Gone are the days when you needed to spend huge amounts of money and wait for days/months or hire professional developers to build apps. Well, thanks to the advancement in technology. Now, you don’t necessarily need to be a coding expert or have knowledge of coding to build great applications.
Developing applications have become easier with low code no code platforms. What’s the best part? Low code or no code applications ensure that you write little to no code and still develop innovative apps that drive your business growth. Apart from that, these apps also ensure workflow automation, and provide other functionality to enhance your business processes.
Hence, businesses that are looking to scale new heights must look for unique solutions to enhance their productivity. Low code platforms might be a great solution in this regard. To learn more about the best LCNC platforms, read on!
Low Code/No Code Platforms are tools that allow non-technical users to create their own software applications without having to write complex codes. The adoption of this alternative app development method gives users the freedom to quickly build applications without the need of writing codes line by line. Hence, it provides greater user accessibility which in turn promotes innovation and reduces the burden of IT departments.
Low code and no code development platforms provide an integrated development environment that helps business professionals and developers to conveniently drag and drop application components. They can then connect them together to create a responsive mobile or web app without having to do extensive research, write or test new scripts. Hence, no code low code platforms help professionals with limited or no knowledge of programming languages or coding to create applications easily.
According to a recent study, 84% of companies have turned to low code application development process to increase digital assets, reduce strain on IT departments and achieve greater agility. Given these figures, it is evident that companies must adopt digital transformation. Below, we’ll discuss the benefits of LCNC platforms.
While traditional application development involved a skilled developer manually writing codes, low code no code platforms come with readymade templates that allow startups and small businesses to create custom made applications in no time.
Limited investment associated with low cost application development is one of the major benefits of LCNC platforms. It not only helps your business create responsive app in less time but also help you avoid hiring costs associated with professional developers who create custom made software manually.
We are living in a time where it is essential to respond quickly to changing opportunities and compliance issues. The simple interface of LCNC platforms enable companies to be more agile and experiment with new ideas without the need for external resources.
Low code/ no code platforms allow quick integration with numerous services, thus, maintaining a uniform multichannel experience. It will allows the users to identify the source, validity, and also the quality of data in order to make informed decisions.
Unlike manual coding process, users don’t need to read a code line to make changes in no code process. They can instead easily release an updated app by making changes with the visual interface.
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Now that you know the benefits of low code and no code platforms, you might be thinking about investing in one for your business. The following platforms are some of the best available in the market for startups to SMBs.
Zoho Creator is a low code platform that allows users to build applications easily. No matter what level of coding experience you have, this tool makes everything quick and secure with its great collection of pre-built apps. It helps you design, develop and run any business software seamlessly by offering you customized solutions.
Zoho Creator Features:
Zoho Creator Pricing: Zoho Creator offers 15 days’ free trial. The professional plan starts @INR 1,000 per user per month that is billed per annum.
Google AppSheet is a no code app development platform that helps you build apps quickly with your existing data. It automatically generates app prototypes and provides quick suggestions for easy customization of the app. One of the highlighting features of AppSheet is that you can create bots to automate manual tasks. You can also create workflow logic and introduce machine learning models.
AppSheet Features:
AppSheet Pricing: Test apps for up to 10 users by using features from any paid plan for free. The starter plan costs INR 397.31 per user per month. It includes basic application and automation features.
Appian is an integrated low code platform that helps build enterprise apps and achieve digital transformation. So, build highly intuitive apps faster with visual development without having to write all of the code from scratch. You can save costs up to 50 percent in app development with Appian. Start building your app today!
Appian Features:
Appian Pricing: Appian is available for free for 15 users. You can dive in and simply start creating apps. However, to get full access to the platform, you must purchase the application plan. The standard plan is priced at INR 5967.9 per user per month.
With Microsoft Power Apps, everyone can quickly build and share professional low code apps the easy way. They offer prebuilt templates, easy drag and drop & many more advanced features, allowing you to start building apps quickly. Hence, Microsoft Power Apps can be a great platform for developers who don’t have technical knowledge for app development.
Microsoft Power Apps is equally useful for professional developers who can extend their app capabilities by including Azure Functions. It further supports custom connectors for on-premises or proprietary systems.
Microsoft Power Apps Features:
Power Apps Pricing: Microsoft Power Apps subscription plans start at INR 397.6 per user per app per month. It runs on one app and includes 250 AI builder service credits per month.
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Outsystems is a feature-packed, low code software for enterprises of all sizes to develop any kind of application. This well-designed tool doesn’t let you lose control of your code and allows you to use it the way you like. Using Outsystems, you can build applications fast while, and at the same time, inspire transformation and innovation that could change the world.
Outsystem Features:
Outsystem Pricing: OutSystems is available for free to develop an app for up to 100 users. The standard plan starts at INR 1,20,380.63 per month billed annually.
Mendix is a popular low code development platform that helps develop applications fast. It helps you build solutions through workflow automation and focus on delivering the best user experience. Mendix aims to change the way developers build apps by incorporating the elements of scalability, speed and user experience.
Mendix Features:
Mendix Pricing: Mendix is available for free in which users get access to Mendix platform, templates, apps, free online academy and community support & more. The basic plan starts at INR 3995.51, which includes 5 users and access to log files, 9/5 support among other things.
Salesforce Lightning is one of the most powerful low code tools for companies to develop apps faster. The lightning platform allows businesses and IT professionals with limited or zero coding experience to create intelligent app experiences without building it from scratch.
Salesforce Lightning Features:
Salesforce Lightning Pricing: The pricing starts at INR 1990.87 per user per month that is billed annually. Users get access to 10 custom objects, process automation, Lightning App builder & more.
Creatio is one of the best low code and no code platforms where users can find multiple unique solutions such as premade templates to accelerate the app delivery process. Right from section structure to UI design, Creatio provides numerous options for customization and lets you build apps without writing a single line of code.
Creatio Features:
Creatio Pricing: Creatio offers a free tool for unlimited users as process designer for collaborative process design with access to library, process documentation & more. The studio enterprise plan is priced at INR 1991.04 per user per month.
Retool is one of the best no code tools to create advanced apps with a graphical user interface. It makes it quick to build apps through its easy drag and drop features and other powerful building blocks such as charts, lists, forms & more. You can connect them to databases to build your own internal tools. In addition, with Retool you can import any library via URL and use them as and when you like.
Retool Features:
Retool Pricing: Retool is available for free for unlimited users with access to all component types, advanced features, data sources and so on. The paid plan for teams starts at INR 796.32 per user per month. You can also check out the best retool alternatives.
Quixy is a cost effective no code platform that empowers users with no code experience to build enterprise friendly apps conveniently. It is a cloud-based app that helps professionals who need digital solutions fast. Further, it helps automate, optimize and manage processes across the organization and create workflows.
Quixy Features:
Quixy Pricing: With Quixy, you can get a demo or free trial. The platform plan starts at INR 1593.23 per user per month. It allows you to create apps for a minimum of 20 users and is apt when the number of apps or workflows is high.
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Despite being a new concept, low code or no code tools have revolutionized the way developers work. According to a study by Gartner, it is predicted that low code application building would gather over 65% of all app development functions by 2024.
Now, let’s look at a few examples of LCNC apps!
Examples of low code apps:
Examples of no code apps:
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The main difference between low code and no code development platform is that low code is aimed at professionals with limited coding knowledge while no code targets business users who have good domain knowledge but lack the expertise to write code themselves. Hence, anyone can utilize no code platforms as no technical expertise is required.
Let’s have a look at some other feature differences between low code and no code.
| Point of comparison | Low Code | No Code |
| Training requirement | Appropriate for users with programming language | No technical experience required |
| App integration | Great system integration adaptability | May frequently fall short |
| Code modification | Developers can make changes to the code anytime | Closed system as it can operate on a single version of any app |
| Target audience | Developers | Anyone interested in app development |
| Security concerns | Low risk involved due to robust security processes | High risk as compared to low code platform |
Low code/ no code has seen a rise in popularity in the recent years. While both the programming platforms have become more noticeable in recent times, they have a longer history.
The term “Low code” was coined in the year 2014 by Forrester to categorize development platforms that focused on ease of use and development simplicity. However, the exact low code trend started way back. To exactly answer who created LCNC programming platform would be difficult as it depends on exactly how you define these terms.
Nevertheless, let’s take a look at the brief history of low code development platforms.
As per experts, the demand for low code/ no code development platforms will only continue to grow in the future.
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For all the agility, scalability, and flexibility benefits of low code/no code platforms, there are a few limitations as well:
Check out the following user cases to see if LCNC platforms make sense for your business or not!
Conclusion
The future of low code/no code application development will see continued adoption especially for startups and SMBs and specific business needs. With that said, LCNC apps won’t completely replace the traditional approach of application development.
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FAQs
Low code is a visual approach that provides a development platform used to create responsive apps through a graphical user interface. With low code, you need little to no coding experience to build applications and business processes.
No code is a development approach that helps create any software or app without coding. It is a promising alternative that allows even non-technical users to create apps conveniently.
Low code platforms are for business users who don’t have much experience of programming language or coding for that matter.
No code platforms are appropriate for users who have no coding knowledge to build applications conveniently.
In addition to letting users build app conveniently, low code platforms improve digital operations for your business by boosting efficiency across multiple operations.
No code platforms let users create apps and customize them to deliver outstanding user experience. You can automate different business processes by creating apps with limited to no coding knowledge.
Zoho Creator, Mendix and Appian are some of the best low code development platforms packed with great features.
Appy Pie, Quickbase, and Creatio are the leading no code platforms. It is perfect for non-technical users who do not have any coding knowledge.
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