App development platform guide: Key features and benefits

Introduction

As mobile and web apps become increasingly critical for businesses, the demand for accelerated and streamlined app development has exploded. In fact, the global app dev platform market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 17% from 2022-2027 according to Mordor Intelligence.

Rather than building apps completely from scratch, many companies are turning to app development platforms to simplify and speed up the process. These platforms provide integrated tools and environments for swiftly building, testing, and deploying apps.

The goal of this guide is to explore the key capabilities of app dev platforms, top options available, and the advantages they offer compared to fully custom development. We’ll cover factors to consider when evaluating different platforms like time savings, flexibility, ecosystem, and more.

By the end, you’ll understand how leading options like OutSystems, Appian, and Mendix can significantly reduce the cost, effort, and skills needed to deliver robust web and mobile apps tailored to your business needs.

Core Capabilities of App Development Platforms

App platforms aim to accelerate development by handling much of the repetitive coding and infrastructure work involved. Here are some of their main capabilities:

• Drag-and-drop builders - Visually assemble UIs and connect components without coding them.
• Pre-built components - Access libraries of reusable elements like forms, charts, menus etc.
• Templates - Use ready-made app templates to quickly get started.
• Data and API connectivity - Integrate databases, REST APIs, SDKs etc. through connectors.
• Hosting and deployment - Get built-in tools to host, deploy, and update apps.
• Collaboration features - Enable teamwork through permissions, version control, task management.
• AI assistance - Leverage AI to generate code, identify issues, optimize performance.
• Marketplaces - Get plugins, themes, components, and apps to extend functionality.

Low-Code vs Pro-Code Platforms

There are two primary types of app development platforms:

• Low-code platforms like Appian, Caspio and Bubble enable building apps with minimal coding experience through visual drag-and-drop builders and automation.
• Pro-code platforms like OutSystems, Mendix and BuildFire offer more flexibility and control for professional developers. They allow accessing source code and APIs.

Low-code tools focus on ease of use while pro-code options prioritize customizability for complex enterprise projects.

Native vs Cross-platform Development

Another key decision is whether to build native apps per OS (iOS, Android etc.) or cross-platform apps that work across OSes:

• Native app platforms like Xcode, Android Studio and Visual Studio use languages like Swift, Java, C# to build for one OS. This allows closer device integration.
• Cross-platform tools like React Native, Flutter and Xamarin enable building for multiple OSes from a single codebase. This provides code reuse.

Factors like required OS access, UI needs, and target devices determine if a native or cross-platform approach is better.

Comparing Leading App Development Platforms

Here is an overview of some of the top enterprise app development platforms on the market today:

Platform

Key Strengths

Key Weaknesses

OutSystems

Rapid low-code development, excellent integrations

Steep learning curve, less flexibility

Appian

Strong process automation features

Confusing pricing plans

Mendix

Great collaboration capabilities, large ecosystem

Limited preview of free tier

Betty Blocks

Intuitive drag and drop interface, flexibility

Smaller community and ecosystem

Oracle Apex

Tight integration with Oracle DB, productivity focus

Oracle stack expertise needed

This table summarizes some of the unique strengths and weaknesses for major players in the market. Consider the ones that align closest to your team's tech stack, skills, and project needs.

Key Factors When Evaluating Platforms

With the wide variety of app development platforms available today, it’s important to evaluate options based on:

Speed and Productivity

A key benefit of app platforms is accelerating building and updating apps:

• Reusable components, templates, and workflows reduce repetitive coding by up to 10x according to Gartner.
• Visual drag-and-drop can be 5x faster than hand-coding UIs.
• Built-in collaboration streamlines team coordination and communication.
• AI driven features like smart recommendations boost efficiency further.

Look for features that maximize productivity given your team’s skills.

Customization and Flexibility

Another factor is the degree of control and customization enabled:

• Accessing source code allows advanced customization when needed.
• Extensibility through open APIs/SDKs enables expanding capabilities over time.
• Ability to integrate custom code and data enables tailored experiences.

Evaluate options based on the flexibility needed for long-term maintenance and enhancement.

Ecosystem of Add-ons

It's also key to consider the availability of third-party add-ons:

• Marketplaces for plugins, themes etc. allow enhancing functionality over time.
• Pre-built connectors enable easier integration with data sources and APIs.
• SDKs/APIs enable building custom add-ons on top of the platform.
• Look for large communities supporting quality extensions.

A robust ecosystem determines what’s possible out-of-the-box.

Deployment, Hosting, and Monitoring

Other factors are the deployment, hosting, and monitoring capabilities offered:

• App store publishing and distribution features are essential.
• Evaluate available hosting plans and content delivery networks.
• Performance monitoring and analytics provide visibility after launch.
• A/B testing enables iterating on features safely.

Consider the entire application lifecycle management workflow enabled.

Pricing and Support

Finally, compare pricing models and the quality of documentation and support:

• Subscription costs can vary widely based on needs.
• Free tiers allow testing before financial commitment.
• Per user versus per app pricing provide different value.
• Prioritize platforms with robust documentation and training.
• Consider those with large community forums for support.

Choose affordable plans with support tailored to your team.

The Advantages of Using an App Platform

Leveraging an app development platform provides many benefits compared to building apps completely custom:

Faster Time-to-Market

A major advantage is the ability to develop apps much faster:

• Reusable templates and components accelerate creation of standard functionality.
• Visual drag-and-drop builders are faster than coding UIs manually.
• Workflow automation and AI recommendations improve efficiency further.
• This results in launching apps weeks or months faster.

Lower Costs

Platforms significantly reduce the cost of development and maintenance:

• Less coder time needed cuts dev costs by 40-60% according to Forrester.
• No need for advanced coding skills further reduces labor costs.
• Handing infrastructure needs like hosting and deployment reduces ops costs.
• Faster time-to-market provides quicker ROI realization.

Easier Scalability and Maintenance

Iterating on and maintaining apps post-launch is also streamlined:

• Adding features just requires dragging new components into place.
• Data integration is enabled through connectors vs custom coding.
• Built-in deployment tools make updating across environments simple.
• Performance monitoring identifies areas needing optimization.

Focus on Core Differentiation

Platforms reduce time spent on commoditized backend functionality:

• Leverage pre-built components for standard features like search, chat, notifications etc.
• Access marketplace apps to add advanced functionality without coding it.
• Focus your team’s energy on your app’s unique value-add capabilities.

This enables tighter focus on core differentiation.

Access to Add-On Marketplaces

Most platforms provide access to large marketplaces of complementary add-ons:

• Get pre-built components, plugins, and themes to accelerate development.
• Add advanced functionality through third-party apps without building from scratch.
• Expand capabilities over time leveraging contributions from the community.
• Minimize reinventing the wheel on common functionality.

Enabling Citizen Development

Low-code platforms enable building apps with minimal technical skills:

• Empower business users to build simple apps without advanced coding expertise.
• Enable collaboration between professional and citizen developers.
• Accelerate development by expanding the pool of creators.

This provides more democratization of app building.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

To summarize, app development platforms aim to simplify creating, enhancing, and scaling apps by providing visual builders, reusable components, hosting tools, and add-on marketplaces.

Leading options include both low-code platforms for business users and pro-code solutions for engineering teams. When evaluating choices, prioritize options that match your team’s skills, project complexity, and customization needs.

Overall, platforms can dramatically reduce the time, cost, and effort required compared to fully custom development. They enable faster iteration, easier scaling, and tighter focus on an app's unique value.

By leveraging one of the top app development platforms highlighted in this guide, both startups and enterprises can accelerate building, launching, and enhancing mobile and web apps tailored to their specific business needs.

If you're looking to streamline and scale developing your next web or mobile app, explore how a platform like DevHunt can help. The expansive ecosystem of developer tools showcased on DevHunt aims to help you find the perfect platforms, frameworks, APIs and more for bringing your app ideas to life faster.