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Last updated on Apr 24, 2025
•11 mins read
Last updated on Apr 24, 2025
•11 mins read
In today’s fast-paced digital environment, building dynamic applications quickly and efficiently is no longer optional—it’s essential. Salesforce’s Lightning App Builder has long been a go-to solution for crafting UI components and custom pages within the Salesforce ecosystem. But as AI-driven development becomes more mainstream, many businesses are exploring competitors that provide alternative software solutions to Salesforce, offering AI automation, smarter code generation, and cross-platform capabilities. These businesses are looking for future-proof solutions that are adaptable and forward-thinking. Innovative alternatives offer advanced features and capabilities, empowering users, including those without technical expertise, to build a variety of applications efficiently and effectively.
This blog explores the best Lightning App Builder alternatives that leverage AI automation to supercharge application development.
Company AI automation is revolutionizing the way businesses operate by enabling them to automate complex business processes, streamline workflows, and improve overall efficiency. With the help of low-code platforms, companies can now create custom internal tools that are tailored to their specific needs, allowing them to stay ahead of the competition. AI-powered tools, such as those offered by ToolJet, are empowering businesses to automate tasks, track leads, and make data-driven decisions. By leveraging AI automation, organizations can free up resources, reduce costs, and focus on high-value tasks that drive growth and innovation.
The Lightning App Builder is a point-and-click tool from Salesforce that allows users to create responsive apps and pages using reusable components. It’s designed for both developers and admins, simplifying app customization with features like:
Additionally, the dashboard functionality in Lightning App Builder is crucial for project management and user interface functionality, providing a seamless way to track keywords and manage various software features.
Despite its strengths, the tool comes with certain limitations, especially when businesses demand more intelligent automation, seamless integrations, or cross-platform app development. Compared to the powerful features offered by other advanced frameworks, Lightning App Builder may fall short for complex and highly customized solutions.
While Lightning App Builder remains popular within Salesforce-driven environments, it can fall short for developers seeking platforms with the ability to empower them to achieve more, such as:
These gaps are critical as modern development teams shift toward platforms that integrate AI automation, reduce manual workload, and deliver results faster.
Custom internal tools offer a range of benefits to businesses, including increased efficiency, improved productivity, and enhanced user experience. By creating tools that are tailored to their specific needs, companies can better understand their customers, provide tailored solutions, and enhance user experiences, thereby maintaining strong relationships. Custom internal tools also enable businesses to integrate multiple platforms and systems, providing a unified view of their operations and enabling them to make informed decisions. Additionally, custom internal tools can be designed to meet the specific needs of different departments and teams, ensuring that everyone has access to the tools and information they need to perform their jobs effectively.
Low-code platforms are making it easier for businesses to build internal apps without requiring extensive coding knowledge. With the help of drag-and-drop interfaces and visual development tools, users can create powerful apps that meet their specific needs. Low-code platforms, such as ToolJet, also offer a range of features and integrations that enable businesses to automate workflows, track leads, and manage data. By building internal apps with low code, companies can reduce development time, lower costs, and improve the overall quality of their apps. Additionally, low-code platforms enable businesses to deploy apps quickly and easily, ensuring that they can respond rapidly to changing market conditions and customer needs.
When evaluating alternatives, look for platforms offering:
Internal tools should have a range of features that enable businesses to automate workflows, track leads, and manage data. Some key features of internal tools include workflow automation, business logic, and integration with multiple platforms and systems, enhancing business processes through the interconnectedness of numerous services and data sources. Internal tools should also have a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and use the tool. Additionally, internal tools should be customizable, allowing businesses to tailor the tool to their specific needs and requirements. Other key features of internal tools include data analytics, reporting, and dashboards, which enable businesses to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and make informed decisions.
AI agents and automation are crucial components of modern low-code platforms, enabling users to automate business processes and create custom internal tools with ease. By leveraging AI-powered tools, businesses can streamline their operations, improve efficiency, and reduce manual errors. The integration of AI agents with low-code platforms allows users to create powerful apps that can automate complex workflows, track leads, and provide valuable insights. With the ability to automate business processes, companies can focus on high-priority tasks, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. Low-code platforms that support AI agents and automation are ideal for small businesses and enterprises alike, as they provide a user-friendly interface for creating and deploying custom internal tools.
No-code development is a revolutionary approach to software development that enables users to create apps without writing a single line of code. This approach is made possible by low-code platforms that provide a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to design workflows, create business logic, and integrate with multiple data sources. No-code development is perfect for businesses that want to automate business processes, create custom internal tools, and improve operational efficiency without requiring extensive coding knowledge. With no-code development, users can create mobile apps, web applications, and desktop applications, making it an ideal solution for companies that need to deploy apps across multiple platforms. The benefits of no-code development include faster development times, reduced costs, and increased productivity, making it a game-changer for businesses of all sizes.
The user experience is a critical aspect of any software application, and low-code platforms are no exception. A user-friendly interface is essential for enabling users to create custom internal tools, automate business processes, and deploy apps with ease. Low-code platforms that prioritize user experience provide features such as drag-and-drop interfaces, intuitive workflows, and customizable dashboards, making it easy for users to navigate and use the platform. Additionally, low-code platforms that integrate with popular tools like IntelliJ Idea provide a seamless development experience, allowing developers to focus on creating powerful apps rather than worrying about the underlying code. By providing a superior user experience, low-code platforms can increase user adoption, reduce training times, and improve overall customer satisfaction.
DhiWise is a next-gen AI-powered app development platform that automates everything from design conversion to backend integration. It stands out for:
Whether you’re a solo dev or part of a team, DhiWise eliminates repetitive tasks and enables users to create applications quickly and easily, providing clean, production-ready code in minutes.
Designed primarily for building internal tools, Retool combines a powerful UI editor with AI-enhanced backend logic, allowing users to set triggers and actions, enhancing productivity:
Perfect for data-driven dashboards and admin tools.
UI Bakery makes it simple to build business applications with low code and AI-backed UI generation:
UI Bakery also facilitates task management to enhance team collaboration and efficiency.
OutSystems is an enterprise-focused platform offering strong automation and full DevOps integration:
Best suited for enterprises needing full-stack control to cater to the critical applications of large organizations.
Appsmith is an open-source low-code framework that now offers AI Copilot features:
Development tools and integration are critical components of internal tools. Low-code platforms, such as ToolJet, offer a range of development tools and integrations that enable businesses to build and deploy internal apps quickly and easily. Some key development tools and integrations include drag-and-drop interfaces, visual development tools, and APIs. Internal tools should also be able to integrate with multiple platforms and systems, including CRM, ERP, and marketing automation systems. By integrating with these systems, businesses can create a unified view of their operations and enable seamless data exchange between different departments and teams.
IntelliJ Idea is a popular integrated development environment (IDE) used by developers worldwide. The integration of low-code platforms with IntelliJ Idea provides a powerful development environment that enables users to create custom internal tools, automate business processes, and deploy apps with ease. With this integration, developers can leverage the features of IntelliJ Idea, such as code completion, debugging, and project management, to create complex apps and workflows. The integration also allows users to access a wide range of plugins and extensions, further enhancing the development experience.
By integrating with IntelliJ Idea, low-code platforms can provide a more comprehensive development environment, making it an attractive solution for businesses that require a high degree of customization and flexibility. The pricing for this integration varies, with some low-code platforms offering it as a free feature, while others may charge a premium, billed annually.
| Feature | Lightning App Builder | DhiWise | Retool | UI Bakery | OutSystems | Appsmith |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-Drop UI | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI-Powered Code Generation | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Design-to-Code (Figma) | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Backend Logic Automation | ⚠️ Manual setup | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cross-Platform Output | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Open Source | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Pricing | Contact for quote | $49/month | $10/user/month | $55/month | Contact for quote | Free |
| Billed Annually | N/A | $490/year | $100/user/year | $550/year | N/A | Free |
Ask yourself:
If your goal is rapid development, clean code, and AI-first automation, platforms like DhiWise offer unmatched value. It’s especially useful for teams working with modern stacks like React, Flutter, and Node.js. Ensuring you find the right fit for your specific needs can significantly enhance your service delivery and overall customer experience.
Lightning App Builder is solid—especially for Salesforce-centric projects—but it’s no longer the only player in the game. Developers and businesses now demand intelligent automation, cross-platform compatibility, and faster deployment cycles.
If you’re ready to supercharge your app development process with AI, tools like DhiWise, Retool, and UI Bakery are worth exploring. Among them, DhiWise stands tall as the most comprehensive alternative, combining AI, automation, and developer freedom in one powerful platform, enabling businesses to achieve their goals and overcome challenges for greater success. Additionally, these tools offer competitive price structures, making them cost-effective choices for businesses of all sizes.
Tired of manually designing screens, coding on weekends, and technical debt? Let DhiWise handle it for you!
You can build an e-commerce store, healthcare app, portfolio, blogging website, social media or admin panel right away. Use our library of 40+ pre-built free templates to create your first application using DhiWise.
