Nandbox
Verdict: Nandbox is a robust and easy-to-use mobile app development tool. Thanks to the clear interface and drag-and-drop functionality, even I, as a photographer with no experience in development, was able to create a simple app with the help of this free app builder.
Being beginner-friendly, the resource offers something interesting for experienced app development companies as well. You can benefit from mapping by improving their apps. Users can integrate interactive maps into the application and be in touch with their clients thanks to the full-fledged messenger.
Replicating existing applications with Nandbox is a breeze, just select, configure, and run it effortlessly. It also supports the use of digital coupons to help encourage shoppers, offer discounts, create, manage, and promote events, and share them on social media.
The highlight of the service is cloud processing, modularity, usability, and bot connectivity. Benefit from integrating your back-end system with your application using an open API.
The main purpose of Nandbox is to free people with no coding experience from contacting app development companies. It offers over 50 top-notch features and drag-and-drop functionality so that anyone can make their own iOS or Android smartphone app.
I like that the apps are not limited in their type – customize online stores, educational platforms, or apps to watch live sports quickly and hassle-free.
Working on the platform is a no-brainer task. Once logged in, you’ll see a toolbar with links to various sections of the app builder, which also supports adding custom widgets. The platform is branding-friendly, so creating a design that fully matches your corporate style is a breeze.
Also in this section of Nandbox, you should change the name, icon, and color gamut of your future application. A team of professional designers has developed stunning pre-made templates and palettes with matching colors for users to choose from. Otherwise, setting your own colors is also always available to you.
Then you get to the main menu, in other words, to the main work area designed for editing and managing modules. Beginners will find it easier to develop with a handy navigator that will tell you how to modify and insert modules. No matter what application you create – a logo maker app or an e-commerce platform, you will only have 4 modules available with flexible settings.
In the settings section, you can easily set the splash screen, user login page, and registration page in your future application. Also, look in the user profile section to create the appropriate fields for your users to fill in their details.
Nandbox allows you to connect a chatbot without using a third-party live chat software, configure it, and integrate it into the application. You can also set the background and theme for both the app as a whole and for a chat individually.
I find it effective that Nandbox allows for customizing pages from scratch and choosing a pre-made template. Select the type of page you want to create and scroll through over 30 options to choose from. Among the templates, you will find such ones as Contact Us, Location, Our Story, and so on.
I took a look at the Photogram and Image Gallery templates. These are completely different options with different structures, where you choose where to place your photos. The first reminds users of a cozy photo album, freeing you from using photo album software. The second option is a more classic version with photos collected in folders.
Customizing your chosen templates is an easy and fun task. Just add whatever you need, be it captions, clips, photos, etc. What’s more, you can assign a specific action to each element, such as moving to another page or triggering an event.
Another super useful feature of Nandbox is instant messengers that allow you to communicate by voice and video, as well as create group chats with up to 50,000 users. I enjoy how easy it is to add contacts or join channels, all you need to do is scan a QR code. You can create up to 4 accounts in the messenger for one phone number.
The platform also supports the invitation board, which will help you to attract members to your channel or group and manage this process even more effectively. Like most instant messaging software, this one does not limit you in the number of conversations, including private ones.
Being Zapier-integrated, Nandbox allows for using its bot for detection of your posts to publish them automatically on any of the 3000 apps available, including popular project management software, as well as Gmail, Slack, Mailchimp, and others.
Other useful integrations include PayPal, Stripe, and other chatbots. The latter are very handy when running messengers, allowing you to add buttons, and input & output cells, by integrating with your back-end system.
Thanks to GPS and sharing features, creating, managing, and promoting your events is even easier. What’s more, the platform now supports adding interactive maps to your app, allowing you to track, locate, share locations, and so on.
If you are working on a photography booking app, then you can streamline the booking process for your clients with just one click. Promote your posts with targeting techniques and segment users with specific tags.
If you are new to creating mobile apps, then you will definitely find a lot of useful information in the Nandbox blog. It contains guides on working with the platform, tutorials on creating applications for specific tasks, and development news. The blog is regularly updated, delighting readers with about 20 new articles per month.
Nandbox offers a free plan that includes 500 users, 5 GB storage, 2 GB bandwidth, and 10 months of MSG retention.
By paying $49/mo, you will also get additional features: Payment Gateways, Google Ads, and In-App Purchase.
The $149/mo plan includes 2000 users, 20 GB storage, 10 GB bandwidth, and 10 months of MSG retention. If you are interested in adding an unlimited number of users, then the most expensive plan at $350/mo will suit you best.
