For years, companies chose either of the two approaches whenever they needed new software development. They either bought a system from an external vendor (like a SaaS or a PaaS product) or build new software from scratch using their own development resources. The “build” option, though offers a close fit to business needs, demands higher costs and a long wait. On the contrary, software from vendors is typically cheaper, be installed faster, but is less aligned with the business requirements. And though in some cases companies opt for these systems, many firms often see the need to change their business to suit the software than vice-versa.
But is it really worth changing essential business processes? What if we told you that there exists a third solution? Yes, you heard it right. Low code/no code platforms can provide a close fit to business requirements, require almost zero technical expertise, can be implemented quickly, and typically cost much less than systems developed in-house. Exciting, right? Let’s learn more about it.
What are No-Code and Low-Code?
A no-code framework is a platform that uses a visual development interface to enable non-technical (or business) users to build applications. The best part is that users don’t need any previous coding experience to build applications using no-code. Though it seems to be too good to be true, there’s a lot more to them. These tools usually have drag-and-drop capabilities and a user-friendly interface, allowing you to envision the implementation process and develop the overall business logic with ease.
In comparison, if we were to build something remotely similar to a functional program, we’ll need talented coders. Similarly, low code frameworks, on the other hand, are aimed at developers. It requires users to do some level of coding, albeit much less than what is required with the traditional application development approach. Such application development platforms abstract and automate every step of the application lifecycle. Henceforth, providing the flexibility to deliver apps faster.
How Low-Code is Different from No-Code
While low-code and no-code systems offer the same fundamental benefits, there are a few differences we must account for.
| Low-Code | No-Code |
| Primary users are software developers. | Primary users are business professionals. |
| Some technical skills and programming knowledge are needed. | No programming skills are needed. |
| All platforms provide end-to-end development. | Some platforms provide only a few limited capabilities. |
| Users can create complex apps using low-code platforms. | These platforms generally offer to create simple apps. |
| Cost-effective for organizations having an existing team of software developers (usually in-house). | Ideal for companies with backlogged IT teams and high requirements. |
| Generally employed for apps that require fewer updates and have a lifecycle of more than 5 years. | Can be integrative or standalone. |
| For example: Warewolf, Mendix, OutSystems, etc. | For example: Kissflow, Quickbase and Zoho, etc. |
If the use cases are complex, require integrations with other on-premises infrastructure or cloud apps, need to be deployed across the enterprise, have customer-facing or business-critical requirements, low-code is preferred. In all other general scenarios, no-code usually does the job right.
Further, in low code vs no code comparison, capability-level abstractions, behavior-level abstractions, and user-level abstractions are common.
Is Low-Code/No-Code Development Any Good?
These platforms put more problem-solving capabilities into the hands of non-IT professionals. Because of this everyday workers are able to more quickly and easily create business apps that help them do their jobs.
As you must’ve realized that it’s completely impossible to deny that no-code and low-code tools are having a significant impact on the market. By 2024, Gartner expects that about 65% of all app development will originate with low-/no-code platforms. Why? Because time-saving, cost-saving, and an all-in-one approach are only a few benefits of using the no-code/low-code creation framework. And if we see the broader picture, this can ease up the scaling process for businesses across the globe.
Additionally, these platforms also free professional developers from mundane programming tasks. Thus, development teams can use low-code/no-code platforms to quickly create apps for commodity functions and spend more time developing custom apps or addressing other initiatives that provide more value to their organizations.
Conclusion
It is clear that low-code and no-code platforms absolutely have a place in the world of development. Currently, the top areas where low-code/no-code are usually employed include business process or workflow-based applications, web and mobile front ends, and customer-facing applications.
And we must realize that low-code and no-code aren’t going to erase the need for traditional coders just yet.