When Angular and .NET is the Ultimate Choice over Low-code and No-code Platforms for Building a Custom Web Application

No-code and low-code platforms are the new buzzwords in the global software development market, as they help businesses build software in short terms and without much technical expertise. To highlight how popular such platforms have become, it’s worth noting that the global market for low-code development technologies is projected to hit 65 billion dollars by 2025.

However, despite their many benefits, low-code and no-code development solutions are not a universal panacea to all businesses willing to build apps in short terms and with a limited budget. In fact, such platforms have many limitations that are especially vivid in comparison to a traditional software development approach with Angular and .NET. 

Today we will dive deeper into the topic and compare low-code and no-code development platforms to software development with .NET and Angular. 

Let’s start with a brief explanation of low-code and no-code development practices.

No-code development technologies are platforms allowing specialists without traditional coding skills to create software applications through visual interfaces and drag-and-drop tools. These platforms often utilize pre-built templates, components, and logic workflows to streamline the development process. By abstracting away the complexities of coding, they democratize software creation, enabling entrepreneurs, business users, and even non-technical professionals to build custom solutions tailored to their needs. No-code tools cover a wide range of applications, from website and mobile app development to workflow automation and data visualization. The main reason behind the popularity of such solutions is that they lower the entry barriers in software development dramatically. 

Low-code development technologies provide a middle ground between traditional coding and fully visual, no-code platforms. If you embrace this approach, some coding is required but its amount is minimized. Low-code platforms typically offer a visual interface and pre-built components to expedite development, while still allowing for customization and integration with code when necessary. By abstracting away routine tasks and providing built-in functionality for common features like user authentication, data storage, and integrations with third-party services, low-code platforms accelerate development cycles. Low entry barriers and fast development are the main factors behind the popularity of low-code platforms. 

Low-code development facilitates rapid application development and has numerous benefits, even compared to no-code development. However, this approach also has certain cons. Here is the list of the main advantages and disadvantages of low-code development. 

So, these are the benefits low-code development can offer your business.  

Fast development: Low-code development principles allow software engineering teams to minimize manual coding. The developers can build applications visually with pre-built components, ensuring a short time to market. 

Low developer entry barrier: Drag-and-drop functionality and visual interfaces of low-code technologies can be mastered even by specialists with minimal experience in coding. The development process is, usually, quite simple as software engineers write small-to-moderate amounts of code. 

Scalability of the cloud: Most low-code development technologies are cloud-based. This means that by embracing low-code development, you gain simple scalability, which is one of the most critical benefits of cloud development. 

Lower cost: When it comes to comparing low code vs traditional development, cost-efficiency is often cited as a critical advantage of low-code technologies. Mind that this principle applies only to simple and straightforward projects, as low-code development technologies provide very limited functionality for building more complex solutions. 

While low-code development technologies offer numerous significant advantages, they have certain cons and limitations that make them unsuitable solutions for some cases. 

Limited customization: Low-code development can have limitations when it comes to customization options. Such technologies offer pre-built templates and components that restrict deeper customization. 

Dependency on platform providers: Switching from a particular low-code development technology provider may be quite challenging. Meanwhile, switching from a low-code development approach to a more traditional coding methodology is even more challenging. This makes users dependent on specific low-code platform providers, leading them to restrictions on code access and modifications. 

Limited development flexibility: As has been already mentioned, low-code development is mainly based on using pre-built components. While simplifying the development process, this feature also creates certain limitations for functionality and architectural patterns that can be applied in software built with low-code development frameworks. 

Performance limitations: While low-code development technologies offer good performance, they have certain limitations in terms of performance tuning. This makes such technologies an unfavorable choice for developing applications that need to show excellent performance under high loads. 

No-code development technologies facilitate even faster and simpler software development than low-code frameworks. However, the limitations of no-code solutions are also bigger than the ones of low-code solutions and, especially, more traditional software development with Angular and .NET.  

Here is the list of the main advantages of no-code development. 

Rapid development: Developing apps with no-code technologies might be even faster than building them with low-code frameworks. There is no need for manual coding, which makes it ideal even for users with no programming knowledge. However, the limitations of what can be built with no-code frameworks are even bigger than the ones of low-code development solutions. 

Lower cost: Building simple and straightforward apps with no-code platforms can significantly reduce development costs, as there is no need to hire skilled developers.

Ease of use: No-code platforms provide a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop elements. Such solutions don’t require manual coding, making app development accessible to a broader audience.

With great development efficiency come great limitations. These are the main cons of using no-code development frameworks. 

Functionality limitations: Users may be limited to the functionalities offered by the chosen no-code platform. Certain features can be difficult or impossible to implement and there are many barriers to building custom functionality. 

Lack of support for low-level features: Most no-code platforms lack features like video/audio processing or access to device sensors. This creates significant limitations, especially in terms of mobile development.

Dependency on third-party integrations: No-code software development platforms offer very limited functionality. This makes businesses integrate them with third-party technology providers in order to enhance platform functionalities. This can lead to issues with pricing, service quality, and security. 

Significant flexibility limitations: No-code software is composed of pre-built components. This creates notable limitations to what architecture decisions or custom components the developers can implement, especially compared to a traditional coding approach. 

The traditional approach to software development involves coding with programming languages and traditional software development frameworks. One of the most reliable pairs for custom software development involves Angular for building dynamic and user-centric application front end and .NET for developing stable, high-performing, and scalable application back end. Just like any other approach, this method has its pros and cons that require deeper exploration. 

The conventional approach of building applications with the most popular software development frameworks, such as Angular and .NET has many pros. These are the most important ones. 

Architectural flexibility: The traditional coding approach to software development leaves almost no limitations for architectural decisions. Software development teams can leverage different approaches to building microservices architecture, monolithic architecture, containerization, and any other architectural approaches in the cloud, on-premises, or in the hybrid cloud to accustom to different business needs.  

Excellent UI/UX design customization: Contrary to no-code and low-code development technologies, Angular app development offers almost unlimited customizability in terms of building application UI/UX design. Developers can redesign existing templates or components or write them from scratch to create completely unique design elements ensuring brand identity and unique user experience. 

Unmatched performance: No-code and low-code development technologies allow building apps with good performance, but they cannot compete with the Angular + .NET combination in this regard. While .NET proves to be, probably, the best back-end development technology for building high-performing apps that show excellent productivity under different loads, the performance of .NET-based solutions can be tuned up with various practices. Meanwhile, no-code and low-code development frameworks leave almost no space for such performance tuning. 

Rich functionality for developing complex solutions: The key difference between developing apps with no-code/low-code development technologies and the Angular-.NET combination is the extent of possible customization. Angular and .NET leave space for building a great range of custom features and in-app connections. This development approach is perfect for building complex and completely custom apps serving unique business or end-user needs. 

Great control and flexibility in terms of security: While building apps with .NET and Angular, software development teams can implement unique security measures, such as complex and customizable systems of roles and permissions, custom encryption protocols, and other unique safeguards. While no-code and low-code solutions offer manageable security in the cloud, apps built with .NET and Angular can also be built in the cloud while leaving more customizability and control over security practices. This makes them a perfect fit for software that requires strict regulatory compliance and control over all safeguards. 

Great space for integrations: No-code and low-code applications often have to be integrated with third-party tools to expand their functionality. However, the inherent limitations of such apps also create limitations for some integrations, especially the ones that require coding and API customization. Meanwhile, apps built with Angular and .NET provide unlimited opportunities for custom integrations. 

Despite its many benefits, a traditional coding approach has certain drawbacks. These are especially valuable ones. 

Longer time to market: In most cases, developing apps with Angular and .NET takes more time than building them with no-code and low-code technologies. However, there are many practices and techniques that can sufficiently speed up traditional coding. In addition, projects involving Angular and .NET are, usually, aimed at building more complex solutions than the ones involving no-code and low-code technologies. This means that Angular+.NET projects are longer by default.

Expertise required: Developing apps with Angular and .NET requires coding skills that vary depending on the project complexity. Meanwhile, no-code and low-code developers allow specialists with very limited technical knowledge to develop applications. The key difference here is in the complexity of solutions that can be built with each technology. 

Higher development cost: You need to hire a development team and spend more time developing a solution with Angular and .NET, which translates into a higher budget. On the contrary, the cost of developing apps with no-code and low-code solutions can be really low compared to the traditional coding approach. However, as has already been mentioned, low-code and now-code technologies are aimed at building much simpler and more straightforward solutions than the Angular-.NET combination. 

Now, let’s proceed with use cases for each of the technologies discussed in this article. We shall start with examples of when to use low-code development. 

Low-code technolgies allow building simple apps in short terms. A typical low-code platform comparison cites Microsoft Automate and PowerApps as the most popular solutions. Contrarily to no-code solutions, such platforms leave space for coding, which means somehow bigger flexibility than with no-code solutions. The functionality of such apps will be mostly simple. However, if you don’t need much customization or complex architectural decisions, low-code solutions might be a good choice. 

Low-code solutions offer great options for building scripts that automate routine business processes. Simple yet efficient automation can fit many use cases, and you can check the IFTTT website for some vivid examples. Low-code solutions, such as Microsoft Automate fit automation needs more than no-code solutions. If your automation needs are rather basic and don’t involve complex customization, low-code solutions will be a great fit.

Low-code development projects require more expertise than the ones involving no-code development frameworks. However, they are still mostly simple. There is no need to hire an entire software development team, which usually means lower budget for development. That’s why many low-code development examples are projects with limited budget. 

Low-code projects involve some coding, which makes them slightly more time-consuming than the projects based on no-code development projects. However, the simplicity of low-code frameworks still allows you to build straightforward apps in short terms.

Discover ideal use cases for no-code application development frameworks. Basically, these cases are very similar to the ones fitting low-code development technologies. 

No-code development technologies will fit for building simple and straightforward apps that don’t require any deviations from a standard structure and set of features. With no-code development technologies, such software can be built fast and without any budget overspending.

No-code frameworks work perfectly in projects with very limited budgets. A single specialist with very limited technical knowledge can use them to build an app with pre-built components. This means significant cost-savings but the developed solution will be rather simple. 

The simplicity of no-code development frameworks implies that you can get an app in very short terms. While an opportunity to get a complete app in a few days is very lucrative, no-code development technologies are fit for building only the simplest (and often temporary) software with many limitations, especially compared to the traditional coding approach. 

The traditional coding approach based on popular frameworks, such as Angular and .NET, is so popular due to its versatility. It fits a great variety of use cases. These are the use cases where the combination of Angular and .NET has definitive advantages over no-code and low-code development frameworks. 

The combination of Angular and .NET is a perfect choice for cases in which you need to implement complex architecture. Traditional coding allows you to implement literally any architectural decisions supplied with various integrations. In this regard, the space for variations and decisions is much broader than in the case of no-code and low-code development frameworks. 

A traditional development approach allows you to build an app proof of concept (PoC) with functionality that can be expanded in the long run. No-code and low-code development technologies provide limited options for app customization. In most cases, they don’t fit the apps that gradually expand with additional features over time. This means that if you have long-term plans to grow and expand your application, we strongly recommend you opt for a traditional coding approach. 

In most cases, enterprise solutions deliver unique and tailored functionality. Besides, they process high loads of data and serve multiple users with completely different roles and permissions. The scope of components provided for no-code and low-code solutions might be very limited for building such apps. Meanwhile, there are no such limitations in the approach based on Angular and .NET, which makes this approach the ultimate choice for building high-load enterprise apps. 

Deployed in the cloud, no-code and low-code development technologies offer solid security. However, in specific cases, you may need more unique safeguards, especially if your business works under very specific regulations. By building your app with Angular and .NET, you gain more flexibility in customizing your app’s security. So, if you need custom security measures and complete control over your solution’s security, the traditional coding approach proves to be a better solution than no-code and low-code development technologies. 

Compared to no-code and low-code solutions, the traditional coding approach offers you greater flexibility in terms of designing cloud-based apps, their architecture, and the system of integrations. For example, no-code and low-code technologies don’t allow developers to leverage the full advantage of containerized architecture built with Docker. Meanwhile, cloud-based containerization that offers excellent flexibility and scalability can be implemented with traditional software development technologies. 

Traditional front-end development with Angular has no limitations in terms of UI/UX design elements you can implement. Meanwhile, no-code and low-code development technologies are primarily oriented on using and reusing pre-designed design components. This means that if you want to develop a unique and outstanding application design, you should opt for a more traditional development approach based on Angular and .NET. 

Overall, no-code and low-code development technologies offer many benefits, primarily oriented on development cost, speed, and simplicity. This makes them perfect solutions for temporary solutions or straightforward projects with time, expertise, and budget limitations. 

However, low-code and, especially, no-code solutions are not the best choices for more complex software development projects. They won’t fit you if you need to build enterprise solutions, apps with complex architecture, software with unique functionality and UI/UX design, customized cloud ecosystem, startup apps with long-term development goals, or apps with unique security needs.

Opt for a traditional software development approach, like building apps with the Angular and .NET combination, in the cases mentioned above. While this approach will require a team with technical expertise, you have already found one. Leobit, a Microsoft Solutions Partner, offers a team with exceptional expertise in Angular and .NET software development. Contact us to build your unique software product fast and efficiently.