date: 'Monday, July 29 2024' title: 'Low Code Tools vs No Code Tools' description: 'Understand the difference between low code vs no code tools and explore examples of both.' image: 'blog-lowcodenocode1_q8fhl1' author: 'Brian T. Sullivan' editor: 'Lindsey Woldt'

category: 'learn'

Low Code Tools vs No Code Tools

Written by Brian T. Sullivan • Edited by Lindsey Woldt

Sometimes you need a tech solution quickly. These days, you have a lot of options for how you can go about developing the software for that solution. While full-blown hand-coding obviously maximizes customizability, there's also a major learning curve to scale before you can achieve that, not to mention time needed for development. Luckily, you have other options in the form of no code and low code tools. But what are the pros and cons for low code and no code tools?

When faced with this question, you might want to consider a few things about the software solution you want to create:

1. What does this solution need to do?
2. What does the development/maintenance experience need to be like?
3. What does the user experience need to be like?
4. How many people will be using the software solution you're creating?
5. How long will this software need to be used?

These are five questions we'll keep in mind as we dive into what low code and no code tools are.

What Are No Code Tools?

As the name implies, no code tools are software development platforms where you don't have to write a single line of code. In fact, you really can't write code when using these tools. They usually have a visual interface where you can drag-and-drop components and combine them into basic software.

This can be really nice if you want to slap something together quickly, especially if you don't have extensive coding experience—or any coding experience. There are limits to the customization you can have, due to the fact that No Code Tools don't have any custom coding options. This disadvantage also makes it much harder to integrate with other existing software, if that's something you're hoping to do.

What Are No Code Platforms

Here we can see a few No Code Platforms including popularly used systems such as Webflow, Bubble, and Softr. Some critics will say that Softr is best for beginners in app development, .bubble provides harmonious power and ease of use in the app development scene, while Webflow is one of the more popular platforms used for web development. Even companies such as GrubHub are using Webflow.

Insanely Cool Tip! Check out this Insanely Cool article on the no code platform Webflow and how it works!

Pros & Cons of No Code Tools

No Code Benefits

No code tools can offer quick solutions to immediate problems without wasting time and energy coding something that is more complicated than is necessary. And you know what? If you find that the software you made with a no code tool was useful, you can always go back and make your own, more refined version from the ground-up. In this way, no code platforms can also be great tools for prototyping software before jumping into a full development process. This gives you an idea for possible reasons to use no code tools for your software solution.

• Accomplishes simple tasks
• Quick, simple development, with low maintenance
• Little-to-no experience required
• Good for small groups or internal usage
• Useful for short term fixes or prototyping

No Code Cons:

Because of the limits to customizability, no code tools mostly produce simple and rather clunky software. You are also relying entirely upon a third party to power your software, so you probably don't want this to become a critical cornerstone of your larger organization or workflow.

• Very little room for customization
• Simple and clunky software
• Security concerns with third party components

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What are Low Code Tools?

If no code tools allow you to create software without writing any code, it follows that low code tools serve a similar function but with the added bonus of being able to include your own code when necessary. This addresses some of the drawbacks to no code tools, allowing for more customization and more complex software to be designed. Even so, low code tools still don't have the gamut of options that you can get from a full-code development process, and you start facing some of the learning curve that comes with needing to write your own code.

What are Low Code Platforms

Here we can see a few No Code Platforms including popularly used systems such as Framer, Appian, and Nintex. Famer is known to be a primary competitor of Webflow in the Low and No Code web development arena, but what they offer is a little more customizable than what Webflow does; since you're able to utilize custom code with their platform. Appian and Nintex are both low code application development platforms. Appian is one of the best in app development for end to end management since it offers automated tools covering process mining and data fabric within it's platform. While Nintex offers tools that have proved to be useful for complex workflows.

Low Code Benefits:

As with no code tools there are almost certainly other use cases. Nonetheless, the biggest reason to use low code tools for software development remains the speed and ease of the development process when using them.

• Accomplishes relatively simple tasks with integration capabilities
• Quick development with collaborative efforts
• Minimal maintenance with software that's easy to update/replace
• Has customization options for public-facing companies with pre-existing branding
• Good for large groups and the general public
• Useful for longer time frames and can be updated or replaced as needed

Low Code Cons:

Sure, a team of seasoned software developers may be able to concoct the absolute perfect app from scratch to solve your problem, but that comes at the cost of both time and human energy. These are trade-offs to consider.

• Requires more time, energy, and manpower
• Need some knowledge of how to code
• Security concerns with third party components
• Learning curve for developers

Insanely Cool Tip! For a deeper dive into low code tools, be sure to check out this Insanely Cool article on the topic!

Low Code or No Code Tools?

The easy answer is to say, "That's up to you," and I'm inclined to give you that answer. But first, I'll remind you that no code tools are generally quick and easy for making simple applications. They may not produce the prettiest software, but it can get the job done. Low code tools offer much of the same ease-of-use with added customization that comes from being able to include your own code. The downside there, though, is that you'll need to actually know how to code those customizations.

Both types of tools have concerns when it comes to the fact you will be using third-party software in creating your software with these tools. This can lead to privacy and security concerns, as well as issues of shadow IT, which might deserve its own article at some point. Bearing potential downsides in mind, no code and low code tools can be easy options for designing quick solutions to certain problems that maybe don't warrant the development of boutique software that's been fully coded from scratch.

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