As the market for business application software grows, so does the number of options available.
Technology has helped businesses save time and money, but it can be hard to navigate the options and understand which products are right for you.
We decided to compare three of the most popular business application platforms: Mendix, OutSystems, and Pillir.
Approach to low-code development
It is necessary to understand each platform’s approach to low-code development to understand whether it is suitable for your business.
Mendix
Mendix is designed to help people with a selection of various skill sets to create applications. This platform enables even those team members without extensive knowledge of coding to participate in the development of enterprise-class apps.
OutSystems
OutSystems is meant for app developers who choose to use traditional software development procedures, but in a faster and more efficient way. It visualizes the traditional code, enhancing its accuracy and consistency.
Pillir
Pillir was created to solve the problems enterprises encountered when customizing their Enterprise resource planning software systems. This platform is meant for SAP and ERP users, with or without coding expertise, to help them in processes such as the creation of modern business apps, reduction of technical debt, and quickening ERP modernization. It also helps development teams convert ABAP into contemporary low-code objects.
Programming Language
The programming language that a platform employs determines how limiting it is to developers, as well as the ease of the development process.
Mendix
Mendix applies visual Domain-Specific Languages for each section of an app. Mendix runtime deciphers the visual code and turns it into application behaviours. Developers can extend the base Mendix platform using JavaScript and Java.
OutSystems
This platform employs a series of proprietary visual modelling languages to enable skilled developers to swiftly frame and create code throughout the whole application stack. Functionality can then be expanded by coding in a variety of languages such as SQL, C#, Java, CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
Pillir
Pillir utilizes the open standard of Scratch according to MIT as the modelling language for shaping the back-end and front-end logic in apps. Pillir functionality can be extended with JavaScript and Java to allow developers to create reusable activities like logic and API connectors and expand aptitude.
User experience
Low-code development platforms are primarily meant to simplify the development process for enterprises and enable people with little or no development expertise to develop apps. These platforms help speed up the development process, enhance the agility of development operations, meet new demands and provide solutions to problems.
User experiences between the three platforms show significant discrepancies.
Mendix
Mendix platform was tailored to incorporate both professional and citizen developers in a single platform. It offers an in-built, visual app creation experience. Developers can create an application independently or continue with pre-developed applications and have access to a wide variety of customizations regarding the look and feel of the application. Mendix also enables users to review their applications on mobile devices, tablets, and PCs.
OutSystems
OutSystems platforms require users to determine how the application will be used beforehand. Workflows on OutSystems are best suited for professional developers. Development on this platform is conducted by a visual designer equipped with multiple features and tools alongside AI assistance.
Pillir
This platform employs graphical building blocks that enable developers even without extensive coding experience to create applications. Pillir allows users to deploy applications in multiple ways from the same model. This prevents developers from committing to a specific type and allows them to change their minds.
Additionally, Pillar users can develop apps for specific devices without further coding. It supports regression testing on several devices using any communication service, both in a test ecosystem and on the devices.
Pricing structure
Mendix
Mendix offers users different editions that suit different needs. Developers on this platform are required to procure infrastructure resource packs to host their software. A supplementary licence fee also applies to deploy applications on-prem or in a private cloud.
OutSystems
Users of the OutSystem platform are provided with different plans to pick the one that best suits their needs and budget. These plans differ from a single development environment and shared infrastructure to infinite app capacity to a plan for developers who want to deploy their applications to consumer app stores.
Pillir
Pillir’s payment model is based on consumption. Enterprises are only required to pay when users use the platform. There are no monthly charges or payments for the training and development platform.
Jodie Bird is the founder and principal author of the Java Limit website, a dedicated platform for sharing insights, tips, and solutions related to Java and software development. With years of experience in the field, Jodie leads a team of seasoned developers who document their collective knowledge through the Java Limit journal.
