Another issue is software support. Since your tools are limited, supporting and troubleshooting your application can be very difficult, and it can be a very manual and time consuming task to find and fix bugs. This makes it a very unwise choice for commercial applications (such as creating an app to sell, or a website to promote your business and engage your customers), but can still be suitable for more personal use.

In terms of helping you learn programming, requiring you to find and fix bugs can be very helpful, as you must learn and understand what is going on. But for people looking to quickly create something useful, this can be time consuming and frustrating.

Also listed under “the bad” is the over-estimation of what you can build with little or no programming experience. These tools allow you to build the core framework of very basic applications, with strict limitations on the features you can include (although some allow elements to be added at the code level, but that requires an amount of expertise). What many users find missing is the ability to manage the final look and feel of an application, which can be almost as important as the functionality of an application.

Overall

Do-it-yourself programming tools can be a great way to learn and experiment, but require a lot of learning and have many limitations which restrict your ability to create professional-quality applications.

As a custom software development company based in Boulder, Colorado, we are often asked if these types of tools are a threat to our core business. The answer: definitely not. These tools help people better understand the time and expertise required to make quality applications, and they help build interest in the technology itself.

Many people and small companies are interested in do-it-yourself options because they hope it will save money over hiring someone else to do it. However, there are many other options that may be better suited to commercial needs, that wont break the bank. Some of these include semi-custom websites, and simple mobile apps which are designed from a prebuilt template, but then customized to fit a specific need.

These other options can also benefit from customization by experienced programmers, which can help ensure that it meets all of your needs and can be easily expanded as your company grows. One example of this is the Virtuoso Website Builder and Support which offers not only customized websites, but also 24/7 support, cloud hosting, SEO, and many other benefits. The sites are based off common templates but still benefit from an entirely customized look and feel. This saves time and money without reducing quality.

As a custom software company, we appreciate anything that helps people understand technology and become a part of the creation process. As people continue to imagine and experiment, we will continue to specialize in helping people translate those dreams into reality.