So No Code tools have been in vogue the last few years, and lord knows a lot of venture capital has gone into these co's. I've heard feedback from investors that they don't know what the next wave of no code looks like in 2-3 years. I have some thoughts.

To bring everyone up to speed, I like to equate no code to a stack, so developer can understand how I am relating the two. The stack i've chosen is the WATZ stack.

W = @webflow
A = @airtable
T = @typeform
Z = @zapier

+ special guest of of recent, @memberspace

Webflow/Weebly/Squarespace is the GUI or wrapper that users interact with. This is the HTML/CSS/JS layer of no code, and I personally think there isn't too much more room for innovation here. Weebly and Squarespace were the early players, and Webflow is now the leader.

@airtable is the database for the no code generation. @MySQL and @MongoDB are too technical, and Excel/ Sheets are too narrow in scope. Airtable is the perfect blend between spreadsheet and database, that is friendly enough for any user. I DO think there is room to compete here.

Typeform is the data intake layer of No Code. With complex logic flows, hidden fields, and advanced functionality, Typeform has a narrow lead on the market for collecting data for no code apps. With that said, Airtable Forms are quickly eating Typeform's market share.

And lastly, @zapier is the data manipulation layer and/or the API layer. Zapier takes the data from Typeform, Airtable, Wufoo, etc. and passes them through to other apps. Zapier has a firm grasp on the market for simple integrations, yet there is room for many players to compete.

. @memberspace has won my heart for @fwdthinkingcity, which has allowed me to seamlessly enable authentication for my apps, and add paywalls easily. I would put Memberspace, @MemberstackApp, @tryPico, @memberful, and co in the "auth out of the box" bucket. No clear winner yet.

Out of all of the platforms, I just mentioned, the one I would fear the most if I was competing with them is @airtable. The reason is, they started with the database and are building OUT and UP. Airtable is building Zapier and Typeform functionality on top of the their platform.

If I was an investor, i would actually stay out o the form intake and basic data manipulation game. The reason is because they are already competitive, and Airtable is slowly eating the that whole market. So I am now looking for areas of the sector Airtable isn't touching.

So there's a few categories here:

1. Full stack no code platforms ( @glideapps, @AdaloHQ, @bubble, etc.)
2. Advanced API use cases ( @useparagon, @parabolahq, etc,)
3. Versioning and debugging (???)

For category number one, there are a few major players here, as mention above. With that said, the market potential here is truly immense. I would bet on a team taking a distribution-first approach, tackling a specific sector. Current platforms are everything for everyone.

Full stack no code is truly a multi trillion dollar market. And there are...10-15 major players right now? If you thought it was too late to enter the full stack app market, you're wrong. We are just getting started, and you can get a piece of the upside.

For the second category, until I can work with any other API I want to, without needing to learn to code, there will be opportunity in this space. I should be able to build Uber in minutes. I should be able to connect to a Pokemon API and make a TCG in a day. it's still too hard.

So the company that does what Zapier did for basic APIs, to advanced APIs, will be a billion dollar company. As you can see, there are people working on this, but I don't think any player has figured this out yet. There is room in advanced APIs for no code.

Lastly, the big opportunity is much more boring, but its in versioning and testing for no code apps. Right now, there is a not a great way to debug apps, or go from version to version when evaluating a product. The whole ecosystem is fragmented.

As soon as I am able to make a testflight for my no code apps, and am able to bounce from v1 to v2 seamlessly, there is still work to be done. This will probably take the longest to build, simply because the ecosystem needs to mature a little first. It's too "early" imo.

I am paying close attention to the no code market, and will be writing about when i learn about new opportunities in this space. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest on no code, and other markets i'm keeping an eye on.

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