The best platforms for building low-code enterprise applications

Low-code application platforms (LCAPs) provide enterprise developers with visual software to improve the development and deployment of custom applications through low-code capabilities and techniques, including declarative, model-based application design and development tools that enable rapid application deployment. These platforms do not require the user to build applications with lines of code, simplifying development and saving time and energy for developers with varying levels of experience.

However, choosing the best platforms for enterprise low-code applications can be a challenge, and misconceptions about the differences between the various solutions can cause delays in the decision-making process and subsequent implementation. To help your enterprise find the best low-code application platform for its needs, the Solutions Review team has compiled a list of the best software vendors. Our editors selected these software solutions based on each vendor's authority score, a meta-analysis of user opinions on the most trusted business software review sites, and our own five-point inclusion criteria.

For the sake of clarity, we will focus only on low-code platforms. While the differences between low-code and no-code are not always obvious, they are notable enough to merit highlighting. The list is in alphabetical order.

The best platforms for building low-code enterprise applications

Appian

Description: Appian's BPM software is a model-driven application development platform that enables skilled and conventional developers to create process and case-centric applications that can track and improve business processes in response to changing needs. With the low-coding application development platform, enterprises can provide their professional and conventional developers with the tools they need to visualize and build applications in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Its capabilities include embedded CI/CD, low-code automation, low-code artificial intelligence user models, visual user interfaces, data encryption and a partner-driven ecosystem.

Kissflow

Description: Kissflow is a cloud-based low-code platform that provides developers, IT leaders, business users, and process owners with dynamic app building tools, personalized user experience, logical process builder, work dashboards, and more. The low-code development platform will help users automate processes, digitize operations, and modernize applications through a suite of capabilities including instant application deployment, user interfaces, model rule-based application templates, enterprise-grade security, visual modeling tools, and a developer sandbox that enables development teams to work with end users, optimize design, identify bugs, and simplify the developer experience

Microsoft Power Apps

Description: Microsoft Power Apps is a suite of solutions that includes Power Automate, Power Pages (formerly Power Apps portals), and the Dataverse data service. With Power Apps, companies can reduce development costs, increase organizational agility, and leverage artificial intelligence tools to develop low-code applications that modernize processes, solve problems, and more. Other features include API-based development tools, enterprise-grade governance, platform extensibility with AppSource, workflow automation, chatbot development and an embedded data platform that manages business logic, security and compliance.

Mendix

Description: Mendix, a division of Siemens, is a low-code enterprise application development platform designed to help companies accelerate the application development lifecycle, support iterative deployment initiatives at scale, automate processes, optimize legacy modernization initiatives, create digital customer experiences, and enable continuous collaboration between the teams that build software and those who use it. Platform capabilities include a common visual language, AI-assisted copilots, built-in Agile project management tools, intelligent process automation, agile deployment options, mobile development support, a data integration platform, and more.

Newgen Software

Description: Newgen Software Technologies Ltd. - a global provider of business process management (BPM), enterprise content management (ECM) and customer communications management (CCM) solutions that can be customized to meet the needs of financial insurance, healthcare and government agencies. NewgenONE's suite of platforms includes a low-code application development solution that enables enterprise-level application development with minimal IT dependency, builds customizable mobile applications, ensures consistency of information across all channels, and accelerates the DevOps lifecycle.

Oracle APEX

Description: Oracle is a cloud technology company that provides organizations around the world with a variety of computing infrastructure and software products designed to help them innovate their businesses, unlock new opportunities and improve efficiency. Oracle's LCAP solution, Oracle APEX, is part of the Database Suite and is available as a database feature or as an APEX service on Oracle Cloud. Its low-code development capabilities include drag-and-drop page design, data visualization components, efficient SQL, simplified deployment and built-in tools to integrate APEX into a company's continuous integration environment.

OutSystems

Description: OutSystems is a low-code platform that provides enterprises across industries with the tools they need to develop, deploy and manage enterprise-class applications. The platform combines the power of low-code tools with a suite of development capabilities that help developers build applications that improve user experience, unlock innovation in the workplace, and modernize core systems. Features include an architecture dashboard, workflow builder, integration builder, automated Q/A testing, built-in DevOps, real-time monitoring, workflow automation, AI-enabled tools, visual debugging, out-of-the-box integrations, AI-powered help, and more.

Pega

Description: Pega offers a business process management tool developed based on Java and OOP concepts. The platform allows users to build executable business applications using visual tools. The low-coding application development features allow enterprises to optimize developer efficiency through a suite of developer-level tools and solutions. Features include intelligent automation, case management, workforce analytics, multi-experience development tools, digital experience APIs for B2C user interfaces, out-of-the-box DevOps capabilities, and unique experiences for professional and citizen developers.

Retrofitting

Description: Retool is a development platform designed to help enterprises create business software, client portals, admin panels, API frontends, apps and more. It provides professional developers with a low-coding platform that enables drag-and-drop creation of projects using tools for HTML, CSS, SQL, JavaScript and other formats. With Retool for Enterprise offering, organizations can reduce development costs, consolidate their business applications into a single stack, scale workflow management, minimize change management, embed user interfaces directly into existing tools, integrate with embedded data sources, and more.

Salesforce

Description: Salesforce offers one of the most extensive and complete CRM product suites. It also offers an LCAP solution, the Salesforce Platform. It provides companies with low-code development tools and traditional development tools ranging from no-code visual builders to scripting IDEs and 3GL scripting. The Salesforce Platform will help developers build AI-powered applications with virtually no coding, reduce manual tasks, develop dynamic prompts for customer interactions, use CRM data to provide personalized responses to inquiries, create conversation flows and leverage the platform's extensive ecosystem available through the Salesforce Marketplace.

ServiceNow

Description: ServiceNow is a provider of cloud-based platforms and solutions that help digitize and unify organizations. Its LCAP offering is App Engine, which provides users with a holistic, low-code development experience, process automation, predictive analytics, performance analytics, mobile app creation tools, service management, process optimization, UI development, virtual agents, fusion team collaboration tools, business processes, workflows, enterprise integrations, case management and other capabilities that help companies bring new applications to market in less time

Zoho Creator

Description: Zoho is a multinational company specializing in software development, cloud computing and web-based business tools. Zoho Creator is an online application builder designed to help organizations manage their business processes. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, users can develop custom applications without coding. Zoho Creator offers a huge set of tools and a feature-rich development platform. Financial services companies can use Zoho Creator's low-coding platform to manage their processes, develop custom financial applications with tiered approval systems, automate processes and manage all accounting processes from one centralized financial software.