Backendless

Backendless is a freemium visual application development platform in the no-code/low-code and Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) category that combines a drag-and-drop UI Builder with a full-featured backend — including real-time database, authentication, and API generation — starting at $0 for its free Springboard tier and scaling to paid cloud plans from $25/month. Originally launched in 2012 as a mobile backend service, Backendless has evolved into an end-to-end app platform used by over 500,000 registered developers, offering user management, real-time database, file storage, push notifications, geolocation services, messaging, business logic via Codeless or custom code, and a drag-and-drop UI Builder for creating responsive interfaces. The platform is designed to dramatically reduce the time and engineering overhead required to ship production-grade applications by handling the typical infrastructure concerns — authentication, scaling, data persistence, API generation, hosting — so teams can focus on product logic and user experience.

At the core of Backendless is its real-time database, which automatically generates REST and native SDK APIs for any data table the user creates. Developers can define schemas visually, set up relationships, configure permissions through a granular role-based access control (RBAC) system, and subscribe clients to live data changes without writing socket code. The Codeless logic builder lets users compose backend functions, API services, timers, and event handlers using a block-based visual programming language similar to Scratch or Blockly, while developers who prefer code can deploy server-side logic in JavaScript or Java. The UI Builder, introduced to complement the backend, provides a visual canvas, reusable components, themes, page routing, and direct binding to backend data and logic, making it possible to build entire applications — frontend and backend — inside one tool.

Backendless supports both cloud-hosted deployment on its managed infrastructure and self-hosted Pro and Managed Backendless options for organizations that need on-premise control, regulatory compliance, or custom scaling. SDKs are available for JavaScript, React Native, Flutter, iOS (Swift/Objective-C), Android (Java/Kotlin), .NET, and others — seven SDK families in total — so the same backend can power native apps, web apps, and IoT clients simultaneously. Integrations with third-party services (Stripe, Twilio, SendGrid, social logins, push providers) are available via the marketplace, and the platform supports custom Cloud Code and API services for extensibility. Backendless competes with platforms like Firebase, Supabase, Bubble, and AWS Amplify, positioning itself as the option that combines a true visual frontend builder with a feature-rich backend in a single integrated workspace, which is appealing to startups, agencies, and internal-tool teams that want to avoid stitching together multiple services.