Key takeaway
- High-code is traditional programming, in which you use different languages, frameworks, and tools to build an application.
- Low-code leverage prebuild code blocks to fasten the development. It also allows you to customize with traditional programming if needed.
- Low-code is faster and cheaper but less extensive and flexible than High-code. Therefore, it’s best for simple to mid-complex projects.
What is low-code?
Low-code is a development methodology that visualize your idea and master development by using drag-and-drop features with minimal coding requirements. To enable this, we have a vast variety of low-code development platform, providing all the features needed. These platforms automatically run the development process and eliminate repeated tedious tasks during programming.
Low-code includes visually integrated development environments, APIs, data connections, and ready-made code templates, allowing for faster development and a greater focus on product development.
For a non-coder, you can leverage this emerging technology to practice coding skills or create an application without learning complex tech knowledge.
What is high-code?
High-code (or Pro-code) is the traditional code method that is still widely used today. You program from scratch with a language, frameworks, and development tools. This is a type of assembly model that follows a code-driven experience.
In other words, you hire a team of developers to design each part of your apps. Content and data, on the other hand, are updated on demand via headless CMS or API-based services.
The high-code method relies significantly on developers while providing greater versatility. Unlike low-code, it has no constraints on the kind of modules that may be used to construct programs.
The differences between low-code vs high-code
How the differences between high-code vs low-code platforms can be? Let’s look at this comparison table to understand the two better.
| Low-code | High-code | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | User-driven. As it’s a platform that limits hand code and allows citizen developers to work with. | Code-driven. As it depends on developers to write and implement code. |
| Learning | Quick and easy | Need times and practices |
| Development personnel | People in charge are citizen developers and IT developers. Low-code platforms’ pre-built components, combined with their drag-and-drop editor, make it simple for both IT developers and citizen developers to create business applications. | People in charge are IT developers in all level. High-code necessitates developers with experience in various coding programming languages (depending on the type of application that needs to be built). Citizen developers are not permitted to participate in the development process. |
| Customization level | It’s medium. Even though low-code platforms have pre-built components and modules, they still allow for some level of customization because custom written code can be integrated into the application. | It’s high. Because applications are developed by writing custom code from scratch, high-code has significantly higher customization than low-code. |
| Technical knowledge is required. | There is little to no technical knowledge required. | A high to medium level of technical knowledge is required. |
| Costs of development | Affordable. Most low-code platforms are subscription-based, allowing you to pay as your business expands. It also facilitates scaling back. | Expensive. An experienced development team, infrastructure setup, and ongoing management all necessitate an initial investment. |
| Speed of development | Rapid operation with ready-to-use code components, reusable blocks, and templates. Furthermore, because both IT and citizen developers can participate in the development process, responsibilities are divided, and the overall work is completed faster. | It’s quite slow operation. High-code developers create applications from scratch using multiple iterations and extensive coding, which can take a long time. |
| Reusability | Surely for faster development, you can reuse different features and code blocks from one low-code application to another. Difficult | It depends much on your chosen tech stack and what you create. Some are open for reusability, while some aren’t. Yet the overall process would necessitate a lot of tweaking and maneuvering, which can be time-consuming. For example, dynamic web source code can’t be used for mobile app source code. Yet, PWA source code can be reused for native app development. |
| Scalability | Yes | Yes, and can be more advanced than low-code |
| Support | The low-code platform offers dedicated support from vendor and open community on GitHub (for some platforms) | Your internal IT department will be in charge of providing support and managing the application. There are many open community also |
Will low-code replace traditional code?
There are lots of questions around how high-code will be outdated with the rise of low-code platforms. Well, we are assured that this prediction is still very far away. The rise of low-code is true, with Gartner predicted it to pass $26.9 billion in market size in 2023. Yet, traditional code is still the backbone of development.
Low-code will change the future of digital transformation as it allows citizen developers, non-coder, to participate in tech creation. Which means even a marketer, an HR executive can make an application to help their job easier. Yet, the roles of a skilled developer and traditional coding cannot be replaced, as it’s the only way to advance your applications with robust features and better stability.
The truth is many enterprises allow both low-code and traditional code to work together. The low-code platform is accessible for every employee. There is no limitation on testing and trying new ideas. And with the ones that can make a change, it will be processed to technical teams for high-code process to improve and update, before making it official for internal use.
Which to use: Low-code or high-code?
To confidently make a decision, you should define what you need and your resources to gain it. While low-code are ideal solutions for a shorter time to market, high-code is more about providing advanced customization. Here are the best use cases for low-code vs traditional development.
Low-code offer code templates, functionality, and tools for developing apps without human coding or little customization. As a result, it is ideal for enterprises that need to create apps quickly.
- Enterprises with a high demand for applications for internal use.
- You want everybody in your company, regardless of departments, to participate or express ideas in tech creation within the organization.
- Developers require visual-driven development features to test app ideas or prototype designs.
- Tech businesses that want to improve efficiency can use low-code platforms to reduce manual tasks.
- You want to create apps quickly but with minor modifications.
Meanwhile, the traditional code method provides greater extensibility, flexibility, and emphasis on robust features, leading to longer development. High-code are the right choice for you when:
- Your businesses require comprehensive, enterprise-level apps/websites/software/app cloud.
- You wish to enhance the features and functionality of applications.
- Suppose you want to monetize your applications or publish them for the public to visit and download. In that case, we recommend following the high-code method as it’s more stable and gives you more control over your application’s performance and the source code.
No-code is another technology that usually get mixed up with Low-code. Despite some similarities in features, No-code and Low-code can outweigh each other in some cases
Questions to ask before making the final decision
To make it’s easier when making decision, here are a some note to ensure between low-code vs pro-code/high-code/traditional code, which is better.
1. Is this a mission-important project? How is it important?
If your app/website is the heart of your business, you should generally go with traditional development unless you want to test an idea, in which case low-code would suffice. The more crucial role it plays, the more investment you should spend on it. That means a top-prioritized project of your business deserves to be built in high-code for the most customizable features.
2. Do you have a detailed roadmap for this product/service?
Choose traditional development if you expect your product to evolve as your company grows and modifications are inevitable.
Assume that you need to automate a normal business procedure that will not alter significantly. Then low-code development is a viable alternative.
3. How many users are you expecting for the product/service?
If your users are internal (your employee, your partner) and external (general public, your customer) with unlimited access, then you should opt for high-code. It is more stable, scalable and gives you complete control of your source code and data.
Meanwhile, the low-code is best for a small and defined group of users. This is why many enterprises use low-code for internal development, creating apps for specific departments or employees.
4. Do you have existing development resources?
Traditional development is by far the best use of development resources, but if you’re short on time, choose low-code.
5. What is your expected time to market?
High-code vs low-code development will take significantly longer to complete. When you need to move quickly, though, the low-code method is ideal.
6. What are the budget limitations?
If you have between $10,000 and $50,000 to invest, low-code is a good investment. And if you have a budget of $50,000 or more, consider combining these two developments for higher results performance or using high-code only (based on your project scope and goals)
Wrapping up
There are no one-size-fits-all platforms since all firms have their own vision and in-needs direction to deal with. Choosing between the low-code vs high-code approaches is an obstacle that most businesses will face when deciding how to build business applications. The requirements, anticipated development time, employee expectations, and budget will determine the best solution.
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