Bubble vs OutSystems: comparing the two low-code platforms
If you’re weighing Bubble against OutSystems, you’re really choosing between a browser-based visual app builder and an enterprise low-code development platform. Both let you assemble working applications without hand-coding every screen, but they’re built for different project scales and different kinds of teams.
Here’s what each platform is actually built for, how each handles data, backend logic, and hosting, and what you can and can’t verify about their pricing from public sources.
- Bubble is a browser-based visual development platform for multi-user web applications, combining a drag-and-drop editor, a hosted relational database, and a visual workflow engine.
- OutSystems is a low-code platform for organizational application development, including a cloud offering called OutSystems Developer Cloud (ODC) with security and governance tooling.
- Neither vendor’s production pricing is fully verifiable from a public numeric figure for this comparison; both require checking the vendor’s own site for current terms.
- OutSystems names a Personal Edition, but it is explicitly a development and test runtime only, capped at 100 internal users, and not licensed for production use.
- Bubble does not offer code export; applications run on Bubble’s own hosted infrastructure, with mobile app store builds requiring a third-party wrapper.
- Sticklight is a separate, additive option, built by the Elementor team, for professional creators who want production-ready, publishable output from a single prompt.
What Bubble is built for
Bubble is a browser-based visual development platform for building multi-user web applications. It pairs a drag-and-drop UI editor with a pixel and responsive layout engine, a built-in hosted database for defining data types, fields, and relationships, and a visual Workflow Engine that handles backend logic, scheduled events, and API-triggered actions. A plugin marketplace adds third-party integrations for payments, email, maps, and AI, and a built-in API Connector lets your Bubble app call external REST APIs directly.
Bubble apps run on Bubble’s own infrastructure, and the platform doesn’t offer code export. If you need a native mobile app store build, you’ll wrap the app with a third-party tool rather than shipping natively from Bubble. Usage on current plans is measured and billed in Workload Units, a consumption-based metric rather than a flat seat or app count.
What OutSystems is built for
OutSystems is a low-code application development platform aimed at organizations building applications for employees, customers, and partners. Its cloud offering, OutSystems Developer Cloud, includes tooling oriented toward security and governance, and the official site references AI-assisted development features as part of the environment.
OutSystems publishes a named Personal Edition scoped as a development and test runtime only, capped at 100 internal users, and it excludes production deployment, uptime SLA, and compliance certifications. The paid ODC tier, per the vendor’s pricing page, includes one medium-sized production application and 100 internal users in its base configuration, with 24×7 support, additional runtimes, a higher uptime SLA, and further compliance certifications available as add-ons. OutSystems doesn’t list a numeric starting price for paid ODC tiers on its official pricing page; it’s quote-based, priced by application complexity, user count, and add-ons.
Bubble vs OutSystems at a glance
| Dimension | Bubble | OutSystems | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Browser-based visual app builder with a hosted database and visual workflow engine | Low-code platform for organizational app development, including the OutSystems Developer Cloud offering | Vibe-coding platform that turns a prompt into production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools |
| Output | Web applications; native mobile requires a third-party wrapper | Web and mobile applications for internal, customer, and partner use cases | Full-stack production-ready output, published as part of the flow |
| Backend / data | Built-in hosted relational database, defined through the visual editor | ODC cloud runtime, application complexity and user count drive scope and cost | Additive to your existing WordPress and Elementor stack |
| Publish / hosting | Hosted on Bubble’s own infrastructure; no code export offered | Runs on the OutSystems Developer Cloud runtime | Publish is included as part of the Prompt, Build, Publish flow |
| Best for | Teams building and hosting an app directly on the platform, without managing separate infrastructure | Organizations that need governed, compliance-aware application development at scale | Professional creators who want full-stack output from a single prompt, alongside their WordPress and Elementor work |
| Entry pricing | Check their site for current pricing | Check their site for current pricing | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack |
Where a professional creator might add Sticklight
Bubble and OutSystems both solve for building an application without writing every line of code, but from different directions: Bubble as a single hosted builder-plus-runtime, OutSystems as a governed platform for organizational software delivery. Sticklight sits in a different spot. It’s the vibe-coding platform for professional web creators, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, and it follows a Prompt, Build, Publish flow to turn your prompt into real, production-ready output, including websites, apps, dashboards, CMS setups, and internal tools, with publishing included.
Sticklight is additive to WordPress and Elementor rather than a replacement for either. It’s built to work alongside your existing WordPress and Elementor stack, not instead of it. If you’re already comparing Bubble vs OutSystems and weighing a builder-plus-runtime approach against a governed enterprise platform, Sticklight is a logical third option when your goal is production-ready, full-stack output from one prompt without leaving the WordPress and Elementor ecosystem. AI agent capability is on Sticklight’s roadmap, coming soon rather than shipped today.
The scariest part of any project isn’t the build, it is the moment you hand it over and step back.
Itamar Haim
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Bubble and OutSystems?
Bubble is a browser-based visual builder that hosts your app, its database, and its workflow logic directly on Bubble’s own infrastructure. OutSystems is a low-code platform aimed at organizational application development, with a cloud runtime (OutSystems Developer Cloud) built around governance, security tooling, and compliance add-ons.
Does Bubble or OutSystems publish clear public pricing?
No, neither vendor’s production pricing could be verified as a confirmed numeric figure from their own pages for this comparison. OutSystems names a Personal Edition, but it’s a development and test runtime only, not a production plan, and its paid ODC tier is quote-based. Check each vendor’s site directly for current pricing.
Can I export code from Bubble or OutSystems?
No for Bubble: it doesn’t offer code export, and applications run on Bubble’s own hosted infrastructure. Code export details for OutSystems aren’t covered by the sources used for this comparison, so check their site directly if that matters to your decision.
Where does Sticklight fit into a Bubble vs OutSystems comparison?
Sticklight is a separate, additive option built by the Elementor team. Rather than replacing a builder like Bubble or a governed platform like OutSystems, it turns your prompt into production-ready, published output, including sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, while staying additive to your existing WordPress and Elementor setup.
Built by the Elementor team. Powered by Claude.
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