Glossary
No-code
No-code refers to software-development approaches that let non-engineers build software products through visual interfaces, prompts, or templates — without writing code.
No-code is an umbrella category covering visual website builders, workflow tools (Zapier, Make), database tools (Airtable, Notion), and AI builders like Website Killer. The common thread is that the user assembles or prompts software into existence rather than writing it.
No-code is distinct from low-code, which usually requires some scripting (Bubble, Retool, Microsoft Power Apps). AI builders are arguably no-code — but the underlying generation is still code, exposed via export when the user wants ownership.
The economic case for no-code is speed and labor cost. A team that would have hired a designer + an engineer to build a marketing site can compress that to one operator using a no-code or AI tool. The trade-off is some loss of control compared to custom code — though modern AI builders narrow that gap by exporting to clean source code (Next.js, React) the team can extend.
The category has matured significantly since 2020. Early no-code tools handled simple sites; modern AI-led no-code handles full SaaS marketing surfaces, e-commerce storefronts, course sales pages, and event sites with proper SEO, schema, and conversion patterns baked in.
Example
A marketer who has never opened a code editor builds and publishes a campaign landing page in 10 minutes using an AI website builder, then routes the form submissions to HubSpot via a webhook (also no-code).