Low-code and no-code development on the rise
Along with AI and machine learning, low-code development emerged as a much-anticipated solution to the whole range of issues in software development.
Extended project timelines, high cost of custom software, lack of qualified talent on the market, and overwhelmed IT departments – all these constraints can be tackled by low-code digital transformation.
With low-code development platforms, 61% of users successfully deliver custom apps on time, on scope, and within budget. Low code has the potential to speed up software development by up to 10 times.
By utilizing user-friendly tools such as pre-built templates, drag-and-drop features, and website UIs, low-code development platforms have democratized software development. According to research, 70% of users learn to use low-code development platforms within less than a month.
With over 500 million custom applications to be built within the next few years, low code couldn’t have come at a better time.
State of low-code adoption
of enterprise developers
use low-code
low-code development platforms on the market
of organizations have a low-code project underway
of companies consider their low-code capabilities advanced
of experts believe low-code technology meets their company's needs
Major players in the low-code development market include Microsoft, Oracle, Appian, Salesforce, and Pega.
Source: Mordor Intelligence
From marketing to the Internet of Things, low-code platforms are heavily used by businesses globally.
Customer relationship management
E-commerce, sales & marketing
Human resource management & employee portals
Customer portals
Customer service
Supply chain management
Data Analytics
Production
Enterprise resource planning
IoT and Industry 4.0
Whatever type of application you are building, you could build it quicker with low code.
Desktop- and server-based low-code apps continue to dominate the market thanks to low-code’s capability to automate complex business processes. Low code can easily integrate with existing IT solutions, making it particularly attractive for large enterprises.
of low-code platforms are desktop- and server-based
of market revenue share accounted for by mobile low-code apps
annual growth rate for the web-based low-code app market
Combined with low code, cloud infrastructure allows businesses to enjoy the benefits of scalability, easy collaboration, and lower costs. It is especially important in the increasingly remote development environment.
of low-code apps use cloud infrastructure
of low-code apps are based on on-premise infrastructure
annual growth rate predicted for the cloud-based low-code app market
Small and medium enterprises are the key users of low-code development platforms. For them, hiring talent and securing resources to build traditional custom software has always been particularly challenging.
of total market share held by SMEs
of the market accounted for by large enterprises
annual growth rate for SMEs’ low-code app market
Low code is useful when dealing with tight deadlines or competing priorities in the IT department.
Low code is useful when dealing with tight deadlines or competing priorities in the IT department.
Rapid prototyping
Replacing legacy systems
Extending existing systems
From 2008 to 2021, the number of Stack Overflow posts related to low-code development increased 20-fold.
From 2008 to 2021, the number of Stack Overflow posts related to low-code development increased 20-fold.
Source: Alamin, M.A.A., Uddin, G., Malakar, S. et al. Developer discussion topics on the adoption and barriers of low code software development platforms. Empir Software Eng 28, 4 (2023)
Challenges associated with low-code adoption
From 2008 to 2021, the number of Stack Overflow posts related to low-code development increased 20-fold.
Even though most users find low-code digital transformation beneficial thanks to increased development speed, improved usability, and efficient use of resources, others note drawbacks that can limit low-code adoption.
Source: Mordor Intelligence
Low-code adoption forecast until 2030
The low-code development market is estimated to grow by x4 times over the next 5 years, from $45.5 billion in 2025 to $187 billion in 2030.
Despite some predictions, the rise of AI will likely only accelerate low-code adoption.
2020
2025
2030
Low-code adjacent services such as consulting and outsourcing could hold a substantial market share of between $69 billion and $92 billion by 2026.
Factors influencing low-code market growth:
Regarding AI’s influence on the low-code market, experts’ predictions differ.
In one scenario, AI-powered low-code platforms dominate the market with a 33% annual growth rate. On the other hand, AI could accelerate and simplify high-code, leading developers to avoid low-code and reducing the market growth rate to 11%.
Low-code adoption trends
Democratization of software engineering
Low-code development platforms allow so-called citizen developers (e.g., business analysts, managers, and designers) to participate in software engineering, democratizing the process. 41% of companies already have citizen development initiatives in place, and 21% of those who do not plan to launch them in the future. An impressive 39% of experts consider low-code digital transformation to be the responsibility of business departments as opposed to IT teams.
Co-existence of low-code and high-code development
Hybrid development will emerge, allowing low-code and custom development to co-exist and complement each other.
Growing low-code adoption among SMEs
While large businesses currently notice the greatest benefits from low code, small and medium enterprises are expected to catch up. The low-code approach to development will enable such businesses to launch products faster at a lower cost, leveling the playing field between startups and established companies.
Diversification of low-code development platforms
Low-code development platforms will continue to diversify, with more solutions on the market targeting niche audiences in specific industries.
Acceleration of custom software development
Overall, due to both low code and AI, we will see a rapid increase in the speed of custom software development, allowing businesses to launch new apps in weeks of development instead of years.
Greater low-code tools’ security and compliance
Over the next 5 years, the industry is expected to address users’ common concerns of security and compliance issues, ensuring that low-code solutions can be used even in industries with rigorous security standards.
Low-code changed the way we build
Even 5 years ago, the development of an internal dashboard, a simple CRM, or a small business tool was synonymous with a long, boring, and complicated process, not to mention the costs of such a development.
I was impressed by how quickly, flexibly, and effectively we delivered our first low-code projects a few years ago. I was astonished at how happy our clients were.
I am still impressed and astonished: we deliver faster, we can adapt with no stress, and we facilitate client requests at a high speed without losing the quality the Akveo team is proud of.
Low-code adoption by countries
North America
North American region holds an impressive 34% of the global low-code market share, securing its place as the leading global market. The biggest players driving low-code adoption have a wide presence in the US, including Microsoft, Outsystems, Pegasystems, LANSA, Appian, and Oracle.
Europe
The European low-code market is quickly growing with a 30% compound annual growth rate. Low-code adoption happens quicker in Germany, France, and the UK, will all industries equally involved.
With the tightening of compliance and security regulations, the European low-code market will increasingly search for solutions that meet these new requirements.
Asia-Pacific
Over the next 5 years, the Asia-Pacific low-code adoption is expected to witness an outstanding 31% annual growth rate from 2024 to 2029. Both digital-first economies (e.g. Japan, Australia) and developing countries (e.g. India, Southeast Asia) will adopt low-code solutions for various needs.
Mobile applications and SMEs will drive low-code adoption, with FinTech, retail, and public service organizations taking the lead.
South America
The LATAM market will observe significant low-code adoption growth over the next few years. The biggest economy in the region, Brazil, is leading the way, followed by Argentina, Mexico, Columbia, and Chile.
Each country in the region exhibits its own low-code adoption patterns, but overall, cloud adoption and equal involvement of various industries are becoming a trend.
Low-code adoption is particularly noticeable in the financial sector and various startups.
Middle East & Africa
In the MEA region, the low-code market is especially active in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, further accelerated by government-sponsored digital transformation initiatives.
Sectors leading the low-code adoption include financial, government, and healthcare institutions. Low-code solutions allow businesses in the region to address the pressing skill gap issue and accelerate digital transformation.
Low-code adoption by industries
IT
The IT sector is the dominant industry in the low-code market with an 18% total market share in 2024. For tech companies, the benefits of low-code adoption are undeniable for both internal and client products. The trend is forecasted to persist, especially with the rise of cloud and hybrid solutions, a growing skill gap, and the need for faster time-to-market.
Healthcare
The healthcare industry’s low-code adoption is anticipated to grow the fastest from 2024 to 2029, with a 32% annual growth rate. The drivers for such growth include the increasing need for remote healthcare services and continuous service delivery even while introducing new software.
Finance
The BFSI sector utilizes low-code development tools to ensure regulatory compliance, accelerate workflow automation, and provide a better customer experience. As FinTech companies challenge traditional banking models, low-code solutions will become invaluable to help detect fraud, automatically process loans, and improve customer support.
E-commerce & retail
Due to ever-growing competition in the e-commerce sector, low-code development platforms can be an efficient way for companies to stand out. Low code enables e-commerce and retail companies to create a personalized shopping experience, utilize AI for product recommendations, and even automate same-day delivery service.
Government & defense
While some organizations in the government and defense sector voice concerns about low-code digital transformation risks, many heavily use these tools. Filing tax forms and permit applications, building self-service portals, and managing logistics are just a few possible benefits of low-code adoption in the industry.
Energy & utilities
Low code enables energy management companies to provide excellent customer support, efficiently manage outages, and create real-time monitoring dashboards. With the industry shift towards IoT-based grid management, renewable energy, and predictive maintenance, low-code adoption has never been so sought-after.
Manufacturing
For manufacturers, low-code adoption can assist with automating production, improving the visibility of their supply chains, and digitalizing production lines. Low code lets organizations connect machines and workers, monitoring performance and predicting maintenance needs. By relying less on traditional coding, the industry players can easily iterate on workflows and automate quality control.
Sources
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Frequently Asked Questions
The world of business and robotic process automation services is complex, and you may have questions. Here’s a list of common inquiries we’ve received from our clients.
What is low-code adoption?
‘Low-code adoption’ refers to how widely individuals and companies use the low-code development approach.
What is the adoption rate of low-code?
As of 2023, 87% of enterprise developers used low-code development platforms for at least some of their work.
How big is the low-code market?
In 2025, the low-code application development market is estimated to be worth $21.17 billion.
What is the growth rate of low-code?
The low-code market is expected to reach $81.35 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 30.90%.
What is low-code development?
Low-code development is a rapid, visual approach to software development that utilizes user-friendly tools such as drag-and-drop, UIs, dropdowns, and pre-built templates. Low-code lets even non-professional developers build custom applications.
How powerful is no-code?
While no-code development is a great starting point for users without programming knowledge, this approach has its limitations. With no-code, you can easily and quickly build frontend-heavy applications such as eCommerce shops, simple mobile applications, or websites such as portfolios and blogs.
If your project requires intricate customization or backend calculations, low-code might be a more suitable solution.
What is the difference between low-code and no-code?
No-code development is mostly performed by non-technical users, utilizing tools such as drag-and-drop, website UIs, and pre-built templates. Users with a technical background, on the other hand, usually prefer low-code development, where user-friendly no-code tools can be combined with coding.
What is the future of low-code?
The low-code development market is estimated to reach $81.35 billion by 2030, with the vast majority of companies globally benefitting from low-code solutions at least on some projects. Non-programmers will increasingly utilize the low-code approach, decentralizing software development from companies’ IT departments.
Is no-code the future?
Most experts agree that a combination of AI and low-code solutions will transform software engineering, drastically reducing the amount of custom code and time required to build custom software.
Will coding be important in the future?
With the rise of AI, low-code development, and natural language programming, coding as we know it now will be fundamentally transformed. However, it will remain a crucial part of software development. Even more, according to some forecasts, the requirement for coding skills might trespass traditional programming roles into other professions and departments.
Will AI replace low-code?
According to experts, AI is likely to co-exist with low-code development in the future, allowing users to benefit from the simplicity of natural language programming and the precision of traditional coding.
Will low-code no-code replace developers?
Even with the widespread adoption of low-code and no-code development platforms, traditional software development roles will remain. IT specialists’ contribution will be irreplaceable when it comes to integrating low-code solutions with other systems and ensuring their security and compliance.
What is the Gartner forecast for low-code?
According to Gartner, by 2026, more than 70% of all applications will be built using low-code technologies. The agency also predicts that the low-code application platform market will reach $16.5 billion in size by 2027 with a compound annual growth rate of 16.3% from 2022 to 2027. At the same time, democratization of low-code development is expected, with 80% of low-code application platform users working outside of IT departments by 2026.
What is the trend in low-code and no-code?
Based on analysts’ predictions, the low-code adoption rate is increasing across industries and countries, with the Asia-Pacific region leading the trend. In the future, low-code application platforms will likely diversify, with more tools developed for domain-specific needs. At the same time, low-code platform developers will pay more attention to security and compliance regulations within their solutions.
