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Nick Lancaster

Dropsource - Build & publish a native mobile app without writing any code

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Dropsource is a web-based platform for developing truly native, data-driven mobile apps. It enables developers of all levels and types to visually build custom mobile apps, without writing any code.

Connect to any REST API, easily share prototypes, install on mobile devices, and get clean, editable Swift or Java code. Free to try, no CC required.

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Amos Gyamfi
Stream Chat
According to this article, https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/0..., Apple is trying to ban App generation services. How will Dropsource tackle this problem?
G G
@amos_gyamfi Agreed, hopefully this is not affected.
Nate Frechette
Maker
@amos_gyamfi Great question! We’ve certainly been keeping an eye on Apple’s App Store policies, but these changes do not impact us or our users. This is primarily because of the following: 1. We are not a template based solution. Each app is custom built by our users and Dropsource generates the code specifically for that app (every app is unique). 2. Our apps are 100% built with native Swift. It is not HTML5 / JS wrapped in a native webview. 3. When we submit apps for our members, we work with users to confirm they meet Apple’s standards of ‘minimum functionality’. If they don’t meet these standards (e.g. an app is only a webview or does not provide unique value to App Store members) we advise the member on how to improve the app to meet Apple’s standards. As with any app, Apple does retain the right to reject apps for myriad reasons, but so far, we’ve not had any apps built on Dropsource rejected based on this updated review policy.
Scott Bowler
ClassicPress
@amos_gyamfi @natefrechette Looks like Dropsource is the future :)
Nate Frechette
Maker
Hi, I’m Nate, one of the founders and CTO at Dropsource. 3 years ago, we started this journey with a vision to change the way software is built, helping makers and businesses break through barriers and bring their ideas to life. Today, Dropsource is helping to do just that. Dropsource is a web-based platform for developing truly native, data-driven mobile apps. It enables developers of all types to visually build their apps from the ground up—without writing any code. While we have a lot that makes us unique, here are my top 5: - 100% visual. Everything is done with our drag-and-drop editor. - Native performance & features. Snappy loading, touch gestures, GPS, push, phone access…you name it, our apps can do it. - Truly native source code. Our system generates clean, editable Swift and Java code and we give you full access and ownership. - Flexible data integration. Connect apps with any REST API using OpenAPI spec (Swagger). - Custom apps, really. Our platform isn’t built around templates that you reskin. We give you a canvas and you build a real, powerful app. Your feedback is welcome and we’re here all day to answer your questions, so fire away! ps. Our marketing guy says we’re offering a Product Hunt exclusive deal for the next 30 days. Get 20% off your first month’s Premium subscription by using the following coupon code at checkout: PHUNT20
Aaron O'Leary
Product Hunt
@natefrechette "Truly native source code" that's a breath of fresh air right there.
Levon - Founder @ Zeroqode
Metla
@natefrechette Congrats with the launch Nate, it's exciting to see more no-code tools disrupt the way web and mobile applications are built. Keep up the good work!
Emmanuel Straschnov
Bubble
Congrats on the launch!! It's great to see more teams working toward the no-code goal!!
Nate Frechette
Maker
@estraschnov Thanks Emmanuel. We're big fans of bubble.is! For anyone interested, we have a couple tutorials and how-to's for integrating Dropsource + Bubble. https://help.dropsource.com/docs... https://help.dropsource.com/docs...
Levon - Founder @ Zeroqode
Metla
@estraschnov @natefrechette And we actually have a backend built on Bubble that can be very helpful for Dropsource users - most of the API endpoints such as user authentication, emails, sms, stripe credit card charges already preconfigured and tested to work with Dropsource apps :) https://zeroqode.com/backends
Will Bernholz
Maker
Scott Bowler
ClassicPress
We're looking at launching our mobile apps for https://www.chooseholly.com in the new year - our entire platform is built with an "API first" approach, so I'm guessing this would be a good fit. How extensible is the code that is generated? E.g. if we wanted to use the Dropbase system for simple BREAD actions but also wanted to add custom code to interact with Instagram, would this be possible? EDIT: One other question - how does this work with authentication? We have the option for an API key or OAuth2
Nate Frechette
Maker
@scotty_bowler great to hear your platform is built with an API first approach, that is certainly the way to do it! Dropsource generates Swift for iOS and Java for Android and follows best practices in how the application code is structured, so you should be able to extend it if you are comfortable in those environments. With that being said, we often add custom plugin functionality for users to help them accomplish their use case. So if your apps need to interact with the Instagram SDK, we could look into adding support to Dropsource for you. As for authentication to your API, OpenAPI Spec supports both API Key and Oauth2 (password flow) authentication so you should have no trouble there. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any more questions.
Scott Bowler
ClassicPress
@natefrechette I've been speaking with Sue (and have played around with the system - its great, but there is a steep learning curve). Very interested in being connected with experts in your platform so that we can benefit from rapid development time - both via your platform and by a developer who already knows what they're doing. Also would be great to talk about custom plugin functionality - perhaps we could continue this conversation via email? scott.bowler@chooseholly.com
Nate Frechette
Maker
@scotty_bowler Definitely! We will follow up over email to discuss getting Choose Holly setup on Dropsource as well as getting some custom plugins into your projects. Thanks!
Scott Bowler
ClassicPress
@natefrechette just following up on this as I haven't received an email yet?
Will Bernholz
Maker
@natefrechette @scotty_bowler an email is on it's way to you Scott!
Rockie
Tried to generate my json endpoint. did not work. I have a music streaming app with 100K downloads and don't have time to redo it all, will love to see what your platform can do. Already have a test account
Nate Frechette
Maker
@kingrockie Did you have issues working with OpenAPI to document your API? We are happy to help you get your API integrated into Dropsource! Let me know if there is anything we can do
Rockie
@natefrechette yes already have someone on it. I have to say so far probably one of the best projects I have seen. Well done, making us dev entrepreneurs job much easier.
Nate Frechette
Maker
@kingrockie Thank you that is great to hear!
Aaron O'Leary
Product Hunt
Messing around with this right, seems great, honestly.
Paul Berg
Maker
@aaronoleary Hey this is Paul, cofounder and product lead. Appreciate the feedback! Let us know if you have any more thoughts or suggestions.
Aaron O'Leary
Product Hunt
@pjberg I'm going to develop an app in both xcode and dropsource, it will give me a sense of what I think will improve the service and I'll let you know my ideas :)
Paul Berg
Maker
@aaronoleary Awesome! Can't wait to see what you come up with.
Matt

For my only con, if you switch it to universal then it just works. Easy enough to make your ios app universal. Just need to generate new images assets.

I have 1 app waiting for review that i made entirely with dropsource and added in extras like universal and access to the torch/light. It dropped my production time by 75% for the app portion. The api portion for my app easily integrated which helped a good bit. I have 4 other apps in the pipeline that i will be using with dropsource as well.

Support is top notch, even before i was a paying customer my questions were answered fairly quickly and changes were rolled out as fast as possible.

Cost for the premium apps is cheap for the features you get. I am not a mobile developer but i can hold my own with web development so dropsource was able to bridge that gap for me and get my apps developed quickly.

Pros:

fast and easy prototyping. drag and drop is great. the sample apps are easy to walk through as well to get around the product

Cons:

iOS isn't universal yet. I had to create image assets again for all the different phones and ipad sizes.

Will Bernholz
Maker
Thank you Matt 🙏 ! You're another one of our OG beta users and now customers. Thanks for the honest feedback. Can't wait to feature your app on our showcase once it gets approved!🚀
G G
Way too expensive! $39 a month per app. We will release updates to our app once a year and use web views to the extreme!
Paul Berg
Maker
Thanks for the feedback. We try to keep our pricing competitive, and you only need to pay for Dropsource when you need Premium features. You can use our free Basic Projects for as long as you like! Happy to explain more.
orliesaurus
Toolhouse
Can I publish apps to the store using this platform @Natefrechette?
Nate Frechette
Maker
@orliesaurus Hey there. Yes you can! You can use our publishing services where we'll publish it for you using your Apple or Google Developer account, or download the code and publish it there yourself. Note: these are Premium features. Here is an article on our Help Center with some more information about publishing with Dropsource --> https://help.dropsource.com/docs... If you have more questions or need any assistance when publishing, our team will be there to help along the way.
Dinesh P
Essay Generator
Looks promising love to give it a try as a non techie
Paul Berg
Maker
@i_dino Thanks Dinesh! Let us know what you think. Just head over to our site to create your account and start your free Premium trial. If you like us, we have an exclusive offer for 20% off your first month’s Premium subscription by using PHUNT20 at checkout.
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