Bubble vs APEX - Comparing no-code with low-code

Introduction

In this article, we aim to comprehensively compare two well-developed, mature application platforms: Bubble and Oracle APEX. By exploring notable differences and unique features, we strive to help you choose the best platform for your next rapid application development project and enhance your understanding of the low-code and no-code paradigms.

Bubble

Bubble is a no-code platform designed for website building but versatile enough to create almost any web application using its powerful visual editor. It focuses on maximising reusability and adhering to responsive design standards, ensuring a clean look and feel.

Oracle APEX

Oracle APEX is a low-code product built on top of the feature-rich Oracle Database, making it suitable for data-driven applications. It handles large workloads and complex business logic using SQL, PL/SQL, and Oracle JET.

Ease of Use

Bubble

• Target Audience: Primarily non-developers or front-end developers interested in learning no-code approaches, tech-savvy entrepreneurs, small businesses, and start-ups.
• User Interface: Intuitive drag-and-drop interface with visual workflows, accessible to those without technical backgrounds. Uses simple vocabulary to convey development concepts and an expression language mimicking natural language.
• Learning Curve: Generally low but requires practice to understand the available features and achieve desired outcomes.
• Community and Support: Strong community support, ongoing development of official tutorials, and decent conceptual documentation with numerous quick tips.

Oracle APEX

• Target Audience: Developers, especially those with experience in SQL and PL/SQL, or those keen to learn Oracle products like Oracle Database and Oracle JET, interested in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and its capabilities.
• User Interface: Declarative development environment with wizards and form builders that streamline the development process. Built entirely on web technology, it offers an abundance of hints, carefully organises features, and supports experimentation.
• Learning Curve: Moderate, particularly easy for those familiar with Oracle Database. Requires learning unique platform concepts to leverage specific features and capabilities fully.
• Community and Support: Backed by Oracle’s extensive support network, including documentation, forums, and professional services. Comprehensive and extensive documentation, with free courses, labs, and quality certification paths.

Key Features

Bubble

• Visual Development: Build responsive web applications through an intuitive visual editor with rich preview options, integrated debugger, versioning, and application templates.
• Database: Integrated, simple visual database management system with easy-to-understand authorisation and relationship tracking.
• Integrations: Supports APIs and various plugins to extend functionality for new visual components and data sources.
• Hosting: Managed hosting that handles server management and scaling automatically. Provides development and production environments with collaboration features and clear authorisation mechanisms for managing teams, environments, and apps.

Oracle APEX

• Data-Centric Applications: Optimised for building applications requiring complex data management and reporting. Leverages PL/SQL and packaged functions and integrations to enable rapid development of forms, reports, and business workflows.
• Strong Foundation: Utilises all features of Oracle Database, offering robust data handling, high availability, and security. Available for free with every instance of Oracle Database, with access to the latest features like new AI infrastructure.
• Integration: Connects to multiple Oracle Database instances and REST API sources, supporting plugins for extending the user interface and available REST sources.
• Security: Enterprise-grade security features, including encryption, fine-grained access control, and comprehensive auditing capabilities, benefiting from Oracle’s expertise in data protection.

Performance

Bubble

• Speed: Suitable for small to medium-sized applications. Performance may vary based on application complexity, the number and complexity of workflows, and the number of users.
• Scalability: Managed by Bubble, but may face limitations with very high-traffic applications. Care must be taken to avoid exceeding defined soft and hard limits.

Oracle APEX

• Speed: Optimised for high performance, especially with large datasets and complex queries.
• Scalability: Designed to scale with enterprise needs, from small applications to large, multi-user systems. Available across various cloud offerings, APEX works in local, hybrid, and cloud environments.

Cost

Bubble

• Pricing: Subscription-based with various tiers depending on required features and application scale. Costs include support levels and processing units, which are not precisely defined.
• Cost Efficiency: Generally cost-effective for small to medium applications. Pricing can escalate with higher demands for performance and storage, requiring constant monitoring to avoid significant performance degradation from exceeding limits.

Oracle APEX

• Pricing: Included with Oracle Database licensing or as a dedicated cloud service. Costs vary significantly based on the deployment environment (on-premises vs. cloud). Free for development purposes.
• Cost Efficiency: More cost-effective for organisations already using Oracle products. It can be expensive for standalone deployments.

Conclusion

Bubble excels in providing a no-code environment for quick development and deployment of front-end-oriented web applications, making it ideal for start-ups, small businesses, and non-technical users. Oracle APEX offers a powerful low-code platform that integrates seamlessly with Oracle databases and web services, providing a robust solution for data-centric applications and enterprise environments.

Choosing between Bubble and Oracle APEX largely depends on your project’s specific needs and the technical expertise available. Each platform brings unique strengths, ensuring a fitting solution for every requirement.