Choosing Between App Builder and Dynamic Components

Select the ideal Avonni solution for your Salesforce requirements. This guide helps you understand the differences between App Builder Components and Dynamic Components, enabling you to select the best fit for your use case.


What Are These Products?

Avonni App Builder Components

Pre-built components optimized for Lightning App Builder's drag-and-drop interface. Access 15+ carefully selected components that cover the most common business needs with simple, no-code configuration.

Core Purpose: Get powerful functionality deployed quickly through familiar Salesforce tools.

Avonni Dynamic Components

A complete component development platform with 75+ components and advanced customization capabilities. Build sophisticated, interactive experiences with custom styling, logic, and component composition.

Core Purpose: Create fully customized, interactive user experiences with unlimited design flexibility.


Key Differences at a Glance

Aspect
App Builder Components
Dynamic Components

Component Library

15+ curated components for common use cases

75+ complete component suite

Configuration

Lightning App Builder Properties Panel

Purpose-built component builder

Customization

Standard properties and styling

Complete visual and behavioral control

Learning Curve

Minimal, uses familiar Salesforce tools

Requires learning the component builder

Deployment Speed

Minutes - drag, drop, configure

Longer - build, customize, deploy

Styling Options

Lightning Design System Default

Full custom branding

Interactions

Basic display and filtering

Advanced logic, actions, component communication

Component Composition

Single components per placement

Nest and combine multiple components

Best For

Standard Business Requirements

Complex, custom experiences


Which One Is Right for You?

Choose App Builder Components When

You Need Quick Results

  • Deploy components in minutes, not hours

  • Standard functionality meets your requirements

  • Speed of implementation is the priority

Example: "I need to show a list of related Opportunities on my Account page with filtering and search by tomorrow."

Your Team Uses Lightning App Builder

  • Salesforce admins are comfortable with the interface

  • No need to learn new tools or platforms

  • Want to stay within native Salesforce workflows

Example: "Our admin team manages all Lightning pages and isn't familiar with custom development tools."

Standard Features Are Sufficient

  • Display data in tables, lists, calendars, or maps

  • Basic filtering, sorting, and search capabilities

  • Standard Lightning styling works for your brand

Example: "We need a Kanban board to visualize our opportunity pipeline by stage with standard Salesforce styling."

Use Cases:

  • Related record lists with filtering (Opportunities, Cases, Contacts)

  • Event calendars on record pages

  • Sales metrics and KPI displays

  • Product image galleries

  • Location maps for accounts or assets

  • Timeline views of activities

Choose Dynamic Components When

You Need the Complete Component Library

  • Require specialized components not available in the App Builder selection

  • Need access to all 75+ components for diverse use cases

  • Want future-proof access to new component releases

Example: "We need an advanced data visualization component with custom chart types and interactive drill-down capabilities that's not available in the App Builder selection."

Custom Branding Is Important

  • Company branding requires specific colors, fonts, and styling

  • Need pixel-perfect design control

  • Want components that match custom design systems

Example: "Our portal needs components styled to match our corporate brand guidelines with specific colors and typography."

You Need Advanced Interactions

  • Components must communicate with each other

  • Require conditional logic and dynamic behaviors

  • Need custom actions and event handlers

Example: "When a user selects a row in the data table, we need to update a chart and show detailed information in a side panel."

Building Complex Experiences

  • Combine multiple components into integrated layouts

  • Need nested components within other components

  • Creating sophisticated multi-component dashboards

Example: "We're building a custom analytics dashboard with nested charts, filters that affect multiple visualizations, and drill-down capabilities."

You Have Development Resources

  • Team members who can learn the component builder

  • Time to invest in customization and configuration

  • Need for ongoing component maintenance and updates

Example: "Our Salesforce development team can dedicate time to building and maintaining custom component experiences."

Use Cases:

  • Custom portals with branded experiences

  • Complex dashboards with component interactions

  • Multi-step forms with conditional logic

  • Specialized workflows and processes

  • Custom data visualizations

  • Applications requiring component-to-component communication


Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Sales Team Needs Opportunity Tracking

Requirement: Display opportunities on account pages with filtering by stage and owner.

Solution: App Builder Components

  • Use the Data Table component

  • Configure in Lightning App Builder in 10 minutes

  • Standard filtering and sorting built-in

  • Meets the requirement completely

Why Not Dynamic Components? The standard functionality is sufficient, and the team needs it deployed quickly.

Scenario 2: Customer Portal with Custom Branding

Requirement: Build a customer portal with company colors, custom fonts, and branded user experience for external customers.

Solution: Avonni Experience Components

  • Custom styling and branding capabilities for Experience Cloud sites

  • Purpose-built for customer portals and community sites

  • Professional, branded user experience for external users

  • Native Experience Cloud integration

Why Not App Builder Components? App Builder Components are designed exclusively for internal Lightning pages and are not available for Experience Cloud sites. For any customer-facing portal or community, you must use Experience Components or Dynamic Components.

Scenario 3: Project Dashboard with Milestones

Requirement: Show project tasks in a timeline view with filtering by status and assignee.

Solution: App Builder Components

  • Use the Timeline component

  • Quick setup in Lightning App Builder

  • Standard filtering capabilities

  • Fast deployment

Why Not Dynamic Components? Standard timeline functionality is sufficient for the use case.

Scenario 4: Interactive Application Form

Requirement: Multi-step application form with conditional fields, custom validation, and integration with external systems.

Solution: Salesforce Flow Builder with Avonni Flow Components

  • Build multi-step forms using Screen Flows

  • Implement conditional logic with Flow's native capabilities

  • Add custom validation with Flow formulas and decision elements

  • Use Avonni Flow Components for enhanced visual design and user experience

  • Integrate with external systems using Flow's integration actions

Why Not App Builder Components? App Builder Components are designed for displaying and managing existing data, not for building interactive forms with complex workflows and conditional logic. For any form-based process requiring step navigation, field visibility rules, or user input validation, Flow Builder is the appropriate Salesforce tool.

When to Use Avonni Flow Components: Add Avonni's Screen Flow Components to your flows for enhanced visual styling, better user interfaces, and improved form experiences beyond standard Flow screen components


Can I Use Both Products?

Compatibility

Important clarification: The Avonni Experience Components package is an all-in-one package that includes both App Builder Components and Dynamic Components. When you install Avonni Experience Components, you get access to:

  • App Builder Components (15+ components with "AX -" prefix)

  • Dynamic Components (complete 75+ component library and builder)

  • Experience Components (for Experience Cloud sites)

What This Means

If you already have the standalone Dynamic Components package installed:

Installing Avonni Experience Components will install Dynamic Components again, but with a different namespace. This means:

  • You'll have two installations of Dynamic Components in your org

  • Each installation operates independently within its own namespace

  • The standalone Dynamic Components app remains functional

  • The Dynamic Components included in Experience Components also remains functional

  • Both versions appear separately in your org's app menu

  • No conflicts occur - they coexist safely

Result: You'll see Dynamic Components listed twice in your org, with each instance clearly labeled by its namespace. You can continue using your existing standalone Dynamic Components without any disruption, and optionally start using the version included in the Experience Components package.

In Custom Metadata: Dynamic Components will appear twice in your custom metadata records, but each serves its specific package instance and won't interfere with the other

Naming Conventions

App Builder Components: Prefixed with "AX -" (e.g., "AX - Data Table", "AX - Calendar")

Dynamic Components: Use standard naming without the prefix

This clear distinction prevents confusion when selecting components in Lightning App Builder.

Migration Path

Starting with App Builder Components: If you start with App Builder Components and later need advanced capabilities:

  1. Install Dynamic Components package

  2. Rebuild specific pages using Dynamic Components when needed

  3. Keep existing App Builder Component pages unchanged

  4. Gradually migrate based on priority and requirements

There is no automatic migration: Pages built with App Builder Components must be manually rebuilt if you want to use Dynamic Components features. However, you're not required to migrate—both can coexist indefinitely.


Licensing and Pricing

Important: App Builder Components and Dynamic Components are separate products with independent licensing. Contact [email protected] for specific pricing information and to understand which license type fits your needs.

Key Points:

  • Each product requires its own license

  • You can purchase one or both depending on your requirements

  • License terms and user counts may differ between products


Getting Started

App Builder Components Setup

  1. Install from AppExchange - Search for "Avonni Experience Components"

  2. Assign Licenses - Manage licenses in Setup > Installed Packages

  3. Configure Permissions - Assign "Avonni Experiences Admin" permission set

  4. Open Lightning App Builder - Edit any Lightning page

  5. Drag and Drop - Find components with "AX -" prefix

  6. Configure - Set properties in the right panel

  7. Save and Activate - Deploy immediately

View Installation Guide

Dynamic Components Setup

  1. Install from AppExchange - Search for "Avonni Experience Components"

  2. Enable Lightning Web Security - Required for installation

  3. Assign Licenses - Manage licenses in Setup > Installed Packages

  4. Configure Permissions - Assign appropriate permission sets

  5. Access Component Builder - Navigate to the Dynamic Components app

  6. Build Components - Use the visual builder to create custom components

  7. Deploy to Pages - Add completed components to Lightning pages

View Dynamic Components Documentation


Making Your Decision

Start Here

If you're unsure which product to choose:

  1. List your specific requirements - What do you need the components to do?

  2. Check the App Builder Components list - Are the 15+ available components sufficient?

  3. Consider customization needs - Do you need custom styling or interactions?

  4. Assess team capabilities - Can your team learn a new builder tool?

  5. Evaluate timeline - How quickly do you need this deployed?

For most organizations: Start with App Builder Components for immediate needs. Add Dynamic Components later if you encounter limitations or need specialized functionality.

Still Have Questions?

Contact our team for personalized guidance:

  • Schedule a Demo - See both products in action

  • Free Trial - Test components in your org before purchasing


Summary

App Builder Components delivers 15+ essential components optimized for speed and simplicity within Lightning App Builder. Choose this for standard business requirements and quick deployment.

Dynamic Components provides the complete 75+ component library with unlimited customization for complex, branded, interactive experiences. Choose this when you need advanced capabilities.

Both products are powerful tools—your choice depends on your specific use case, timeline, and customization requirements. Many organizations successfully use both products together, leveraging each for its strengths

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