There has never been a better time to build that killer app that can be the basis for a business. Any novice or experienced entrepreneur can startup quickly and for very little investment. With the no-code platforms currently available to all types of founders (technical or not), taking a currently successful model and building your own niche is very tempting.
One of those options might be building a clone of Reddit or Quora, which might seem like a large undertaking, but in reality, it’s not as hard as you might imagine.
What Sort Of Social Media App Are You Looking To Build?
As the title implies, this article is about building something akin to Reddit or Quora, but it is worth remembering the type of social media app they are compared to others that you can also build. Both are community and Q&A platforms for people to discuss subjects within their own niche.
This differs from social network apps where the focus is on connecting people to continue or build new relationships, like LinkedIn (professional) and Facebook (personal). Apps like Instagram and TikTok are designed around media sharing of photos and videos, whilst you could build content sharing or blogging platforms like Medium and Pinterest.
Understanding the types of social media app you want to build is key because it affects all the other decisions you make on the functionality, templates, and data you will want.
The Features You Will Need
When looking to build your community-based social media app, you’ll need to build in the following core features. It is important to understand what is needed to select the right no-code platform to deliver your solution.
User Profile
You’ll need to allow people to create a user account and then store a series of information against the account, from personal information to their preferences or submitted questions.
Questions / Subreddits
You will either want to allow the users to post a question or create subreddits (sections) where others can then respond. These will be data field types, and against each one, you’ll need to know the user who submitted the question/subject, anyone who responded to it, and the information about the subject.
Push Notifications
Regardless of the application you are looking to replicate. You will want notifications as a feature to keep users engaged and drive them back to the site.
Respond To Posts / Answer Questions
A critical part of the app is the ability to respond to posts or to answer questions. You'll need this functionality built into the platform you choose, retaining this information against both the post and the individual that makes the comments.
Post Engagement
You need to give users ways to respond to posts other than just answering. Traditionally this would involve UpVoting a post so others can see how popular a post is, and it can be used in an algorithm to decide when to show it to more people.
Search
No app is complete without a search function allowing users to look for specific topics or questions that interest them. This simple function in tools like Bubble will have a search box element built-in as standard.
What Platforms To Use
There are some platforms available to achieve your goal of building a clone of Reddit or Quora, we will look at three we think you might consider.
Bubble.io
One of the oldest and most popular no-code platforms, it is also a top choice for making a Reddit or Quora clone. So much so, that they have pages on their site dedicated to how to do this. They take you through a detailed technical overview of exactly how to create Reddit or Quora using Bubble.io.
Once you’ve signed up for your Bubble account, you can follow the step-by-step guide to creating what you need - configuring the app; building subreddits or creating questions; user profiles; creating posts; commenting or answers; searching - everything you need for your app.
WordPress
The biggest website builder happens to be a no-code giant, and by utilizing one of the Reddit-inspired themes you will be able to get your development off to the perfect start. A great example would be the UpVote theme, a social bookmarking theme.
From here, you can utilize several good plugins to provide all the functionality that you will need to make a Reddit clone in WordPress. A perfect place to start is WPForms, which is ideal for user registration and creating surveys or questions.
Adalo
Another popular no-code platform that’s already proven to be able to build a clone of Reddit is Adalo. In fact, it is possible to build all the required functionality without investing in the Pro account; it can be built with all free features.
Utilize the features for signup; Subs; Posts; Likes; Followers; Search Bar. They are simple to implement, and you’ll be building your Reddit or Quora clone in no time.
How Much Will It Cost And How Long Will It Take?
Any startup or entrepreneur wants to understand how much it will cost to create a clone of Reddit or how long it takes to build a clone of quora? The answer is with no-code it will take a fraction of the time and cost it would take with traditional development.
If you are prepared to utilize the tool yourself, then a license for the different no-code app builders will cost around $100 per month. However, if you want to focus your efforts elsewhere, you’ll need to focus on no-code developers, which will come at a minimal cost compared to a normal development team.
You can look at finding an agency or freelancer directly with proven skills in the platform you choose. Alternatively, you might want to consider using a solution like WeLoveNoCode, where it’s possible to choose from thousands of qualified no-experts and build your own interim development team.
If you were to go this route, you could have your Reddit or Quora clone live in under a month, fully tested, and ready for launch. That might seem very quick, but these no-code tools were designed for speed and getting you live with your MVP.
Once in place, you can evolve and optimize while getting real users on the platform, providing feedback.
Start With A Plan
If you are looking to build a Reddit or Quora clone with no-code, you will want to have a plan that considers the following questions.
- Which features do you want to include? This will be vital when looking at the platform, you will use.
- How much do you want to spend on building the app? This answer will play a big part in the approach to the development you take.
- Do you want to build the app or outsource it? If you decide to build yourself, you’ll need to choose the platform carefully and give yourself more time. If you decide to outsource it, you’ll need to decide how to find your developers.
- If you decide not to build the app yourself, will you project manage the build? Without experienced product management input, you’ll struggle to ensure the build stays on track. Consider this when selecting your developers.
