Low Code vs Traditional Development: Pros and Cons

Key Takeaways

• Traditional development relies heavily on professional developers to manually design, plan, implement, and code software. Whereas, developers can use templates and modules to build software applications in low code.
• If it would take six months to design and launch a healthcare software, then low code development would do it in half the time. Thereby reducing IT workload and enhancing productivity levels of health tech companies.
• With the option of manual coding, developers can easily personalize a software application. They can add, integrate, or alter features and functionalities as per user choice.

Low code development seems like an easy option over traditional development as it includes preset modules, templates, and coding applications. One doesn’t need to be an expert coder or a programmer to get the job done, unlike in the case of traditional development where one has to manually code out application programs.

With low code development, bringing products out in the market is fast and easy. According to Statista, respondents agreed that low code development is 40 to 60 percent faster than traditional development. It can help alleviate pressure from the IT staff and help businesses develop applications faster.

Low code vs traditional development may look like an either/or option, but both have their pros and cons, which need to be considered before deciding on either of the two. Here is an article that talks about the pros and cons of low code vs traditional development.

Low Code vs Traditional Development: An Overview

Traditional development involves customized apps or software development, and it relies heavily on professional developers to manually design, plan, implement, and code software. In traditional code development, every feature and functionality has a specific code, and developers work towards meeting those specificities, despite it being a complex process. In the case of low code, as discussed in the intro, it consists of templates and modules to build software applications.

Unlike low code, traditional coding is expensive and time-consuming, but it can be customized to suit user needs and is also highly scalable. Healthcare development companies looking to customize their products can consider traditional coding, as then they can include features that are practice-specific (for example, features only for dentists, cardiologists, ophthalmologists, and so on).

However, if all development companies are struggling to meet deadlines, then mingling both low code and traditional development can speed things up. For instance, consider using third-party API integrations which are akin to low code, and then developers can manually tailor them as per requirements. Healthcare software developers can use this approach while building customized applications, websites, and specialty specific EHR/EMR software.

Low Code Development: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Faster Development: Preexisting tools, templates, and modules allow developers to amplify the speed of software development. If it would take six months to design and launch a healthcare software, then low code development would do it in half the time. Thus, it not only reduces IT workload but also enhances productivity levels. Additionally, the automation feature in low code helps programmers to optimize repetitive tasks and focus on other essential work at hand.
• Cost-Effective: Since the software is built in less time, cost decreases too. Low code also reduces the cost of hiring developers to build a program. It can make even non-IT professionals productive in a company.
• Minimal Technical Knowledge Required: Low code development bridges the tech divide and empowers everyone in the company to take on a technical role if required. CTOs and CIOs can hold training programs for the non-IT staff and enable them to fill in as trainee developers. This eventually boosts the efficiency and productivity of the development cycles.

Cons

• Limited Customization: Due to the availability of ready-made templates, there’s little or no room for customization of software. Preset templates offer less opportunity to alter functions and features or to control how a software runs. A company may not get the exact functionality they need. With some low code platforms demands can be met, whereas with others not. So, before choosing a low code platform, know the limits (features, functionality, integrations) of each of them.
• Fewer Deployment Options: There are fewer deployment options while using a low code platform as it depends on which low code type is being used. Some are specific to their platforms, for instance, the cloud. Also, code migration is impossible if wish to change the platform.
• Quality Issues: Pre-written modules may not always guarantee good quality software. The auto-generated code cannot always support the specific requirements of a software architecture or deployment environment.

Traditional Development: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Customizable: With the option of manual coding, developers can easily personalize a software application. They can add, integrate, or alter features and functionalities as per user choice. For healthcare, customized software includes the required UX/UI design such as colors, fonts, wireframes, and dashboards; which makes it easier for patients and providers to navigate their way through the app.
• Scalable: Traditional development gives the freedom to scale the software as needed. Since all codes are written from scratch, they can be made portable and scalable as the audience grows.
• Quality Assured: Unlike low code development, which limits software quality, traditional development allows to re-code software many times to improve its quality. It also ensures that software is bug-free and secured against cyber attacks.

Cons

• Expensive: The cost of developing customized software is high as it not only requires more time but also resources to create effective software. For example, the cost of hiring expert developers, hardware and software requirements, etc.
• Requires Expert Developers: Traditional development needs an entire team from QA testers, front-end, back-end, designers, and support staff.
• Time-Consuming Process: It can take around 6 to 8 months to develop custom healthcare software if coding each feature from scratch. There can also be delays due to errors, bugs, redesigning, or recoding.

Customized software is made with a unique interface and includes organization-specific features. Arkenea, a healthcare software development company offers custom software development services. We offer top-notch software that fits your demands and suits industry standards. Get in touch with Arkenea to know more.