Over the last few years, you've probably heard the terms like no-code or low-code. And maybe the newer one - yes-code. Are they only marketing buzzwords? What do they mean? And what are the differences? Let's check it out.

No-code

No code means you can build some software without knowing how to write the code. In practice, no-code allows you to create dashboards, build automation flows or customize product experience. These tools are focused on regular people, sometimes citizen developers. So you can really digitalize your business without hiring real developers.

But this approach has some caveats. If you want to simplify such a complex task as software development, you must make many compromises. And one of them is flexibility. To allow ordinary people to build software without coding, you must keep them within safe boundaries. As a result, no-code tools are useful but very limited.

Unfortunately, the term no-code has been overused lately. Many companies describe their software as no-code, but it means that you can just configure their product with some admin interface. Nothing new since the year 2000, except we have a new buzzword for it. So keep an eye on it - no-code is not always no-code.

Low-code

In contrast, low-code tools are focused on IT professionals. They are more advanced and require some knowledge of how software development works. And sometimes you have to write some code. Low-code tools are here to simplify the development of enterprise solutions, and they are used mainly by business analysts and system integrators with the occasional help of traditional developers.

The significant benefit here is time-saving. Low-code platforms can speed up the development of professional solutions. And what are the cons? Again, it's flexibility, although some enterprise low-code platforms can be extended with a lot of custom code. Another problem is that you have to learn how to use the platform because as it's more advanced, it's more complex.

And again, the low-code term is overused as a sexy buzzword misleading from its original meaning. I don't want to mention specific products, but I've come across a few tools presenting themselves as low-code tools, but in reality, they were very no-code.

Yes-code

And yes, in yes-code tools, you have to write the code. And you have to know how to build software. That's because yes-code tools are focused on software developers. Their purpose is to increase the efficiency of existing development teams. It's something between low-code and traditional coding.

Compared to traditional coding, yes-code tools simplify the job by abstracting a lot of functionalities. And compared to low-code, yes-code tools are far more complex but offer great flexibility required by professional dev teams.

The problem is that yes-code requires knowledge, but it gives you more power.

Summary

Let's sum it up.

No-code - for regular people, it allows you to point and click simple software, but the options are very limited compared to traditional development.

Low-code - for IT professionals, allows you to build enterprise software quickly, more powerful, but more complex.

Yes-code - for software developers, allows you to rapidly develop enterprise software with enough flexibility, the most powerful but the most complex.

As you can see, each type of tool offers different options and target different kind of users and use cases. Choose the right tools for the right job.

Adapptio is the front-end focused yes-code platform. It lowers software development costs by increasing existing development teams' efficiency and extending their abilities.

Try it out or contact us for more information.