OutSystems in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™: An in-depth look

OutSystems was named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAPs).¹ We believe this is a direct reflection of our strong market presence and comprehensive platform capabilities. This analysis examines the key factors behind the positioning of OutSystems and what it means for organizations considering low-code platforms for their development needs.

Market impact and platform evolution: Where OutSystems fits

Gartner predicts that "60% of software development organizations will use enterprise LCAPs as their primary internal developer platform by 2028, up from 10% in 2024. Additionally, by 2029, enterprise LCAPs are expected to handle mission-critical application development in 80% of businesses globally."²

For OutSystems, this projected market expansion represents a significant opportunity. As organizations accelerate their adoption of LCAPs for both primary development work and mission-critical applications, the OutSystems platform’s established strengths in regulatory compliance, AI-powered development, and enterprise-grade governance position it to serve this growing market.

OutSystems has a demonstrated ability to: support companies of all sizes, from small businesses to global enterprises. Additionally, our extensive partner network and global presence provide the infrastructure needed to support this predicted six-fold increase in LCAP adoption for primary development work and the substantial growth in mission-critical application development.

OutSystems: The strengths

Gartner evaluated OutSystems and twelve other vendors on a number of criteria. Here are the three stand-out categories that positioned us the furthest for Completeness of Vision:

• Market understanding: The ability to understand buyers' wants and needs and to translate those into products and services.
• Vertical/industry strategy: The strategy for directing resources, skills, and offerings to meet the needs of individual market segments, including vertical industries.
• Sales strategy: The strategy for selling products or services that uses the appropriate network of direct and indirect sales, marketing, service, and communication affiliates to extend the scope and depth of market reach, skills, expertise, technologies, services and customer base.

Don’t take it from us. You can find out what Gartner said about our strengths in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms. Read on for an in-depth analysis of these strengths from the OutSystems perspective.

Market understanding: It’s all about what developers want and need

OutSystems has consistently demonstrated strong market understanding throughout our history by offering new innovations designed to improve the work of developers and also give them their own space to connect.

Let’s dig into this a little bit more.

Visionary AI: Mentor

Responding to developer demand, we introduced generative AI-powered application development capabilities through Mentor (formerly known as Project Morpheus), enhancing the development experience and enabling AI-powered end-user experiences. Regardless of the answers you’re seeking with an application development dilemma, Mentor represents the architecture of the future.

Purpose-built to transform app generation, delivery, and monitoring, Mentor leads the way as the first full software development lifecycle digital worker built right into a low-code platform. From app creation and the automation of repetitive tasks to streamlining code reviews and automatic security checks, Mentor ensures fast, error-free, secure application deployment every time. It provides the ability to generate a fully functional app based on a prompt or by uploading a requirements document. AI-powered suggestions offer the ability to iterate on the app based on the data and connections already available in your organization.

Watch this Mentor video to see it in action.

Developer community engagement: Almost a million strong dedicated to low-code

The OutSystems Developer Community is a virtual gathering of developers (currently, more than 800,000) that provides resources for learning, sharing, and connecting with other OutSystems developers. It’s an opportunity to engage with professionals from around the globe who are always ready to help someone out. Developers can find reusable app components, UI components, business solutions, and "How to" samples. Through the community and our developer outreach, we also offer:

• Organized events
• Comprehensive training programs
• Professional certifications
• Platform resources and documentation

To give you an idea of all the ways we connect to and with OutSystems developers, watch our developer community 2024 update.

Industry strategy: Market expansion

OutSystems has successfully broadened its market reach beyond traditional sectors and verticals—and upped our regulatory compliance game.

Diverse industry coverage

The OutSystems platform is widely used in financial services and public sector organizations, two industries known for low-code adoption. However, OutSystems has expanded beyond those traditional verticals into high-potential industries that include manufacturing, retail, and technology. Here are a few examples:

• HEINEKEN: One of the world’s most iconic beer brands rolled out a federated development model with the support of platforms like OutSystems. With this model, the brewing company has successfully scaled app development globally while maintaining the company’s high security and quality standards across every solution.
• De Mandemakers Groep: The retail division of De Mandemakers Groep provides kitchens, bathrooms, and furniture to the Dutch public. The group’s small, central IT team uses OutSystems to deliver new services to customers.
• Park Industries: Metal and stone equipment manufacturer Park Industries consolidated 65+ legacy systems into 26 OutSystems apps with expanded capabilities. "On average, one OutSystems app replaces four legacy apps, and we're able to build it 10x faster than traditional development," says David Lloyd, Director of IT.

Regulatory compliance

The OutSystems platform includes robust compliance features to support regulated industries, with plans to expand compliance protocol support further. OutSystems can be used to automate regulatory compliance workflows, including determining requirements, application, approval and checking, and creating the production bill of materials.

Sales strategy and global reach: Flexible and scalable

Our sales approach is all about serving a wide range and reach of customers.

Customer base diversity, adjustable pricing

The OutSystems low-code platform serves organizations of all sizes all over the world. Because of the diversity of these companies, we offer adaptable pricing and deployment options. We think that this diversity allows us to keep improving the platform for all its different users, making sure that no matter the size of your company, we can help you build applications that suit your needs.

A global partner network that extends our reach

OutSystems has built an extensive network of Global System Integrators (GSIs) that provide local market expertise, implementation support, and regional customization. Our growth in Asian and Pacific markets has been notable, and we are one of Japan’s most popular low-code platforms. As a result, we can access new customer segments and enter new markets more quickly anywhere in the world by leveraging our partners’ distribution channels and customer relationships. We can also provide customers with access to partner expertise and complementary skills, which can lead to improved customer experience and support.

Taking stock: Key achievements

In addition to the strengths that enabled us to be a "Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader” and positioned the furthest for Completeness of Vision, such as GenAI innovation and global partner network, we had other key achievements. In the 2024 Gartner® Critical Capabilities for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms, we had the highest rating for "low-code platform for external applications." OutSystems is also in the top 5 for complex internal applications and tactical internal applications use cases.

I think I’ve made a good case for why OutSystems should be among your top choices for low-code, but just in case you’re still not sure, here are some things to consider.

Strategic considerations—and some hints—for evaluating low-code

When you are assessing OutSystems as an enterprise LCAP solution, it’s a good idea to ask and answer the following questions:

1. What is our development scope? To find the answer, assess your organization's application development needs. Consider the mix of internal and external applications and evaluate the complexity of your requirements.
   Hint: If you need to tackle big, complex development projects, OutSystems offers what you need, including AI assistants.
2. What are our team’s capabilities? Review your existing developer skills to find strengths and gaps. Then look at your training and available resources to see if they are meeting your needs.
   Hint: If you note sizable gaps in any of these, consider OutSystems. It enables you to build applications with your existing team, no matter their skills, and has extensive training and support to help them succeed.
3. What are our integration requirements? How are you currently handling integrations? What do you need in the way of APIs? What about data source connections?
   Hint: If the subject of integrations seems overwhelming, take a look at OutSystems and our flexible integration options.

Why OutSystems?

If you’re assessing low-code application platforms because you want to accelerate development and get more done, OutSystems should be on your list and perhaps even at the top. Our AI and generative AI innovation, comprehensive platform capabilities, market understanding, and successful expansion across industries are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the platform that has everything you need to build what you want.

To learn more, download the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms, visit the OutSystems home page, or schedule a demo.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

^{1, 2, 3} Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms, Oleksandr Matvitskyy, Kyle Davis, Akash Jain, 16 October 2024.