There are tons of really cool tools out there to help you test different elements of your site. They will make your job of getting everything to look right that much easier. We all know that speed is of the essence for appearing on that coveted first page, but what if you are building a responsive theme? That’s where free rad tools for web development come in handy.
Regardless of your project, whether it’s a big company-wide effort or an independent project, you need a good toolset to be able to work efficiently. When I started out as a developer, one of the most difficult things was figuring out which tools that I needed to use. Nowadays, with the internet at your fingertips, getting a development environment set up is a lot less daunting than it was a decade ago. However, there are still a lot of great tools for developers out there that can make your life easier and prevent any unnecessary headaches.
Zoho Creator
Zoho Creator is one of the most popular rapid development tools on the market, and for good reason. It’s got a solid list of features to create business web tools and customize them any way you like.
One of the biggest features is a drag-and-drop interface, allowing even layman business users to create apps without having to know how to code. Inexperienced users use pre-built modules that have specific functionalities they want.
There are also tools for collecting data, designing personal workflows, and setting up unique rules for each new application.
All of this makes Zoho Creator one of the most popular rapid application development tools for web development on the market.
OutSystems
OutSystems is a platform designed to work with RAD methodology. It gives developers the high-end tools they need to create, deploy, and manage enterprise-grade applications quickly and efficiently.
One thing that makes OutSystems stand out from other rapid application development tools is the fact that it takes full advantage of integrations, and makes it easy to connect with other tools. If you prefer using multiple systems for other parts of your work, OutSystems will easily integrate with those tools to give you an easier development experience.
When it comes to rapid application development tools, OutSystems shines because it encompasses the rapid application development philosophy of quick prototyping with constant feedback and communication to build each function and feature.
OutSystems’ ability to create enterprise applications also means that it provides total end-to-end security for the applications you create and run through the platform. This means no complicated intranet setup or hassling keys. All you need is a single user ID and password to log in, and you’re ready to go.
Appian
Appian gives a lot of importance to quick and easy development. This makes it one of the most well-known rapid application development tools on the market.
As a BPM suite, it offers solutions that are more drag-and-drop than sit-and-code. This makes it incredibly convenient for developers and users who aren’t familiar with coding.
In addition to this, it also allows seamless integration with third-party tools of your choosing. Appian is scalable according to your needs, whether you’re a company with 10 users or 10,000 users.
Sencha Ext JS
The most comprehensive JavaScript framework for building data-intensive, cross-platform web and mobile applications for any modern device. Ext JS includes 140+ pre-integrated and tested high-performance UI components.
Features:
- 140+ UI components, such as HTML5 calendar, grids, pivot grid, D3 adapter, trees, lists, forms, menus, toolbars, panels, windows, and much more.
- Hundreds of user extensions are available from the Sencha community.
- The Ext JS Big Data Grid is 300x faster than the competition.
- Flexible layout manager to help organize the display of data and content across multiple browsers, devices, and screen sizes.
- Align with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design
- Robust data package included in Ext JS decouples the UI components from the data layer.
Envato HTML Templates
Envato has a collection of 1000+ readymade HTML5 templates that save you coding time. These templates offer power customization tools and are SEO ready. They offer optimized CSS and JS that improve Page Speed scores.
Feature:
- Templates based on Bootstrap, Vuejs, Laravel, Angular, and other popular frameworks.
- Responsive SASS templates with multi-file upload support
- Light and Dark Options
- Charts Library, Chat, Email Apps and Widgets support
- FREE Lifetime Updates
- Detailed documentation and quick support via forums
- Unlimited color options
Elfsight
Elfsight is a web development tool that enables you to upgrade your site without any coding. It helps you to customize your website with few mouse clicks.
Features:
- Embed content from Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and more.
- Display customer reviews from Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc.
- You can add a chat facility to your website.
- Allows you to create forms for contact, feedback, survey, quiz, and more.
- Integrations: WordPress, Shopify, Weebly, and more.
Decision.io
Decision.io lets you create and manage workflows with a click of a button. You can manage the workflow from your browser. The flexible platform is ideal for businesses, startups, incubators, educational institutions, and foundations. Here are some of the features that make it one of the best rapid web application development tools.
- It is a cloud-based, secure platform that lets you work from anywhere.
- It enables the import and export of data in .csv format with ease.
- You can automate repetitive tasks to reduce the amount of manual work and increase efficiency.
- It offers complete transparency within the organization.
- You can integrate with Wufoo and MailChimp to get a seamless experience.
Pros
- Highly customizable
- Secure
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not very scalable
- Limited applications
Conclusion
What makes a free tool great? Is it the price? Free is good, right? Sure. Is it how useful or easy to use it is? Well, the best tools solve the particular problem you’re facing in a quick and simple way. But good free tools often do something else: they make you ask yourself why you aren’t paying for something better.