Close to giving up on Ninox
I am so frustrated with Ninox and their incapable developers.
I am mainly using the iPad app (I have a 12.9" iPad Pro) but also the web app. Neither one is working reliable and full of bugs. I need to restart it like 10-20 times during the day.
I reported many bugs to them since last year and not a single one has been addresses. (e.g. duplicating a print layout won't copy the images).
As said, not a single one has been addresses.
The update they released today rendered the iPad app unusable. Only showing a white screen. And the WebUI now has new issues. Frankly, I don't know anymore how I can use Ninox and what to make out of all this.
I love it on one site but I can't use it because their apps and Web UI is nothing but a disaster and they don't fix anything.
I am very close on giving up on them despite having spent months of work on our DB.
What's your thought about their developers and issue addressing?
Are you frustrated too with all the bugs to a point that you want to call it quit?
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Ninox released an iPad app update just hours after the previous update which rendered it unusable. Credit for this super fast fix. If now all those other bugs could be addressed .....
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For me I use the MacOS app and only for personal reasons so the nagging issues are something I put up with. The price and availability for MacOS is the main reason I use Ninox. It is hard to find another DB that is as functional at the price of $35.
If I needed to use it for a business I’m not sure what I would choose.
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Fred I do use it for business. I didn't find anything which is nearly as simple as Ninox and the price is fair as well. I do understand that bugs happen but many bugs I reported almost a year ago are still not fixed. And this is causes grave concern.
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Go for the Private Cloud, you can choose when the updates are applied. We still work on 3.5... The iPads are also not updated, managed with inTunes. At least it saves you from new versions issues.
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buy This might be an option indeed. Do you still have to buy per user subscriptions then?
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for my part since yesterday, big bugs on Ipad. the screen overlaps?!! I'm waiting for the solution from support.
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@Alain The iPad app has tons of problems but since yesterday even more. I do use the iPadPro with the Magic Keyboard (which has the built-in trackpad). And that's is totally not working well. You can't scroll line items, after a few minutes you can't even click on line items etc.
It does work with touch input but not with the trackpad.
What I also see since yesterday is UI issues and that's among Browser based and App based (Mac, iPad).First screenshot shows how it looks since yesterday and the second screenshot how it looked before. But when I go to edit mode then it looks normal again. Annoying.
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Bernd Krell Good news. They just released an update fixing this issue.
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Bernd
Sorry to hear that your experience with Ninox is not so great.
I am using Nixon on the web for my business (multiple users) and by and large I don't have the kind of issues you are experiencing. Of course there are some shortcomings that may or may not be addressed in a future fix or update. Then there are other things I would like that may never happen if not enough demand is there for them to implement.
However, on the import shortcomings (usually following an update) that has effected or stopped business operation I have found that support have always sorted the issue out in good time.
So is it the best - No ( Finally - after a few years moaning - in the new 3.7 release we get double click direct edit of a sub form !!!!)
Is it good value for money - Yes
Is it frustrating - Yes at times (but I am a user - I have the right to moan!)
Am I ready to leave - Thought about it a few times but short answer is no ...... I have used a lot of other software in the past and Ninox is better that quite a few.
It's counter productive for us to moan /rant on the forum - cos the Ninox team don't really follow the threads (they should !) but really we should all bombard support - that way they might just sit up and take notice....
I'm sure you will make a decision that is right for you :-)
Mel
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Mel Charles Similar thinking. I do moan and I did look around what their competitors offer. Nothing came close to Ninox in terms of simplicity. It's a breeze and joy to develop our database in Ninox. In terms of bugs there are better ones. We have been using FileMaker for around 12 years. It's rock stable, zero bugs (at least nothing that effected us). But developing in FM requires a much higher learning curve. And the of course costs need to be considered as well. Running a FileMaker Server isn't exactly cheap.
So just like you, will I leave? No. But I do moan about all those pesky bugs. I am a paying customer and I should be able to complain for the known bugs which don't get addressed.
It's my first experience with Ninox having major bugs in a new release. But I am only 1 year on board. They have addressed this very quickly though, which is great.
Probably all would be much better for me if I would use a Windows computer but I am a die hard iPad Pro user. I've tested the Mac App and it has quite many bugs as well.
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Bernd Krell Ah - Like you I am a fully paid up member! If I am truly behind my business then why would i chance running free software. I think ( but can't be sure) that if you are on the web version. Then Ninox's primary goal is to ensure that runs as smooth as possible. ie updates/ fixes are released quick and semi regular. Ipad etc take a back seat - you can see this by the release notes for the new version 3.7.
I too used Filemaker (great software) but now expensive and MS Access ( too complex for some)! Frankly I loved Sapphires Dataease which was a brilliant Rad system and stable (ish). I used this for some 20 years - unfortunately to get this from server into the cloud was terrible and as Covid radically changed my thinking - no need for my team to travel, use desks etc and of course I could dump the office servers. Downside is my staff still see my ugly mug on Teams!
I'm very proud for what I have achieved with Ninox and my business is definitely all the better for using it (I could have used something else) but Ninox fundamentally does work and has let a very amateur coder (me!) put together a more sophisticated package that I ever had with any previous software. Is fairly priced and has freed me up to concentrate on attracting, winning and keeping more customers. So in those terms Ninox is a winner!.
Real down side - not many - but as Ninox is a SAS service over the web then unfortunately we the users will be deemed act as 'testers' for rushed out releases.
so.... Far from perfect but good enough! (not my company motto!)
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Mel Charles I couldn't agree more with you for all but one. iPadOS app taking a back seat. My stance on this is that if you do offer an iPadOS app (or iOS) then you must ensure it works as expected. If they wouldn't have one and let's say it would be under consideration to built one, then it would be a different story. But as soon as you release it, you will have people using and relying on it.
An important decision for me, when I was trying to find an alternative to FileMaker was, that I can use it on my iPad. I have subscribed because they advertised that they have an iPad app and that it can run in the web browser as well. While both is true, the reality is that both perform bad on the iPad. Not bad enough to drive me away from Ninox, but a challenge every single day with 10-20 force quits.
I would be patient if I would see that those issues are going to be addressed one by one. But this is not the case. They add new features but they don't fix what is broken. Which worries me quite a bit.
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Yeah, now the iOS version is even further behind as some v3.6 features still haven't been implemented.
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I have stopped my users using the app. I just send them to the web. In Safari after you open the website then I click the up arrow and select make a link on the desktop. Then that opens without any address bars etc. It works well
