Bubble is great. Seriously. For validating ideas, getting to market fast, and bootstrapping without technical skills, it's genuinely good.

But you're reading this because something's off. Pages are slow. Features are hacky. You're spending more time fighting the platform than building your product.

The question isn't whether Bubble can do what you need. It's whether it's the right tool for where you're going.

Let me help you figure that out.

Signs It's Time to Migrate

1. Performance Is Killing Conversions

If your pages take 3-5 seconds to load, you're losing users. Not "maybe losing" — actually losing.

Studies show that every second of load time costs you 7% of conversions. If you've already optimized your Bubble app (fewer workflows on page load, efficient database queries, proper conditionals) and it's still slow, you've hit a ceiling.

The test: Check your analytics. If bounce rates are high and users complain about speed, that's a signal. If you're competing with apps that load instantly, the difference matters.

2. You Need Features Bubble Can't Do

Every no-code platform has limitations. Bubble is more flexible than most, but you'll eventually hit walls:

Complex real-time features
Advanced integrations that don't have plugins
Specific calculation or data processing needs
Custom UI interactions
Anything that needs backend processing Bubble doesn't support

If you're spending more time building workarounds than features, that's a problem.

3. Enterprise Customers Are Asking Questions

When bigger customers start asking about data security, SOC 2 compliance, or where their data lives, Bubble's shared infrastructure becomes a liability.

You can't easily:

Run on dedicated infrastructure
Get certain compliance certifications
Give customers data residency guarantees
Provide the security documentation enterprises require

If your growth path leads to enterprise, this matters.

4. Costs Are Scaling Faster Than Revenue

Bubble's pricing is reasonable at small scale. But as you grow, costs can escalate:

Higher tiers for more capacity
More workflows = more usage costs
Add-ons and plugins stack up

At some point, the economics flip. A custom stack might cost the same or less to run, while giving you more capability.

Do the math: Compare your projected Bubble costs at 2x and 5x your current scale versus the cost to run custom infrastructure. The crossover point exists — know where it is.

Signs You Should Stay on Bubble

Not every performance issue or feature limitation means you should migrate. Sometimes the answer is "not yet."

1. You're Not at Product-Market Fit

If you're still iterating on what you're building, stay on Bubble. The speed advantage of no-code is real. You can pivot, experiment, and rebuild in days instead of weeks.

Migrating before you have confidence in your product is wasting money.

2. Your Problems Are Solvable in Bubble

Before assuming you've outgrown Bubble, make sure you've actually optimized:

Are you loading too much data on page load?
Are your workflows efficient?
Have you tried Bubble's optimization features?
Would restructuring your database help?

Sometimes a week with a Bubble expert solves problems you thought required migration.

3. You Can't Afford the Investment

Migration isn't cheap. For a moderately complex app:

Assessment: $2,500-5,000
Build: $20,000-60,000
Timeline: 8-16 weeks

If that money would be better spent on sales, marketing, or runway, wait until the economics make sense.

4. Speed Still Matters More

Custom code is faster to run but slower to build. If you're shipping new features weekly in Bubble, migrating means slowing that velocity.

The question is whether the migration will unlock growth that justifies the slowdown.

How to Migrate (When You're Ready)

If you've decided migration is right, here's the smart way to do it:

1. Parallel Build, Not Big Bang

Keep your Bubble app running while you build the new system. No downtime for users, no pressure to rush.

2. Start with the Core

You don't need to rebuild everything on day one. Migrate the core functionality first. Some features can stay in Bubble temporarily or be rebuilt later.

3. Preserve What Matters

All your user data
User accounts and authentication
Stripe subscriptions and payment history
The workflows that actually matter

4. Plan for the Cutover

When the new system is ready:

Migrate data from Bubble
Point your domain to the new system
Have a rollback plan (just in case)

5. Build for What's Next

Don't just rebuild what you have. Build what you need. The new system should solve the problems that made you migrate in the first place.

The Bottom Line

Migration makes sense when:

Bubble is actively limiting your growth
The investment will pay back in unlocked revenue or customers
You have the resources to do it right

Migration is premature when:

You're still figuring out the product
The problems are solvable with optimization
The money is better spent elsewhere

There's no shame in staying on Bubble. Some products live there forever and do fine. The question is what's right for your specific situation.

Need Help Deciding?

I've migrated several products off Bubble (and told others to stay). Happy to give you an honest assessment of whether migration makes sense for you.

Book a call — 30 minutes, no pressure. Just a straight answer about your situation.

When to Migrate Off Bubble (And When to Stay)