Low Code vs. Traditional Development: Which to Consider?

The skepticism revolves around which method of development between Low Code and traditional, and some companies and entrepreneurs always need to consider crucial factors like speed, cost, and productivity, in which Low Code development comes as a boon. According to Statista, the global low-code platform market will reach approximately 65 billion dollars by 2027. Nothing short of a surprise there. There is a growing view that traditional coding will likely be obsolete with the growth of no-code/low-code development. But, that is not the case. Why? For that, explore these two approaches in more detail, including their features as well as differences. Then you can make an informed decision.

What is Traditional Development?

Traditional development is the method of developing software from scratch. The team of developers discusses and determines specific needs, creates a plan, and creates code from nothing for an application to meet the particular requirements. 

Benefits of Traditional Development

You might be wondering: if the traditional approach sounds a bit tiresome, then what are the reasons businesses opt for it over Low Code? Let’s discover its benefits.

Unconstrained Feature-set

As you have a professional team of developers at your command, you get the ability to customize the software as you deem fit. You are free to add features, choose technologies, and any integration to realize the desired ease of experience. 

Complete Ownership

Traditional software development also offers complete oversight over every aspect of the software. The source code of a custom app belongs to a company that owns the app. Thus, it allows control over how the app is built, its security, and its integrability, among other aspects.

Excellent Scalability

Traditional web development allows you to scale the app as needed. Creating the code from scratch makes it scalable and portable from the start.

Highest Quality Results with Smooth Development

You need a standardized and reliable development process to craft a custom app. You can ask your entire team to recode if something isn’t up-to-date. Using DevOps, you can easily maintain, update, and release your application and take steps to ensure its quality.

Downsides of Traditional Development

It takes Time

In comparison to Low Code programming, custom app development takes a longer time frame — from a couple of months to a year. And because of the complications of custom app development platforms, errors and interruptions can slow down the time to market.

It is Expensive

Let’s face it. The fact is you can build an in-house or outsource team, but traditional development needs a considerable budget and devotion of resources for a longer time to produce a successful web application.

Demands a Dedicated Development Team

For the creation of an application in a traditional way, you require a designer, web developers, and QA experts. Moreover, you need to hire a web development company that understands the value of your product. 

When to use

As you can see from these pros and cons, traditional development does have needful strengths. The following are the scenarios where we advise using traditional programming.

• Logic-intensive applications
• Systems that must be integrated with a wide range of third parties
• An application that requires an exclusive user interface
• When you desire complete control over how the app develops

What is Low Code?

Low Code, aptly named, refers to using some code when creating an application. This approach involves ready-made templates, pre-coded snippets, and a drag-and-drop interface. Both beginners and professional web developers can benefit from Low Code development platforms. Using minimal manual coding, they can develop standard applications quickly. The process of designing a website is even easier with Low Code. Making striking web page designs doesn’t require sophisticated software like Photoshop or Adobe XD.

What is the difference between Low Code and No Code?

There is a common misconception that low-code development is the same as no-code development. No-code development platforms are designed for non-technical people. A drag-and-drop interface is available for them to develop apps. In contrast, Low Code requires a basic knowledge of programming. Developers can drag and drop elements, modify them using code, and build applications effortlessly.

Is Low Code the Future?

Our present and future lie in custom development since it delivers software with extraordinary performance and appearance. Low Code development is rumored to be wiping out programming jobs. However, all it does is change them. Low Code platforms enable skilled developers to focus on the complicated details of their code to create outstanding applications.

Benefits of Low Code

Basic Programming Knowledge Acceptable

Drag-and-drop is a common workflow in many Low Code platforms. With it, anyone with a basic understanding of coding can build a full-featured web app. For non-coders, it is relatively easy to learn.

A Faster Pace of Development

Developing takes a short amount of time. Low Code development tools track and monitor workflows, processes, and overall app performance through data streams, which allow for in-depth evaluation and reporting. By using a low-code platform, users can be alerted when there’s a risk of failure. They can even reroute processes to avoid delays. A working application can be built in a month or so. Developers will be able to launch faster and be more agile.

High Revenue with Minimum Risk 

The low-code platform includes data management, information security, and prototype modules. And with ease of upgrade, it becomes a favorable choice with low risk.

Downsides of Low Code

Low Customization

With low-code platforms, customization is compromised. Although some platforms offer some customization, adding personalization requires technical expertise. Also, when pre-written segments are used it can affect the quality of the app.

No Scalability and Portability

The low code applications are not appropriate for widespread customers. If you want to build enterprise applications and higher scalability, it is better to avoid this methodology. When using a low-code platform, deployment choices are constrained. Additionally, it is nearly impossible to migrate the code if you need to switch for certain reasons.

When to use

As we have gone through the highlights and challenges of the Low Code development approach, we can conclude that there are some cases where you can proceed with this approach.

• When Quick Minimum viable product (MVP) Development Is Necessary

When you have an innovative idea or are looking to build a prototype, it is a prudent choice to quickly create a low-cost and low-risk with a Low Code platform. Since it is quicker, affordable, and easier than traditional development.

• Standalone Websites and Web Apps

Low code development is suitable for simple websites and web apps. It’s not necessary to write HTML and CSS code while creating a static website.

Low Code vs. Traditional Development

Attributes	Low Code	Traditional Development
Agility	More agile; changes can be made more rapidly, and errors can be solved easily.	Making changes requires time, but it is possible to streamline the procedure by employing agile techniques.
Quality	Limitations exist in terms of integrability, scalability, and portability. Both speed and performance are average. And with the help of live troubleshooting, the app is free of flaws.	You get a highly extensible, integrable, and portable app. Both performance and speed are extraordinary. While debugging takes up a lot of time.
Deployment	Faster deployment, but only on supported platforms	The app can be deployed to any platform, though it requires time.
Maintenance	Easy to maintain	You need a dedicated team to update the app regularly.

Choosing between Low Code & Traditional Development – Factors to consider

Before making a decision, you should ask yourself the below-listed questions to develop an app.

• Is this project vital to the mission of the company?
• Do you have enough resources for development? 
• What is your estimated time to market?
• Does your application require a one-of-a-kind user interface?
• Does your app need third-party integrations? If yes, then how many?

These questions will help you get more clarity on what exactly you have and what particularly your project needs.

In a Nutshell

As we have gone through all the aspects of Low Code development and Traditional (custom) development approaches, it has become clear that both are useful in specific use cases. Even though Low code platforms have managed to attract many people, traditional development is not out of the picture. It has maintained its position in large enterprises and heavily user interface-reliant projects. If you are still confused about which one will be the right choice for you, contact us right away to get advice from tech experts and get started with your projects.