3 Reasons to avoid using the Bubble.io Responsive Engine Beta (for now) [Updated June 2022]
Matt Blake
Read time: 3 minutes
UPDATED: June 2022
Bubble have announced that the New Responsive Engine will soon become the default page builder. I'd recommend becoming familiar with the how to use it. Plugin builders for plugins with visual elements have around 1 month to update their plugins.
Original post:
Are you using the Bubble.io Responsive Engine Beta? Back in November 2021 we were offered a glimpse at the Bubble upgraded responsive engine in beta.
Wikipedia's definition for beta software states 'the software is feature complete but likely to contain a number of known or unknown bugs'.
Beta software should not (should NEVER) be used for something mission critical such at the core of the MVP you're building with Bubble.
Don't get me wrong I think the Bubble Responsive Engine is the right direction to go and will make the platform even more appealing to no coders in the future. But right now the responsive engine is in beta.
Here are 3 reasons I advise my clients hold off using the new responsive engine (for now).
Right now when you're building a page in Bubble you're faced with using a page builder that has had years of public users by 1000s of no coders. This means many bug fixes and refinements to create a stable piece of software.
Compare this to the new Bubble Responsive Engine, which we can confidently say has been internally tested thoroughly - its status as beta software indicates that it is the second stage of its release cycle. However, the new responsive engine simply hasn't had the time or scale of users yet to make it as stable and polished as the current / old page builder.
Beta software allows the developers to gain more user exposure who when using the software will expose bugs and instabilities. All an important part of the software development process. But do you really want to be battling with extra bugs when building your no code MVP?
The Bubble plugin store can enrich, add features and take your Bubble app in almost any direction. Many of these plugins are listed for free by generous developers. If in any way the plugin requires an on page element you might begin to face difficulties if your page users the new responsive engine.
Plugin developers will at some point update their plugins for the new responsive engine but while the new page builder is in beta many will be hesitant. Why would they invest the time now when the software they must integrate with may change in the future?
If you want to make use the Bubble's rich plugin library I would advise avoiding the new responsive engine for now.
Due to the number of Bubble users who have upgraded to the new responsive engine Bubble are unlikely to make any huge changes. But in the process of adding features and squashing bugs they might just change the one thing the layout and function of your Bubble app depends on. Why run the risk that part of your app may become unusable?
In my experience building a no code app with Bubble requires a lot of trial and error to find your way. The new responsive engine is a step forward for Bubble bringing the page creation process much closer to how one approaches page layout with CSS or a WordPress page builder. However, it is still in beta. As tempting as it might be to try out the new software hold back on the mission critical parts of your web app.