Review of Tools for Zero-Code LLM Based Application Development

TL;DR

This survey reviews recent zero-code platforms leveraging LLMs for application development, categorizing their features, comparing their strengths and limitations, and discussing future directions to democratize AI-powered app creation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive taxonomy and comparison of zero-code LLM platforms, highlighting their core features, trade-offs, and future research directions.

Findings

Zero-code LLM platforms lower barriers to AI app creation.

Challenges remain in flexibility and reliability of these platforms.

The landscape is rapidly evolving with new opportunities.

Abstract

Large Language Models (LLMs) are transforming software creation by enabling zero code development platforms. Our survey reviews recent platforms that let users build applications without writing code, by leveraging LLMs as the brains of the development process. We adopt a broad survey methodology, categorizing platforms based on key dimensions such as interface style, backend integration, output type, and extensibility. We analyze both dedicated LLM based app builders (OpenAI's custom GPTs, Bolt.new, Dust.tt, Flowise, Cognosys) and general no code platforms (e.g., Bubble, Glide) that integrate LLM capabilities. We present a taxonomy categorizing these platforms by their interface (conversational, visual, etc.), supported LLM backends, output type (chatbot, full application, workflow), and degree of extensibility. Core features such as autonomous agents, memory management, workflow orchestration, and API integrations are in scope of the survey. We provide a detailed comparison, highlighting each platform's strengths and limitations. Trade offs (customizability, scalability, vendor lock-in) are discussed in comparison with traditional and low code development approaches. Finally, we outline future directions, including multimodal interfaces, on device LLMs, and improved orchestration for democratizing app creation with AI. Our findings indicate that while zero code LLM platforms greatly reduce the barrier to creating AI powered applications, they still face challenges in flexibility and reliability. Overall, the landscape is rapidly evolving, offering exciting opportunities to empower non programmers to create sophisticated software.