Notes from the Build | Castle Digital Blog

Bubble to Kotlin. Cover illustration: an oversized phone showing an app screen, with a pink Ready for review pill.

Beyond No-Code

From Bubble to Kotlin: When to move your Android app into Android Studio (without blowing up your runway)

When a Bubble-built Android app should move to Kotlin and Android Studio, and how to stage the migration so it doesn't eat your runway.

Alex Burton

July 29, 2026

4 min read

Leave Bubble, keep your runway. Cover illustration: three stages from no-code through rebuild to production, with the rebuild stage highlighted.

Beyond No-Code

Hitting Bubble’s ceiling? A practical migration plan that won’t torch your runway

The signs you have outgrown Bubble, what is worth keeping, what needs rebuilding, and how to plan a migration you can actually afford.

Alex Burton

July 17, 2026

4 min read

When free starts costing. Cover illustration: app cards pressed hard against a pink ceiling line.

Beyond No-Code

How to make an app for free: the honest path from idea to MVP (and when “free” starts costing you)

You can get to an MVP without spending much. Here is how, and the point where free tools start costing you more than they save.

Alex Burton

July 15, 2026

7 min read

Where Bubble breaks. Cover illustration: app cards pressed hard against a pink ceiling line.

Beyond No-Code

Bubble App Builder Ceiling: What Breaks at Traction and the Migration Path

What actually breaks in a Bubble app once traction arrives, from slow pages to sprawling workflows, and the migration path that keeps you moving.

Alex Burton

July 12, 2026

5 min read

Fine for v1. Risky for v2. Cover illustration: app cards pressed hard against a pink ceiling line.

Beyond No-Code

Free app maker? Smart for v1. Risky for v2. Here’s the path beyond no‑code

Free app makers are the right call for a first version. Here is where they break as users grow, and how to plan the move before they do.

Alex Burton

July 10, 2026

3 min read

Free, for now. Cover illustration: an AI feature panel with its toggle switched on and a checklist of real problem, evaluated and monitored.

AI Strategy

Google AI Studio is free: when to use it, when to move on

Google AI Studio's free tier is a fast way to test AI features. Know its quotas and data rules, and when it's time to move to Vertex AI.

Alex Burton

July 8, 2026

5 min read

Past the builder. Cover illustration: three stages from no-code through rebuild to production, with the rebuild stage highlighted.

Beyond No-Code

No‑code App Builders Got You to MVP. Here’s How to Get to Production (Bubble, Glide, Lovable)

Bubble, Glide and Lovable got you to MVP. What breaks at traction, what to keep, and the staged path to a production app.

Alex Burton

July 3, 2026

4 min read

When no-code costs growth. Cover illustration: three stages from no-code through rebuild to production, with the rebuild stage highlighted.

Beyond No-Code

When your no‑code MVP starts costing you growth: the web app development path to production

When a no-code MVP starts slowing growth, and a staged path to a production web app on React, Node and AWS that keeps you live.

Alex Burton

June 21, 2026

4 min read

What it really costs. Cover illustration: a tilted cost estimate with one unbudgeted line and a pink total.

Founder & Product Education

Stop Trusting App Price Calculators: The Australian Founder’s Budgeting Playbook Beyond No‑Code

App price calculators miss the costs that actually decide a rebuild budget. A founder's guide to scoping and budgeting beyond no-code.

Alex Burton

June 17, 2026

4 min read

Notes from the build.

HR Tech Fest Sydney, day one: the tools are ready, the work isn't

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