Low-code vs. no-code: Key differences and when to use what

They both simplify app development but cater to different audiences and use cases.

Benefits of low-code/no-code

Whether you choose low-code tools or a no-code platform, both approaches offer significant benefits over traditional development.

• Faster time to value: No-code/low-code platforms remove bottlenecks and accelerate app delivery, giving teams more time to launch, test, and optimize faster.
• Greater agility: Leveraging visual programming tools and reusable components, teams can build faster and gather feedback early.
• Reduced app development costs: By minimizing manual coding and enabling broader team participation, development becomes faster with fewer resources.
• Improved cross-team collaboration: Business users and IT teams can contribute directly to app creation, improving alignment between teams.
• Scalable innovation: From solving a one-off workflow to building a customer-facing app, these platforms grow with your business needs without the need for replatforming.

What is low-code?

Low-code is a visual software development approach that enables developers to create applications by minimizing traditional hand-coding processes. It introduces a user-friendly, drag-and-drop development environment that makes app development faster and more inclusive.

Although low-code platforms remove part of the development complexity by allowing users to build applications using drag-and-drop functionality, some coding knowledge is highly recommended.

Some low-code vendors may target business users (often termed "citizen developers"). Still, it is advisable under IT governance to avoid security and compliance risks and integration problems and ensure the apps follow the essential development best practices.

The more advanced low-code platforms target professional developers and are focused on maximizing developer productivity rather than replacing developers.

Primary capabilities of low-code tools

Low-code typically offers the following capabilities:

• Visual development with customization: Low-code platforms generally offer drag-and-drop interfaces, templates, and pre-constructed components. This allows developers to assemble the majority of the application visually.
• Flexibility: These platforms accommodate coding, allowing developers to write custom scripts or modules to handle specific functionalities. This is crucial for advanced or unique application requirements.
• Target audience: While business users can use a low-code development platform, professional developers tend to benefit the most from them because of their advanced customization capabilities.
• Scalability: Low-code platforms are typically robust and offer the ability to handle enterprise-level applications with large volumes of data.
• Integrated governance: Many low-code application development platforms come with built-in tools and features that enforce IT governance, helping ensure that the applications developed are secure, compliant, and efficient.

See how the top low-code platforms stack up

What is no-code?

No-code development is an approach to application design and development. Users can create functional applications without traditional handwritten code using visual development tools.

No-code platforms provide an even more simplified interface and are designed to be accessible to users with no technical background. This way, business users can create solutions without the supervision of IT.

Just like low-code technology, no-code provides drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components that users can combine to create simple software applications even more quickly and easily than with low-code.

But unlike low-code, no-code is less flexible and has limited customization capabilities. No-code apps are also less scalable, making them more suitable for simple, departmental-level needs.

Primary capabilities of no-code

The primary features of a no-code platform are:

• Purely visual development
• Limited customization
• Suited for non-technical individuals
• More simple use cases
• See what you can build with no-code app builders

Low-code vs. no-code: Zooming in on the main differences

It’s important to note that for both low-code and no-code, not all platforms are equal.

The table below compares the features of standard no-code platforms vs. a more advanced low-code app development platform:

Take a look at the best app builders for 2025

No-code vs. low-code: When to use what

If there’s a need for customized applications that go beyond basic functions, especially when flexibility, scalability, and performance are paramount, you should be looking for a low-code development platform.

The more advanced and modern low-code platforms allow developers to extend the existing building blocks, such as pre-built patterns, screens, widgets, and even app templates, if they need to go beyond the functionality offered by the platform out-of-the-box.

They also provide advanced security features and enterprise scalability making them well-suited to any enterprise use case where you'd use traditional code but without the unnecessary complexity.

Common low-code use cases include:

• Internal business applications
• Customer portals and apps
• Core systems

No-code platforms, although valuable in specific scenarios, inherently lack the robustness that low-code platforms offer. Their primary audience is business users with non-technical backgrounds, resulting in a more limited scope for app development.

They’re a good solution if you need to develop simple applications that require little to no customization and are based on improving the efficiency of a simple workflow.

Use cases for no-code platforms often include:

• Expenses approval
• Calendaring or scheduling
• Vacation approval

Low-code vs. no-code: The verdict

Both approaches reside on the same side of the development spectrum, veering away from the need to use written code to develop functionality. They remove the complexity from software development while making it easier to manage the enormous volume and complexity of code that’s needed for today’s enterprises.

But while no-code systems are targeted at business users, low-code typically targets professional developers. And that makes all the difference.

No-code providers aim to offer an easy-to-use platform to empower business users to create their departmental applications and relieve IT backlogs. Low-code, on the other hand, aims at helping IT reduce backlogs by accelerating developer productivity.

The increasing pressure for organizations to accelerate their digital transformation journeys has led to unprecedented tension for IT teams: the app backlog continues to pile up, and qualified development talent is scarce.

As a result, low-code platforms like OutSystems are taking center stage in software development, bridging the gaps and fostering innovation.

OutSystems low-code features a visual integrated development environment (IDE) for modeling business logic, offering pre-built components, seamless templates, and automatic integrations to build applications better and faster.

If you want to experience the future of app development, you can schedule a demo, try the OutSystems low-code platform in our free trial, or deep dive into the platform's capabilities.

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Low-code vs. no-code frequently asked questions