Low code vs traditional development: the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Anand Ethiraj
Co-Founder & Director - Business Development | Driving Digital Engineering Solutions | Relationship Management
Previously, we uncovered the nuances of low code development and explored the benefits that you can reap by leveraging low code platforms. Enhanced productivity, reduced development costs, and improved collaboration are just some of the reasons why you should invest in low code development.
In this article, we’ll pit low code development against traditional development and help you choose the right approach based on your business requirements. Let’s dive right in!
What is high code or traditional development?
High code refers to traditional programming where experienced developers write code and develop solutions from the ground up. This approach is code intensive and leans heavily on the expertise of developers.
The primary benefit of high code is that it allows you to create completely custom business applications that fulfill your unique business requirements. However, owing to its heavy reliance on your IT team, high code can end up excluding your citizen developers and other business users.
With no way to include business users who will actually use the application, it can be quite difficult to build applications that fit the requirements of different teams and departments. Moreover, when everything requires the support of your IT department including management of applications, it can divert your gifted developers from valuable business activities.
Unlimited Functionality
Companies can tweak custom code any way they want: practically any feature can be built and virtually any integration can be accomplished. When you create a custom app, you have the liberty to choose any technology, tooling, hosting and APIs - whatever works best to realize the desired functionality.
Total ownership
Traditional development offers complete control over every aspect of the software that is being developed. Companies opting for custom applications own source code and therefore control the app’s architecture, security, and integrability.
Smooth development process
With programming, you typically implement DevOps best practices. DevOps operations ensure that your application can be easily maintained, seamlessly updated, and released to the public.
When should you choose traditional development?
Although traditional development offers several benefits, there are some inherent bottlenecks as well. High costs, slow time to market, and the need for skilled resources are just some of the challenges associated with traditional development.
So, taking all this into account, here’s a list of use cases where we recommend good old programming:
Low code use cases
There are three main areas of application for low-code/no-code application development. Let’s review them one by one:
Build an MVP
First and foremost, you can use low code/no code to create an MVP of your envisioned solution. Even if a little rough around the edges, an MVP can bring value when you need to demonstrate your app idea to investors in action or when you’re looking for initial feedback from customers.
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Automate business processes
Businesses can automate substantial chunks of their business processes using low-code or no-code app development platforms.
Turbocharge the pace of development
Finally, your app developers can use low code to speed up development on some non-critical projects. Since this approach removes the need for hand coding, apps can get assembled much faster. That’s the best part of low code vs. programming.
Choosing the best option for your project - What to look for?
To choose the right option for your project, you need to answer a few questions about its essence:
Is this a mission-critical project?
If your app is the core of your business, you should probably go with traditional development, unless you are looking to verify a concept, in which case low code will do.
Do you have a comprehensive roadmap for this product?
If you envision your product will develop over time as the business scales up and changes are highly likely, choose custom development.?
However, if you need to automate a standard business process that won’t change drastically, choose low code.
Do you have existing development resources?
Hands down, traditional development is the best use of development resources, but if you’re short-handed at the moment, opt for low code.
What is your expected time to market?
Custom development will take considerably longer to deliver. In contrast, the low-code approach is excellent when you want to move faster.
What are your budget constraints?
If you can invest between $20,000 and $30,000, low code will be a safe option. And if you have a budget of $50,000 and up, proceed with custom development.
How many users do you foresee for the product?
Scalability can be an issue for low-code apps, and irrelevant for custom software because the latter allows unlimited scaling.
Does your app need to have a unique user interface?
If yes, then traditional coding is your answer. Otherwise, hire a great designer and go with low-code.?
Does it require any external integrations??
Theoretically, low-code platforms? allow you to integrate dozens of different services. At the same time, if you need genuinely deep integration, e.g., fetch data from the stock market, process it in the app, and pass it onto other services, you’ll get better results with custom development.