Low-code and no-code platforms are changing the game in software development, offering an efficient, innovative alternative to traditional coding that is up to 10 times faster to deploy.
Low-code software is most beneficial for developers who already have technical knowledge. These platforms allow already-experienced coders to work faster and more efficiently. The more powerful the tools to speed up technical development, the better suited the platform is for coders.
No-code platforms, by contrast, target business users. No-code development platforms have become more popular over the past decade, giving organizations a chance to develop business-specific applications without having to hire software engineers.
The big question being asked now is: What’s the difference between low-code and no-code software—and which is right for your business? Let’s find out.
Low-code and no-code software platforms share similarities. They’re both designed to speed up development cycles, lower costs, and relieve pressure on engineers. However, there are still major inherent differences between them.
As the name suggests, low-code software incorporates minimal coding to support agile development. Low-code software platforms are more sophisticated than simple no-code software, requiring a developer to write minimal code.
Ultimately, low-coding is still coding, and it can cause unintended problems. Too often, when software is created with “low-coding,” it just means the coding is cobbled together, making it harder to track and scale applications over time, not to mention making it impossible to optimize workflows. Incomplete, cobbled-together coding has limitations, such as lack of customization and flexibility.
This isn’t the case with no-code software.
No-code software is just what it sounds like: software that is available to any user because it requires no coding whatsoever. This means “citizen developers” (everyday people with zero coding knowledge) can create applications for organizational and business-specific needs.
Three big benefits of no-code software include:
No development work—preconfigured technology takes care of that
No need to bring technical expertise or prior coding experience to develop, deploy, and maintain applications
Optimized workflow iteration process makes updates both flexible and easy
With low-coding, coding can be found in different places and be inefficient to manage. Trying to handle glitches and gaps while also spending way too much configuration time can be far more time-consuming than writing code in Java.
On the flip side, a no-code platform can empower business users as well as IT with fast execution without all of the extra management and configuration. IT can take the lead in setting up the environment, followed by business users who take care of ongoing changes. Using the low-code approach would still require business users to go to IT every single time they wanted a change. This is where the no-code approach makes life easier for everyone.
Low- to no-coding is on its way to becoming the norm in software development, enabling businesses to quickly develop and deploy new customer-facing applications at a lower cost with more flexibility and much less time to market.
In fact, according to recent research, 65 percent of all application development will be on no-code platforms by 2025. The no-code development approach is particularly effective for Pulpstream’s process management applications, which are designed to digitize and streamline workflows to modernize your business and accelerate its growth.
Organizations who’ve used it know that the no-coding approach:
Empowers employees without technical experience to rapidly develop and deploy mobile apps using drag-and-drop editing to build visual models
Helps to avoid traditional coding methods that limit development speed, hinder innovation, and eat up time, money, and resources
Allows for cloud design, development, and deployment of new applications and creates an agile, iterative workstream where everything is easily accessible in one place—improving collaboration across teams and business units
For example, no-code software empowered Captive Resources to update its consultant experiences to bolster new risk management strategies and adapt with marketplace demands—all without writing a single line of code.
The new, streamlined business management processes created by the no-coding approach empower Captive Resources to consistently follow best practices, creating efficiencies and reducing the risk of errors.
These days, more and more organizations are seeing how no-code software like Pulpstream can streamline processes and help them to work more efficiently.
If you’re curious about Pulpstream and how no-code software could transform your business, satisfy that curiosity and book a demo now to learn more.
And if you’re looking for even more information about the no-code and low-code movement, check out this one-hour podcast in which our founder, Romy, discusses the future of code—and how no-code is positioned to come out on top!