6 Low Code Platform Success Stories [2024]
Unlock new creative possibilities with a low code platform. This business idea centers around providing tools that enable users to develop applications with minimal hand-coding.
Imagine empowering businesses and individuals to create complex software solutions without having to write line after line of code. By offering a platform where drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates simplify the development process, you can cater to a wide range of customers—from small startups to large enterprises.
There's a growing demand for tech solutions that save time and reduce costs, and low code platforms address this need perfectly. This venture could significantly boost productivity for those hesitant to dive into traditional coding, making it an appealing business opportunity.
While this idea requires a solid technical foundation and robust customer support, the potential for a thriving, impactful business is substantial. It’s worth considering if you aim to democratize software development and tap into a burgeoning market.
In this list, you'll find real-world low code platform success stories and very profitable examples of starting a low code platform that makes money.
1. Retool ($90M/year)
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in philosophy and computer science, David Hsu founded Retool six months later.
During his time at university, he developed Cashew, a payment app for the UK market. While building his startup, David encountered the difficulties of creating and expanding internal tools for tasks such as KYC and fraud management.
He observed that engineers often had to develop admin dashboards from the ground up, and he found this process to be undesirable. This experience inspired him to create Retool, a low-code tool designed for both technical and non-technical developers.
How much money it makes: $90M/year
"Retool founder David Hsu revolutionized software development, generating an impressive $7.5M/month and $90M/year in revenue since 2017 without writing code from scratch."
2. Budibase ($1.99M/year)
The co-founders had previously developed internal applications and business apps in their careers. They realized that building these applications was not only expensive but also not the best use of developer time. Additionally, they found that it was not the most enjoyable part of software development.
They also observed that companies often used a variety of different SaaS products, paid for expensive subscription support contracts, and generally had to work around the tools and their APIs to get them to work together.
They set out to create a low-code platform that allows people to efficiently create different tools.
Compared to other platforms, we wanted Budibase to be as accessible and open as possible, with a real focus on user experience and ease of use, which is why it's open source and self-hostable, in addition to our cloud-based solution. — Martin McKeaveney, Co-Founder, Budibase (Source)
How much money it makes: $1.99M/year
Budibase is a low-code platform solving the problem of costly and time-consuming app development, with a growth strategy that garnered 2000 prelaunch signups in just 8 months, pricing structured to support growth, and an impressive average revenue of $166K/month.
3. Creme Digital ($1.2M/year)
Jacob Klug, a 20-year-old entrepreneur, launched Creme Digital at 17 after realizing the power of no-code tools like Bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. His high-school hustle turned into a $100k/month business, building apps for startups and Fortune 500 companies alike.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $250
How many people on the team: 10
Scaling from a high-school side hustle to a $100k/month powerhouse, this case study shows how leveraging no-code tools and a bi-weekly subscription model can turn a fledgling startup into a successful digital agency with 30% net profit margins.
4. ShipFast ($600K/year)
Inspired by a tweet from Pieter Levels, who builds startups with just a laptop and no employees, Marc decided to start building his own products.
Over the course of two years, he successfully shipped 16 different products, ranging from AI tools to SaaS.
Throughout the building process, Marc noticed that he was doing the same things repeatedly, which was taking up a lot of his time.
He realized that creating a code boilerplate could help him build products much faster, and he was sure that others would find it useful as well.
In just one week, he built ShipFast and launched it on Product Hunt.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Computer science graduate Marc Lou founded ShipFast, a platform that reduced time spent on launching startups by providing a boilerplate, resulting in $6,000 in revenue within 48 hours and a successful Product Hunt launch with 3,000 visitors in the same period.
5. Compound ($210K/year)
Compound, an ecommerce automation agency, was founded to address the inefficiencies in lead handling and automate processes for businesses. The founder, who had experience in digital marketing, realized the potential of automation while working with Zapier and decided to focus solely on the ecommerce niche. Since then, the company has experienced significant growth and is constantly expanding its team to meet the demand for its services.
How much money it makes: $210K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 3
Compound, an ecommerce automation agency based in the UK, has experienced a major area of growth driven by the demand for automated D2B business processes, with systems that reduce labor costs by 90% leading to unprecedented demand for their services.
6. LowCode Agency ($120K/year)
Jesus Vargas, founder of LowCode Agency, came up with the idea for his business after discovering a tool called Glide apps that allowed him to easily create apps from Google Sheets. He realized he could use this no/low code tool to build custom apps for businesses at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional app development. After finding success with his first client, an Airbnb owner, Vargas rebranded his company and has since been growing double digits every month, on track to do $150,000 in sales in their first year.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 3
LowCode Agency uses no/low code tools to build custom-made apps at 80% lower cost and 70% faster than traditional app development agencies, growing double digits every month and targeting $150,000 in sales in their first year.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
