Migrating from No-Code and Low-Code Platforms
No-code and low-code platforms promised rapid development and reduced costs. For many businesses, they delivered—until they didn’t. If you’ve hit the limitations of your platform, you’re not alone.
Popular Platforms and Their Limitations
Alpha Anywhere (Alpha Software)
Alpha Anywhere is a low-code platform popular for building business applications. Common reasons teams outgrow it:
- Vendor lock-in - Your application logic is tied to their proprietary runtime
- Performance limits - Complex queries and large datasets can become slow
- Mobile limitations - Native mobile features require workarounds
- Integration challenges - Connecting to modern APIs can be cumbersome
OutSystems
A leading enterprise low-code platform with significant market presence:
- High licensing costs - Enterprise pricing that scales with users
- Proprietary ecosystem - Applications require OutSystems infrastructure to run
- Limited customization - Complex UI requirements may not be achievable
- Exit costs - No clean path to migrate applications off-platform
Mendix
Popular for enterprise rapid application development:
- Siemens ecosystem focus - Works best within Siemens tooling
- Learning curve - Despite being “low-code,” advanced features require training
- Version control challenges - Model-based development doesn’t integrate well with Git workflows
- Scaling limitations - High-traffic applications can hit performance walls
Microsoft Power Apps
Widely adopted due to Microsoft 365 integration:
- Delegation limits - Only works with 500-2000 records by default
- Performance issues - Complex apps become slow
- Limited offline support - Disconnected scenarios are challenging
- Formula-based logic - Becomes unmanageable for complex business rules
Other Platforms
Similar challenges exist with:
- Appian - High costs, proprietary runtime
- Zoho Creator - Limited for complex applications
- QuickBase - Database limitations, reporting constraints
- Salesforce Lightning - Expensive, Salesforce ecosystem lock-in
- ServiceNow App Engine - Tied to ServiceNow platform
- FileMaker - Apple ecosystem, limited modern web capabilities
Signs It’s Time to Migrate
- You’re paying for workarounds - More time spent fighting the platform than building features
- Performance is suffering - Users complaining about slow load times
- Integration nightmares - Every API connection requires custom development anyway
- Talent shortage - Hard to find developers who know your platform
- Licensing costs climbing - Per-user or per-app pricing becoming unsustainable
- Features blocked - Business requirements that the platform simply can’t deliver
Planning Your Migration
1. Document Everything
Start by cataloging what your current application does:
- All business processes and workflows
- Data models and relationships
- Integrations with other systems
- User roles and permissions
- Reports and dashboards
- Custom code already written
2. Prioritize by Business Value
Not everything needs to migrate at once. Identify:
- Critical path - What must work on day one?
- Quick wins - What can be improved during migration?
- Technical debt - What workarounds can finally be eliminated?
- Future needs - What features have been waiting on the backlog?
3. Choose the Right Architecture
Modern applications typically use:
- React or Vue.js - For responsive, component-based UIs
- Node.js, Python, or .NET - For backend services
- PostgreSQL or SQL Server - For relational data
- REST or GraphQL APIs - For clean service boundaries
- Cloud hosting (AWS, Azure) - For scalability and reliability
4. Plan for Data Migration
Data migration is often the hardest part:
- Extract and validate - Get data out and verify completeness
- Transform - Map old schemas to new structures
- Clean up - Fix data quality issues accumulated over years
- Test thoroughly - Run parallel systems before cutover
5. Train Your Team
Your team knows the business logic—they need to learn the new tools:
- Invest in developer training
- Create documentation as you build
- Consider pairing internal staff with contractors during transition
The Benefits of Custom Development
After migration, teams typically experience:
- Better performance - Applications optimized for your specific needs
- Lower long-term costs - No per-user licensing fees
- Easier hiring - Standard technologies mean larger talent pools
- Full control - Deploy anywhere, modify anything, integrate everything
- Modern UX - Contemporary user interfaces without platform constraints
How We Can Help
We’ve helped businesses migrate from low-code platforms to custom solutions. Our approach:
- Assessment - We’ll evaluate your current application and create a migration roadmap
- Parallel development - Build the new system while the old one keeps running
- Data migration - Careful extraction, transformation, and validation
- Training and handoff - Your team learns the new codebase
Stuck on a platform that’s holding you back? Let’s talk about your options.
