A New Stage in Software Development: Why Low-Code Is Accelerating in 2025

A New Stage in Software Development

The low-code development market reached $22.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to almost $94 billion by 2028. Already, around 60% of new applications are being created outside traditional IT departments, and according to Gartner, by 2026 over 80% of developers will actively use low-code platforms.

Companies like Canva are receiving billion-dollar investments thanks to tools that simplify business automation and make software development more accessible.

Low-code vs No-code: What’s the Difference?

No-code platforms allow users to create simple applications without writing any code at all. They are ideal for “citizen developers” — people without formal technical education. However, such platforms are limited when it comes to deep customisation, complex integrations or performance tuning.

Low-code, in contrast, combines a visual development environment (drag-and-drop, wizards, templates) with the ability to extend and customise behaviour using code. This makes low-code useful both for non-technical users and for experienced engineers who want to speed up delivery without losing flexibility.

How Low-code Development Works

Low-code does not replace programmers. Instead, it automates routine tasks and reduces the amount of boilerplate work, freeing engineers to focus on design, architecture and complex business logic.

Compared to traditional development, low-code significantly reduces time-to-market and the volume of manual work required at each stage.

The typical low-code development lifecycle includes:

• Defining system requirements and user scenarios
• Selecting third-party APIs and services
• Creating interfaces, data models and workflows using visual tools
• Integrating APIs and external systems
• Customising behaviour using code where necessary
• Testing and gathering user feedback
• Deploying to production (often via cloud pipelines)
• Ongoing maintenance and updates

Traditional development usually requires more stages, more manual configuration and the involvement of a full development team at every step.

Key Advantages of Low-code Platforms

1. Fast Results

Many low-code applications are delivered in less than three months. In traditional models, projects with similar scope can easily take from six months to a year. For startups and rapidly changing markets, this time difference can determine the success or failure of a product.

2. Easier Integration

Low-code solutions are designed to integrate with existing company systems — databases, ERP, CRM, authentication providers and more. Pre-built connectors and integration patterns reduce the load on IT teams and help keep operations stable.

3. Significant Cost Savings

Even when professional developers are involved, the time and effort required to build applications are noticeably reduced. Analysts report that ROI can exceed 200% for well-chosen low-code initiatives.

4. Access to Modern Technologies

Many low-code platforms are built on top of modern stacks: containers, microservices, cloud-native architectures. This allows companies to benefit from scalability and resilience without having to design everything from scratch.

5. Improved User Experience

Most platforms provide ready-made UI components and templates with intuitive navigation. This makes it easier to deliver consistent, user-friendly interfaces even when there is no dedicated UX team on the project.

What Applications Can Be Built with Low-code?

• Internal corporate solutions: task and project management, document workflows, resource and personnel management systems.
• Client-facing services: customer portals, loyalty programmes, self-service tools and interactive applications.
• Legacy system modernisation: updating ERP, CRM or HR platforms step by step, without replacing the entire core at once.

The Future of Low-code Development

Low-code is not just another method of building applications. It represents a broader shift in how organisations think about software: from scarce IT resources and long projects to collaborative, iterative and accessible development.

It opens the door to the democratisation of technology, where people from different departments can actively participate in creating internal tools and automation scenarios.

In the coming years, this trend is likely to strengthen. Businesses will continue to seek ways to deliver solutions faster, simpler and cheaper — and low-code development is exactly the kind of approach that supports this direction.