No-code platforms continue to revolutionise how businesses, developers, and even non-technical users build applications and automate workflows. As we move into 2025, the demand for flexible, user-friendly platforms that require little to no coding continues to grow.
The right no-code tool can empower teams to build powerful apps, streamline processes, and innovate faster than ever — all without relying on traditional software coding.
In this blog, we compare some of the leading no-code platforms ahead of 2025: Starhive, Budibase, Airtable, Retool, ClickUp, and Microsoft Excel.
Each of these platforms offers a unique set of features and capabilities for building apps to increase productivity in the workplace. But how do they match up in essential criteria like data handling, automation capabilities, integrations and API support, customisation, reporting and analytics, and mobile accessibility?
Whether you’re a business leader looking for the best way to automate processes or a developer exploring the most flexible no-code tools, this guide will help you navigate the landscape and choose which platform best meets your needs in 2025.
Starhive at a glance…
Flexible data management: Supports complex, fully custom data models and external data integrations, making it ideal for data-driven apps.
Powerful automation: Allows users to easily automate workflows, supported by advanced logic.
Extensive integrations: API support and pre-built integrations (Jira) ensure Starhive can connect to virtually any system or service.
Customisable: Highly customisable user interfaces, workflows, and data structures.
To see how Starhive specifically matches up against the other platforms included in this guide on a more granular level, you should check out our Starhive vs page.
Here, you’ll find a feature-by-feature level of examination across all the things that will matter to you as you start your no-code journey.
Starhive: The no-code platform for ultimate flexibility in app development
Starhive is a rising star in the no-code landscape, offering a powerful platform that balances ease of use with advanced features, making it suitable for beginners and experienced developers.
Its flexibility, especially when it comes to data, allows users to build a wide range of applications, from simple workflows to complex data-driven apps. With a focus on customisation, seamless integration, and automation, Starhive is designed to empower users to create scalable apps without writing code.
As we move into 2025, Starhive continues attracting attention for its powerful feature set, catering to users looking to quickly build functional, customisable, and responsive applications.
1. Data handling
Starhive excels in data management for no-code, offering a flexible system for handling everything from simple lists to complex relational data models. With a fully customisable database structure, users can create, manage, and manipulate their data and data model within their applications without needing external databases.
This makes building apps that rely on data collection, storage, and analysis easy, such as customer relationship management (CRM), inventory management, and project/task management systems.
2. Automation capabilities
Starhive is designed with robust automation tools that allow users to automate processes easily. Whether you’re automating notifications, data transfers, or task assignments, Starhive’s intuitive interface allows users to set up automation rules with just a few clicks.
In addition to automation, Starhive offers workflows to define the states and transitions data goes through to enforce processes and keep app data more accurate.
3. Integrations and API support
While you could argue this is probably Starhive’s weakest area, more integrations with external platforms are coming in the near future.
Currently, Starhive offers a powerful extension for Jira and an extension for creating data feeds, making it easy to connect your Starhive app data to external tools and systems and benefit from enriched data.
For developers and more advanced users, Starhive’s robust API allows for deeper customisation and the ability to create integrations with external systems. Its API-first approach gives businesses flexibility in extending the functionality of their apps, such as creating a fully custom coded user interface and connecting it to Starhive as a no-code back-end.
Overall, this level of API support makes Starhive the go-to option for teams that need to connect to a broader ecosystem of tools.
4. Customisation
Starhive offers deep customisation options for an app’s data structure. This ensures users can build apps that function in a way that aligns exactly with their business processes and isn’t limited by the no-code platform.
Advanced users will appreciate Starhive’s inclusion of a dedicated query language that gives more granular control over app behaviour. This makes it a highly versatile platform, equally suited for beginners who want to build simple apps and developers looking for a platform that can handle more complex requirements.
5. Reporting and analytics
Starhive offers built-in reporting and analytics features, making it easy for users to track performance and gain insights from their app’s data. Users can create dashboard and report interfaces that pull data from across Starhive, allowing for real-time tracking of key metrics, such as inventory utilisation, project tracking, or operational efficiency.
Starhive’s reporting tools include several visualisation options, such as charts, graphs, and tables, ensuring users can present data in an easy-to-understand and actionable way. For businesses relying on data-driven decision-making, Starhive’s ability to generate reports and visualise data makes it a valuable tool for tracking performance.
Plus, Starhive can integrate with external analytics platforms via its API, providing advanced data analysis capabilities beyond its built-in reporting features.
6. Mobile accessibility
Starhive offers robust mobile apps for iOS and Android so that data can be managed and updated on the go.
The intuitive mobile interface makes updating and collaboration easier from any location, another plus point for workflow flexibility.
Summary
Starhive offers a comprehensive and versatile no-code platform that’s well-suited for users looking to build custom web-based apps easily. Its strength lies in its balance between ease of use and advanced functionality, making it accessible to beginners while offering the flexibility experienced developers need.
With strong data handling, powerful automation, and comprehensive API, Starhive is a leading choice for businesses that want to create scalable, robust applications quickly and efficiently.
Budibase: A versatile platform for building internal apps
Budibase excels at enabling users to build internal tools and data-driven applications quickly. It's particularly well-suited for teams creating custom business apps tightly integrated with existing data sources and workflows.
1. Data handling
Budibase is built to manage and connect to a wide range of data sources, making it ideal for applications that rely heavily on existing databases.
Budibase offers strong support for integration with whatever database tool you're working with. Built-in support for external databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB gives users flexibility in structuring their app’s backend.
Budibase’s data tables are also available for new data sets you wish to create for your app without maintaining your own database. The platform offers an intuitive interface for creating your database, making it simple to add data, but the data model customisation is relatively limited when using their database.
2. Automation capabilities
Budibase has built-in automation tools that allow users to streamline processes and reduce manual tasks.
While its automation capabilities may not be as extensive as some competitors, Budibase allows triggers and actions to be set up based on user inputs or data changes. For example, you can configure automations that send notifications, update data, or trigger webhooks when certain conditions are met.
Although Budibase’s automation tools are mostly suited for internal business processes, they’re powerful enough to cover a wide range of use cases, from simple task automation to more complex, multi-step rules.
3. Integrations and API support
Budibase offers solid integration capabilities, enabling users to connect their apps to various external systems and services.
The platform has a connector for REST APIs, which means you can easily integrate third-party services or connect to other systems within your organisation. Budibase’s API builder also allows developers to create custom application endpoints, enabling deeper integrations when needed.
However, Budibase primarily focuses on internal tool development, so its integrations are generally tailored towards business applications and backend services, rather than consumer-facing apps.
4. Customisation
Customisation is a strong point for Budibase, providing several tools for building bespoke applications. Its drag-and-drop interface allows users to design custom UIs with ease, while developers can take advantage of Budibase’s code injection features to add custom HTML, CSS, or JavaScript as needed.
This hybrid approach makes Budibase a flexible platform that caters to non-technical users and developers who want more control over the app’s functionality and appearance.
Budibase also allows users to create custom components, which can be reused across multiple apps. This modular approach helps maintain consistency across different projects and speeds up development time.
5. Reporting and analytics
While Budibase doesn’t have the most advanced built-in reporting tools compared to other platforms, it offers basic analytics and data visualisation features. You can create custom dashboards and embed charts and graphs that display real-time data from your application. For more advanced reporting and analytics, Budibase can integrate with external analytics platforms, like Google Analytics or Power BI, using APIs.
The platform's flexibility in handling data makes it easy to generate reports by pulling data from external sources or its internal database. However, those looking for a platform with robust, built-in reporting capabilities might find Budibase slightly limited in this area.
6. Mobile accessibility
Budibase web apps are fully responsive by design, meaning applications built on the platform automatically adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile devices. This is a key advantage for teams looking to deploy apps that need to be accessible on the go. Whether users are accessing the app from a desktop, tablet, or smartphone, the user interface will adjust seamlessly, providing a consistent experience across devices.
However, while Budibase ensures mobile compatibility in the browser through responsive design, it doesn’t offer native mobile app development or the same level of mobile-specific customisation that some other platforms provide. For businesses primarily focused on mobile-first solutions, this could be a limitation.
Summary
Budibase is a versatile no-code platform that shines when building internal tools and data-driven applications.
If you’re happy to build and maintain your database in an external tool, Budibase is well-suited for businesses that create custom, scalable apps that integrate with existing systems. This makes it a strong choice for more technical teams prioritising internal tools and efficiency in 2025.
Teams that don’t want to maintain an external database may find themselves limited by Budibase's native data platform and, therefore, might find better-suited options further down this list.
Airtable: A no-code platform for organisation and collaboration
Airtable has quickly become one of the most popular no-code platforms due to its unique blend of a relational database with the simplicity of a spreadsheet. Its flexibility, ease of use, and collaborative features make it a go-to tool for teams looking to manage projects, organise data, and build lightweight applications.
In 2025, Airtable remains a powerful option for users who need robust data management capabilities, intuitive automation, and seamless integrations without the complexity of traditional app development.
1. Data handling
Airtable’s core strength lies in its ability to organise and manage data efficiently. It combines the familiar spreadsheet interface with a relational database structure, allowing users to create dynamic tables that can be linked together.
With Airtable, you can create custom fields, link records across tables, and define relationships between data sets. This flexibility makes it a strong option for project management, CRM systems, content calendars, and more. The platform also supports various field types such as attachments, checkboxes, single-select options, and formulas, further enhancing its data handling capabilities.
While Airtable can manage significant amounts of data, it isn’t designed for heavy-duty enterprise databases. Its limitations become more apparent when dealing with massive datasets or complex relationships.
Let’s consider instances where you would want to share the same data between different apps within the Airtable platform, for example. Instead of having two apps pulling from the same Airtable database, users must duplicate the data in the second app and maintain data synchronisation, which can be time-consuming and a source of risk for data errors.
2. Automation capabilities
Airtable’s automation features are easy to set up and highly effective for automating team workflows. Users can create automations based on triggers such as record creation, status changes, or specific field updates. These automations can trigger actions like sending emails, generating reports, or updating other records.
Recently, Airtable’s automation tools have been enhanced with more powerful capabilities. Users can now set up multi-step automations that interact with external services via integrations, streamlining processes such as onboarding, project management, or marketing workflows.
Its built-in scripting block allows advanced users to write JavaScript code to create custom automations, adding flexibility for those with coding knowledge while maintaining an easy-to-use interface for non-technical users.
3. Integrations and API support
Airtable shines in integrations, with native support for various third-party services such as Slack, Google Workspace, Zapier, and Dropbox. These integrations make it easy to pull in data from other tools or trigger automations in external systems based on changes in Airtable.
For more advanced users, Airtable’s robust API allows for deeper integrations and custom workflows. The API is well-documented and easy to use, allowing developers to connect Airtable to custom-built applications or external systems without needing a full-fledged development environment.
Additionally, Airtable works seamlessly with tools like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat), so building more complex automations that span multiple services is easier, further extending its versatility.
4. Customisation
Airtable offers a high level of customisation, particularly for creating custom views and forms. Users can create grid, calendar, gallery, and Kanban views to visualise their data differently. Custom views help users manage projects and data to suit their workflow, ensuring each team member can access the most relevant data for their role.
While Airtable doesn’t offer as much front-end customisation for building consumer-facing apps compared to some low-code platforms, its strong internal tool customisation capabilities make it a favourite for business users looking to create tailored workflows without diving into code.
Additionally, with Airtable Apps (formerly known as Blocks), users can extend functionality by adding custom modules, such as charts, maps, timelines, or even Gantt charts for project tracking.
5. Reporting and analytics
Airtable offers basic reporting and visualisation tools, making it easy to generate insights from your data. Users can create dashboards with charts, graphs, and pivot tables, providing a simple yet effective way to analyse data trends and make informed decisions.
For more advanced reporting needs, Airtable’s integration with external analytics tools like Google Data Studio or Power BI allows users to pull in data and build more complex, interactive reports. While Airtable’s internal analytics are sufficient for many use cases, those with extensive reporting requirements may need to rely on third-party tools for deeper insights.
6. Mobile accessibility
Airtable offers robust mobile apps for iOS and Android, ensuring users can manage and update their data on the go. The mobile app provides nearly all the same features as the desktop version, including the ability to run automations and view, edit, and organise data.
The intuitive mobile interface ensures users can collaborate and update projects from anywhere, making it ideal for teams that need workflow flexibility.
However, while Airtable’s mobile app offers excellent functionality, it’s primarily designed for data input and organisation. For businesses that require highly customised, native mobile apps, Airtable isn’t the right choice.
Summary
Airtable is an excellent choice for teams and businesses that need a no-code platform for organising and managing data, especially when collaboration is key.
Its strong data handling capabilities, ease of automation, and flexible integrations make it a go-to platform for project management, CRMs, and content management systems.
While it may lack some heavy-duty capabilities needed for enterprise-scale applications or highly customised consumer apps, its user-friendly interface and powerful API make Airtable a versatile tool that can meet a wide range of business needs in 2025.
ClickUp: Versatile for productivity and project management
ClickUp is widely recognised as an all-in-one productivity and project management tool, but its no-code capabilities have evolved to encompass much more.
With features designed to help teams collaborate, automate workflows, and organise tasks, ClickUp isn’t just about task management anymore — it’s a versatile platform for building custom no-code internal apps, automating processes, and integrating with external services.
ClickUp continues to be a top contender for businesses that need a comprehensive solution that balances productivity with automation and customisation.
1. Data handling
ClickUp’s core strength is organising and managing tasks, projects, and workflows, but it can also support different types of data through features like custom fields and lists. Custom fields allow users to capture and organise a variety of data types, from text and numbers to drop-down menus and checkboxes, making it highly customisable for different use cases.
ClickUp excels in tracking and managing project-related data. Teams can create custom views, such as tables or Gantt charts, to manage projects and data efficiently.
Although it’s primarily designed for productivity and task management, ClickUp’s flexible data structures allow it to adapt to other uses like CRM systems or inventory management (although this pushes ClickUp to the limits of what it was designed for).
Therefore, users may run into limitations on how they want to view and use this non-project management data.
For more complex data management needs, ClickUp integrates with external databases or spreadsheets, enabling users to pull in data from other systems.
2. Automation capabilities
ClickUp’s automation tools are one of its standout features, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows across projects. Its built-in automations enable users to trigger actions based on changes in tasks or custom fields, such as moving tasks between lists, updating statuses, or sending notifications to team members.
They have also expanded their tools to include multi-step workflows and conditional logic, enabling users to create more advanced automations that reduce manual effort. Automations can run across different workspaces, making it easy to manage complex, multi-team projects without manual oversight.
Additionally, ClickUp integrates with tools like Zapier and Make, which expands its automation capabilities to external systems, further enhancing its ability to streamline business processes across multiple platforms.
3. Integrations and API support
ClickUp offers an extensive range of integrations with popular tools, including Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, and GitHub, so connecting with the systems teams use every day is easier. These integrations allow ClickUp to function as a central hub for project management, ensuring data from various tools can be accessed and managed in one place.
For developers and businesses with more complex integration needs, ClickUp provides a robust API. The API enables users to create custom integrations, pull or push data to and from ClickUp, and interact with other business systems flexibly. This makes ClickUp a powerful tool for businesses building custom workflows that tie in with existing software solutions.
4. Customisation
ClickUp excels in customisation, offering users an almost limitless ability to tailor their workspace to specific needs. Users can create custom task statuses, views, dashboards, and automations that fit their project requirements.
Custom views also remain one of its most compelling features. Teams can switch between list views, Kanban boards, timelines, calendars, and document views, making it easy to customise how work is presented and organised. This flexibility ensures ClickUp adapts to how teams prefer to work rather than forcing them into predefined structures.
However, ClickUp doesn’t move beyond Views when interacting with data. Unlike other tools on this list, such as Budibase, Starhive, and Airtable, ClickUp doesn’t provide a user interface builder in the same way, meaning customisation of how it looks is limited.
ClickUp’s dashboards are also highly customisable, allowing users to create real-time reports and overviews of ongoing projects. These dashboards can include charts, graphs, and widgets that provide insights into team performance, project progress, and workload distribution.
5. Reporting and analytics
ClickUp’s reporting and analytics features have seen significant improvements, simplifying it so teams can track performance, productivity, and project status. Built-in reporting tools allow users to generate real-time reports on key metrics, such as task completion rates, time tracking, and workload distribution.
The platform’s time tracking and time estimate features also contribute to its analytical capabilities, allowing teams to monitor how much time is spent on tasks and projects. These features are invaluable for tracking billable hours or ensuring projects stay on budget.
Additionally, users can customise their reports and analytics dashboards to include charts, progress bars, and other visual elements that make data easy to digest. For more advanced reporting, ClickUp can integrate with external analytics tools like Power BI or Google Data Studio, allowing teams to conduct deeper data analysis when needed.
6. Mobile accessibility
ClickUp offers fairly robust mobile apps for iOS and Android, ensuring teams can stay productive on the go. The mobile app is relatively functional, allowing users to create and update tasks, manage projects, and view dashboards from their mobile devices.
While the mobile experience is slightly pared down compared to the desktop version, it still provides more than enough functionality for managing tasks, tracking progress, and staying up to date with project developments.
ClickUp’s mobile app is fully responsive and optimised for touch, so it’s easier to use whether you’re completing tasks or updating project details from a smartphone or tablet. This level of mobile accessibility ensures teams can collaborate and remain productive no matter where they are.
Summary
ClickUp is arguably one of the best all-in-one productivity and no-code platforms, particularly for teams needing a highly customisable project management and task automation solution.
Its robust automation tools, extensive integrations, and deep customisation options make it ideal for businesses looking to streamline workflows and boost team productivity. While it may not have the complex data management features of Starhive or the app-building capabilities of Retool, ClickUp excels at helping teams organise, automate, and report on their work with efficiency and flexibility.
Retool: A no-code platform for building internal tools
Retool is designed primarily for developers to quickly build internal tools without writing code from scratch. It’s highly regarded for its ability to connect with databases and APIs, offering pre-built components to create custom apps for managing data, handling workflows, and integrating with third-party services.
The platform focuses on providing a streamlined development process for creating sophisticated tools and dashboards, particularly for data-driven companies. As we move into 2025, Retool will likely remain a solution for teams needing internal apps that are quick to deploy, easy to customise, and deeply integrated with existing systems.
1. Data handling
Retool excels at handling complex data structures — a favourite for companies that need to build apps connected to their existing databases. It supports various data sources, from SQL databases (like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB) to third-party services such as Salesforce, Stripe, and Google Sheets. It can also import data from API connections to third-party platforms.
Users can query, manipulate, and visualise data within Retool’s interface, making it an ideal platform for creating dashboards, reporting tools, and data management apps.
Retool’s ability to connect with virtually any data source means it can serve as the front-end for enterprise-level data systems, enabling teams to build interfaces for internal databases without needing custom code.
Developers can create REST or GraphQL API calls, and even build more advanced functions with JavaScript. However, users must maintain their non-Retool data sources, which is time-consuming and often requires technical skills, or use Retools own database which doesn’t provide the level of power as external databases.
2. Automation capabilities
While Retool is more focused on handling data , it offers various ways to automate processes within its apps. Users can create logic-based automation rules that trigger actions based on user inputs or data changes, such as updating records in a database, sending API requests, or generating reports.
For more advanced automation, Retool’s JavaScript support allows developers to write custom scripts that handle back-end logic. While Retool can be used as a no-code platform, it’s more of a low-code platform as it empowers those with coding skills to build complex automations that can automate large-scale processes or perform data transformations on the fly.
In addition, Retool can integrate with third-party automation platforms like Zapier and Make, extending its automation capabilities to other services and applications.
3. Integrations and API support
One of Retool’s standout features is its ability to integrate seamlessly with various data sources and APIs. Whether you’re working with databases, third-party services, or internal APIs, Retool makes it easy to connect, fetch, and display data within its apps.
Retool’s integration capabilities are particularly robust. Users can set up connections to SQL databases, Firebase, MongoDB, Redis, and REST/GraphQL APIs with just a few clicks. Retool also supports OAuth and token-based authentication methods, ensuring secure access to sensitive data.
For developers, Retool offers the ability to create custom integrations and API endpoints, so it’s possible to extend Retool apps with additional functionality that can interact with external systems or microservices. This flexibility makes Retool a strong option for businesses relying on custom-built infrastructure or interacting with complex data systems.
4. Customisation
Retool offers a high degree of customisation, particularly regarding building user interfaces. The platform provides a drag-and-drop interface for assembling apps from pre-built components, such as tables, charts, forms, and buttons. These components can be heavily customised with properties, events, and styling options, allowing developers to design the app’s UI to meet their specific needs.
However, many argue Retool is a difficult platform for people with limited technical knowledge. On the other hand, more advanced users will enjoy the platform's support of custom JavaScript, which can be used to build more complex logic, perform data transformations, or create dynamic interactions within the app. This ability to blend no-code with code gives Retool a unique edge, allowing developers to fine-tune their applications as needed.
Furthermore, Retool's flexibility extends to user permissions and access controls, ensuring apps can be tailored to different user roles and needs within an organisation.
5. Reporting and analytics
Retool is well-suited for building custom reporting and analytics tools, particularly for companies that need to pull data from multiple sources. With its built-in components like charts, tables, and data visualisations, Retool allows users to create real-time dashboards that provide actionable insights into business operations.
Retool also supports the creation of custom reports that can dynamically generate based on user input or data queries. This is particularly useful for companies that need to generate reports from live data sources, whether from a SQL database, API, or third-party service.
Retool can integrate with external tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or custom BI tools for advanced analytics, providing a holistic view of business data.
6. Mobile accessibility
While Retool’s apps are primarily designed for desktop use, the platform does offer some level of mobile support. Users can build apps in Retool for Android and iOS though the user interface may not be as optimised for touch inputs or smaller screens compared to dedicated mobile app builders.
Developers can still create mobile-friendly layouts by adjusting the component sizing and layouts, but Retool is better suited for desktop-heavy applications, especially those that involve complex data management and reporting.
Retool may not be the first choice for teams that require fully responsive mobile apps, but for simple mobile user interfaces or data-focused dashboards, it offers sufficient mobile accessibility.
Summary
Retool stands out in the 2025 no-code landscape as a highly developer-oriented platform, perfect for teams needing to build custom internal tools quickly and efficiently.
Its ability to connect to a wide range of data sources, extensive API support, and deep customisation options make it ideal for creating powerful, data-driven applications without requiring extensive custom code.
While Retool may not be the best fit for building mobile-first or consumer-facing apps, its strength in data handling, automation, and reporting makes it a top choice for businesses focused on internal processes and operations.
Microsoft Excel: Powerful for lightweight apps, less so for more complex needs
While Microsoft Excel isn’t an app-building tool, it’s still the go-to tool for non-technical teams that need an ‘app’ based on data and don’t know where else to turn.
Therefore, Excel is arguably the original, first-of-its-kind no-code app builder.
With the addition of tools like Power Automate and Excel’s seamless integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Excel remains a relevant and powerful contender in the no-code space for certain functionalities in 2025.
1. Data handling
Excel’s strength is that it’s a very accessible tool for storing data for people unfamiliar with databases. It’s limited compared to relational databases, as you can't create relationships between data in different tabs (you can use a lookup formula to simulate relationships, but there’s no intrinsic link between the two rows of data).
However, users can sort, filter, and use complex formulas to process data efficiently. Excel's pivot tables and data validation tools enable users to summarise and derive insights from vast information,
Excel’s built-in support for external data sources, such as CSV files and APIs, means you can import and analyse data from virtually any system. Excel also integrates seamlessly with Power Query, allowing users to perform advanced data transformations without writing code.
2. Automation capabilities
When paired with Power Automate (previously Microsoft Flow), Excel offers strong automation features. Power Automate allows users to set up rules that trigger actions based on changes in Excel files.
For instance, you can create automation rules that send emails, update external databases, or notify team members when certain cells are updated or a spreadsheet is modified.
Excel also supports using macros, which allow users to record repetitive tasks and automate them with a single click. While macros involve some level of VBA coding, the no-code automation features provided by Power Automate make Excel much more accessible to non-developers who need to automate simpler, routine processes.
3. Integrations and API support
As part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Excel offers seamless integrations with a wide range of other Microsoft products, including SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Dynamics 365. This makes Excel a worthy choice for businesses already using Microsoft’s suite of tools.
In addition to these native integrations, Excel supports external APIs through tools like Power Query and Power Automate, allowing users to pull in data from third-party services, such as Salesforce, Google Sheets, and others. The vast integration possibilities make Excel highly adaptable to various business needs.
4. Customisation
While Excel may not offer the same level of UI customisation as more traditional no-code app builders, its data manipulation and formatting flexibility still make it customisable for specific use cases. Users can create dashboards, reports, and forms that present data in tailored ways, using conditional formatting, charts, and graphs to create visually appealing presentations of their data.
Excel supports custom VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) scripts for those with more advanced needs, allowing developers to add bespoke functionality and automate more complex tasks.
5. Reporting and analytics
Excel’s reporting capabilities are its strongest features. It offers a wide array of built-in tools for creating custom reports, from pivot tables to advanced charts and graphs. It also allows users to manipulate data dynamically, offering real-time insights with slicers and filters that let users explore different data views instantly.
Plus, Excel integrates seamlessly with Power BI — Microsoft’s business analytics service. Power BI extends Excel’s reporting capabilities, allowing users to build more advanced reports and dashboards with interactive elements and deep data analysis.
6. Mobile accessibility
Excel offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, allowing users to view and edit spreadsheets on the go. While the mobile versions may only have some of the advanced features of the desktop application, they provide enough functionality for quick edits, data input, and reviewing reports.
However, Excel is primarily designed for desktop use, so complex operations or heavy data manipulation may still be better suited to the full desktop version. The mobile app is a useful tool for accessibility, but it isn’t a complete solution for mobile-first applications.
Summary
Microsoft Excel remains a surprisingly powerful no-code platform, especially when combined with tools like Power Automate and Power Query. Its data handling, extensive integrations, and reporting capabilities make it an excellent choice for businesses seeking a simpler, data-driven no-code platform.
While Excel may lack the app-building UI customisation of other platforms, it compensates with its strength in automation, data management, and integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. For teams already leveraging Microsoft 365, Excel is a versatile, cost-effective tool that can handle a wider range of business applications than you might typically expect.
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