Bubble.io Review: Is It Worth The Cost in 2025? (Expert Tested)

Bubble.io remains one of the most powerful no-code app builders. It offers deep backend logic, thousands of plugins, and an AI-assisted app generator for quick app creation. However, the trade-off is a steep learning curve and rising costs as your app scales. 

If you’re considering Bubble, we’ll introduce its unique features, such as its plugin library, and discuss some drawbacks, like slow onboarding time. 

Here’s what else you’ll learn about Bubble:

• What the platform is and some apps users can build with it
  
  
• Bubble’s flagship features and pricing plans
  
  
• Praise and criticisms from users 

• How Bubble compares to enterprise app builders like Blaze.tech

• Should you use Bubble to build your next app?

What Is Bubble.io?

Bubble.io is a no-code app-building platform. It allows users to build web apps and progressive web applications (PWAs) using a simple drag-and-drop editor. Web apps are interactive web pages that let users communicate, purchase items, or schedule appointments, and they are accessed via browsers. 

Bubble’s native mobile publishing capability is in beta, but you’ll soon be able to publish native mobile Bubble apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Publishing to the app stores can put your app in front of a massive audience.

PWAs function similarly to native mobile apps in design and usage. You can install them via a browser link or QR code, but they aren’t distributed through app stores. They access device features like the camera and GPS, depending on your browser and OS. This functionality means they offer better performance than web apps.

Some apps that you can build with Bubble are: 

• Food delivery app: The app lets users browse menus, customize meals, and pay online. It works offline by caching menus and cart data, then syncing orders when the device reconnects.

• Messaging apps: These platforms enable users to send and receive messages in a browser with push notifications. It loads quickly and works without a native app, even on low-bandwidth networks.

• Online document editor: Allows multiple users to create and edit documents simultaneously. Saves all work in the cloud, keeping files accessible from any device with version history.

• Graphic design tool: The platform offers drag-and-drop editing, templates, and export features entirely in a browser. It removes the need for heavy desktop installations while supporting professional-level design work.

How Bubble Works

The Bubble platform uses a visual editor to drag and drop premade UI (user interface) elements like buttons and forms, set up workflows, and connect to a database. For example, a small business owner can use Bubble to build a booking system with automated email confirmations and integrated payments. 

The platform offers over 3,000 plugins that expand functionality and responsive design controls for mobile and desktop compatibility. Here are Bubble’s main features:

• Visual editor: Bubble lets you design app layouts and user interfaces with drag-and-drop tools for mobile and desktop. You can arrange elements, adjust styling, and create interactive features similar to creating a PowerPoint presentation.

• Custom workflows: By using a visual “if-then” logic builder, Bubble lets you define app behavior. You can trigger actions based on user inputs, data changes, or scheduled events.

• AI app builder: Bubble AI can turn a simple description into a functional app in minutes, complete with design, data structure, and core logic. You can customize it with Bubble’s visual interface, launch quickly, and refine features based on real user feedback.

• Built-in database: The platform stores and manages all your app’s data. You can create custom data types, set privacy rules, and manage records without a separate database service.

• Third-party integrations: Bubble with services like Google, Mailchimp, and Stripe to expand your app’s capabilities. These integrations allow you to handle payments, send marketing emails, or import external data.

• Plugin marketplace: You’ll find a large plugin library with extra features and integrations built by the community. You can install these to add advanced functionality such as analytics tools, custom UI components, or API connections.

• User management: Bubble lets you control registration, authentication, and user permissions. It supports multi-user accounts and role-based access control.

• Responsive design: By featuring settings that automatically adjust your layout for different screen sizes, the platform lets users optimize apps for several devices. You can customize breakpoints and design variations to keep the experience consistent.

• Scalability options: Bubble lets you upgrade plans or increase server capacity as your user base grows. This flexibility enables you to start small and expand resources without changing platforms.

• Template marketplace: You can use pre-built app templates to speed up development. Bubble lets you select a template that matches your project type and customize it to fit your branding and functionality.

Bubble’s mix of visual design, custom workflows, and integrations supports everything from start-up apps to full-scale applications. With plugins, templates, and scalability options, users can adapt apps to meet their needs and the needs of their audiences.

Bubble.io Pricing and Plans

Bubble’s pricing and plans control access to features, capacity, and workflow units. Workflow Units (WUs) measure your app’s resource usage by tracking compute power. They cover actions like updating data, running workflows, and making API calls. 

Every feature, workflow, or user action burns a certain amount of WUs. Each plan comes with a monthly WU allowance, and overages cost $0.30 per 1,000 units. As your user base grows, your WU consumption increases, especially with frequent workflows or heavy data operations.

Higher-tier plans provide more workflow units. These support more users and complex logic without slowing performance. By comparing plans, you can match your budget to the right mix of features, capacity, and workflows to maintain app performance as it grows. Here’s an overview of each of Bubble’s pricing plans:

• Free: The Free plan is for apps in testing or early development. It includes 50,000 monthly workflow units, which track every action your app runs, like saving data or sending an email. The cap means you can test features, but you may quickly reach limits.

• Starter ($32/month): The Starter plan includes 175,000 monthly workflow units, enough for a small live app or early-stage MVP. Workflow units cover both front-end and back-end actions, so frequent updates, data processing, and API calls consume them quickly. This tier suits apps with light to moderate user activity.

• Growth ($134/month): The Growth plan offers 400,000 monthly workflow units for apps with more complex interactions and logic. The higher cap lets you handle more concurrent users, larger data workflows, and integrations without delays. It fits growing businesses that need speed, secure 2-factor authentication, and stability without moving to enterprise pricing.

• Team ($399/month): The Team plan includes 1 million monthly workflow units, ideal for multi-user apps, high-traffic tools, or SaaS platforms. With this capacity, teams can run bulk data operations, frequent automation, and multiple sub-apps while maintaining app speed and stability. It also helps avoid slowdowns during peak usage.

• Custom (Contact for pricing): The Custom plan has a negotiable workflow unit allocation, tailored to an enterprise’s usage needs. Businesses can request millions of workflow units to power mission-critical operations, global user bases, or real-time data processing. This tier eliminates workflow bottlenecks entirely with scalable infrastructure.

Bubble’s pricing increases with your app’s complexity, user base, and workflow demands. Choosing the right plan upfront helps balance budget, scalability, and speed. 

Bubble.io Pros and Cons

The platform’s pros include AI tools to start app building quickly, the ability to build your database in-app, and scalability. Bubble’s cons are that it has a steep learning curve for workflow logic, workflow unit costs that rise with app growth, and slower performance for data-heavy apps. Here’s a look at Bubble’s pros and cons: 

Pros

• Visual full-stack app builder: Bubble lets you design front-end layouts and back-end workflows in one visual environment without code. The AI feature can get your building started quickly. After you’ve generated your app’s outline, build user interfaces, connect data, and set app behavior in the same platform.

• Flexible backend logic and database modeling: The platform supports custom data types, privacy rules, and complex workflows for app logic. This flexibility lets you create advanced features like multi-user marketplaces, conditional pricing, and role-based permissions directly in Bubble’s visual editor.

• Plugin and template marketplace with 1,000s of options: Bubble’s extensive plugins and ready-to-use templates accelerate development. You can add payment gateways, analytics tools, or UI components instantly, reducing build time and the need for external development resources.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: Bubble is no-code, but mastering its building interface and database logic can overwhelm beginners. Many users need time to understand conditional logic, data privacy, and performance optimization.

• Performance limitations with large datasets: Apps with heavy data processing or large queries may load more slowly than custom-coded platforms. This can impact user experience for data-intensive products like dashboards or reporting tools.

• Rising costs due to workload units: Bubble’s workload unit (WU) system charges for usage beyond your plan’s limit. As your user base grows, costs can rise quickly if you don’t optimize workflows and data calls.

Bubble offers powerful no-code tools that can take you from idea to launch without touching a single line of code. However, mastering the platform’s learning curve and tracking workload units will require a daily effort.

What Real Users Are Saying

We analyzed reviews of actual Bubble users from sites like Reddit, Capterra, and TrustPilot. Here’s what they said: 

Bubble Praise 

• On TrustPilot, one user exclaimed that they quickly built an app for their business. It runs fast and smoothly, with few issues. (December 2024) 

• A user on Capterra praised Bubble’s power, mentioning that his Bubble-made app has very few technical restrictions, allowing him to execute multiple tasks. (August 2024)

Bubble Criticism 

• A Reddit user said that their marketplace app is becoming financially unsustainable due to its high WU consumption. (January 2025)

• A TrustPilot reviewer claimed that Bubble is one of the hardest platforms to use, saying that Bubble app development is particularly painful. They suggest seeking a more beginner-friendly platform. (May 2025)

Bubble.io vs. Blaze: Which Works Better for Enterprises?

If you've narrowed your app-builder choices to Bubble vs Blaze, pick the platform that best fits your enterprise. Evaluate the level of customization you need, your app’s storage requirements, and your scaling plans. Use these pointers to guide your choice:

Where Bubble Wins

• AI-generated frontend, with strong customization: Bubble can generate a complete frontend from a text prompt, then lets you customize every element using its drag-and-drop editor.
  
  
• Backend logic and database depth: The platform includes advanced backend workflows and a built-in database that handles complex relationships and conditional logic. You can set privacy rules, manage data types, and automate processes.
  
  
• Flexibility with plugins and templates: Bubble’s plugin marketplace and template library let users expand functionality or start projects faster. From payment gateways to analytics tools, these resources help teams integrate advanced features and skip repetitive setup steps, speeding up the launch process without sacrificing customization.
  

Where Blaze Wins

• Enterprise-ready security and compliance: Blaze offers built-in compliance for HIPAA and SOC 2, plus enterprise-level authentication, such as SSO. These features make it a strong choice for healthcare, finance, and other regulated industries that need strict security standards and verified data protection.

• Unlimited apps and scalability: With Blaze, teams can build and manage unlimited apps under one account, scaling without restrictive app limits. As projects grow, you can increase data capacity and performance without hitting per-app limits or worrying about WUs.

• Hands-on onboarding and support: Blaze provides direct onboarding assistance, training sessions, and ongoing support from its team. The onboarding team trains enterprise clients to set up complex workflows and meet compliance requirements. They maintain your apps after publishing to ensure smooth operation.

My Verdict: Is Bubble.io Worth It in 2025?

Now that you’ve read my Bubble review, it’s decision time. Should you get Bubble now, shortlist it, or avoid it? 

Get it now if you’re a small startup and need an app to execute complex workflows and model advanced databases. Bubble helps small SaaS teams design custom dashboards, automate backend logic, and integrate payment systems without writing code. 

Shortlist Bubble if you’re a large company and need to build internal web apps or test new development projects. However, native mobile app publishing remains in private beta, so it may not be ready for production. Keep in mind to estimate your projected WU consumption as you scale, as these costs can affect your app’s financial feasibility.  

Avoid Bubble if you need HIPAA compliance or need to make multiple apps that must scale with your enterprise. In these scenarios, an enterprise app builder like Blaze will serve you much better, with its compliance, unlimited storage, and the capability to build as many apps as you want.  

Build Better Business Apps with Blaze

Blaze stands out as a top Bubble alternative because it provides a user-friendly no-code platform with features tailored to various industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Here are some of Blaze’s key advantages:

• Ease of use: Blaze’s visual drag-and-drop builder lets non-technical users design and launch applications quickly without writing any code.

• AI integrations: Connect ChatGPT to your app and speed up your workflow. For example, you can build a computerized intake assistant to guide users through forms and a dynamic product description generator for new inventory.

• Built-in database: Integrated data storage and management remove the need for external database setup, keeping development straightforward.

Blaze works well for healthcare providers, large enterprises, and startups needing a secure, scalable, and beginner-friendly platform for application development without technical expertise.

Contact Blaze today for a demo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bubble.io used for?

Bubble.io is used for building web apps and PWAs, and will soon support native mobile apps without coding. It supports everything from MVPs and SaaS platforms to marketplaces and internal business tools. Users design interfaces, set up backend workflows, and manage databases directly in the platform’s visual editor.

How does Bubble compare to other no-code tools?

Bubble compares to other no-code tools by offering a drag-and-drop interface that offers deeper frontend customization than other app builders and more control over backend logic. The platform prioritizes flexibility, offering more features like prebuilt plugins and customizable templates than other no-code app builders provide.

Is Bubble.io good for beginners?

Bubble.io is good for beginners who want visual app creation but are ready to invest time into learning the platform’s workflow logic. The platform’s steep learning curve in frontend design, database setup, and conditional logic means complete novices may need tutorials or support before tackling large projects.