The Bottom Line: Builder.ai’s developers will build you an app after you choose its structure and features. However, the platform is incredibly expensive and has a few drawbacks.
Pros:
- Builder.ai might be cheaper than hiring developers, but it’s less time-consuming than using a no-code tool to build your app.
- After your app is built, you’ll get support from the Builder.ai team for 2 years.
- You get to keep your app’s source code.
Cons:
- Builder.ai’s cheapest version is much more expensive than most no-code app builders. For instance, the cheapest version requires a $4,800 upfront payment for 24 months.
- The total amount you’ll pay depends on the complexity of your app. Costs can add up quickly, bringing your final bill to well over what you initially thought.
- Apps packed with features or come with custom-made, bespoke features will take an unspecified amount of time to make. You may have to wait a while before you see the finished product.
What Is Builder.ai?
Builder.ai is an app-building service that creates web and native mobile apps. It allows you to create your app’s blueprint by choosing its appearance and features. Then, the Builder.ai team will build your app for you.
Builder.ai is not a no-code app builder in the sense that Adalo, Glide, and Bubble are: Aside from choosing a popular app that the Builder.ai team will use as your app’s model and selecting its features, you won’t actually build your app.
Here’s how Builder.ai creates your app:
- In a 40-word prompt, describe how you want your app to appear to Builder.ai’s AI tool, Natasha.
- Natasha will generate a list of popular, existing apps (like Expedia, Facebook, etc.) with different structures and appearances. You’ll choose the one you want the Builder.ai team to model your app on.
- Natasha will then show you a long list of features, third-party add-ons, and their prices.
- After picking a feature, describe in a textbox to the Builder.ai team how you want the feature to work on your app. Doing this will help the team optimize your app.
- When you finish adding features, Builder.ai will show you the complete list of the features and the total price. Add, delete, or further describe these features to the Builder.ai team.
- After accepting the payment terms, Builder.ai will give you a project manager and the building begins! You can communicate with your project manager during the building process.
- When the Builder.ai team finishes building your app, you’ll communicate with the project manager for fine-tuning. Once you say it’s ready, they’ll release your web app and publish your native mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
- The team will provide support for up to two years. They’ll help you create updates, iron out glitches, and more. Builder.ai will also provide your app’s source code so you can further develop it.
If you have any questions about specific features during the process, you can ask Natasha. If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll give you the option to schedule a future call with a real human.
Builder.ai offers 6 products:
- Builder Studio, for those building all app types except ecommerce apps.
- Studio Store, for making e-commerce apps. You will also be able to provide the Builder.ai team with a database of the products or services you’re selling.
- Builder Now, to build a rapid prototype of your app, you can get an idea of how your app will appear. Note that it won’t come with any functions.
- Studio Rapid, is for building applications that work with your existing enterprise-grade software.
- Studio One Plus, is an ala carte option that supercharges your support by providing faster issue response, live app feature updates, greater security, and more.
- Builder Cloud, another ala carte offering that lets you run your Builder.ai-made app on Microsoft’s Azure cloud or Amazon Web Service’s (AWS) cloud.
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You’ll have to contact Builder.ai directly to get pricing information for most of these products. However, Builder.ai mentions that Builder Now costs about $2,000. You can get a prototype built with no features for about $2,000.
Aside from choosing an app that Builder.ai will use to clone your app idea and picking your app’s features, you don’t have much design control with Builder.ai: You’re essentially contracting out a development team to build your app.
Using Building.ai is like ordering a sandwich from Subway—you choose your bread and dictate the meats, cheese, and vegetables that go on it, but someone else is making your sandwich.
During the entire building process, Builder.ai’s project manager will be your main point of contact. If you no longer need a feature you selected earlier or want to make any other changes, contacting your project manager might take a while.
There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to get your money back if you no longer want a feature—you might just have to live with it.
Is Builder.ai Right For You?
Builder.ai is an app-building service with a limited audience. Select Builder.ai if:
- You don’t mind having very little control over how your app is constructed. You prefer to draw up a simple blueprint, pay a fee, and have someone else do all the heavy lifting.
- You have a large budget and little time.
- If you want to release an enterprise-grade app and have a team of professionals build it, and you’d also like to keep the source code.
However, you should take a look at other app builders if:
- You don’t want to pay over $2,000 for your app.
- You want a more traditional app builder that gives you the freedom and power to use an app-building interface to build your app yourself, and exactly how you want it.
- You’d rather build your own app using an actual no-code app builder.
With all the potential hurdles and nearly guaranteed high prices, it’s worth it for most people to develop their own app using a no-code app builder.
What Kinds of Apps Can I Build With Builder.ai
As long as you have the money, the Builder.ai team can create any app you can imagine - they’ll even code bespoke features like specialized widgets or analytics trackers for your app.
But remember, the more customization you require, the longer the building time - and the higher the cost.
With nearly unlimited customization options, publishability to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and high costs, Builder.ai is an excellent choice for organizations that need to build a specialized app for an audience of millions.
Builder.ai also allows you to host (for an undisclosed fee) your app on AWS or the Azure Cloud, both of which provide top-quality hosting services, infrastructure, and security.
Builder.ai Pricing: Is it worth it?
The only pricing Builder.ai makes publicly available is the Builder.ai Studio Store plan, which starts at $200/month, for two years, billed at once, or $4,800 upfront. You’ll need to contact Builder.ai to get more pricing info.
I can't stress this enough - most features you add will come at a price, too. As I mentioned earlier, feature fees vary substantially. Here are just a few examples of features and their cost:
- Splash Screen: From $362
- Apple Login: From $154
- Data Saver: From $1,580
- File Compression: From $942
- Google Assistant Integration: From $468
- Live Chat: From $478
- Automatic Checkout Calculation: From $1,567
- Menu Ordering: From $447
Builder.ai offers hundreds of features, some of which may have recurring charges. You’ll have to contact Builder.ai for more information.
With so many features and products with undisclosed prices, it’s difficult to determine how much Builder.ai might cost in total. It’s safe to say that an app with a few features will cost around $10,000, while powerful apps full of features could easily exceed $50,000.
Builder.ai Alternatives: What other tools should you try?
Want an app builder that lets you take charge of creating your app? Try out the following:
- Adalo, a no-code web and native mobile app builder with a low learning curve that gives you the power to build a professional-looking app at a fraction of Builder.ai’s cost.
- Bubble, a no-code web app builder with an enormous library of 3rd-party plugins and features that you can connect to your app - and the vast majority of them are free.
- Bravo Studio is a no-code mobile app builder for designers. With it, you can transform your Figma designs into unique, eye-catching apps that no development team could make.
Verdict
What’s my final opinion about Builder.ai? Should you get it now, shortlist it, or avoid it?
Get Builder.ai now if you have the money but not the time to learn to be an app builder and would like to have a design team build your app with very minimal effort from your end.
Shortlist Builder.ai if you’re unsure whether you want to roll up your sleeves and build your app yourself but you have a pile of cash to spend.
