Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right Low-code App Development Platform?

The use of low-code platforms makes it easy for businesses to develop apps efficiently and is becoming increasingly popular as these platforms make it effortless for businesses to build apps even with a lack of coding experience and helps save money as well as time. The low-code platform enables businesses with app plugins and visual development tools for the efficient development of apps.

What is a Low-code Development Platform?

A Low-code development platform is generally used in an effort to minimize traditional programming efforts and code at a fast pace. It is an application that provides the Graphical User Interface for programming with tools that aid in the quick development of code by reducing hand-coding efforts. These platforms not only aid with coding but also with the quick setup as well as deployment.

Is Low-Code development the future of application development?

Below are a few statistics that highlight the future of Low-code Application Development (LCAD) and No-Code Application Development (NCAD).

Based on the Gartner estimation, low-code app development platforms would account for over 65% of development by 2024.
Forrester predicted that the low-code market would top $21 billion spending by 2022.
A survey by Mendix shows that 70 percent of the developers with no programming background learned how to develop applications with a low-code platform in just one month or less, and 28 percent learned in just two weeks or less.
As per Research and Markets, the global low-code app development platform market is predicted to generate a revenue of $187.0 billion by 2030, and is expected to advance at a fast pace, 31.1% CAGR, during the forecast period (2020-2030).

How to choose the right low-code app development platform for your business?

Businesses need to identify the right low-code app development platform for their organizations when faced with multiple options to choose from. In order to do this companies need to implement low-code platforms in their regular company setup and discard tools that are in current use.

Some of the crucial questions companies need to ask before setting up low code app are as follows:

Will the low-code app aid in driving the company’s broader app delivery goals?
Or is it only solving a particular problem?

These questions will help businesses analyze crucial problems and choose a low-code app development platform that meets their overall company goals. A low-code platform with multiple features will not only have a simpler IT stack but also save time and prevent redundancies.

Identify the types of apps you will develop using the platform:

All low-code platforms are not developed equally, they are all created for diverse purposes. While some platforms will let you develop business apps, others have a specific focus. For instance, there are low-code tools that build apps that are specific for data-related problems, some for building mobile apps and others for workflow apps. Hence, identifying the problem the app you build will be solving is crucial before choosing the low-code platform. While purchasing a mobile-focused tool can be beneficial for your company, it might be useless when your company needs workflow or reporting apps. So, it is always recommended to invest in software that can help you solve multiple challenges.

Benefits of Using a Low-code Development Platform

With a Low-code development platform, you will not need full-time or expert coders for development, it will drastically reduce the barrier to cost, entry, and time taken for deployment. All you will need is a person with expertise in a field with some coding training.
While it is well known that low-code platforms enhance agility in app development, low-code platforms are additionally available for the integration of legacy mainframe systems. They bring similar benefits to the table – such as faster development, more resilient solutions, and the ability to quickly adapt to new conditions.
Low-code software platforms accelerate digital programs by allowing a wider, non-technical audience to swiftly assemble solutions.
While people with no, or low coding experience are now able to create digital products, it is also expediting development cycles. The game-changing aspect of low-code platforms is you can create seamlessly functioning products along with visually appealing designs in no time instead of weeks.
Low-code development drastically lessens the strain of software maintenance by removing the tedious plumbing work from day-to-day development. And with standardized components, there are far fewer bugs compared to traditional app development processes.
Low-code app development bridges the gap between business and IT teams so that both can solve challenges that impact the company.
It enables users with access to technical or business expertise, such as data analysis, machine learning, or app development due to a slighter learning curve.
A low-code app development allows non-coders to prototype solutions quickly. This is an added advantage for companies because these solutions can be evaluated, tested, and improved without having to involve the software development team.
Employees without technical backgrounds can efficiently develop innovative apps in a matter of few hours with the low-code app development platform.
Since the application development part of the business is taken care of by the software, companies can now focus on the business development side of things.
This is the right time for entrepreneurs and small business owners to test ideas and offer products, services, as now people in their bedrooms, garages, and small shops can start new businesses and grow their existing markets without significant investment in IT agencies or consultants.

Top 5 Low-code Development Platforms

Microsoft PowerApps – Microsoft PowerApps provides the low-code development platform through PowerApps, to build the applications. PowerApps is rich in its features and a powerful tool for building apps with a little complex UI. Its features include cloud-based services integration, Workflow automation, App sharing, App running, etc. And in addition, developers will be able to extend the app capabilities with pro-developer extensibility.

Zoho Creator – Zoho Creator‘s cross-platform app builder not only helps develop quicker native mobile applications but also helps develop apps on the web, publish and use them on both iOS and Android devices, and offers multi-platform access. The software aids in building applications with minimum coding which in turn drastically reduces app development time as well as effort.

Kissflow – BPM & Workflow Software – Kissflow- BPM & Workflow Software enables you to develop custom apps and automate your business processes. It provides more than 45 pre-installed apps to create your business applications with great efficiency.

Mendix – Mendix is another such low-code app development platform that provides the platform for building applications. It supports application development for all or any device. Additionally, it also has the option of public cloud, private cloud, as well as the on-premises deployment. The Enterprise edition also involves facilities such as automated backups and horizontal scaling.

Salesforce Lightning – If you are looking to build mobile apps with advanced security then, the Salesforce Lightning platform is your answer to it. It also comes with Pro-Code tools that will allow you to use any programming language for developing apps. Additionally, it also offers features like embedding AI & IoT and integration with Salesforce & third-party data.

Why Microsoft PowerApps Ranks Top in the Market of Low-Code Application Development Platforms?

Microsoft’s PowerApps low-code development offering was among four market leaders identified in a new report from research firm Forrester.

Power Apps allows fusion teams, from citizen to professional developers, to seamlessly collaborate – PowerApps’ a combination of drag and drop functionality and rich developer tools like GitHub and Azure DevOps enables all developers to be both productive and collaborate effectively.

A powerful built-in data platform including rich connectivity – Power Apps includes Microsoft Dataverse, a fully managed data platform built along with Microsoft Azure. Dataverse offers the range, sophistication, as well as security required to manage advanced workloads.

Deep integration across the entire productivity experience – Anyone with basic technical knowledge can now develop, customize, deploy, share, and use apps all from within Microsoft Teams as PowerApps comes with an embedded app studio in Microsoft Teams, and our investment in Dataverse for Teams.

A trusted, secure, and manageable platform – Power Apps provides enterprise reliability via 100 plus Azure data centers, Microsoft’s global network edge, as well as a 99.9 percent financially backed uptime guarantee.

One of the most comprehensive low code platforms – From low code apps, to analytics, to automation, chatbots, built-in AI, to process mining and RPA, Microsoft Power Platform has it all. It offers customers the most complete set of low code tools in a connected platform that ensures all customers, and all their employees, whether they have technical skills or are software engineers, have the tools they need to face challenges provided to them.