Zoho Creator

An Incredible Builder of Mobile Applications

Comments: Zoho Creator has always been one of my top softwares because of its incredible capabilities and ease of use when making simple mobile applications.

Pros:

With Zoho Creator, I do not need to have the best programming skills to build a mobile app. The process is not difficult at all. Zoho Creator is a great online platform that makes it easy to build simple but excellently-looking mobile applications. I like the ease of use of Zoho Creator.

Cons:

Zoho Creator continues to be my favorite builder of mobile applications. The only con I have about it is the slow support team.

Zoho Creator - Rapid App Development

Comments: Mostly this has been used for prototyping and proof of concept for larger projects that end up being developed on other platforms. It's great value for what you get. If you are using other elements of the Zoho suite there are good integrations and Creator would be great for adding functionality for the likes of first-line workers in the organisation.

Pros:

Zoho Creator is an application development tool sold as a stand-alone SaaS product or as part of the Zoho One Suite. Zoho Creator is a quick way to create applications without writing code. You can create forms, reports, pages and workflows largely through a drag-and-drop interface. There is a custom scripting language available for more complex requirements, but most users will be sticking to the no-code features. This is a good solution for collecting data on web forms and presenting it in meaningful reports. Completed apps can be embedded on websites or made available to users within or external to the organisation. Apps created are responsive and designed to display well on desktop, tablet or smartphone. Typical use cases are collecting data for surveys, tests and managing assets. With a bit of practice, you can create functional apps with triggers for email notifications and the like. Zoho Creator can be a good tool for agile teams to use for proof of concept for larger projects that may be developed further on other platforms.

Cons:

Could be dangerous in the wrong hands - ease of use is a double-edged sword. You'll still want to retain control of these kinds of tools; it's easy for enthusiastic amateurs to get carried away!

Be careful before choosing.

Comments: Building an application takes a tremendous amount of time to perfect and grow. Starting on the right application that will allow long-term development is critical. For a DIY database, Zoho Creator has features that I could not find with another option. Their customer service though, will have you asking for MUCH more. Several times I dealt with significant problems that left our organization crippled and got ZERO response or consideration from customer service. Every time the problem was with their servers or software. I could go WEEKS struggling with an issue and get no help from customer service. When your organization's core application is down, you do not want to be with Zoho Creator. After struggling with issues and no help from Zoho, I realized that my growing company had to leave Zoho Creator. I found an open-source CRM called Zurmo. You NEED to check Zurmo as an option. Being open source, you can install it, modify the source code and it's free! They also have a paid version where they provide support and premium options. We have spent the last couple months building our new application in Zurmo and we love it. Overall, it's taking much less time than starting in Zoho Creator. Best of all, we aren't at someone else's mercy if the application has an issue. We can fix everything we want and host our own database. Although it takes a little more know-how to start on Zurmo, it was probably just as easy as Zoho, because accomplishing some things in Zoho was overcomplicated.

Pros:

- Easy to use - Cost effective - Dynamic customization

Cons:

- Customer services sucks - Might cripple your company operations with no solution - You will eventually need to leave Zoho if your company continues to grow - Can't use Javascript or customize themes (use Zurmo instead)

Powerful App Builder for Non-Programmers

Comments: We have used Zoho Creator for both internal and public facing apps. It is probably the quickest way to get data collection forms on a web page. Power users can make use of Zoho Creator for simple data collection and reporting apps that need more than a spreadsheet but don't warrant the involvement of the development team. Great value, especially when included as part of the Zoho One bundle. Good solution for the right business applications.

Pros:

While there is a bit of a learning curve, Zoho Creator can be used by non-programmers to create quite sophisticated applications using a drag and drop form builder and report builder. There is also a scripting language for more sophisticated requirements, but many simple apps can be created with no coding at all. Customer support is generally good and responsive. If you are already familiar with other Zoho products (CRM, Survey, Forms etc.) you should be able to get productive right away.

Cons:

Can be tricky to brand exactly as you might like; lots of settings and interface isn't as intuitive as it could be. You'll likely want some oversight from the development team for anything that will be public facing, but that would be the case for any app in the wild.

Ideal for developing very specific applications

Pros:

I really like that by collecting data with Zoho Creator forms it is much easier to organize and analyze the information to suit your work process. Create simple apps without the need for a developer, or build complex apps to meet your specific business process needs.

Cons:

Zoho Creator needs to have better training tools for non-developers and its interface could be more intuitive to improve user experience.