The difference between low-code and no-code platforms

In my earlier post I talked about the rise of no-code platforms as the next step beyond low-code platforms. We briefly looked at the difference between them, and in this post we’ll take a closer look at some of the distinct differences between low-code platforms on the one hand, and no-code platforms on the other.

Target audience

If you’ve read my other post, you already know that one of the major differences between low-code and no-code platforms is the target audience. Low-code platforms are aimed at developers.

These platforms require technical knowledge, and allow good coders to work faster. The more powerful the tools to speed up technical development, the better suited it is for coders.

No-code platforms on the other hand, target business users. These platforms provide no way of manually editing code, and instead focus on creating the best and easiest user experience possible, abstracting away from technical details. The easier the user interface is to understand, the better suited for business users it is.

This difference is a trade-off. Low-code platforms still require some code, because they are aimed at being able to create a very wide array of software solutions. To make sure the developer has the control they need, coding is still an important part of the development process.

No-code platforms however, abstract away from all the technical details. While being applicable for only slightly fewer use-cases, this makes no-code platforms much easier and faster to use.

Closed system

The other big difference between low-code platforms and no-code platforms is openness. A system that is open, allows it’s users to make changes to how it works. In low-code platforms this is done by allowing the user to change or add code, which affects how the application works.

The advantage is that this opens up the system to a lot of custom added code, making it applicable to more use-cases. The big downside however, is that this limits backwards-compatibility.

All low-code platforms suffer this problem, which is at the core of their architecture. Any new version that changes something in how the platform works, will affect customers who are using custom code that uses that functionality, because it now works differently.

This means that with any upgrade of the platform, all customers must spend time testing whether their software still works. If there are any problems, the custom code must be changed before they can upgrade to the new version of the platform.

No-code platforms on the other hand, only have a single version at any given time. When a no-code platform gets an update, customers need not worry about any breaking changes, because it is a closed system.

There are simply no points where custom code is permitted, which means that an upgrade cannot break an application. This is a huge advantage, as it gives users the ease of mind that any upgrade is simply immediately available, without having to spend any time testing.

The Triggre approach

Triggre has focused on these 2 aspects that set no-code platforms apart, from the beginning. We continuously update our designer to have more options, while making it easier and faster to use at the same time.

Triggre also has the advantage of being a completely closed system. Of course Triggre allows you to connect with other applications in an easy manner, but it keeps you from adding any code.

This provides our customers with the ease of mind of knowing that their application will still work, even when they want to make a change a year from now. But we take this even further. When we release a new update to our platform, we publish all of our customers’ applications, so they are sure to get any improvements without ever lifting a finger!

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