Low-Code/No-Codevs. Traditional Coding:What AI Doing In-Between & Future of Development
By: Ajay Mishra
Publish Date: 21 Mar, 2025
There were times when developing software solutions required days or months of planning and even years of development and deployment.
Come 2025…
It became history.
With the advent of low-code and no-code development approaches, developing or building a standard mobile or website is a matter of days. In a week, you will have a completely functional website, if not a productive one.
With the increasing popularity of no-code/low-code approaches, traditional coding has become a matter of concern. Low-code/No-Code approaches have implemented AI into their processes, which is indeed changing the software development landscape. Traditional coding is at the edge and seems to be left isolated. But what we read and hear in the tech arena is truth with a twist.
No-code, low-code, or high-code are prevailing in the tech arena, but it has nothing to do with traditional coding. All that matters is what you want to build. Even today, building a high-performing website or application requires streamlined traditional coding practices to get fully functional applications or software in place.
So, we have decided to break the myth with a detailed low-code/no-code vs. traditional coding comparison. In the comparison, we will discuss a range of topics, including;
- What Are Low-Code/No-Code Platforms?
- Traditional Coding vs. Low-Code Development: Key Differences
- The Role of AI in Software Development
- Will AI Replace Developers in 2025?
- The Future of Software Development
All these topics are crucial and help you decide to pick the right approaches. Let's explore each point in detail, starting with the market facts.
Table of Content:
- Low Code and No Code Vs. Traditional Coding Market
- What Are Low-Code/No-Code Platforms?
- Traditional Coding vs. Low-Code Development: Key Differences
- Neck-to-Neck Comparison for Low-Code/No-Code Platform
- The Role of AI in Software Development
- The Future of Software Development
- AI-Driven Automation & Democratization
- How Businesses Can Choose the Right Approach
- Conclusion
Low Code and No Code Vs. Traditional Coding Market
According to several online findings, the Low-Code Development Technologies Market was projected to reach $13.2 billion with a 21% growth rate.
According to Statista, “low-code development is between 40 and 60 percent faster than traditional development.”
However, it's just 29% of the total respondents who responded to the questionnaire shot by Statista.
Low-code and no-code platforms and approaches are increasing day in and day out as they are helping developers and businesses alleviate the pressure bestowed upon them.
With the data, we shall next be exploring the core points as mentioned earlier. Let's explore;
What Are Low-Code/No-Code Platforms?
Low-code or no-code platforms are development tools that help businesses create software, web, and mobile applications. It's popular because it requires minimal or no technical or coding expertise. Instead of coding, these platforms come with several user-friendly features that enable the developers or individuals with no or minimal coding expertise to create a functional website. However, whether the application is faster, accessible, and user-friendly will depend on the tool you use and the experience level of developers.
Popular No/Low-Code Tools
Several no-code/low-code tools for software development can help you create websites and applications in a matter of days or hours. We have explored some of the top tools that can help you create or build the next website without having you hire expert developers. Let's explore some of the top ones.
NocoBase
NocoBase is a scalable no-code/low-code development platform that is freely available for users to use. It’s a good choice for businesses or developers who want to quickly develop and deploy complex business systems. For example, it is a suitable tool and platform for developing CRM, ERP, and custom business applications. However, you must consult your software development team to understand the potential of the platform and if it’s suitable for your project.
Bubble
If you have to build a prototype and MVP product, Bubble should be on your list. It’s a visual programming language-based low-code platform. However, it’s subscription-based, and some may find it complex.
Mitosis
It’s a cross-platform low-code development tool that enables developers to write code once and use it across multiple platforms.
Similarly, several other platforms will help you build high-quality applications at minimal cost. However, the quality outcome of the project depends on what you want to build and who you want to build it.
Use Cases for Small Businesses and Enterprises
Even though low/no-code offers versatile solutions for businesses of all sizes, businesses with stricter deadlines and budgets can greatly benefit from the software. Let's explore the top use cases of low-code/no-code platforms for startups and enterprises:
Small Businesses: Small businesses can create customer portals, such as websites, web applications, and standard blogging or e-commerce sites. Most importantly, small businesses can save costs as they do not need to hire expert developers to help with coding or building custom software or applications.
Enterprises: SMEs or larger organizations or enterprises can make the best use of these platforms. Even if the no/low-code platforms are not suitable for building enterprise-grade applications, they can help empower citizen developers and IT teams. One of the examples is “OutSystems.” The tool is used by enterprises for creating scalable applications like customer service or supply chain management or internal tools like employee onboarding or inventory tracking.
Traditional Coding vs. Low-Code Development: Key Differences
Traditional coding vs. low-code development comes with several differences. The former gives freedom; the latter accelerates development. You have a project, know your requirements, and compare traditional coding and low-code development or no-code development to make the best robust decision. Here's what we have something to explore for you.
Speed and Flexibility Comparison
While traditional coding, aka manual coding or line-by-line coding, requires rigorous writing work, low/no-code supports faster development and accelerates the development process. More than that, low-code/no-code tools provide better flexibility to novice developers and even people with minimal or no technical background. That's not the case with traditional coding.
Customization Limitations of Low-Code Tools
If you favor customization, the traditional development approach is unbeatable. Low-code or no-code platforms come with flexibility but with customization limitations. If you have complex or highly specific requirements, a low-code development approach may not be a suitable option for development.
Cost Implications for Long-Term Projects
For businesses looking for a lower investment cost upfront, then low-code or no-code development is the best option for them. However, no-code/low-code development costs a fortune in the long term, given the complexity of the project. However, if you have a simple application and solution to build, low-code is the best option. But, for complex, highly customized, and future-oriented projects, a traditional development approach is the only option. It will help you save money in the long run.
Neck-to-Neck Comparison for Low-Code/No-Code Platform
| Aspect | Low-Code/No-Code Platforms | Traditional Coding |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Low-Code/No-Code supports faster development. Pros: can use visual tools and templates. | Traditional development is slower. It requires writing code line by line. |
| Flexibility | Low/No-Code comes with limitations in terms of capabilities and customization. | Traditional coding provides freedom for flexibility, full control over code, customization, and more. |
| Cost | Development costs with no/low-code platforms are lower initially. But it can be costly in the long run. It's ideal for simple projects and standard applications. | Comparatively higher upfront costs, and everything is manual and code written line by line. However, it's cost-effective in the long term. |
| User Base | Includes non-technical users (citizen developers). | Primarily professional developers. |
| Complexity Handling | Suitable for simpler apps that may struggle with complex needs. | Handles complex, unique requirements effectively. |
The Role of AI in Software Development
With the advent of AI Agents, the software development landscape has dramatically changed. Now, GitHub CoPilot helps developers write 30% of the code. This does not stop here. Most new developers use ChatGPT for writing most of their code. AI is everywhere in development, as every software development process integrates AI, from requirement analysis and design to development, testing, and deployment. You cannot expect coding without implementing artificial intelligence into it. So, AI is there in development. But it poses the next big question: “Is it going to eat out jobs for developers?”
The direct answer to this question is “No”. But it will disrupt the traditional development process and compel developers to adopt the new method that includes AI. AI is not a developer; it's a tool. Hence, it will help the development team be more focused on higher-level strategic work.
The Future of Software Development
The software development field is taking a transitional shift, and in 2025 or beyond, it will be more AI-focused. While AI-driven automation will continue to rise, the demand for specialized skills and low-code/no-code approaches will have prominence in the development field. Here are some of the future-oriented software development trends you should know:
AI-Driven Automation & Democratization
Statista, in its survey, revealed that around 80% of respondents have already adopted or deployed Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning into their businesses. There's more adoption coming into 2025 and beyond. But, with AI, there are several other things that will be more prominent, including;
AI-Powered Development: Most SDLCs will be powered by AI to streamline the development and deployment process.
Low-Code/No-Code Platforms:: More businesses will adopt digital transformation with the rise of no/low-code platforms.
Democratization of Software Development:: Software development will be more accessible with the advent of copilots.
How Businesses Can Choose the Right Approach
The choice between low-code/no-code and traditional development depends on several factors. If you want to start something quick or want to explore, examine, and evaluate, a low-code and no-code development approach is the right option for you. But if you have a defined project scope and understand what you need, then you must consider the second option. The traditional coding or development approach is time-consuming and costly, but it is future-focused and saves money, time, and resources in the long run. More than that, if you have a complex web development project or want to build future-oriented mobile applications, traditional development or coding can help you get maximum output.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed no code/low-code vs. traditional development. We have explored a range of options. We discussed several points, including what no-code and low-code codes are and how they are better or equal to traditional coding. We have also discussed trends and choices to decide on Low/No-code vs. traditional coding. Most importantly, we have explained the two terms transparently so you can understand the difference between traditional coding/development vs. no/low-code approach. Serviots is the leading software development company with core expertise in a wide range of technologies and platforms. We have the expertise to help our clients with both no-code/low-code development and even provide a robust team with core expertise in legal software development on top of modern technologies. Connect with us today and see how our synergy works.