Low-code is fast and convenient, until you want something that the platform didn't think of.
Low-code is a way to build software with visual building blocks and settings instead of programming code. You click screens and workflows together on a platform that controls the technology underneath. That is faster than building it yourself, as long as you stay within the capabilities of that platform.
IN COMMON LANGUAGE
What it is good at
For internal tools, low-code is often excellent. A form with an approval step, an overview that combines data from two sources: that is in days instead of weeks.
The brake comes when you want something that the platform didn't provide. Then follows a detour, and another, and finally a solution that no one can explain anymore. The last ten percent costs more than the first ninety.
There is also the revenue model: you pay per user per month, permanently. With twenty employees this is a structural post, and stopping usually means starting over.
WHY IT MATTERS
How we advise on it
We do not build low-code ourselves, but we do recommend it if it suits. For an internal tool with a handful of users, it's usually the wisest choice and we'll just say so.
As soon as the process becomes your distinguishing feature, or as soon as the number of users grows, the calculation tilts towards your own software that you own.
- Internal tool — low-code is usually faster and cheaper.
- Few users — the costs per user remain manageable.
- Standard process — fits within what the platform has come up with.
- Customer-oriented software — you want to be about appearance and speed yourself.
- Growing team — costs per user are increasing structurally.
- Export possibility — make sure you get out before you get in.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about low code
Is low code unprofessional?
No. It is a tool with a clear field of application. It is unprofessional to use it for something for which it is not intended, and this also applies to self-written code.
Why don't you build it?
Because we are no better at it than the specialized agencies, and because it clashes with what we sell: software that you own and take with you. If low-code better suits your question, we would rather say so than add it.
Can I switch from low-code to custom development later?
Usually yes, provided your data is exportable. The workflow must then be rebuilt: that's why the export question is something to ask in advance.
CONTINUE READING
Of course, continue reading about this subject.
Build or buy?
Tell us what you want to solve. We honestly say which route is suitable, even if it is a platform that we do not provide.