No-Code and Low-Code Platforms Will Be Trending in 2022: Should You Use Them?

As a business owner or manager, you probably know that having your own website or app is a great way to attract more clients and show your reliability. While social media, like Instagram, can be your main sales and marketing channel, you might want to step up your game with a convenient website or a mobile app.

Let’s be honest, not finding a company’s website raises some questions in your leads’ minds. Moreover, for many businesses that have shifted from offline during the pandemics, a website catalog became a must-have.

Should you invest in a professional development team or rather use now-trending no-code or low-code software to make a website yourself? Let’s discuss.

Pros: Fast and cheap

First things first, quite obviously, using a website or app builder platform is way cheaper than getting a professionally developed custom solution. Usually, such platforms are free to use or subscription-based, meaning that your expenses are at a minimum.

You also won’t spend too much time designing your new solution. When it comes to hiring a team, you should understand that the whole design and development process will take at least weeks, if not months. With some ready-made templates, you won’t spend more than a couple of hours or days creating your new website or app.

Pros: No coding experience required

One more crucial feature of any no-code or low-code platform is in the name — you don’t need to know how to code to make a website or app from scratch. When it comes to no-code platforms, for example, Wix or Squarespace, they work like drag-and-drop constructors. You are simply moving the UX elements around, choosing the ones you need for your solution.

As for the low-code platforms, their point is to help you learn basic coding ASAP and not overwhelm you with the tech details. While such platforms might require some background understanding of how programming works, they let you create a bit more sophisticated and unique products. For example, low-code tools allow you to work on the back-end when no-code ones are based on UI only.

Cons: You are using a template with limited features and designs

Getting a website or an app based on a template has two sides:
On the one hand, you save time and money while receiving a stylish product
On the other hand, everyone knows that you are using a template.

The existence of the no-code website- and app-builders is not a secret anymore; your clients and leads will definitely notice that you are using one, it might even say so on the website. It’s not a big deal if you are running a small business or a recently launched startup, but for a more established company, such a choice might not be relevant.

Cons: You can’t stand out with such a website or app

There is one more issue that comes in a pack with using a no-code or a low-code online product: your UI design and feature options are somewhat limited. Especially when it comes to drag-and-drop type of tools.

Of course, you will have a selection of designs and will be able to customize the final solution. Still, if you have a clear vision of your brand’s website or app, collaborating with a development team will give you way more freedom.

What is more, don’t expect to stand out with such a product — the final product will look quite basic and generic; it might be enough to help your current clients but definitely won’t market your brand.

Conclusion

All in all, there is a reason why no-code and low-code platforms are trending right now. It is a fast and low-cost way to get a new platform for small and medium businesses. There are both pros and cons of such tools and it’s up to each company to decide whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

More 2022 tech trends here — including AI, virtual reality, and quantum computing.