September 4, 2018
The ongoing race to digital transformation has elevated demand for developers to an all-time high. Unfortunately, most companies lack the tech talent to automate business processes or build apps. Instead, they are opting for low-code apps.
Why? Because these platforms enable industry professionals to build apps without any coding experience. In fact, even businesses with developers now prefer this solution since it frees up more time. Business and IT professionals can get a better understanding of low-code apps and their advantages by reading the handy guide.
Nature of low-code apps
You can leverage low-code development platforms to create your own apps via graphic user interfaces rather than regular computer programming. Here, coding gets switched for drag-and-drop UI components.
Configuration files, backend and frontend code, and other project components are generated automatically according to standard best practices.
Creating software with these platforms is quick and easy, allowing a wider range of company employees to take part in app development. Low-code platforms are usually preferred by IT and other firms with minimal coding skills to create custom, mission-critical apps. Different sets of tools may be used for different sections of the business, ranging from business developers to software professionals.
Although the adoption of low-code platforms for building apps is low among companies — around the 10 percent to 15 percent mark — the market is increasing rapidly.
Business benefits of low-code apps
As mentioned earlier, low-code apps allow businesses to code and develop apps with zero experience. If that’s not all, they also increase the productivity of developers on staff by decreasing development time.
Low-code apps also make development approachable for people who might not have a degree in computer science but are capable of utilizing a low-code tool for building apps.
Considering how 60 percent of all custom apps are built outside the IT department and 30 percent of those are created by employees with no or minimal technical skills, it’s best to provide them with tools to create a quality finished product. In this manner, low-code apps help advance the careers of the employees who work with them and save the business money.
Most importantly, low-code platforms bridge the gap between IT and business since they allow business units to develop required apps and IT teams to make necessary coding repairs without the business unit finding out about the changes in app functions.
No wonder CIOs and development teams are now actively seeking low-code solutions for their companies.
A PMG survey, for example, found that 42 percent of developers want to enable more citizen developersand 19 percent mentioned how they are already using external resources. Additionally, 74 percent of IT experts believe that low-code platforms promote rapid app development.
Best low-code apps available right now
So, now it is time to get down to business. Which low-code app development platform will suit your company’s needs the best? Well, the honest answer is, it depends.
While some of them work well at the enterprise level thanks to strong built-in integrations, others allow companies to launch a minimum viable product (MVP) quickly or support point-of-sale and mobile apps. Check out this list of the most talked-about low-code platforms for app building in the industry right now:
1. App Press
App Press has consistently held the spot as one of the best low-code app solutions in the IT industry for quite some time. Not only does the platform hook you up with the newest trends and technologies, but also it customizes the experience to suit the needs of your business.
The platform is quite easy to use and is perfect for users interesting in creating, deploying, and managing apps without any coding work. The web-based platform enables users to develop native apps both for Android and iOS devices. Moreover, publishing apps is a breeze as well with App Press.
You can publish your apps directly to the target audience or you can submit them to Apple App Stores and Google Play via the App Press dashboard. All it takes is a few clicks. Most importantly, App Press provides access to app analytics, offering a simple, one-step integration process with Google Analytics.
2. Xojo
Ordinary individuals can develop extraordinary apps with Xojo, and they have been doing so for the past two decades. The platform eliminates the learning curve and simplifies the overall app development process. This means users no longer need to familiarize themselves with operating system information or understand multiple programming languages.
A cross-platform development solution, Xojo allows you to create apps for web, mobile, desktop, and Raspberry Pi. Even though it is powerful, object-oriented, and modern, it is still relatively easy to learn.
Developing your app involves dragging and dropping user interface controls, and using a simple programming language to set the functionality of the application. Compiled apps are entirely native to every platform and extremely secure.
3. Simplicité
You can use the Simplicité platform to create business apps 10 times faster and easier than standard development cycles. Why? Because all the work on this tool happens through a visual modeler. Developers need to form data relationships with a simple mouse-click or select one of the various built-in templates.
Hosting the Simplicité platform on IaaS or PaaS servers allows you to do everything online. So, you no longer have to install heavy clients such as Linux, Windows, or Mac. A web browser is all you need to create the required business app. And, if you’re worried about security, Simplicté has you covered with LDAP, SAML, SSO, OAuth2, SSL support as well as thousands of other security APIs.
4. Alpha Software
The Alpha Anywhere development platform is perfect for developing business apps. People with minimal coding knowledge can quickly become proficient in creating and developing enterprise-level web and mobile business apps and forms thanks to Alpha Software.
An HTML5-based platform, Alpha lets developers build apps that can be run across iOS, Windows, and Android devices. PhoneGap support opens the door for you to build true mobile apps. The app is also known for its formidable offline capabilities, enabling users to build offline apps using intelligent conflict resolution instead of “last-write” wins for fully integrating with transactional back end record systems.
Powerful server and client side reporting features are built into the app. Direct connectivity is possible with almost every NoSQL and SQL database.
5. Servoy
Create world-class business apps easily with Servoy. The three-tier architecture of this platform allows apps to be deployed to both modern and classic environments from a Windows Server, Mac Mini, a local Linux box or Unix to any cloud environment. Servoy is deployed as a Java container, which means any cloud that supports Java containers is capable of running Servoy.
Now, the choice is yours
There are many choices in the market when you’re trying to find the right low-code app development platform for your business. It’s up to you to decide which one works the best. Each one has its share of advantages and facilitates seamless app development with minimal coding knowledge.
