Though low code systems are actively gaining significant traction across various domains, some companies still try to distance themselves from such solutions. Their managers strongly believe that the traditional development approach is the only viable choice for them. The reasons for that are quite obvious. Something unknown always seems to be frightening. In reality, when applied correctly, low code technology can bring a lot of benefits. But does it have a chance to stay here for a long time? Will low code platforms take off? Let us provide you with some facts and figures that will demonstrate the real situation.
What is going on in low-code development?
The low code technology market size is continuously growing. In 2023, it achieved a volume of around $22.25 billion. Now it is expected that it can climb up to $28.75 billion in 2024 and to $264.40 billion by 2032. It means that the CAGR during the forecast period from 2024 to 2032 will be around 32%.
It is projected that approximately 70% of new business software solutions will be built with the help of one of the low-code application platforms by 2025.
This tendency will also have a serious impact on the composition of the teams engaged in development. The share of non-tech professionals who will contribute to such projects will be growing.
The expansion of this market is mainly driven by the benefits that low code technology can bring, as well as the general trends that can be observed in the tech world.
Trend 1. Mainstream adoption of low-code development across industries
Low code no code platforms have moved beyond niche markets. Today, they are increasingly being adopted by businesses of different types and sizes. This trend is boosted by a range of factors, such as:
- the demand for faster application development;
- the need to address skill gaps in IT departments;
- the desire to optimize software-related expenses.
That’s exactly what low code technology can offer. With pre-built components and drag-and-drop interfaces, it is much faster and cheaper to create business apps. Even non-technical experts, often called citizen developers, can successfully participate in building apps.
Overall, low code no code development has become a very important component for digital transformation. Through digitalization and workflow automation, companies try to increase the quality of delivered services and their profitability. Given this, digital transformation is often considered to be one of the driving factors for the low-code development market.
Trend 2. High demand for automation of business processes
The high demand for automation is related to the companies’ aspiration to operate more efficiently and reduce manual workloads. The optimization of their processes and the use of resources can greatly enhance their competitiveness in digital environments.
Traditional development of custom software can be a rather time-consuming task. It also requires a rather big investment and specific tech expertise. To quickly address their needs, businesses should look for other ways to automate their routine processes.
That’s why low-code development plays a crucial role in business automation. This method allows organizations to streamline workflows without heavy custom coding. Moreover, when you use a low code application platform, you can enjoy great flexibility. If you need to change your already created workflows, it won’t be a resource-consuming procedure.
Trend 3. AI integration
Many low-code platforms today integrate AI and machine learning to enhance the development process. AI can help optimize app performance as well as generate recommendations for app components.
For example, AI-driven platforms can recommend the most suitable UI components based on the type of application. Or they can suggest optimal logic flows based on similar projects.
Some advanced low-code platforms are starting to incorporate natural language processing (NLP). It means that users can describe what they want in a natural language. Further, the platform can generate the corresponding components or workflows based on their text input.
AI can also play an important role in debugging, app testing, predictive analytics, and workflow optimization.
Nevertheless, even despite all the benefits of this technology, some weighty factors prevent it from being widely adopted at the moment. First of all, the training and implementation of AI algorithms are quite expensive. Secondly, AI tools require significant computational power and data storage resources. Low-code platforms are cost-effective in terms of development time. However, the added complexity of AI could increase expenses related to data processing, model training, and infrastructure scaling.
Trend 4. Democratization of software development
There is an increasing shortage of skilled developers globally. The demand for professional software services is far higher than supply. Low-code platforms democratize development and enable people outside IT to create apps. This can become one of the most efficient solutions to address the skills gap. As a result, businesses can build their internal solutions without relying solely on IT. A significantly wider group of users, including marketers, analysts, economists, and other non-developers, can now take part in software creation.
As business users can create apps, they can build solutions that are more closely aligned with their specific workflows and processes. This greatly reduces the gap between business requirements and their tech interpretation and helps to avoid misunderstandings.
Such an approach can also reduce the pressure on IT teams. A lot of simple tasks related to software can be performed by business users. Meanwhile, professional developers can concentrate on more challenging and time-critical issues.
If you also want to involve citizen developers in app creation, you should stay aware of possible pitfalls.
The participation of non-technical users in tech projects raises concerns about governance. Without proper oversight, there is a risk of delivering apps that don’t meet security, compliance, or performance standards. That’s why IT specialists still need to monitor and manage low-code app development effectively.
It’s also vital not to forget about the possible learning curve. Low-code platforms are designed to be user-friendly. However, people still need training to understand how to apply such tools efficiently. Businesses should invest in upskilling their employees to make sure that they can fully leverage the capabilities of low code systems.
Trend 5. Hybrid and multi-cloud environments
Today we can observe that more and more teams are building their web and mobile low code solutions in hybrid (on-premises + cloud) and multi-cloud environments. These approaches presuppose the deployment of apps across different cloud providers and on-premises environments.
Such a trend aligns with the evolving needs of modern businesses that require flexible, scalable, and resilient deployment strategies.
For example, with the hybrid approach, organizations can keep critical workloads on-premises while relying on cloud platforms for other business functions. Meanwhile, in a multi-cloud setup, organizations can leverage the specific strengths of different cloud providers and avoid vendor lock-in.
As such approaches to app deployment are gaining popularity, low-code tools are evolving to be more platform-agnostic. Such changes make it possible for businesses to run their apps across any cloud provider or on-premises system without any restrictions.
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Trend 6. Demand for interoperability and seamless integration
Today businesses across different industries adopt a growing number of digital tools, apps, and systems. Many of such solutions are built at different periods and are powered by different technologies. Nevertheless, to achieve the highest efficiency of their performance, these solutions should smoothly communicate and share data. Low-code platforms are increasingly focusing on interoperability and seamless integration to meet the demands of modern interconnected IT ecosystems.
How can it be achieved?
Many low-code platforms offer pre-built connectors for popular third-party systems and business tools. These connectors allow users to integrate their low-code applications with external products without the need for complex manual coding.
Quite often, one of the biggest challenges related to low-code development is the integration of new apps with legacy systems that businesses continue to rely on. A low code application platform may offer middleware or API wrappers to bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern solutions. This allows businesses to modernize their processes without the necessity to fully abandon their critical legacy infrastructure.
Trend 7. Integration of low code and no code tools with traditional development
The integration of no-code and low-code platforms with the traditional development method can become a revolution in how organizations approach software creation. This combination enables businesses to leverage the strengths of both methodologies at the same time. It means that they can fully enjoy the rapid development that a low code application platform can provide. But at the same time, they can ensure great customization and scalability freedom that is typical for traditional coding.
Such an approach still can help to reduce the need for specialized developers in comparison to the cases when you build every application fully from scratch. As a result, businesses can save on development costs.
Another huge advantage is the possibility to modernize business processes without overhauling the whole existing infrastructure. With low code tools, companies can create new modern interfaces and workflows for their legacy systems. These new components can be further integrated via APIs or traditional custom coding.
Moreover, low code technology allows businesses to innovate and test ideas really fast without waiting for full-scale development.
Conclusion: Does low-code development have a future?
The business space is very dynamic. That’s why companies across various industries want to have flexible apps and workflows that can be easily adjusted to the constantly changing needs. Low code technology can provide them with such a possibility. Given this, it would be absolutely natural to suppose that the popularity of this approach is just gaining momentum. Quite soon even more businesses may start preferring it to traditional custom development.
At Akveo, we have multiple years of experience in delivering low code services. Our experts can build feature-rich low code systems based on your requirements, as well as help businesses develop the right strategies for their process automation and optimization. Today our portfolio already includes a range of successfully realized low-code development projects. And we are continuously working on strengthening our skills. If you need our professional help or advice, do not hesitate to contact us!
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