These alexa skill platforms let you build an app in just minutes

The voice app market is booming; Dave Isbitski from Amazon Alexa announced two weeks ago during Voice Summit in NJIT that they have more than 45,000 skills in Alexa (It was around 26k when I

checked 2,5 months ago, huge increase). As of this spring, more than 47 million US adults are using voice-activated smart speakers powered by those skills. With the ever-growing popularity

of voice apps with consumers, there’s no better time for Alexa skill developers or those who want to build a Google Home action. And thankfully, developing such a skill doesn’t need to be

difficult. While it might seem complicated or intimidating to build a voice-controlled AI assistant, even a layperson can get a skill up and running in a matter of minutes. With an

easy-to-use Alexa skills platform and analytics for voice bots that we provide as Botanalytics.co, publishing a great voice app is a snap — here’s my picks for some of the best building

platforms. BOTSOCIETY Botsociety helps you design conversational interfaces for voice and chat. Do you have a story to tell? This tool helps you design and tell your story in a very simple

way. You can also invite your team and work collaboratively. They have a free starting package with all the features included, if you want to work on more than one project you need to check

other subscription packages starting from $49/month. Novice Alexa skill developers can easily create a simple skill in just minutes with the simple visual editor. STORYLINE Storyline is a

fast, simple Alexa skill builder. This Alexa skills platform doesn’t require any coding; just start with a welcome message, then add some responses in a simple flowchart interface. Storyline

is ideal for choose-your-own-adventure style games, simple conversations or news/media briefings. Most of Storyline’s features are free, though those looking for a beefier Alexa skills

platform can sign up for an enterprise-ready subscription at $49/month. VOICE APPS With a simple name comes a simple Alexa skill builder. Just like Storyline, Voice Apps uses an easy

drag-and-drop editor that pretty much anyone can use. So why should one use Voice Apps instead of other tools? One of Voice Apps’ strongest features is its sample skills, which lets Alexa

skill developers immediately create skills by customizing readymade intents and responses. Again, this is an ideal Alexa skills platform for novices or experienced users alike. The basic

plan is free, but those in need of some added features will only have to pay $19.95/month for the full suite. BLUTAG Blutag is multiplatform, which means you can use if as a Google Home

developer platform in addition to making Alexa skills. Its codeless interface, just like those above, makes it beginner-friendly. Just like Voice Apps, this Alexa skill builder offers a

variety of skill templates to get a head start on building useful voice applications. Blutag is particularly great for ecommerce brands dipping their toes into Alexa skills, since it offers

simple integration into existing ecommerce and retail platforms. JOVO Okay, Jovo is a bit different than any Alexa skills platform or Google Home developer platform detailed above. This one

_does_ require coding, although it does tout itself as being user-friendly thanks to its relatively simple framework. It also comes with templates, so even if coding knowledge is limited,

beginners can experiment with premade skills when developing their own. If you’re an experienced coder, you might wonder: what’s the _real_ benefit to using Jovo? The platform is

surprisingly community-focused. First, it’s totally free and open source to use. Second, Jovo offers a Slack channel for Google and Alexa skill developers using the platform, so you can

bounce off ideas or get help from other users if needed. That in itself might make it a great environment for new developers, even if they aren’t so skilled with code. CONVERSATION.ONE

Conversation.One is, once again, an excellent choice for developing Google Home actions and Alexa Skills alike thanks to its visual editor. It also offers both a free and a pay-as-you-go

plan, making it an affordable option for brand-new skills or those that need more support while scaling. What sets Conversation.One apart from other platforms, though, is that it can be used

to make voice apps as well as text-based chatbots. If you’re developing an application that can be used via voice as well as a text-based platform like Facebook Messenger, this would be an

easy platform for implementing it.