More than 60% of revenue for businesses is generated online owing to the increasing number of mobile phone users in the world. In 2022, the number of mobile phone users is estimated to reach 307 million.
By 2040, there will be 364 million mobile phone users in the USA alone. These statistics are enough to highlight the importance of mobile app development. Today, almost every business has a mobile application. A mobile app paves a smooth path for a business to be digitally agile and scalable.
Hence, it becomes vital to choose the right type of code development platform. Low code app development and custom app development are two major choices for businesses to make the right decision.
- What type of software development would benefit the business? This blog would compare custom apps vs low code apps to give the final verdict.
Custom Apps Vs Low Code Apps
Half knowledge is dangerous and before jumping to any conclusion, it becomes essential to understand what are custom and low-code apps.
Custom App Development
As the name suggests, custom app development is the software development process that caters to the need of specific businesses and organizations. Custom apps can be personalized to a greater extent because they can fill the gap with features that aren’t there in other apps available on the App Store and Play Store.
Low Code App Development
Low-code apps are those that do not involve major coding while creating an app. Mobile app developers use the drag-and-drop interface through app development tools. The biggest advantage of low-code app development is that an app can be created in a shorter timeframe.
Business owners invest hefty sums in mobile app development that caters to their business goals & generates revenue. Hence, it is vital to understand the keynotes related to what kind of mobile app development suits the business.
Without understanding the use case for low-code and custom app development, it is worthless to invest. Thus, business owners must understand when they need custom and low-code mobile apps.
When Do You Need Custom App Development?
In the second quarter of 2022, business apps have been recorded as the second-most popular app category with 10.22% shares of the active apps. These statistics clear the fog related to the growing requirement for customized mobile apps.
There are different business goals and fulfilling them requires a streamlined approach through software. Such software is developed by professionals that understand the core requirement of a business.
Many business organizations are inclined towards custom mobile app development. Since a custom app undergoes multi-stage development, it offers the right set of customization options that simplify business operations.
When Do You Need Low-Code App Development?
The low-code mobile app development comes into the picture when organizations seek an instant solution without involving complex coding. Low-code app development is an agile app development method that allows implementing changes without changing the code.
In case of a major rollback, developers can implement the same without putting in the extra effort. Owing to the agility, many organizations choose low-code app development over custom app development because the development duration is reduced to a greater extent.
To make an informed decision, it is vital to understand that low-code app development and custom app development have their respective pros & cons. Hence, individuals must be considerate before choosing the type of mobile app development.
Comparing Custom Apps & Low-Code Apps
Here’s a quick comparison between custom and low-code mobile apps based on technicalities.
Technical Expertise
Custom Apps - Custom mobile app development is not a walk in the park. Creating custom apps requires the strong technical expertise of a team comprising professional developers, quality analysts, designers, and others to create a roadmap for developing a powerful app from the turf.
Low-Code Apps - On the other hand, low-code apps are developed with less technical expertise. Although these apps can be developed completely within a couple of days, the security of low-code apps is not credible. Weak security makes them vulnerable to cyber attacks like hacking.
Maintenance
Custom Apps - Every mobile app demands maintenance to perform better in the long run. Custom apps need periodic maintenance to stay bug-free & updated to the latest version. A proper timeline is decided for integrating the changes by developers.
Since custom apps generate a lot of bugs and errors, owing to their complex code, their regular maintenance becomes a must.
Low-Code Apps - Platforms used for low-code app development keep the process short due to which there are no bugs created. There are no bugs in low-code apps because they aren’t coded, but created using a drag-and-drop module.
The host company maintains the updates required in the app development software.
App Development Duration
Custom Apps - Custom application development is a time-consuming process. Developers need ample time to develop a custom app from the scratch by considering multiple case scenarios, app wireframe, user interface, multi-stage development, testing, and debugging. It usually takes up to 6 months or a year to build custom apps.
Low-Code Apps - Low-code apps work on the drag-and-drop module. With the availability of different templates, super coding skills are not required. Adding further, there’s no need for setting up a team. With minimal requirements & coding, one can easily develop a low-code app within days or weeks.
Security
Custom Apps - Different businesses and organizations cannot risk data leakage from their enormous clientele. To prevent cyber invasions, custom software is integrated with multi-level security.
Since hackers do not hold knowledge of the custom security software being used, the chances of intrusion are suppressed & the data remains safe.
Low-Code Apps - The security for low-code apps is not as strong as custom apps. Since a low-code app is developed using a drag-and-drop module, the security of the code remains vulnerable to hacking. It can be easily invaded to cause data leaks.
Value For Business
Custom Apps - Custom software comes integrated with personalized frameworks and libraries. It enhances the scalability and performance of the app whilst keeping everything tailored as per the business requirements.
Low-Code Apps - Low-code apps have limitations when it comes to customization. Its drag-and-drop module doesn’t permit it to give custom solutions to users as compared to custom app development.
Such apps have limited templates that can build an app without customizing it. In simpler words, a low-code app cannot assure a seamless user experience.
What’s Best For Business?
A business or organization would choose to build a versatile app that not just caters to the business requirements but can be updated as per the feedback received. All this can be achieved easily through a custom app.
Although low-code apps can be developed easily within less budget & shorter timeframe, the long list of shortcomings is always around the corner. Businesses, for the betterment, can save themselves from evident losses by turning to custom app development.
In all cases like scalability, performance, features, user experience, security, and more, a custom app always outsmarts low-code apps. It will provide a competitive edge to the business. Hence, investing in custom app development seems to be a fair deal.