History of the No-Code Movement

Although no-code is still in its infancy, it has a robust history, from creating an entirely new industry within technology to launching businesses with valuations in the billions. The no-code movement has solidified itself with a lasting legacy in the evolution of technology, yet there’s still so much more to come.
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Here’s a brief look at the history of no-code, from the very beginnings—surprisingly rooted in spreadsheets—to the no-code platforms changing the way people of all technical abilities work. Explore how no-code sprouted and grew into a major digital movement over the last 35+ years.

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Microsoft, a tool that enables anyone to manipulate data without code, releases the original version of Excel (oddly, on a Mac!) in 1985.

The world’s first browser, website, and server go live, revolutionizing the World Wide Web in 1991.

A trademark application is submitted for the term “cloud computing” in 1997, a system that allows many no-code and low-code tools to function today.

The rise of SaaS begins with Salesforce’s “The End of Software” campaign in 2000.

WordPress, a no-code web development tool, launches in spring of 2003.

The term “no-code development platform” has a presence in Google Trends data as far back as February 2004.

Formstack, then simply a no-code form builder, launches in early 2006 based on founder Ade Olonoh’s idea that online forms shouldn’t require hours of hard-coding.

Shopify, which had a market cap of $36.6 billion in 2019, launches its no-code ecommerce platform builder in 2006.

Apple launches the first iPhone in 2007, opening up a new market for building mobile apps.

According to Forrester, the first usage of the term “low-code development” traces back to a 2011 report on new productivity platforms for custom applications.

Bubble launches in 2012 as a no-code web app development platform based on visual programming language instead of traditional code.

With a mission to remove coding as a barrier to web design, Webflow launches in 2013 with a codeless, 100% visual way to create powerful, flexible websites and apps.

Forrester coins the term “low-code” in 2014,

a sister system to no-code that focuses on development platforms that are simple, easy to use, and less dependent on coding.

PowerApps, Flow, and PowerBI roll out in 2018 as part of Microsoft’s Power Platform, which focuses on providing more customization and connectivity across tools with minimal coding necessary.

In 2018, the no-code and low-code market hits a valuation of $6 billion.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella focuses on how no-code and low-code tools can empower “citizen developers” during the Microsoft Ignite 2019 keynote.

Google makes a big jump in the no-code movement by acquiring AppSheet in early 2020, a tool that can quickly build apps and automation without writing any code.

The hypergrowth of remote work in 2020 amidst a pandemic forces many organizations to adopt no-code tools to adjust to the needs of a contactless world quickly.

Revenue from mobile apps, many built using no-code tools, is projected to hit nearly $1 trillion in 2023.

No-code is expected to be a market worth $52 billion by 2024.

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The History of No-Code

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