Businesses tap into various technologies to speed up digital transformation efforts. Most often, the go-to approach is to select platforms and tools that require little coding, customization, and upfront investments. One such solution is low-code or no-code app development platforms.
By 2025, up to 70% of all new applications created by enterprises will use no-code or low-code platforms, while 65% of all development activities taking place in the information technology industry will rely on codeless programming.
If your company hasn’t adopted tools like this yet, this overview of popular low code/no code development options will help you grasp the concept, figure out how it differs from traditional app development, and, ultimately, choose the right tech stack for your project.
Low-Code and No-Code Development: Introduction
What is a Low-Code or No-Code Platform?
A low-code or no-code platform is a development environment where users with little to no programming experience can create full-fledged web and mobile applications.
Such platforms incorporate drag-and-drop user interface builders, ready-to-use plugins, code snippets, customizable design templates, and cloud back ends supporting API-driven application integration.
As their name implies, no-code platforms rely solely on visual development, whereas low-code solutions allow citizen developers to tweak the code according to their business needs and perform more complex integrations at the back-end level.
Typically deployed as SaaS solutions, low-code and no-code development tools have individual and enterprise-grade plans and charge either per developer seats or per the amount of calls an app makes to the server.
Why Use No-Code and Low-Code Platforms?
Essentially, the no-code/low-code paradigm revolves around rapid application development (RAD) — an agile approach to software engineering that speeds up development activities through frequent releases, faster user feedback analysis, and dynamic changes to the application feature set and interface design. With RAD, companies can validate ideas before committing to custom development, test new software with real users, and maximize their return on technology investments.
Other benefits of using no-code or low-code platforms include:
- Tech skills retention
- Reduced app development complexity
- High capacity
- Lower costs
- Faster implementation
- Accessibility
- Built-in scalability
- Security
- Robust integration opportunities driven by open APIs and plug-and-play modules
Best Low-Code or No-Code Platforms to Supercharge Your Next App Project
In this section, you’ll find a quick comparison of popular no-code and low-code platforms against several parameters, including the type of app development software, pricing, and feature set.
This overview is by no means exhaustive; there are other platforms to explore and nuances to consider. Still, our top 12 list is a great starting point for your no-code/low-code journey. Shortlist the tools that best meet your business needs!
Visual LANSA
Status: Hybrid low-code development platform
Pricing: From $999/month; the basic plan features only one developer seat
Best suited for: Enterprise applications
Inherent functionality of the platform: Modernization of legacy software products, accelerated app creation (including the development, integration, and simplification of enterprise software products), and complete optimization of business processes
Visual LANSA’s core features include a powerful integrated development environment (IDE), innovative methods of app development, comprehensive testing, ease of deployment and implementation, and cross-platform capabilities.
Appery.io
Status: Low-code app development platform
Pricing: From $25/month; the Ultimate plan featuring ten developer seats and up to 12 app projects costs $500/month (billed annually)
Best suited for: Web, mobile, and hybrid apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: A powerful set of development tools, extensive knowledge library for clients, a simple yet effective drag-and-drop app builder, built-in support for numerous devices and operating systems, cloud-based back end, rich selection of plug-ins, customization options, effortless application integration with API Express
Appery.io also provides fully customizable app templates to speed up the development of eCommerce, productivity, and wellness applications.
Retool
Status: Low-code development platform
Pricing: Free for up to five developer seats; pricing information for enterprises is available upon request
Best suited for: Internally-used apps with any types of databases and APIs
Inherent functionality of the platform: A suitable set of tools allowing citizen developers to get hands-on experience building low-code applications
Retool’s core features include an option to host your projects on-premises or in the cloud, quickly generate front-end code, and customize applications. The low-code platform also boasts solid security, which is particularly important for enterprise software products.
Microsoft PowerApps
Status: Low-code app development platform
Pricing: From $5 to $20 per user/month
Best suited for: Business apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: A quick start to the development process, connection to many data sources, powerful additional functionality for building effective professional systems
Microsoft PowerApps offers a point-click way to design application architecture, predetermined app development patterns, effortless interactions of software products and data, and the possibility to create web-based apps on all platforms.
Claris FileMaker
Status: Cross-platform low-code/no-code development platform
Pricing: From $19 per user/month for the Essentials plan; more advanced functionality comes with the Standard plan ($39 per user/month)
Best suited for: Any types of web and mobile apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: The creation of any type of apps and database processes, as well as product component manipulations
Claris FileMaker features an easy-to-navigate developer interface, allowing users to copy/paste UI elements, and incorporates a plethora of elements enabling advanced app functionality like multiple email attachments.
AppMaster
Status: No-code app development platform
Pricing: For $5 per month, you can explore the platform and create one mobile and one web application; the Business plan featuring up to five developer seats and applications will cost you $855 per month
Best suited for: Web and mobile apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: Designing apps around your corporate data and business processes, full application integration, customization options
AppMaster comes with a single integrated back end for all of your no-code business applications. You can host AppMaster apps either locally or in the cloud — and it’s you who owns the source code.
Bubble
Status: No-code development platform
Pricing: From $25 per user/month for a personal plan to a full-blown developer suite ($475 per month) for up to 15 application editors; you can start testing the no-code development waters for free, although you won’t be able to remove the Bubble branding from your products
Best suited for: Multi-user web apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: The freedom of design driven by a convenient menu and dynamic content; server maintenance, deployment, hosting, development of the customer base
Bubble helps create high-performance no-code apps with custom business logic and supports data and account management. The ability to provide audience insights and multilingual app creation make this no-code platform stand out from the competition.
FlutterFlow
Status: Low-code development platform
Cost: You can try out the basic platform functionality for free; for teams that need robust collaboration features, there’s a $70 per user/month plan
Best suited for: Web and mobile apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: Dynamic content, instant push notifications, high quality of code
With an effective drag-and-drop UI builder, animations, and over 80 pre-built components, FlutterFlow helps create robust applications faster — even if you have zero coding experience. There’s also a vast collection of plug-ins to enhance your app’s functionality and powerful collaboration features, including live chat and shareable project links.
AppSheet
Status: No-code development platform
Pricing: The $5 per user/month version supports basic application and automation features, while the $10 per user/month comes with customer support (via email) and security controls; pricing information for the enterprise-grade packs is available on demand
Best suited for: Mobile and desktop apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: Besides connecting newly-built apps with other applications from the Google ecosystem, AppSheet works in sync with third-party services and databases and even allows you to spice up your no-code apps with machine learning capabilities
With convenient categorization of application content, constant support throughout the development process, and role-based access control, AppSheet helps create secure and feature-rich applications faster.
Zoho Creator
Status: Low-code app development platform
Pricing: From €25 per user/month for the Professional plan to €400 per user/month Ultimate plan with unlimited apps and business intelligence (BI) & analytics functionality; the platform applies additional fees for various tiers of customer support
Best suited for: Mobile, progressive web, and classic web apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: A sleek drag-and-drop UI builder, AI-based data migration tools, cross-functional analytics, end-to-end task automation
Zoho Creator is a powerful digital transformation tool for automating repetitive, time-consuming workflows in enterprises. With this low-code app development platform, you can create applications for effective supply chain management, customer analytics, and resources utilization.
BuildFire
Status: No-code development platform
Pricing: The Starter plan will cost you $349 per month (billed annually); the Standard Plus plan, which boasts premium features and customer support, starts at $699 per month; the BuildFire team also provides mobile app development services, helping business users make the most of the no-code platform and costing anywhere from $4,500 to $15,000
Best suited for: Cross-platform mobile apps
Inherent functionality of the platform: Drag-and-drop UI design instruments, offline mode, a wide selection of plug-and-play modules
Compared to other no-code and low-code platforms with a steeper learning curve, BuildFire balances complex functionality with the simplicity of codeless programming. Coupled with powerful APIs for application integration, this makes BuildFire a great platform to launch your no-code pilot.
Appy Pie
Status: No-code development platform
Pricing: For as little as $12 per user/month, you can start testing the platform and create up to five applications; to unlock advanced functionality, including custom integrations and HIPAA compliance, contact the Appy Pie team and request pricing information for the Enterprise plan
Best suited for: Customer-facing and business mobile apps, websites, portals
Inherent functionality of the platform: Integration with corporate messengers and CRM systems, built-in security, application integration driven by Appy Pie connect
Besides mobile apps, the platform allows users to create websites, chatbots, design concepts, and even marketing collateral.
Take-Home Message
When selecting between no-code and low-code development platforms, assess the technical expertise of your internal IT team, your current tech stack, security requirements, and the complexity of tasks and processes you’d like to facilitate or fully automate.
If your IT infrastructure relies on legacy or custom-built systems, merging no-code apps with the existing software might be too complex and expensive. Low-code platforms offer greater flexibility, but take time to master.
And sometimes — think medical apps rendering sensor data in real time — coding your app from the ground up with native or cross-platform app development tools might be the only way to achieve impeccable application performance.