Every business strives for process optimization which can be achieved with the help of well-designed workflows and digital tools. One of the most promising emerging technologies that can fully revolutionize the way companies organize their processes today is artificial intelligence. It can help to streamline and automate a lot of routine tasks that traditionally require a lot of time and effort. AI solutions have dozens of benefits. But the complexity and cost of their development and implementation can become a serious barrier for many companies. And here is when a reliable low code application development platform can enter the game.
In our article, we would like to focus on low-code AI tools. Low code integration can greatly facilitate your entry into the AI space and make this transition as smooth as possible. But before we dive deeper into the peculiarities of this approach to development and examples of tools, let’s start with the basics.
What are low code AI tools?
Low-code development is often perceived as the opposite of the traditional approach to software creation. Low-code platforms help to eliminate the necessity of writing thousands of code manually. Instead of this, users can rely on visual interfaces and drag-and-drop features. This approach requires less time than custom development.
Moreover, the use of low-code tools is often a less expensive alternative. When you apply such tools, you do not need to hire a big team of professional developers with specific knowledge. The low code environment is quite user-friendly. Even experts without any tech skills can significantly contribute to such projects. If you want to learn more about the differences between these two concepts, we recommend you read one of our previously published articles.
As for low-code AI, this term can be used to describe tools and platforms that are designed to help users build AI apps without writing the entire code manually.
In other words, such tools can open doors to the world of AI solutions and business automation for everyone.
6 low-code AI tools that deserve your attention
The number of low-code development platforms is growing along with the demand for them. However, it doesn’t mean that they all are absolutely identical or that they open the same possibilities for businesses that opt for them. The idea is that each low code tool has its own target audience. And consequently, each of them has some particular features or capabilities that can address the needs of different groups of users.
In this context, it is important to know how to find the best low code application development platform for your business and what to pay attention to in the first turn. For example, some tools do not require any tech skills at all. At the same time, others presuppose that users have at least a basic understanding of coding principles and AI/ML functioning.
Microsoft Power Apps
Microsoft offers a wide range of low-code development tools for businesses. And one of the products that it provides is Power Apps. It helps users even with practically zero coding skills deliver apps enriched with AI to transform their legacy processes. The created applications can bring value to a wide range of domains, including finance, sales, marketing, customer support, and human resources.
The most important features of Microsoft Power Apps:
- Pre-defined AI models with customization. The Power Apps tool offers access to pre-defined AI models. With AI Builder, they can be easily customized and tailored to the specific requirements of users.
- Copilot integration. This AI low code platform also lets businesses leverage the advantages of Microsoft’s Copilot. Its capabilities can be applied to generate text inputs, streamline the processes of filling in forms by users, and facilitate other common tasks.
- Seamless Microsoft ecosystem integration. Power Apps can become an excellent option for those businesses that heavily rely on the Microsoft ecosystem in their work. It can ensure seamless integration with all Microsoft products.
However, the same factor can become a pitfall for some organizations. To fully enjoy all the benefits of Power Apps, the use of the Microsoft ecosystem is a must.
OutSystems
It is a widely used AI-powered low-code platform that is suitable even for building complex business-critical solutions. With the offered tools, companies can create both internal apps and external applications, as well as highly reliable core systems that can be easily customized. Thanks to the offered flexibility, OutSystems can boast high popularity across various industries, including but not limited to:
- Banking;
- Agriculture;
- Healthcare;
- Government, and many others.
These days, the team behind OutSystems is actively exploring the AI space. Now businesses can enjoy seamless integration of state-of-the-art AI models in their apps. Thanks to this, the built solutions can be tailored to a huge number of specific use cases.
What functionality can be added to your app?
- Content generation;
- Summarization;
- Semantic search;
- Process automation, etc.
With such a wide choice of pre-built components and workflows that can be changed to meet individual needs, this low code AI platform can be used by businesses with absolutely different requirements.
Curious to learn more? Dive into our detailed analysis.
Appian
Appian is positioned as a low code platform for process orchestration, automation, and business intelligence. Apart from traditional features for building custom apps with minimal coding, Appian can offer its users enterprise-ready AI architecture.
The main benefits of Appian for low code AI projects:
- Generative AI and AI copilots. It provides businesses with the possibility to enhance their processes with Generative AI tools and AI copilots.
- Customizable AI Models. Businesses can revolutionize their existing workflows by implementing available GenAI prompts or creating their own AI models.
- End-to-end automation. To increase teams’ productivity and minimize errors, Appian offers companies the opportunity to leverage the benefits of its end-to-end automation platform.
Being widely used by enterprises, this low code tool may turn out to be rather expensive for small companies. Moreover, as well as in the case of many other similar solutions, when it comes to more complex workflows, the expertise of non-tech users may not be enough.
For more details, we recommend you study this information provided on our blog.
Retool
Retool is one more platform that will let you build AI apps, even if you are not an expert in artificial intelligence. As an AI low code tool, Retool can help businesses consolidate their data to make it possible for any large language model (LLM) to use it.
What does Retool provide?
- Ready-to-use actions. The platform provides access to numerous ready-to-use actions powered by OpenAI, Azure, and other prominent technologies. But if users can’t find the required actions on the list of available, they can add their own models and API keys.
- Automation. When it comes to automation, Retool also has what to offer. Businesses can rely on the advantages of Retool Workflows to manage multiple actions to ensure end-to-end automation.
- Business-specific bots. This tool can also be highly helpful for building business-specific bots. Such bots demonstrate outstanding efficiency in the particular use cases for which they are trained.
You can read more about other Retool’s features and capabilities here.
Mendix
Unlike the previously mentioned one, this low code tool is known for its outstanding scalability. That’s why quite often it is used by enterprises with complex workflows.
The main features of this platform:
- Visual development environment. Mendix allows companies to create AI solutions in the visual development environment.
- Efficient collaboration. The platform drives efficient teamwork and collaboration across departments, which enhances app delivery. This is highly valuable for delivering apps that will precisely address all the ongoing specific business needs.
- Cloud-native deployments. Mendix supports cloud-native deployments for flexibility and scalability.
- Third-party AI tool integration. The platform allows smooth integration with popular third-party AI tools.
- Embedded Machine Learning (ML) models. Mendix includes integrated ML models. This provides advanced AI capabilities within the platform.
As well as any other tool, Mendix has some limitations. For example, users need to have some technical expertise to build more complex AI apps.
Want to get more detailed info? Read our Mendix review.
Zoho Creator
This low code tool is often used for building AI-powered apps. It allows businesses to create solutions with unique workflows without applying serious coding skills. Zoho Creator is designed to be intuitive, even for users with minimal experience with similar platforms.
Key functionality:
- Drag-and-drop interface;
- Ready-Made Templates;
- Workflow automation;
- AI-driven insights and analytics;
- Simple integration with Zoho Apps.
This low code application development platform can be a good choice for medium-sized and small companies. Nevertheless, for enterprises, its scalability capacities may not be sufficient.
To get a better understanding of the capacities of this platform, you can follow the link and read a detailed review.
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How to choose the best low-code AI tool?
Let us briefly mention the key factors that you need to evaluate to select the optimal low-code AI tool for your business.
- Alignment with your goals. Clearly outline what you want to achieve with this tool. Do you want to automate your manual tasks or do you need to build an app with complex AI analytics? Verify whether the platforms under consideration offer the necessary features.
- User-friendliness. Look for tools with intuitive interfaces and minimal learning curves. This is especially important if your team lacks extensive technical expertise.
- Integration capabilities. Make sure that the chosen tool can seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and workflows.
- Scalability. This characteristic is essential to handle increasing data volumes and more complex AI applications over time.
- Customer support and community resources. These two aspects can be invaluable for troubleshooting and learning. Platforms with comprehensive documentation and responsive support teams can significantly enhance your experience.
- Cost-effectiveness. You should compare the pricing models of different tools to find the one that offers the best value for your budget. This point requires diligent research from your side. any platforms today provide pricing only upon request, especially for enterprise-level offers.
Low code integration: The best tactics
The choice of the right low code AI platform is very important. However, it is also crucial to be sure that your company is well-prepared to adopt your low-code AI apps. Only this will guarantee the highest efficiency of your efforts.
At Akveo, we have solid expertise in helping businesses at different stages of AI implementation. And here are a couple of practical recommendations that will facilitate this process for you.
- Define suitable use cases. Introducing AI just because it is a modern trend is not the best approach. A very good understanding of the reasons for doing it and the desired outcomes is always required. That’s why first of all, you need to determine areas where low-code AI apps can add the most value.
- Upskill employees. It is always necessary to invest in training programs before introducing new tools that your team members will need to deal with in their work. You have to equip your staff with skills in working with low-code development tools and new AI-powered solutions.
- Foster collaboration. One of the essential tasks for you will be to encourage collaboration between IT and business units for your low-code projects. In direct interaction between all teams, it will be easier to determine when and how low-code AI tools can bring the highest value, making sure new solutions align with organizational goals.
- Integrate AI into existing workflows. In our practice, we had a lot of cases when our clients had plans to implement AI without changing their existing processes. Nevertheless, in many situations, this approach doesn’t seem feasible. It could be much more sensible to start with existing workflows. You can utilize low-code AI tools to enhance current business processes and improve their efficiency. This is possible without overhauling existing systems.
- Ensure data security and compliance. You should implement robust data governance practices to maintain low code security and compliance when deploying AI solutions. As a rule, such solutions will deal with highly sensitive business data. That’s why apart from your own efforts aimed at protecting your information, you should also analyze how the chosen low code application development platform works with data.
Wrapping up
By adopting reliable low code AI tools and tactics, you will be able to leverage the entire power of this approach. It will help you drive innovation at your company, improve operational efficiency, and maintain a competitive edge in the evolving tech landscape.
Low-code platforms greatly simplify the development process. However, the help of professionals with relevant expertise can be quite valuable, especially at the initial stages of project planning and realization. If you are interested in consulting or development services, do not hesitate to contact us. At Akveo, we work with a wide range of technologies, including low-code. We deeply understand the peculiarities of low code integration and know how to enable you to fully feel its benefits. Let’s drive your business growth with low-code AI development together!
Billing Automation for a SaaS Company with Low-Code
Our client needed a robust billing solution to manage hierarchical licenses, ensure compliance, and automate invoicing for streamlined operations.
The solution:
We developed a Retool-based application that supports multi-tiered licenses, automates invoicing workflows, and integrates seamlessly with CRM and accounting platforms to enhance financial data management.
The result:
- Achieved 100% adherence to licensing agreements, mitigating penalties.
- Automated invoicing and workflows reduced manual effort significantly.
- Dashboards and reports improved decision-making and operational visibility.
Retool Dashboards with HubSpot Integration
Our client needed a centralized tool to aggregate account and contact activity, improving visibility and decision-making for the sales team.
The solution
We built a Retool application integrated with HubSpot, QuickMail, and Clay.com. The app features dashboards for sorting, filtering, and detailed views of companies, contacts, and deals, along with real-time notifications and bidirectional data syncing.
The result
- MVP in 50 hours: Delivered a functional application in just 50 hours.
- Smarter decisions: Enabled data-driven insights for strategic planning.
- Streamlined operations: Reduced manual tasks with automation and real-time updates.
Lead Generation Tool to Reduce Manual Work
Our client, Afore Capital, a venture capital firm focused on pre-seed investments, aimed to automate their lead generation processes but struggled with existing out-of-the-box solutions. To tackle this challenge, they sought assistance from our team of Akveo Retool experts.
The scope of work
The client needed a tailored solution to log and track inbound deals effectively. They required an application that could facilitate the addition, viewing, and editing of company and founder information, ensuring data integrity and preventing duplicates. Additionally, Afore Capital aimed to integrate external tools like PhantomBuster and LinkedIn to streamline data collection.
The result
By developing a custom Retool application, we streamlined the lead generation process, significantly reducing manual data entry. The application enabled employees to manage inbound deals efficiently while automated workflows for email parsing, notifications, and dynamic reporting enhanced operational efficiency. This allowed Afore Capital's team to focus more on building relationships with potential founders rather than on administrative tasks.
Learn more about the case
Retool CMS Application for EdTech Startup
Our client, CutTime, a leading fine arts education management platform, needed a scalable CMS application to improve vendor product management and user experience.
The scope of work
We developed a Retool application that allows vendors to easily upload and manage product listings, handle inventory, and set shipping options. The challenge was to integrate the app with the client’s system, enabling smooth authentication and product management for program directors.
The result
Our solution streamlined product management, reducing manual work for vendors, and significantly improving operational efficiency.
Building Reconciliation Tool for e-commerce company
Our client was in need of streamlining and simplifying its monthly accounting reconciliation process – preferably automatically. But with a lack of time and low budget for a custom build, development of a comprehensive software wasn’t in the picture. After going through the case and customer’s needs, we decided to implement Retool. And that was the right choice.
The scope of work
Our team developed a custom reconciliation tool designed specifically for the needs of high-volume transaction environments. It automated the processes and provided a comprehensive dashboard for monitoring discrepancies and anomalies in real-time.
The implementation of Retool significantly reduced manual effort, as well as fostered a more efficient and time-saving reconciliation process.
Creating Retool Mobile App for a Wine Seller
A leading spirits and wine seller in Europe required the development of an internal mobile app for private client managers and administrators. The project was supposed to be done in 1,5 months. Considering urgency and the scope of work, our developers decided to use Retool for swift and effective development.
The scope of work
Our developers built a mobile application tailored to the needs of the company's sales force: with a comprehensive overview of client interactions, facilitated order processing, and enabled access to sales history and performance metrics. It was user-friendly, with real-time updates, seamlessly integrated with existing customer databases.
The result? Increase in productivity of the sales team and improved decision-making process. But most importantly, positive feedback from the customers themselves.
Developing PoC with Low Code for a Tour Operator
To efficiently gather, centralize, and manage data is a challenge for any tour operator. Our client was not an exception. The company was seeking to get an internal software that will source information from third-party APIs and automate the travel itinerary creation process. Preferably, cost- and user-friendly tool.
The scope of work
Our experts ensured the client that all the requirements could be covered by Retool. And just in 40 hours a new software was launched. The tool had a flexible and easy-to-use interface with user authentication and an access management system panel – all the company needed. At the end, Retool was considered the main tool to replace the existing system.
Testing New Generation of Lead Management Tool with Retool
Our client, a venture fund, had challenges with managing lead generation and client acquisition. As the company grew, it aimed to attract more clients and scale faster, as well as automate the processes to save time, improve efficiency and minimize human error. The idea was to craft an internal lead generation tool that will cover all the needs. We’ve agreed that Retool will be a perfect tool for this.
The scope of work
The project initially began as a proof of concept, but soon enough, with each new feature delivered, the company experienced increased engagement and value.
We developed a web tool that integrates seamlessly with Phantombuster for data extraction and LinkedIn for social outreach. Now, the company has a platform that elevates the efficiency of their lead generation activities and provides deep insights into potential client bases.
Building an Advanced Admin Portal for Streamlined Operations
Confronted with the need for more sophisticated internal tools, an owner of IP Licensing marketplace turned to Retool to utilize its administrative functions. The primary goal was to construct an advanced admin portal that could support complex, multi-layered processes efficiently.
The scope of work
Our client needed help with updating filters and tables for its internal platform. In just 30 hours we've been able to update and create about 6 pages. Following features were introduced: add complex filtering and search, delete records, styling application with custom CSS.
Together, we have increased performance on most heavy pages and fixed circular dependency issues.
Creating MVP Dashboard for Google Cloud Users
Facing the challenge of unoptimized cloud resource management, a technology firm working with Google Cloud users was looking for a solution to make its operations more efficient. The main idea of the project was to create an MVP for e-commerce shops to test some client hypotheses. Traditional cloud management tools fell short.
The scope of work
Determined to break through limitations, our team of developers turned Retool. We decided to craft an MVP Dashboard specifically for Google Cloud users. This wasn't just about bringing data into view; but about reshaping how teams interact with their cloud environment.
We designed a dashboard that turned complex cloud data into a clear, strategic asset thanks to comprehensive analytics, tailored metrics, and an intuitive interface, that Retool provides. As the results, an increase in operational efficiency, significant improvement in cost management and resource optimization.
Elevating CRM with Custom HubSpot Sales Dashboard
Our other client, a SaaS startup, that offers collaborative tools for design and engineering teams, was on a quest to supercharge their sales efforts. Traditional CRM systems were limited and not customizable enough. The company sought a solution that could tailor HubSpot to their workflow and analytics needs.
The scope of work
Charged with the task of going beyond standard CRM functions, our team turned to Retool. We wanted to redefine how sales teams interact with their CRM.
By integrating advanced analytics, custom metrics, and a user-friendly interface, our developers provided a solution that transformed data into a strategic asset.
In 40 hours, three informative dashboards were developed, containing the most sensitive data related to sales activities. These dashboards enable our customer to analyze sales and lead generation performance from a different perspective and establish the appropriate KPIs.
Building a PDF Editor with Low-Code
Our client, a leading digital credential IT startup, needed a lot of internal processes to be optimized. But the experience with low-code tools wasn’t sufficient. That’s why the company decided to hire professionals. And our team of developers joined the project.
The scope of work
The client has a program that designs and prints custom badges for customers. The badges need to be “mail-merged” with a person’s info and turned into a PDF to print. But what is the best way to do it?
Our developers decided to use Retool as a core tool. Using custom components and JavaScript, we developed a program that reduced employees' time for designing, putting the data, verifying, and printing PDF badges in one application.
As a result, the new approach significantly reduces the time required by the internal team to organize all the necessary staff for the conference, including badge creation.
