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Glide is a no-code platform that enables customers to create internet apps with out writing any code. It helps non-programmers construct useful and responsive apps by leveraging knowledge from Google Sheets, Airtable, and several other different knowledge sources.
On this assessment, we’ll study Glide’s core options, consumer interface, ease of use, integration and extensibility, deployment and upkeep, pricing, documentation, and its aggressive panorama.
Glide: Options
Glide lets you construct apps instantly out of your current knowledge. The platforms can hook up with your knowledge from numerous sources, together with spreadsheets like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Airtable, knowledge warehouses like BigQuery, relational databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and cloud databases like Google Cloud SQL.
In case you’re ranging from scratch, you may as well use the platform’s personal Glide Tables, or Glide Massive Tables in case you want an enterprise-scale database.
Better of all, you should utilize the platform to visually create relationships, and search for values throughout all of your tables. And every time your knowledge adjustments in Glide, it immediately syncs instantly again to your authentic knowledge supply.
To maintain your knowledge secure, Glide allows you to management who can handle, view, and edit your apps with granular permissions. You can even prohibit who can entry or obtain particular rows of information primarily based on an e mail handle.
One other benefit with Glide is that you simply don’t must depend on exterior automation instruments. You’ll be able to as an alternative use Glide Workflows to automate duties, which turns out to be useful when you could handle processes reminiscent of sending emails, and knowledge updates.
You can begin these workflows from app interactions, schedules, emails, and extra. There’s additionally a Webhook workflow that kicks in when it receives knowledge from exterior providers, reminiscent of Stripe, or TypeForm.
The platform additionally retains a monitor of all of the workflow runs that will help you assessment their execution, and rectify any errors. That mentioned, you possibly can nonetheless use exterior workflow builders like Zapier and Make, with Glide.
Along with beginning with current knowledge, you may as well create an app from an AI immediate, or from its current assortment of templates. Glide has templates for widespread enterprise apps together with CRMs, buyer portals, stock administration programs, gross sales dashboard, and extra.
Glide additionally allows you to roll AI capabilities like natural language processing, and pc imaginative and prescient into your apps. The platform, very helpfully, additionally has a set of AI templates that you may customise as per your necessities. The platform can be beta testing a brand new function that can enable you construct customized elements that don’t exist in Glide by prompting AI.
Glide: Interface and Ease of Use
Once you first signal into Glide, it’ll ask you to create an app utilizing an AI immediate. The platform will then construct the app, and counsel methods to enhance your app.
As we talked about earlier, along with utilizing the AI immediate, you may as well create an app from current knowledge. On this case, you’ll must level Glide to your knowledge wherever it resides. It’ll then look via the info, and mechanically create an app for you.
In both case, you’ll find yourself within the Structure editor that’ll enable you refine, and superb tune your apps.
Right here, use the left sidebar so as to add, and handle screens to your apps, and likewise add elements to the screens. The platform has a number of totally different sorts of screens, and each pertains to your knowledge another way. There’s a Information tab on the underside of the sidebar that you should utilize to shortly view the info for the at present chosen display.
In the midst of the display you possibly can preview, and work together along with your app. You’ll be able to swap between the cell, and desktop views, and likewise view the display as it might seem to totally different customers.
On the suitable aspect of the interface, you possibly can configure every display and its elements, tweak their look, and bind them to your knowledge.
From the highest of the interface, you possibly can swap out from the Structure editor to tweak different points of your app. The Information tab takes you to the Information editor the place you possibly can view and edit the info. On the left, it’ll record all of the imported and synced tables. From right here you possibly can modify your knowledge, add new tables, sync exterior knowledge sources, and extra.
The Workflows tab brings up the Workflow editor, the place you possibly can create several types of customized Workflows. You’ll be able to both create a workflow from scratch, or customise one of many six current ones. For example, there’s one that can intercept emails, and use AI to extract knowledge and add them to your tables. One other will mechanically reply to an e mail with AI.
Then there’s the Settings tab from the place you possibly can regulate your apps’ identify, look, and different settings. Once you’re accomplished, use the Publish button within the high proper nook to make your app public. All apps created with Glide are responsive, which implies they appear good on each desktops, and smartphones.
Glide: Integration and Extensibility
Glide not solely lets you join to varied knowledge sources, however you possibly can join a number of knowledge sources to a single Glide app. For example, you would mix knowledge from a PostgreSQL database with enterprise knowledge saved in Google Sheets.
You can even use Glide to attach your apps to throughout 50 helpful third-party enterprise instruments. For example, you may get your app to work together with Asana to create, and delete duties, and tasks, or with DocuSign to signal a doc, generate content material with Google Gemini, and OpenAI, and much more.
Integrations in Glide can present totally different options that can be utilized in numerous methods. Relying on the combination, it’s possible you’ll must grant permissions or enter secrets and techniques reminiscent of an API key. The undertaking has detailed documentation on the way to add and configure every of the supported integrations.
Glide: Deployment and Upkeep
When you’ve created an app, use the Publish button to make it dwell. As it’s with most no-code platforms, by default, all apps are revealed to a Glide subdomain.
The platform may also generate a QR code that you may scan to entry the app out of your smartphone. All Glide apps are Progressive Net Apps (PWAs), which implies your machine provides you with the choice to put in, and use it like a local app.
As soon as an app is revealed, you possibly can transfer it to a custom domain, or unpublish it. By default, all apps might be accessible to a restricted set of customers. Nevertheless, you possibly can simply make the app accessible to anybody.
Additionally, since Glide apps are principally web-based, any adjustments you make to the app, or to the info within the linked knowledge supply, will mechanically be mirrored within the app with none handbook intervention. This makes upkeep extremely simple, and ensures that each one customers have entry to the most recent model of the app.
Glide: Pricing and Documentation
Glide has a tiered pricing mannequin, beginning with a feature-restricted Free tier. For example, Free customers can flick through the record of Free templates, however might want to improve to a paid plan to make use of them.
Paid plans begin with the $60/month ($49/month billed yearly) Maker plan. You should use this plan to attach your app with Google Sheets, import knowledge from Excel, or CSV recordsdata, or use Glide’s personal knowledge sources.
The $249/month ($199/month billed yearly) Marketing strategy allows you to use Airtable, and Excel as extra knowledge sources over the Maker plan. To unlock all the supported knowledge sources, you’ll have to change to the Enterprise plan, which is priced in response to utilization.
Additionally, keep in mind that every plan additionally restricts the variety of rows you possibly can have in your app, and the record of accessible options. Moreover, with the Maker plan you possibly can solely make your app accessible to customers who sign up utilizing a public e mail service, reminiscent of Gmail, or an schooling area (.edu).
To complicate issues additional, every plan has a restricted variety of updates. These are like credit that you simply eat to alter, and sync knowledge from exterior sources like Google Sheets, and Airtable. Nevertheless, these don’t apply in case you use Glide’s personal knowledge sources.
By way of documentation, Glide has sufficient textual content and video assets that will help you get began with the platform. It’ll educate you the way to use the platform’s important capabilities reminiscent of automations, and workflows. You’ll be able to take your questions with the platform to Glide’s discussion board boards, although customers on the paid tiers get precedence help as nicely.
Glide: The Competitors
There are many different no-code platforms, however Glide primarily competes with Softr, which additionally lets you construct apps out of your current enterprise knowledge.
Whereas it initially began as an interface on high of Airtable, Softr can also now work with widespread third-party databases, starting from easy choices like Google Sheets, to relational databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and extra. Glide nevertheless presents its personal in-house knowledge sources.
When in comparison with Softr, Glide presents a extra strong platform with built-in workflow capabilities, and really useful AI-powered options. However that additionally offers it a stepper studying curve as in comparison with Softr.
Then there’s Bubble. Not like Glide, which helps create data-driven apps for inner use, Bubble is extra versatile, and may help create every kind of SaaS platforms. Additionally, whereas Glide can create PWAs, if you wish to create native cell apps, there’s Adalo, which like Bubble can be utilized to spin up every kind of enterprise apps.
Glide: Closing Verdict
Glide is an efficient possibility in case you’re seeking to shortly construct data-driven apps with out a lot effort. The platform combines ease of use with highly effective options, which assist make it interesting to each inexperienced persons and skilled customers.
Nevertheless, Glide has a fancy pricing plan, and may turn into a bit of dearer than its friends, relying in your precise use case.
That mentioned, it has lots going for it when it comes to its seamless integration with widespread knowledge sources, intuitive interface, visible editors, and built-in automations, and customization choices. These options make Glide a should attempt possibility for anybody seeking to convert their current enterprise knowledge into visually interesting PWAs.