I paid for a Bubble course last year, and only today did I finally get around to going through it. While watching the videos and learning the platform, I had a moment of reflection: when you build an app with Bubble, you don’t truly own it. Technically, Bubble does.
That’s because your app runs on Bubble’s servers and architecture—you’re tied to their ecosystem. If they change their pricing, you have no choice but to comply. A quick Google or Reddit search will show you just how many users were frustrated when Bubble rolled out a major pricing update.
Even worse, if Bubble ever shuts down, your app goes down with it. And that’s the scary part! Imagine if you managed to scale your app to thousands of users, and Bubble suddenly had to shutdown! Your business goes down with it.
Webflow—another popular no-code platform—has faced similar criticism. I remember Nico from Failory.com tweeting about the massive price increase on his Webflow site. His tweet went viral as it hit a nerve with many in the Webflow and no-code community.
The point is: be careful where you build. Platforms like Bubble are great for quickly launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). They can save you a lot of time and money compared to hiring software engineers to build from scratch.
But know that you don’t own the platform. You’re essentially a renter. And the landlord sets the rules—and can change them anytime to suit their interests.