Build Better Apps Faster: The Top 10 Low-Code Platforms for 2024

Low-code application development platforms are revolutionizing how modern applications are built by providing visual development environments instead of traditional hand-coding. With pre-built components and templates, integration to data sources, and one-click deployment, low-code platforms enable faster development times and increased productivity for professional developers.

As adoption of low-code development platforms grows exponentially into 2024 and beyond, this guide will review 10 leading options based on critical capabilities around development environments, scalability, deployment flexibility, and more. Whether you are looking to empower citizen developers or maximize results for expert teams, read on to find the best low-code platform for your needs.

Understanding Low-Code Platforms: What Can You Build and Who Uses Them?

Before delving into specific low-code platforms, it’s important to level-set on what low-code is and is not. At their core, low-code platforms focus on visual development environments rather than traditional coding to build applications faster across web, mobile, desktop, and device endpoints. Beyond app dev, many low-code platforms also offer workflow automation and integration capabilities as well.

Low-code platforms can benefit both professional developers and business users with limited technical skills, often referred to as “citizen developers.” Platforms vary significantly in their versatility though - some specialize around building mobile apps using simple drag-and-drop interfaces that anyone can use while others focus more on enterprise scalability, governance, and advanced functionality suited for developer teams.

It's critical to match your business objectives, user personas, and application requirements to low-code capabilities before selecting a platform. Some common categories of applications built with low-code include:

• Business process applications - automate workflows, integrate systems

• Database front-end apps - create reporting dashboards, analysis tools 

• Cross-platform enterprise apps - tailor functionality across web and mobile for employees or customers

• Business intelligence apps - equip decision-makers with better access to data

• “Greenfield” digital innovation apps - launch modern interfaces and experiences quickly 

Why Low-Code Usage Will Explode Through 2024

Recent surveys validate that usage and adoption of low-code platforms is accelerating significantly. Drivers of this momentum include: 

• Increasing app demands - New opportunities forapps and modern digital experiences are growing rapidly across industries. Using traditional coding alone creates bottlenecks.

• Need for speed - Business leaders expect much faster delivery times for new initiatives as competitive pressures rise. Lengthy software development cycles won’t suffice.

• Promises of productivity - Low-code development platforms aim to empower teams to deliver more features and updates in less time. 

• Access for more “makers” - Low-code platforms intend to open up app creation potential beyond solely developers through visual tools.

• Cloud scale and flexibility - Low-code development platforms are optimized for scale and variability in the cloud.

By 2024, over 65% of all new application development efforts are forecasted to involve low-code platforms compared to less than 25% in 2020. It’s an opportunity to reach new velocities of digital innovation by expanding the team and methods to achieve it. Now let’s explore top platforms closely.

Critical Low-Code Platform Capabilities and Evaluation Criteria

With a crowded market of low-code vendors, simply trying a platform isn’t enough. You need an evaluation framework when assessing options to ensure strategic business needs are met beyond basic functionality. Critical low-code platform capabilities span:

Easy and Fast Development

The core low-code value proposition centers on rapid development through visual, declarative experiences instead of traditional code. Key criteria:

• Intuitive visual interfaces - Assess the consistency, usability, and flexibility of UI builders and component libraries. 

• Pre-built components - Evaluate availability of widgets, templates, UI elements and actions ready for use.

• Responsive UX design - Review how effectively UIs and front ends created fit multi-device needs by default. 

• Data connections - Examine ease of integrating platform to various internal and external data sources with minimal coding.

• Process modeling - For workflow centric apps, verify ease of mapping steps, conditions, dependencies and more visually. 

Enterprise Scale and Governance

Beyond initial prototypes, low-code solutions must integrate and scale across the enterprise for many production needs. Essentials to explore:

• IT governance - Review built-in ACLs, access controls, data policies, and change management.

• Scalability - Test platform responsiveness across excessive loads via load testing and examine stability. 

• Enterprise security - Audit built-in and customizable authentication, data encryption, and resilience to attacks like SQL injections. 

• Version control - Evaluate mechanisms available for your team to manage application revisions, branching, and merging effectively.

Multi-Channel Deployment

The best low-code platforms provide flexibility to deploy across multiple endpoints from a single visual development environment. Targets include:

• Web apps - Allows responsive web or PWA deployment.

• Native mobile - Generates full iOS, Android, desktop apps.  

• APIs - Surfaces developed functionality as APIs for integration.

• Embedded - Deploys directly on smart devices and IoT.

Review deployment methods, automation, and management capabilities based on your omni-channel objectives. You'll want to optimize for your desired balance of code reuse vs. native optimization per channel where applicable. 

Developer Experience and Extensibility

While low-code platforms aim to abstract away much coding, the reality is that most enterprise-grade applications require some customization eventually. Assess:

• Developer experience - How easily can developers troubleshoot bugs, get contextual help, and navigate the flow?

• Extensibility - Review options available to invoke custom or existing Java, .NET, JavaScript, and more from end to end. 

• DevOps integration - Check availability of CI/CD connectors or APIs to enable automation around testing, security, and deployment pipelines.  

The best low-code platforms allow customization selectively without disrupting an otherwise visual, rapid development flow. Evaluate extensibility mechanisms beyond basic scripting for custom logic needs.

The 10 Best Low-Code Platforms for 2024

Now let’s examine 10 leading low-code platforms considered among the best choices to leverage in 2024 based on the critical criteria just covered and ideal for a variety of standard use cases and industry scenarios.

1. Microsoft Power Apps: The Most Versatile Low-Code Choice

Overview

Microsoft Power Apps provides one of the most versatile and robust low-code application platforms available, earning it the top spot in 2024. As part of Microsoft’s Power Platform along with Power BI and Power Automate, Power Apps connects data, derives actionable insights, and drives personalized app experiences. 

Known for its intuitive, drag-and-drop canvas app development, Microsoft Power Apps also offers deeper capabilities to suit complex enterprise scenarios across industries. AI-assisted development, over 300+ data connectors, and unified governance empower developers of all skill levels to maximize productivity.

Key Highlights

• Visually build apps fast for web and mobile via canvas designer with vast data connections.

• Code components support advanced logic and customization beyond the standard low-code tooling when needed. 

• AI Builder adds predictions, natural languageinteractions, and automation in just a few clicks. 

• Unified security, compliance, and governance controlsconsistent with the broader Microsoft cloud.

• Fully embed and extend apps with flexibledeployment and integration options. 

Best For

• Web and mobile apps for external and internal usage

• Complex enterprise applications and data scenarios

• Progressive web apps (PWAs)

• Teams with pro developers and low-code users

Top Industries

• Financial services 

• Professional services

• Manufacturing

• Retail and ecommerce

2. Appian: The Workflow Automation Specialist

Overview

Appian takes a unique low-code approach optimized first around enterprise workflow and process automation versus starting from user interface design. Cross-team and cross-system coordination pipelines become transparent and efficient on Appian.

Core capabilities include creating unified views across personnel, systems, and data sources essential for process management. The platform also allows flexible omni-channel front ends, case management portals to orchestrate work, field service mobile apps, and complexbusiness data analysis.

While Appian requires more upfront orientation than some low-code platforms, it delivers exceptional process improvement, tracking, and optimization results faster across industries.

Key Highlights 

• Model processes visually leveraging workflow automation and BPMN standards. 

• Ingest and relate data from multiple sources incl. legacy systems using pre-built connectors.   

• Native mobility for rapid field service and stakeholder apps tied to workflows.

• Certified Appian apps complement platform extensibility and customization.

• Cloud deployment flexibility - public or private options.

Best For

• Business process analysis and improvement

• Case management and resolution

• Field service and coordination optimization

• Legacy modernization initiatives 

Top Industries

• Banking

• Insurance

• Telecommunications

• Public Sector

3. Mendix: All-In on Collaborative App Innovation

Overview 

Mendix emphasizes collaborative application development across the entire application lifecycle, especially amongst business and IT stakeholders. The platform’s core differentiators center on abstracting away infrastructure complexity so both expert developers and business users can build better apps visibly together via the Studio development environment.

Pre-built connectors, widgets, themes get your teams started quickly while enterprise-grade governance, cloud orchestration, and testing capabilities support scaling production-ready apps. Rapid prototyping and transparent cross-functional development allow you to achieve business innovation cycles not possible previously.

Key Highlights  

• All-in-one cloud platform covering the application lifecycle.

• Extensive widgets, themes, samples + APIs accelerate development.  

• Multi-developer collaboration built into the platform.

• Automated cloud deployment, scaling, monitoring.

• OpenAPI standard connectivity plus IoT.

Best For

• Custom web and mobile applications

• Apps needing real-time collaboration 

• Agile development culture

• Cloud deployment and management

Top Industries

• Software and high-tech

• Financial services

• Higher education

• Media 

4. OutSystems: Write Less Code – Deliver Faster

Overview

Outsystems concentrates on helping organizations accelerate application time-to-market by 5-10x through true rapid application development. The platform prides itself on enabling enterprise IT teams to build multi-experience apps across web, mobile, wearables, and more using primarily visual modeling instead of traditional coding languages.

Outsystems uniquely features built-in AI guidance on application design, architecture decisions, and code quality optimizations. One click deployments ensure your teams iterate continually while avoiding infrastructure distractions.

While less workflow/case management focused than some competitors, OutSystems provides one of the fastest and most scalable low-code development experience across devices making it easy to build consumer-grade multi-channel app experiences rapidly. 

Key Highlights  

• Visually model, build, test and deploy apps using integrated AI guidance. 

• Rapid multi-channel publishing across 11 endpoints.

• Integrated cloud infrastructure and DevOps pipelines. 

• Progressive web app builder with offline synchronization.

• Mobile app development aligned to iOS and Android best practices.

Best For

• Web and mobile consumer-grade apps 

• Multi-channel/omnichannel consistency

• Agile development teams

• Apps using device capabilities extensively

Top Industries

• Media - digital experiences

• Transportation/logistics

• Public sector

• Higher education

5. Salesforce Lightning: Rapid Low-Code on Salesforce

Overview

Given Salesforce’s position as the leader in CRM software and cloud platforms for enterprises, it makes sense that they offer robust low-code development capabilities tightly integrated across Salesforce ecosystem.

Salesforce Lightning provides click-based customization, configuration, and app building tailored for sales, service, marketing, and community use cases but extensible further for other needs. Leverage pre-built templates, UI components, and automation tools to get up and running quickly.

While Salesforce Lightning is purpose built for the Salesforce ecosystem, its capabilities for rapidly iterating and innovating within CRM-centered apps make it a must-evaluate platform for applicable organizations in 2024. 

Key Highlights

• Pre-assembled industry and role-based Lightning Bolt app starters/templates. 

• Lightning App Builder with drag-and-drop simplicity.

• Einstein AI for next-best recommendations and predictions.

• Lightning Flow for workflow automation across systems.

• Lightning Components and Schema Builder tools for custom front-end design.

Best For

• Salesforce ecosystem optimization 

• Sales, marketing, service applications

• Customer/partner community portals 

• Field service productivity 

Top Industries

• Technology - horizontal platforms

• Financial services 

• Retail

• Life sciences

6. ServiceNow: Accelerate Digital Workflows

Overview

ServiceNow provides one of the easiest enterprise-grade low-code platforms for non-developers to automate workflows, transform business processes, and build data-driven experiences. The Now Platform serves as an enterprise cloud foundation for designing seamless digital experiences using any data source across employees and customers.

With ServiceNow, you optimize around the concept of moving workloads to minimize unnecessary lower-value work. Templates allow both traditional developers and business teams to model and modify processes faster through simple, logical visual mapping.

While ServiceNow offers strong IT/employee service management (ESM) capabilities out of the box, expanding use cases through the broader Now Platform positions ServiceNow as much more encompassing and simple automation solution than it’s origins suggest. 

Key Highlights 

• Visually map multi-system workflows. 

• 2000+ pre-built actions to jumpstart automation.  

• Library of pre-configured plugins and connectors.

• Certified apps aligned to common use cases.  

• Recommended development frameworks still support custom coding.

Best For

• ITSM and IT operations optimization

• HR service delivery transformation

• Enterprise service management (ESM)

• Process standardization across business units

Top Industries 

• Computer software

• Business services 

• Manufacturing

• Finance

7. Pega Platform: Unleashing AI Across The Enterprise

Overview

Pegasystems concentrates low-code development capabilities around better data analysis through AI and optimizing how enterprises support and service customers across channels. Pega aims to provide transparency across distributed systems managing client cases so you can resolve inquiries quickly and efficiently at scale. 

Tight bi-directional coupling between low-code application design and predictive analytics allows you to iterate and test new process orchestrations faster across the customer journey. AI tools identify inefficiencies and baking continuous optimization best practices across service teams.

For customer-centric enterprises struggling with case backlogs, unclear issue tracking, or limited cross-team service visibility leading to fractures client experiences, Pega’s differentiated low-code design, intelligence, and monitoring should rank you as a top choice to consider.

Key Highlights

• Unified low-code platform for client service orchestration, workforce empowerment, and customer journey optimization.  

• Using AI, predict optimal resource allocation for service issue resolution.

• Graphical case dashboard with visibility across distributed systems.

• Omnichannel engagement powered by real-time customer data and journey analytics.

• Rapid prototyping of new customer service workflow ideas.

Best For 

• Customer service optimization

• Field service productivity improvements

• Aftermarket/warranty servicing

• Digital process improvement

Top Industries

• Telecommunications

• Financial services

• Insurance

• Healthcare

8. Quickbase: Empower Teams To Build Own Apps

Overview

Quickbase targets non-technical users from business analysts to frontline teams with a friendly low-code platform for easily generating custom business applications from spreadsheets, processes, and database systems. With quick starts like app templates, spreadsheet imports, and customizable views, Quickbase allows anyone to solve bottlenecks.

While most low-code vendors signal democratizing development, Quickbase delivers easiest on empowering teams closer to business challenges make the apps they want with governance guardrails still in place for IT. 

If your needs include accessible app customization capabilities for non-developers Quickbase warrants strong consideration especially around integrating SaaS data, managing workflows, and visually analyzing data.

Key Highlights

• 2500+ app templates for custom CRM, project management, help desk etc. 

• Build apps from Excel or connect to 100+ cloud data sources. 

• User view/permission management for easy governance. 

• Formula builder and rule options for basic logic.

• Live app integration with G Suite, Office 365, Slack.  

Best For

• Non-technical users wanting self-service for simple apps

• Spreadsheet-based apps and workflow digitization 

• Departmental solutions with light IT oversight

• SaaS application data integration

Top Industries 

• Technology - software

• Business services

• Construction

• Non-profits 

9. Creatio: Comprehensive Low-Code for CRM-Centric Apps

Overview 

Creatio markets itself as the comprehensive low-code application platform for customer-facing teams within enterprises. Core focus areas span CRM and sales enablement, marketing campaign management, service workflow automation, and operational back-office support systems tied to the same customer data environment.

Creatio allows low-code configuration on top of purpose-built application modules for the scenarios above rather than pure standalone custom app invention. The platform offers strong CRM customization suited to various industry vertical use cases.  

For organizations seeking robust Customer Relationship Management capabilities complemented by tailorable workflows, portals, and analytics, Creatio warrants a closer look as a platform