Buzzy

Buzzy is a low-code platform used to build web and mobile apps. We’ve been around for a while, and focused largely on data-gathering apps and forms required for field work – offline capable, with geolocation and tons of useful features. Functional but dry. We’re now bringing that into the design space (via a Figma plugin) and are excited to see what you can come up with.

Yes – but it’s free, and simple. The Buzzy Figma plugin works by allowing you to markup your Figma file – when you ‘publish’ your app, Buzzy extracts your designed objects from the Figma file and converts them into a Buzzy app using your design, coupled with the functionality, data and behaviours you told Buzzy to use via the plugin. The plugin will guide you through the log in process.

Buzzy itself already has mobile apps and a bunch of cool features (see above) – we’re working to make that available via Figma, so you can use your own design as an interface, rather than the standard Buzzy UI.

Buy vs Build? It’s a common conundrum for organisations to grapple with. The key question is, do you have the skilled resources and time to both build AND maintain the solution long term?

Buzzy has invested many people years into the development of the technology that is used in production today. Buzzy will continue to enhance and maintain that software, keeping up with the continually changing goal posts of tech platforms like Apple and Google. In effect, you’re getting the collective benefit of many customers who all contribute a relatively small amount to the ongoing development and maintenance of the solution.

​While there are some other ‘Figma to no-code’ platforms, Buzzy uniquely supports both responsive web and native mobile. Additionally, a lot of other Figma to code tools provide a thin veneer of the application, leaving you, the developer, to do all the smarts like the data binding, validation, business logic and native functionality like offline capability or spatial/geolocation features.

When you’re looking at Buzzy, which does have a hosting component, please be sure to include the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which includes all the additional effort to host and maintain a solution of equivalent features.

You can import data from a CSV, REST API or Google Docs, and use JSONata as an Extract Transform. You’ll need to dive into the Buzzy CMS, which forms the back-end of your app – we’re working on adding a simpler data import wizard to the plugin to make this easier.

In the meantime, check out these docs on importing data from a URL and importing data via the Buzzy REST API. Our Recipe app example in the Figma community demonstrates this.

Buzzy has a HTML widget which lets you use custom HTML and javascript, and runs in a sandboxed iframe. We provide a couple of ways of providing data to this, including handlebars and event messaging.

Buzzy also allows you to “call out” to 3rd party end-points via REST APIs. For example, you could call remote code functions like AWS Lambda,  DigitalOcean Functions, Zapier, SaleForce or any system that has a REST API endpoint. Those systems can then perform some function and, if required, return to Buzzy via the Buzzy API.

Buzzy integrates with a variety of platforms and services, and includes options for customising your own solution. Supported options include:

​Google maps/Open Street maps – built into the product via an ‘Advanced Location field’; our original platform native app also handles offline maps and geolocation tracking, but this is not yet available via the Figma version of Buzzy.

• Stripe – Accept payments via Stripe
• Buzzy rules – call external REST APIs
• Buzzy REST API – allows external applications to call in (which can also fire Buzzy rules)
• Custom (HTML) components – add your own custom code that can interact with Buzzy data using handlebars or js
• Buzzy importer – integration with Google Sheets, CSV files and REST APIs for importing data
• SSO – with various authentication systems like Google and Microsoft.

No, our Buzzy Creator licences may be all you ever need. These licences are for working in Figma with your colleagues, collaborating on designs and testing your app with real user feedback. You can do user testing with up to 5 named users on the ‘app.buzzcompany.com’ server.

If you want to go further, including running your app in production under your own URL, with your own database on your own server, or as a native app in the Apple and Google stores, you’ll need to choose a deployment (hosting) plan.

There are 2 core deployment patterns – as a web app, and as native apps for iOS and Android. We have small, medium, large or enterprise deployment (hosting) plans, and the right one for you will depend on the requirements of your specific app (see below).

How do I get my app into our own Apple or Google (Play) store?

You’ll need a deployment plan. The Buzzy platform actually allows you to preview your app as a native app, however Apple and Google mandate that we follow their publishing protocols, which means that at this point in time it is only feasible for us to provide this via a Medium (or better) deployment plan.

This depends on the specific application and factors like user concurrency levels, transaction rates etc. As with any software solution, sizing should be taken into consideration when planning and designing your system. Our Large + Advanced Features are aimed at providing you a flexible and cost effective way of providing a performant solution for your customers. Check our pricing page for details.

Buzzy uses MongoDB under the covers, which has incredible ability to scale and deal with complex data.  Each Buzzy server gets its own MongoDB cluster, and yes, you can get access to it, however we recommend getting your data from the Buzzy REST API to ensure you maintain data integrity.