Something new is always happening in the world of technology. The rise of low-code and no-code software is bringing sweeping changes and new opportunities in the digital world. Low-code and no-code software is the newest disruptor in the technology industry that is revolutionising how web and mobile applications are developed. Low-code and no-code platforms allow businesses to create more customised applications with ease, innovate at scale, and deliver products more rapidly to their customers. This new technology is enabling citizen developers to create applications that were previously done by professional developers, allowing companies to adopt a truly agile approach towards software development. Amazon’s app Honeycode and Google’s acquisition of Appsheet is a larger indication of the shift to low-code and no-code in the IT industry. According to Forrester, currently, only 12% of enterprises manage their processes using low code tools. However, by 2024 75% of large enterprises are expected to use at least four low-code tools for both IT application development and citizen development initiatives as per research by Gartner. These platforms are more affordable and estimates can range from as little as $25 per month for basic apps to $5000 per month for enterprise-level software.
What are low-code and no-code software?
Low-code platform is a software that allows developers to design applications with minimum hand-coding by dragging and dropping application components and visual blocks from existing code into the workflow to create mobile apps or web applications. This module allows developers to build and deploy applications quickly by eliminating the need to write code line by line. Salesforce and Zoho are examples of low-code platforms.
No-code platform is a software solution that features drag and drop visual development to allow citizen developers to create business applications without writing a single line of code. No code platforms allow organisations to equip employees and teams to build specific applications without any formal software development training. No-code platforms are beneficial for those who do not have knowledge of programming languages. Pipedrive and Airtable are examples of no-code platforms.
Low-code and no-code platforms are helping organisations to streamline and simplify the development process and deliver an enterprise-level product with little-to-none hand-coding. Process improvement and optimisation is a key focus that’s driving low-code and no-code development. Automation and integration of these platforms are helping organisations to yield higher ROI and replace their legacy systems to grow rapidly. According to a forecast by Gartner, low-code application platforms will account for 65% of all app development by 2024. The low-code market is set for drastic growth in the coming years. It is expected to increase from $10.3 billion market value in 2019 to $187 billion by 2030 which is a CAGR of 31.1%.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of these platforms?
The advantages of low-code and no-code platforms are:
- Low-code and no-code are great for faster build and deployment of applications. A simple app can be developed to solve a problem or for a specific department and delivered within a span of 3-6 months.
- These software enable non-technical employees to create applications without any coding and eliminates the need to involve IT professionals. Thus developers are free to handle more critical tasks.
- These platforms are cost-effective and affordable in addition to being user-friendly.
- It allows organisations to easily streamline their workflows.
The disadvantages of low-code and no-code platforms are:
- There is a possibility of such platforms encouraging shadow IT wherein people are developing apps without proper supervision or customer consideration.
- It can also lead to security concerns, regulation compliance, and integration.
- There is a greater risk of errors when applications are built by non-technical professionals. This could result in more correction work and damage mitigation tasks by IT staff.
- Citizen developers who lack technical know-how and expertise in user experience design can face problems in creating user-friendly interfaces.
In conclusion,
Low-code and no-code platforms will help companies to fasten their digital transformation initiatives. It will enable agile development with the ability to iterate quickly to adapt to changing requirements. These platforms will allow organisations to become more flexible and handle the onset of newer technologies into their environment without disruption.