Enterprises of all sizes are always looking to introduce their own applications for various reasons, including boosting their revenue and growing their customer bases. Traditionally, there was only one way to build applications: through manual coding. However, the low-code application development approach has recently become common as it enables businesses to create apps faster and adapt to changes quickly. And Mendix is one of the best low-code development platforms in the market.
So, how does Mendix compare with traditional app development? Is it better and more efficient or otherwise? Here is a detailed comparative analysis of Mendix Development vs. traditional app development methods.
What is Mendix and How Does it Work?
Mendix is an all-around high-productivity low-code solutions platform that uses a visual model-driven approach to software development. This low-code platform optimizes the app development process, accelerating the digital transformation journey.
With its low-code development approach, Mendix lets you use built-in components, collaborate when building applications, and automate and abstract every phase of the app development lifecycle. It uses a drag-and-drop interface; hence, it doesn’t require extensive coding knowledge.
How Does Traditional App Development Work?
Traditional application development involves building software solutions from scratch using manual coding. This implies that you work with an entire team of programmers and developers to:
- Collect requirements
- Create a plan, and
- Work with the development team to build custom code for an app that meets the identified requirements.
Usually, everything is coded from scratch, and a high level of technical expertise is required to build applications using this approach. Also, it involves writing large chunks of code to create a fully functional application. Every component is coded as text using various programming languages like Java and C++.
Mendix Vs. Traditional App Development
Let’s examine several aspects of the two approaches to building applications and how they compare.
Coding Expertise
As initially stated, minimal coding experience is required to build applications with Mendix. On the other hand, developing applications using the traditional approach requires experienced developers with advanced coding knowledge and skills. Also, traditional developers must understand how several web frameworks work with conventional web applications.
Development Speed
The Mendix low-code app development platform features numerous built-in components, including templates, modules, and logic available in the Mendix Marketplace. Therefore, you can use these components to quickly develop a functioning application in one to three weeks.
On the other hand, traditional application development involves hardcore coding. Every application detail is coded from scratch with several prototype revisions, bug fixes, and testing. As a result, takes two to eight months to deliver a working application.
Flexibility and Agility
The Mendix low-code development solution is more flexible and agile because you can easily make changes to an existing application. Its drag-and-drop interface allows you to quickly build new apps, and errors can be backtracked immediately and resolved collaborative, thanks to its revision tracking tools.
On the other hand, apps built using the traditional application development approach are rigid to change and take time to adapt. This can lead to missed opportunities and potentially put you out of business, especially in the current uncertain business environment.
Application Maintenance
Mendix low-code applications are comparatively easy to maintain. When the low-code platform is updated, your Mendix web applications are updated automatically. Therefore, you spend fewer resources on regular application maintenance.
On the contrary, traditional custom-built applications are hard to maintain and update regularly. In fact, you require a dedicated team to update the code every time an update is necessary.
Customization
One area where traditional applications beat Mendix apps is when it comes to customization options. The Mendix low-code platform provides limited customization options for your application. On the other hand, traditionally developed apps can be tailored to meet your specific business requirements, as everything is built from scratch.
Deployment
Deploying Mendix applications is faster. However, you’re limited to specific platforms supported by this low-code solution. On the contrary, with the traditional application development approach, you can deploy apps to all platforms.
Pros of Mendix App Development
- Faster application development. Mendix app development is more rapid as it has numerous pre-built components and uses a visual model-driven approach to development.
- Lower development costs. Mendix costs less because fewer developers and resources are required to deliver an application
- Improved customer experience. The Mendix low-code app development platform automates various operations crucial to improving customer experience. Also, you can quickly integrate change requests, addressing emerging customer needs.
- Other benefits include improved productivity, better risk management, and improved agility.
Cons of Mendix App Development
Some of the key downsides of Mendix app development include the following:
- Limited customization. While Mendix offers numerous pre-built components, there are limitations to the amount of customization you can do to those components. In fact, more sophisticated functionality may need additional coding.
- Vendor lock-in. Mendix is a proprietary low-code solution. Therefore, you risk vendor lock-in, which makes it difficult to switch to other platforms in the future.
Pros of Traditional App Development
The advantages of traditional application development include the following:
- 100% control. In traditional application development, developers have complete control over the app development process, allowing for more flexibility and customizability
- No vendor lock-in. In traditional app development, you write the code from scratch. Therefore, there is zero risk of vendor lock-in, and you can switch from one programming language platform to another as needed.
- Better integration. Integrating conventional apps with different systems or apps is easier. This is because developers have higher control over the code and can customize it as required.
Cons of Traditional App Development
- High development cost. Developing apps with the traditional development approach requires more experienced developers and resources, increasing development costs.
- It’s time-consuming. Since everything is built from scratch, you’ll spend more time and resources before delivering a fully functional application.
- Sophisticated application maintenance. It’s hard and time-consuming to maintain traditional apps. Any changes or updates require a significant amount of coding and rigorous testing.
Conclusion
Mendix solutions provides a faster and more cost-effective application development approach. However, it has its limitation in terms of integration and customization. On the other hand, traditional app development provides 100% control over your code and zero risks of vendor lock-in. But building a fully functional application using this approach is time-consuming and costs more. So, the choice between the two app development solutions ultimately depends on the specific application requirements and resources available for development.
With the Mendix low-code platform, skilled developers can do more, focusing on the most challenging aspects of their code to create exclusive apps with the benefits of traditional application development.
