Top 6 low-code platforms developers choose in 2022

The low-code development approach allows you to greatly reduce programming efforts and build internal tools, mobile, and web apps via a graphical user interface. With low-code platforms available today on the market, it’s possible to optimize software development cost-effectively. 

Low-code development platforms are becoming more popular among developers and citizen developers. More and more large, midsized and small businesses are opting for no-code / low-code development to scale faster without overpaying for out-of-the-box third-party software with unneeded features.

Low-code dev platform benefits

It’s easy to explain the popularity of no-code and low-code tools among businesses. The most essential benefits are:

• No skilled software developers are needed to build an app with low code. Basic coding understanding is enough since no-code and low-code tools are rather easy to use.
• Low-code development is approximately 10 times faster than traditional manual development.
• Easier maintenance, fewer errors, and debugging.
• Improved agility, team productivity.
• Faster application delivery.
• Accelerated digital transformation and processes automation.

Top 6 low-code platforms for developers

Low-code internal tools builders, mobile, web app creators slightly vary in the skillset they require. Some development platforms are designed for less mature developers or for the people with no development background at all. Other visual builders are more sophisticated and tailored for the software engineers with rich development background. They provide users with dev environments to build complex processes, map data to the workflows, customize an app UI visually as you need using building blocks, add custom JavaScript code to extend your future application functionality, etc.

Today, we’ll cover the most powerful and popular low-code internal tools and web app builders among developers with different knowledge levels and background.

Retool

Pricing: Starts from $10 per user per month. A free plan with limited functionality is available.

Retool is declared as a “remarkably fast way” to build internal tools. It allows you to visually build the tools you need, connect a database or third-party API, and add custom code pieces almost anywhere.

Features:

• Ready-made templates and building blocks including Tables, Charts, and Wizards.
• Connection to any REST, gRPC, GraphQL API.
• Integration with Amazon, BigQuery, SQL Server, Jira, and a number of other third parties.
• Customization opportunities including the ability to add JavaScript code where needed.
• On-prem Retool version.
• An ability to write data with queries.
• Detailed documentation. 
• Fine-grained access controls and audit logs.
• SAML SSO and 2FA.

UI Bakery

Pricing: Starts from $10 per user per month. A free plan with limited functions is available.

UI Bakery is a fast visual internal tools builder allowing you to decrease costs and deliver solutions in no time. You can connect your data sources or third-party services, send HTTP requests, and configure SQL queries inside your app. 

Features:

• Templates, dashboards, and 25+ ready-made UI components.
• A customizable UI library under the hood.
• Free training and onboarding sessions.
• Very comprehensive and regularly updated documentation.
• Automatic generators of the predefined component and action pairs.
• Data structure generation.
• Internal tool modification with JavaScript code.
• Integration with MySQL, PostgreSQL, Google Sheets, Stripe, and a range of other third-party APIs.
• Unlimited app pages.

Quixy

Pricing: Starts from $18 per user per month (minimum 20 users). A free 14-day trial is available. 

Quixy a no-code app development platform that enables developers and citizen developers to automate various business processes by creating simple or complicated solutions. Quixy offers ready-made templates not to start from scratch.

Features:

• A drag-and-drop interface allowing you to work with more than 40 form fields.
• Integration with third parties via ready connectors, webhooks, APIs. 
• Sequential, parallel and conditional workflows modeling.
• Notifications and reminders configuration.
• Single-click app deployment.
• Data export (reports, dashboards) available.
• ISO 27001 and SOC2 Type2 certification.

Appian

Pricing: Open Source.

Appian is a low-code dev platform allowing you to build web apps and business process management applications 10X times faster than with traditional coding. Appian allows you to integrate with Jenkins and other DevOps tools, deploy your applications, etc.

Features:

• A convenient drag-n-drop building interface.
• Real-time monitoring and optimization of the business processes.
• Integration with AI from Google, AWS, and Azure.
• Databases, web services, APIs integration.
• Enterprise-grade platform security.

Microsoft PowerApps

Pricing: Starts from $5 per user/app per month. A free trial is available.

Microsoft PowerApps is a low-code development platform for building and customizing business apps. Developers tend to choose this tool due to its pro-developer extensibility allowing to significantly extend the app functionality when needed.

Features:

• A drag-n-drop building technique.
• Ready-made templates – no need to start from scratch.
• A library of 500+ connectors (Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and others).
• Power Automate: it allows you to design business logic without writing a single line of code. 
• Built-in Common Data Service.
• An ability to build iOS, Android, and Windows-friendly applications.

Quickbase

Pricing: Starts from $600 per 50 apps per month.

Quickbase is a powerful low-code development platform for software engineers and citizen developers. It offers a number of features like business process automation, data management, etc.

Features:

• WYSIWYG approach.
• End-to-end business process automation.
• Easy workflow orchestration.
• HIPAA, DFARS, SOC 1/SOC 2, and other certificates.
• Third-party integrations with Salesforce, Dropbox, Slack, and other services.
• Developer Sandbox to roll back the changes.

On a final note

The no-code and the low-code markets are continuing to expand in 2022. Although low-code platforms and visual internal tools builders can’t fully replace traditional hand-coding, no secret that they can greatly simplify routine and manual work for developers and citizen developers.

Decreased costs, less development time, less app maintenance and bugs, automated business processes – these are only some of the great benefits the use of low-code tools brings. 

If you’re not sure which low-code dev platform to choose, contact our team to get a free demo. We’ll be glad to answer any questions you have and discuss your case details.