With the current shortage of tech talent and the pressure to get new products to market as soon as possible, many organizations are considering low-code/no-code development as a possible solution. Employees with limited technical experience can build products using “plug-and-play” platforms rather than writing code from scratch.
However, low-code/no-code is not appropriate for all applications. Here’s what you need to know if you’re a mobile app developer:
The Benefits of Low-Code Mobile Development
Low-code mobile development platforms, also known as mobile app creators, enable you to create app experiences based on templates and drag-and-drop experiences for Android and iOS mobile devices. Users with no coding experience or knowledge can create and publish apps on app stores, which is faster and up to 50 times cheaper than creating custom apps for both platforms. When compared to the standard app development mechanism, these systems allow you to launch in the market in a matter of days rather than months.
That’s fantastic news for users looking for quick solutions. However, how much faster is low-code mobile development than alternatives? The answer is based on speculation.
If we assume the app’s behaviour matches the platform’s templates, we can compare a few hours of customization to two months of development involving designers and developers for both iOS and Android.
The disadvantages of low-code mobile development
The first disadvantage is that, despite all of the platform’s customization options, most apps will still look similar. Also, most of the time, your organization will be tied to the platform provider for a long time because they do not typically provide you with the source code to continue development on your own later. If you want to change providers or use a custom app, you must start from scratch. Because some templates have copyright, this may also imply changing the app’s design.
However, the main disadvantage is complexity when covering many custom use cases in the app. In these cases, the platform may have limitations that prevent you from accomplishing your goals. Because of the complexity of patching the platform, the app’s user experience, performance, and maintainability may suffer.
In comparison to the popularity of WordPress in web development, these platforms are not well-known in the mobile development community. They are more popular among small businesses because they can create apps quickly and cheaply without hiring developers or a development agency, which can be expensive and difficult to find.
Although the disadvantages of low-code mobile development outweigh the benefits, many organizations are keeping an eye on low-code platforms due to their numerous benefits. The cost, complexity of customization, and time-to-market all play a role in the decision.
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