You can try AppWrite which provides Auth, databases, storage and more (as does Supabase which is listed by weweb). It’s open source so you can start with a $10 server and that will probably last for hundreds if not thousands of users depending on how much data they use (i.e. if it’s text you’ll probably be fine).
If you can leverage Firebase, it might be a good idea, if not for user data, for operational settings, as obviously that has AddListeners and so you can change variables in realtime.
I intend to use it to manage app-wide variables (1), as well as for clients to block their users (2).
(e.g. 1)
employee walks out and manager can log onto the system, click ‘block’ on the dashboard, and the user will be blocked, so when they open the app, it shows a blocked screen, instantly.
This is per company in case user works elsewhere.
(e.g. 2)
Changing settings or appearance of the app without releasing a new version to the app store or play store, by simply changing the variables via Firebase variables instead of manually in the app.
I would probably have an interface that uses automation (n8n.io) to change either of those types of settings, rather than me having to deal with Firebase manually - or via the complex API.
In the past I have setup a simple API (WordPress, or dedicated CMS, or even a straight up custom API like Hasura) to manage the app settings and store things like user settings (so if they loose their device they can get settings back) as well as low-risk data.
Of course it’s potentially risky to put the API keys for this kind of access in one’s app, but as it is usually read-only (or read-write for that user), there isn’t much to worry about.
I think I’m pretty set on Bubble as it has a lot of what I need at a reasonable price. One of the noticeable things on this page: Alternative to Bubble – WeWeb is that it says;
As long as you’re comfortable hosting your database in Bubble, it’s great to build powerful web apps with a basic user interface.
However; you can use external data with Bubble, which one would expect as most people have external (SQL) databases… Specifically via this connector plugin; SQL Database Connector - Bubble Docs - there’s also plugins for MongoDB and even some for Firebase, one of them oddly enough made by @jared (Jared Gibb), who you will find is an avid Thunkable user/ Freelancer and is frequently on this forum!
Unfortunately, weweb seems to cost more and has limited page views. Having said that I will look at weweb and do a full comparison so thank you.
You are correct, no custom code, but it does have blocks so you can do a lot of logic (if else etc.) to build what you need, including complex logic.
If you absolutely need custom code (e.g. to use deep linking or advanced permissions) then Thunkable might only be suitable for your MVP, and if/ when you expand you can hire a developer(s) etc.
Out of interest, what features do you want to use custom code to run?