Low-code application development is a hot topic. And why not?
Low code helps IT teams:Be more strategic. Drive top line results. And multiply productivity.
Low code helps businesses:Build unique apps. Sustain success. And speed time-to-market.
With the rise of digital transformation, the low-code development market is exploding. And with so many vendors and offerings popping up, there has to be a better way to learn which to choose without just googling low-code app platforms, right?
Enter PCMag.
Last year, PCMag shared their thoughts about low-code. Is it a myth? Reality? Most certainly the latter. The editors ranked some low-code platforms, and shared video on how they all fared.
[Spoiler: Appian came out on top as the easiest to use low-code platform for creating Business Process Management (BPM) apps. (Read the article).]
This year, PCMag is at it again! And the champ? Once again, it's Appian, winning its second straightPCMag Editor's Choice award as the best low-code platform for 2017.
The award cements Appian's place as the top pick in a tough field of new and veteran low-code vendors. In this year's roundup, each of the low-code app platforms tested was graded from the perspective of both average business users and skilled app developers. Here's how PCMag described Appian's overall performance:
"Appian is one of the most mature and capable low-code platforms on the market for enterprise organizations that want average users and programmers alike to build business apps quickly and start using them right away..."
In their overall assessment of Appian, PCMag rated the low-code platform as "Excellent" for multiplying the productivity of business users with zero coding experience. Editors also gave Appian Quick Apps the nod as a true no-code experience for business users and IT. Quick Apps also won praise as a user-friendly, primarily form-based low-code feature, with a full Designer that lets users map out all the data and objects in their app, with the drag-and-drop Appian Process Modeler. (Watch the video)
Reviewers noted that the no-hassle form-based app creation of Quick Apps combined with the user-friendly Tempo interface made Appian the top pick for enterprise teams looking for a mature, no-hassle platform to build and share business applications within a task and productivity-focused environment.
Yes, Appian is a back-to-back Editor's Choice champion, a feat that's hard to beat. But this low-code champ isn't taking their past success for granted. Nope, to say on top, Appian has gone all-in on improving speed and power for users and designers.
Here's a quick rundown of how Appian has stepped up its low-code game.
Low code is trending, but it isn't new. Back in 2014, Forrester coined the term "low code" in their "New Development Platforms Emerge for Customer-Facing Applications," which was followed up by two market reports in 2016: "The Forrester Wave: Low-Code Development Platforms, Q2 2016, and "Vendor Landscape: The Fractured, Fertile Terrain of Low-Code Application Platforms."
Forrester defines low code as: "Platforms that enable rapid delivery of business applications with a minimum of hand-coding and minimal upfront investment in setup, training, and deployment."
Broadly speaking, the best low-code platforms make it easier for developers to build complex process models, map database objects to user workflows, and customize UI design, without having to write code. Some platforms excel at providing an intuitive experience for business users. Others focus on meeting the expectations of skilled developers.
Appian excels at both.
Check out this video and see what I mean.
Roland Alston
Appian is the unified platform for change. We accelerate customers’ businesses by discovering, designing, and automating their most important processes. The Appian Low-Code Platform combines the key capabilities needed to get work done faster, Process Mining + Workflow + Automation, in a unified low-code platform. Appian is open, enterprise-grade, and trusted by industry leaders.