Hi, HackerNoon community! I’m Oleg Zankov, CEO of Latenode. If this is our first connection, by the end of this article you’ll understand why automating business processes on low-code platforms is a growing trend, and how leveraging Latenode can significantly save your resources.

Table of Contents:

1. Foundation History
2. Key Features
3. Comparison with Competitors
4. Fair Pricing
5. Conclusions

Foundation History

Latenode is the third significant startup by our team, following the success of two previous projects since 2014. Why is this important to mention? Because that’s exactly where our automation experience started.

We found it extremely useful to utilize low-code tools for constructing numerous processes within our products. Here’s why:

• Processes are hosted in the cloud, eliminating our need to monitor infrastructure.

• Processes are visually represented through an intuitive 'blocks' design interface.

• A single tech specialist supports these processes, eliminating the need for a dedicated team of developers.

Consequently, we deployed 150 processes for our Debexpert.com on the ‘Integromat‘ platform. However, in February 2022, Integromat went through a rebranding. It changed its name to 'Make' and started using a new way of organizing its software.

They then scheduled the old version to be completely discontinued by September 2023.

While we anticipated a seamless migration to ‘Make’, it, unfortunately, didn’t materialize even a year later. This challenge birthed the Latenode platform, which was conceived more out of necessity than mere innovation.

Key Features

Our journey, spanning over 9 years and involving various platforms (such as Huggin, Zapier, n8n, etc.), has enriched us with a deep and nuanced comprehension of the field. We have precisely identified the gaps each tool presented.

Integromat was nearing the pinnacle of excellence, but there was a snag — it lacked the feature to integrate custom code within the process, thereby limiting architectural flexibility.

Addressing this limitation was at the forefront of our minds as we shaped Latenode. Now, let’s explore this in a sequential manner.

Event-Based Architecture

At the core of Latenode lies an event-driven architecture. This springs into action with user-defined workflows that are built on a simple yet powerful Trigger → Action framework.

Trigger

Triggers have a wide spectrum; they can be as varied as user engagement on a website, a new email landing in an inbox, or an alert popping up in a CRM system.

There Are Two Trigger Categories:

1. Application Triggers: Selected from a continuously growing library.

   
   

2. Universal Triggers: These operate independently of specific applications.

Universal Triggers Comprise:

• Webhook: This feature enables seamless data reception straight from other applications. When a designated event occurs in another app, the necessary data is sent to the webhook URL provided by the Latenode platform, setting the wheels of the procedure in motion.

• Schedule: This orchestrates the process according to a pre-set schedule. For example, a process could be configured to spring into action every day at a specific time.

  
  

Action

After the trigger is activated, we transition into the Action phase. In this stage, we chart the course: what is to unfold when the trigger is engaged? We start to position application blocks methodically and craft interconnections, letting our creativity be the guide.

Latenode strikes a perfect balance, combining the simplicity and user-friendliness of a no-code platform with the powerful capabilities of traditional coding.

Our grand vision is to democratize the development of automation, services, and applications. We aim to liberate developers from the tedium of repetitive tasks, empowering them to focus on more creative and impactful work.

Our integration repository is continually expanding, with updates rolling out on a weekly rhythm. We are steadfast in our mission to simplify automation for those who are inclined toward a no-code solution.

As it stands, while the platform is in its beta phase, we provide you with a block that allows for seamless integration with any third-party applications autonomously.

HTTP Request

This module acts as a bridge, enabling your scenario to interact with external services. Through this node, you can retrieve, send, and interact with data from an array of platforms.

This is primarily steered by the API you elect to connect with via the HTTP request.

Our HTTP block streamlines setting up and sending requests. The standout “Create from Example {CURL}” feature lets you effortlessly convert CURL commands, often found in third-party app documentation, into HTTP requests, enhancing your API interactions across various services.

JavaScript

The JavaScript nodule significantly broadens your creative canvas. It enables data manipulation, new dataset generation, and the crafting of logic specifically tailored to your needs.

Your main limit here is your familiarity with JavaScript, but it’s less about expertise and more about creativity. Our JavaScript module includes a GPT-4 powered helper, similar to Github CoPilot, that can handle code operations once you initiate its syntax:

// your text request to the assistant.

Plus, our JavaScript block lets you integrate NPM packages directly. With over 1.3 million options, why start from scratch when solutions are already available?

Headless Browser

Heard of a "headless browser"? It's a web browser without a user interface. You issue commands, and scripts enact these actions, replicating human behaviors. While some startups are built around this, we've woven it into our platform, adding to your arsenal of tools.

To delve deeper into the prowess of the headless browser, check out our dedicated blog post “Automation Without API”.

Other Tools

We're relentlessly refining our tool library to enhance your experience on the platform.

• Convert Website to Text: Converts an entire website into text, ideal for SEO and content evaluations.

• JSON Parse: Translates JSON strings into organized data sets, making it a perfect fit for API interactions.

• Convert HTML to Text: Transforms HTML into plain text, facilitating webpage analysis.

• AI Text Parser: Employs AI to dissect text, pulling out specific entities like names, dates, and custom elements

  
  

Why just read about these features? Experience them yourself at app.latenode.com. We refresh the platform weekly, rolling out new tools, integrations, and updated functionalities for existing connections.

Comparison With Competitors

Integromat & Make

As we mentioned earlier, the Integromat team created an excellent product. However, we noticed that there were user requests in their community that seemed to be ignored for a long time.

Some of these requests were marked as 'planned' but stayed that way for over a year, while others received no response at all.

We explore why these features are so important in this article.

Here are some pivotal features we focused on from the outset of our journey:

• Merging scenario branches: This feature lets you consolidate multiple scenario paths into a singular module. For some tasks, this streamlines and speeds up the process, while in other contexts, it becomes a matter of viability.

  
  

• Restarting scenarios with historical data: This is very useful when designing and fixing scenarios. It removes the need to enter data manually each time there is a problem.

  
  

  
  

• Creating sub-scenarios as custom modules: This is like making a set of tools that can be used in many different scenarios. It makes building complex setups much easier and saves a lot of time.

Soon, we'll be launching a public library full of custom blocks. This will allow creators to make money every time their blocks are used, and it will make it easier for users to develop their scenarios.

Zapier

Zapier's design process is criticized for its lack of flexibility. Users are mostly stuck with a step-by-step approach. They've added some options for branching, but it’s still quite basic compared to visual drag-and-drop platforms. This simple design doesn't allow for complex setups.

Plus, Zapier doesn't let users add their own code, limiting advanced users who want more control over their setups.

Amazon AWS Cloud Functions

Amazon's AWS Lambda offers strong tools, but they're not easy for everyone to use. Starting with Lambda can be tough: you have to upload code files, manage settings, and more. Its complex interface and limited no-code options make it less appealing to many businesses.

n8n

Undeniably, n8n emerges as a fresh and potent contender in the automation arena. Given its foundation on NodeJS, it resonates well with a vast developer community.

However, in comparison, Latenode is forged from the swift and robust GoLang, underscoring unmatched performance and vast scalability horizons.

Fair Pricing

Some platforms, like Integromat, base their prices on the number of actions in a given task or scenario. This can get expensive, especially when you are working with a lot of data. For example, imagine you have a task that does the following to send 3,000 emails:

1. Picks an email address from a database.
2. Creates a unique email message for each person.
3. Sends the email, maybe using a service like Mailgun.

This sequence counts as 9,000 actions in total. If you pay a fixed price per action, the total cost can rise quickly. This pricing method can encourage users to use fewer "blocks" to save money, even if it results in a less-than-ideal setup.

It’s like being charged for every word in a traditional telegram message.

Latenode, however, is introducing a new way to price its services. Instead of counting actions or "blocks," it charges based on actual resources used, like computer processing time and memory.

This means you don't have to worry about limiting your tasks to save money. You are charged only for what you actually use, which makes the billing more fair and clear.

Right now, Latenode is in a beta phase, and it’s offering free access to early adopters. In the future, its prices are planned to be more competitive than those of Make and Zapier.

Conclusion

To conclude, our vision for the Latenode low-code platform is deeply personal — we aren't just creators; we are users ourselves. Our top priority was transitioning our own workflows from Integromat to Latenode.

When we bump into limitations on the platform, we’re nimble in crafting improvements, aiming to save others from facing similar roadblocks.

We warmly invite you to be part of our Discord community of low-code enthusiasts. Join us there! We are eager and ready to address any questions you might have! 🙃