Introduction:
Low Code Development is inevitable for companies that believe in changing for the better. Abilities can never remain constant, polish your skills, and acquire new to survive in the ruthless markets. Market prediction for the market size of Low Code Development Platforms $ 27.22 billion by the year 2022, this indicates the global acceptance of this technology.
What is Low Code Development?
It is a unique and easy method to build applications faster using minimum coding. The graphical tools for designing an application eradicate the need of detailed and excessive coding. Low Code is a modern approach to application development.
Why do companies use Low Code Development?
The benefits of Low Code Development compel companies to adopt this new development concept.
- Build complex business applications even with less experienced developers
- Speedy development compared to the traditional programming
- Rescues us from syntax errors of serious coding
- Saves time, money and efforts of managing tasks
- Adds to efficiency and productivity of the development team
- Ideation and execution is simplified to match the deliverables
- Low Code Development enables automation of time-consuming and monotonous routine tasks
- Reduced dependencies allow faster modifications to the software
- Lesser complexities in software maintenance due to low code
- Amputate the hiring costs of expert’s software engineers
- Assists in maintaining quality standards
- It fills the skill set gap and new development techniques empower programmers
- Bug fixing is much faster for the developers who save time on unfruitful coding
- A mock-up technique saves days of programmer’s efforts
- Collecting feedback in real-time brings relief
- Create a work atmosphere of quick thinkers and better solution intended people
- Quality check is easy by constant evaluation of whether programming is within the scope of the requirement
- Scheduling and rescheduling of activities add to managerial efficiency
Who should opt for Low Code Development?
Companies that have huge and frequent software requirements or constant changes/customization of features are what you deliver. You have to build applications that cannot wait for IT experts to finish it due to the challenges faced by other departments. If the backlog is unmanageable and the development team is unable to meet deadlines, create at least the minor level forms and simpler service log using low code development. You can Compare Low Code Development Platforms before you decide to take it on.
Why is it easy to implement the Low Code Development in organizations?
Programming simplifies the tasks businesses perform in routine; requirements depend on the business processes. Down the line, people denied automation of tasks and now they expect better features and faster solutions.
Graphical tools give a better understanding and hence are easier than coding for the requirement. Handwritten codes are likely to be complicated based on the understanding of the individual and the thinking pattern, making the maintenance difficult.
Comparison: Compare Low Code Development Platforms (LCDP)
Appian: It is the best low code development platform with ability to deliver faster and automate the business processes. Users reviewed it as a powerful tool to create solutions to meet customer expectations and improve operational efficiency.
Features and Benefits:
- Web-based platform eliminates the access constraint
- Faster conversion of ideas to innovative solutions
- Create dashboards and
- Instant deployment
- Drag and Drop tools
- Point and Click development tools
- Fast screen mock-ups
- Pre-built connectors enable faster integration
- Development suitable for every device type
- Build to deploy everywhere
- Built- in task management
- Great integration with other applications
- Create graphical and textual reports
- Latest cloud services available
- No code integration to AI/ML platforms via Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure
Limitations:
- Sometimes we have to opt for hard coding
- User training is time-consuming
- Customization is bit challenging
- Difficult to navigate objects in designer tool
- When we compare Low Code Development Platforms, mid-sized companies and enterprises prefer Appian.
OutSystems: A platform that lets you build applications at ultimate speed yet is easy to manage and edit applications using low code development. Deliver apps rapidly with the well designed low code development platform.
Features and Benefits:
- Low learning curve, flexible and easy to use
- Quickly create prototypes, simplifies the DevOps cycle
- Reusable codes and UI
- Deliver scalable applications
- Develop end-user interface having modern look and at a high pace
- Easy debugging
- Add explicit custom code
- Flawless deployment of your apps, on-premises or cloud environments
- Easy integration of existing systems with new applications built using OutSystems
- Perfectly develop and deploy the full-stack apps in one click
- Easy to connect, integrate apps with any system
- Adheres to the high-security standards that ensure the safety of applications from design to development level
- Create rich mobile apps, responsive web apps, and reliable enterprise-grade applications
- Better user experience with the real-time performance dashboards
Limitations:
- Versioning requires attention and a better solution
- Automate the menu positioning instead of manual adjustments
- Filtering requires an easy way out
- Repository management needs polishing
- Implement other code snippets like Java
- Training documents are vague
- Search functionality crashes many times
If we compare Low Code Development Platforms, small, mid-sized companies and enterprises prefer OutSystems.
KissFlow: Create customized apps from the inbuilt apps of this software and automate business processes easily. Streamline the processes to add up competence.
Features and Benefits:
- Eliminates the need for coding
- Get a complete view of a task in progress
- Digitalize testing process
- Customize form designing and approvals
- Digitize forms efficiently
- Drag and drop facility for add/edit and task logic
- E-mail notifications towards task completion is a great tracking method
- Adds transparency to the development process
- Define and manage dependencies
- Visual learning makes using the tool interesting
Limitations:
- Continuous internet dependency
- UI needs to be more interesting
- Expect more features
- Facility to reassign forms is missing
- Too many fields for creating forms is at times problematic
While you compare Low Code Development Platforms, rest assured that KissFlow is best suited for small, mid-sized companies and enterprises.
Microsoft PowerApps: It gives freedom to use templates or start from starch and develop your own way. This platform connects the database of your app to simplify logical sequencing for building apps having stronger business logic.
Features and Benefits:
- Pre-built templates and UI objects assist in creating new apps
- No coding for basic app development
- Point and click app designing to build tailored applications speedily
- Advanced level workflow automation
- Useful to build apps that need complex UI
- Being built on cloud developers can benefit from Azure functions
- Greater control over business process automation
- Create mobile and desktop apps simultaneously
- External users enjoy using applications built on low code
Limitations:
- Require more options to tweak code
- Detailed learning needed to understand the features offered
- Tooltip needed to explain the function
As you compare Low Code Development Platforms, it gets clearer that Microsoft PowerApps is certainly for mid sizes and large enterprises.
Mendix: It supports applications developed for any device no coding experience required speeds up the app development process. Build apps focusing on the business context.
Features and Benefits:
- Build applications for all kinds of devices
- Custom themes, and in-built templates, help in designing quickly
- People with no IT exposure
- Fast and flexible development
- Single-click deployment
- Easy project management
- Integration with life cycle management and other systems
- Offline working capability
- Real-time check on models
- Automated backups and reusable components
- UI & UX incorporated mobile features
- Pre-built connectors for IoT and ML
Limitations:
- Added flexibility can grant better control
- Widget development is complex
- At times the release cycle contains drawbacks of earlier versions
- Deploying on cloud takes time
- Trouble in generating reports and documents
Whereas you compare low code development platforms Mendix turns out beneficial for medium and large enterprises.
Salesforce Lightning: Build mobile apps with advanced security features. It is easy to use yet can help to form business solutions that have higher complexities.
Features and Benefits:
- Create apps from spreadsheets instantly
- Handle app building that has complex workflows like an expert
- Deployment management, no-code, and source control
- Easily set-up and add workflow
- Latest UI
- Easy navigation within the platform
- Hover feature for most of the buttons ease the work
- Transparency with this platform is an advantage for the development team
- Reusability of the components
- Integration with third-party data
Limitations:
- Creating reports can be challenging due to a lack of clarity on fields
- Needs high-speed internet connection
- Each user cannot have a customized view
- Steep learning curve
If you compare low code development platforms Salesforce Lightning turns out beneficial for medium and large enterprises.
Compare the Low Code Development Platforms:
| Sr. No. | LCDP | Free Trial | Price Range | Deployment | Operating system | Mobile Application |
| 1 | Appian | Yes | USD 90 Per Month | On-premise, Saas | Windows, Mac | Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Mobile Web |
| 2 | OutSystems | Yes | Free Plan & USD 6250 | Cloud, SaaS, Web | Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based, Android, iPhone-iPad, Windows Phone, Mobile Web App | Mobile Web, iOS, Android Native |
| 3 | KissFlow | Yes | USD9 user/ per month | Cloud | Windows, Mobile Web | iOS, Android devices |
| 4 | Microsoft PowerApps | Yes | USD 10 – 40 user/per month | Cloud | Windows, Mobile Web | iOS, Android, Windows devices |
| 5 | Mendix | Yes | Free and USD 1875+ | Private & Public Cloud, On-Premise | Windows, Web-based, Linux, | Android, iOS, Windows Phone |
| 6. | Salesforce Lightning | Yes | USD 25 user/month | Cloud | Windows, Web-based, Mac | Android, iOS, Windows devices |
Other options you may consider to compare Low Code Development Platforms are Pega Platform, Nintex Platform, Skuid, Zoho Creator, Caspio and more…
Closing Statement:
Dedication to produce quality software will lead to the creation of solutions that matter. Give your customers what they deserve, a prompt service and ample of unique features with dynamic use of Low Code Development Platforms.