical LCP).
Custom Next.js + CDN: LCP < 1.5s, optimal SEO.
09 Team needed
No-code: 1 non-technical person with 40h learning curve.
Custom: 1-2 senior devs or external studio.
10 Monthly maintenance
No-code: zero, platform handles everything.
Custom: updates, backups, monitoring (~5-10h/month or managed service).
§ FAQ

Frequently asked questions

If your question isn't here, email us at hola@ago.cl or via WhatsApp.

01 When is no-code (Bubble, Webflow) the right choice?

MVP to validate business idea in 2 weeks. Institutional site with CMS (Webflow). Campaign landing pages. Internal automation with Make/Zapier connecting existing SaaS. If your team doesn't have devs and the problem fits in no-code tools, it wins on time-to-market and cost.

02 When does it pay to migrate to custom dev?

Platform cost > USD 300/mo consistently (signal you've scaled). Core Web Vitals worsening (LCP > 3s hurts SEO). Business logic that no longer fits visual workflows. More than 5,000 active daily users. Bidirectional integrations with own APIs. Data sovereignty need (don't want Bubble holding your customers).

03 Does Bubble scale to millions of users?

Technically yes, but cost becomes prohibitive. Bubble charges by workload units (WU). Apps with 10,000+ daily active users typically exceed USD 1,000/mo. At that point, custom dev pays off in 6-12 months. Webflow CMS has 10,000 item per site hard limit.

04 Can I migrate my Bubble app to custom?

Yes, but not trivial. Bubble doesn't export workflows or database in standard format. The typical process is: 1) manually document each workflow, 2) export data via API or CSV, 3) rewrite logic in code (Django, Node or another stack), 4) migrate users with password reset. Timeline depends on the size and complexity of the original app. The initial no-cost conversation is for estimating scope.

Did your app hit no-code's ceiling?

Let's talk about migrating to custom. If no-code still fits, we'll say so.

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