Guide to Low-Code Development Tools

What Is Low-Code Development?

Low-code app development allows for the fast creation of mobile and web applications by users with a wide range of coding experience. Low code development is used by non-developers to create apps without coding, as well as experienced developers seeking to speed up the process.

Where Low-Code Development Works

Low-code development is popular for creating customizable business applications that work across multiple devices and operating systems. Though there has been concern about the scalability of low-code applications, low-code can be used to build large, enterprise-grade applications.

Choosing the Best Low-Code App Development Platform

The backlog of required business apps is exploding and low-code development is a promising solution to meet the demand. But with no-code and low-code tools to think about, a myriad of complex technology requirements, and over 150 vendors in this category – there are a lot of critical questions buyers must ask as they navigate the marketplace and implement a solution.

This guide outlines some of the pros and cons of low-code development tools, and offers practical guides for evaluating and successfully implementing low-code development, such as:

Part 1: Adopting Low-Code Development at Your Enterprise

Part 1 of the guide offers the latest research on the changing face of business app developers in the next few years, pragmatic examples of IT-led citizen development, and a list of requirements to ensure successful democratization of app development at your organization.

Part 2: 7 Necessary Features of Low-Code Development Tools

As you determine the right tool for your organization, Part 2 of the guide offers a list of the most critical enterprise-grade capabilities that your team should evaluate to ensure that both IT teams and line-of-business users can be successful with the platform in the long-run. Does the low-code development tool you're considering have what it takes to succeed at enterprise app development and deployment?

Part 3: Determining the Best Low-Code Development Tools

There are key lessons to learn from other buyers' evaluation experiences. In Part 3 of the guide, read how one developer:

Determined the top 8 low-code development platforms to evaluate
Set a methodology with 11 criteria to compare and test
Evaluated what he learned
Revealed which product came out on top for enterprise app development

Part 4: Achieving Returns on Low-Code Development: Licensing Models and How They Affect TCO

Low-code development tools accelerate delivery and enable app production at a lower cost. However, to ensure return on investment, organizations have to know the price and licensing structure to understand what the tool will ultimately cost them. If the low-code development platform you select does not have the right combination of licensing, hosting, services and training, you could find scaling app development very painful and costly. Part 4 of the guide will help you negotiate the best price for your low-code development platform by providing insight into:

Types of licensing models and how they affect TCO
New services and training offerings that save BIG money
Negotiating the best price and package with a software vendor