Top 10 benefits of low-code application development

Low-code has evolved from a buzzword to a mainstream reality in the tech industry. The global low-code development platform market was valued at around $10.35 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $89.25 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 30.9% from 2023 to 2032.

What’s driving its exponential rise in popularity? What key advantages does low-code offer to business and organizations? 

Well, to keep it simple, traditional app development is slow, costly, and complex, hindering businesses' ability to quickly adapt to market changes. This has paved the way for low-code development, which simplifies the process with drag-and-drop interfaces, enabling both technical and non-technical users to build and launch apps faster and more efficiently.

In this blog, we’ll explore some advantages of low-code application development and the key reasons why it’s becoming the preferred solution for app development across industries.

10 ways low-code development can benefit you

Let's explore the top 10 benefits of low-code development along with real-world use cases to illustrate their impact.

1. Increased productivity

Low-code platforms enable users to create workflows that automate all of their repetitive processes with minimal to no coding; dashboards can be designed using visual builders, allowing users to drag and drop widgets onto them for data visualization. Prebuilt templates are easily configurable, letting businesses quickly customize and deploy solutions across platforms. This enables faster development cycles, reduces manual effort, and accelerates the delivery of solutions, driving overall business efficiency.

Use case: A development team uses a low-code platform to build a code review management app. By leveraging drag-and-drop interfaces and prebuilt templates, the team reduces manual coding, accelerates development, and enables faster deployment. The allows the team to streamline the code submission process and improve the overall review efficiency.

2. Citizen development

Low-code platforms enable citizen developers, or non-technical employees, to build applications that meet their department’s needs without relying on IT teams. 

Use case: HR teams could use a low-code platform to create an app for onboarding new employees, all by themselves. The app can include checklists, document uploads, and training schedules, helping HR streamline the process without needing a developer. Low-code platforms empower non-technical stakeholders to transform into citizen developers.

3. Ease of integrations

Low-code platforms simplify integration by offering prebuilt connectors, APIs, and database connectors that easily link with existing systems and third-party services. These tools allow users to seamlessly connect applications to CRM systems, ERP solutions, and other platforms without needing extensive coding. This streamlines data flow, enhances collaboration, and speeds up deployment. 

Use case: A small e-commerce store could use a low-code platform to integrate a payment gateway (e.g., PayPal or Amazon Pay) with its website. This enables secure customer transactions while automatically updating the inventory and processing orders. While the underlying code is still present, it’s abstracted, allowing the store to implement these features without needing deep coding knowledge.

4. Cost efficiency

Low-code platforms streamline app development by minimizing the need for specialized coding, which helps reduce costs. Organizations can build and maintain apps with fewer IT resources, relying less on expensive full-stack developers. This results in faster development cycles, reduced labor costs, and a more efficient use of resources.

Use case: A gym owner uses a low-code platform to create a membership management app instead of hiring a full-stack developer. The platform’s drag-and-drop features enable easy customization for membership sign-ups and workflows for class scheduling. This also reduces development costs and speeds up deployment timelines.

5. Easy deployment and maintenance

Low-code development speeds up deployment with prebuilt components and automated workflows, ensuring quicker, more reliable app launches. In addition, it eases software maintenance by enabling application development based on standardized, pretested, and ready-made components; there are significantly fewer bugs and integration challenges compared to traditional development.

Use case: A clinic could use a low-code platform to deploy an appointment booking app, allowing patients to book, reschedule, or cancel appointments online. The low-code platform’s easy-to-use interface and other intuitive features, like drag-and-drop components, enable non-technical staff to easily customize features. Routine maintenance of the app can be done by the clinic’s administrative team itself, reducing dependency on IT. 

6. Eliminate shadow IT

Low-code platforms reduce shadow IT by enabling users to quickly build apps while allowing IT to maintain control over security, compliance, and system integration. This ensures agility without compromising governance or security.

Use case: A customer support team could develop a ticketing system on a low-code platform. IT can ensure proper security and integrations, removing the risks of shadow IT. IT doesn’t need to worry about shadow IT when a capable low-code platform is used, as it offers full visibility and control over security and compliance. The support team gains flexibility to build their own solutions while IT retains control over data protection and integration.

7. Scalability 

Low-code platforms are designed to support scalability, allowing businesses to scale their applications automatically with time as the business grows.

Use case: A healthcare provider might start with a simple patient appointment scheduling app but can later scale it to patient data management, medicine inventory management, billing, and more, all while using the same low-code platform, ensuring consistent performance as the healthcare provider grows in size.  

8. Easy customization

With low-code, customization becomes quick and effortless, enabling businesses to tailor applications to their unique needs. Features like drag-and-drop interfaces, workflow builders for automating processes, and visual dashboard designers streamline development. Users can easily create dashboards to track KPIs with a variety of prebuilt components. As a result, businesses can deploy tailored solutions faster and more efficiently.

Use case: A real estate agency building a custom property listing app uses a low-code platform. With visual builders and preset components, the agency can customize the app to filter properties by price, location, and features, streamlining its workflow and enhancing the user experience.

9. Flexibility

Low-code app development boosts flexibility by enabling rapid changes and updates without deep technical skills. Users can quickly adapt apps to evolving needs, integrate new features, or modify workflows without waiting for lengthy IT cycles. This agility ensures faster responses to market or organizational changes, empowering teams to stay adaptable and innovative.

Use case: A government agency could use a low-code platform to develop an online citizen services portal. As new regulations and services emerge, the agency can quickly update the app to include new forms, payment options, and compliance features without needing extensive IT resources. This flexibility ensures the portal stays current and responsive to public needs.

10. Future-proofing

Low-code app development future-proofs organizations by enabling easy integration of emerging technologies like AI and IoT. Apps built on low-code platforms can quickly incorporate AI-driven analytics, automate tasks, or connect with IoT devices for real-time data. This flexibility allows businesses to stay ahead of technological advancements and continuously adapt their apps to evolving needs.

Use case:  A healthcare provider uses a low-code platform to create a patient monitoring app that integrates with IoT devices for real-time health data. As the use of AI evolves in healthcare, the app can easily incorporate predictive analytics for early diagnosis, ensuring the system evolves with new technologies to improve patient care.

Why ManageEngine AppCreator is ideal for low-code app development

Coding the old way often feels like running on a hamster wheel. This method involves long timelines and implementing complex requirements, which can hinder businesses from quickly adapting to market needs.

This is where low-code application development can make a difference. Low-code platforms provide an efficient way for businesses to build custom applications with minimal coding.

AppCreator is a low-code application development platform that helps you build custom applications from scratch that are tailored to fit your business needs. It integrates smoothly with your existing systems and third-party services, helping you easily connect data from multiple sources and simplify workflows across platforms.

A key feature of AppCreator is its cross-platform compatibility, i.e, its ability to create apps that work smoothly across multiple devices, like desktops, tablets, and smartphones, ensuring a consistent and responsive user experience. It also saves time and resources by speeding up the development cycle, allowing businesses to create high-quality apps without large teams while also maintaining security standards with robust data encryption and role-based access controls.

The platform supports custom code with Deluge, a simple scripting language that lets users add complex business logic and extend app functionality easily without requiring deep coding knowledge, ensuring flexibility and customization for a wide range of business requirements. 

If you're looking for a low-code app development platform to step up your application development process, explore AppCreator now with a free, 30-day trial—sign up today!