Low-code development platforms offer the best of both worlds in the software development spectrum — they combine the flexibility of custom-coded apps with the ease and cost-effectiveness of no-code builders.
If your business needs to automate and scale operations with apps requiring complex or custom features, then low-code platforms are your end game.
Let us help you take the next step to build truly scalable apps — we have shared the five best low-code development platforms that you can choose from depending on your use case and budget.
A glance at the best low-code development platforms in 2024
Now, let’s dive deeper into each of our top low-code development platforms:
1. Softr — best low-code platform for building internal tools and business apps

G2 rating: 4.8/5
Capterra rating: 4.7/5
Softr is a no-code app builder capable of creating scalable enterprise-grade apps for business process automation. It brings the simplicity and ease of no-code to help you launch internal tools and web apps without the learning curve and development costs.
Softr is suitable for getting started with building low-code apps and easing your digital transformation from legacy systems. It also provides you with an AI app generator to help you get started using prompts.
Softr Pricing:
Free Plan: Softr’s free plan is generous and includes access to key builder components, a custom domain, and unlimited app visitors. This allows you to test, iterate, and launch fully functional apps to automate business processes.
Paid Plan: if you need enterprise-level security, enjoy scalability to onboard more users, manage multiple apps, and more, consider Softr’s enterprise plans. Their basic paid plan starts at $49/month (if paid yearly). For detailed options, speak with their sales team.
Softr Features:
- Dynamic layouts: design interactive and responsive experiences with 30+ dynamic list layouts, on-page editing, dynamic search and filtering, and 100+ customizable pre-built blocks.
- Enterprise-grade security: Softr ensures robust security with end-to-end 256-bit TLS encryption for data protection in transit and at rest. It complies with GDPR and SOC2 Type 2 standards. Enhance security further with Single-Sign-On (SSO), two-factor authentication, and role-based access controls.
- Multiplatform web apps: Softr apps are cross-browser compatible and responseive, automatically optimizing for any screen size. You can download web apps as Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and instantly make them available on iOS and Android devices without additional work.
Softr Integrations:
Softr offers direct integration with 20+ leading third-party apps including OpenAI, Zapier, HubSpot, and more. You can also generate Softr API keys to integrate with more apps you already use to ensure smooth syncing and sharing of data.
2. Zoho Creator — best low-code platform for building business apps

G2 rating: 4.3/5
Capterra rating: 4.3/5
Zoho Creator is a low-code Business Process Management (BPM) software to develop complex apps without the hard work of extensive coding. It provides a visual builder to automate operational tasks like managing data, building information pages, designing custom forms, and more.
However, its effectiveness is closely tied to Zoho's broader app ecosystem. Users on Capterra have noted concerns about customer service quality, mandatory add-on purchases, and occasional data security issues.
Zoho Creator Pricing:
Free Plan: you get a 15-day free trial for the paid plan of your choice, after which it downgrades you to a free plan that allows you to build one app with limited records and storage.
Paid Plan: if you want to access AI components and integrations, use more storage, access custom domains, enable predictive analytics, and more, then explore their paid plans starting at $8/month.
Zoho Creator Features:
- Visualize data structure: using AI, you can migrate existing data, generate new data models, visualize, and understand relationships between them to organize and optimize business performance.
- Automate tasks: drag-and-drop workflow organizer helps automate routine and repetitive tasks.
- Interactive scripting: Zoho’s proprietary language ‘Deluge’ helps faster conversion of business logic into workflows with auto-complete and syntax assist features.
Zoho Creator Integrations:
Zoho Creator integrates with 500 third-party services and 45+ apps in the Zoho ecosystem.
3. Retool — best low-code platform for building internal software

G2 rating: 4.6/5
Capterra rating: 4.5/5
Retool’s low-code development platform enables businesses to create custom interfaces that interact seamlessly with various data sources and APIs. Whether you need an admin panel, a customer support tool, or an internal dashboard, Retool provides the components to get you up and running.
Retool is designed specifically for developers — it provides AI-powered tools to trace query runs over time, inspect apps, and review version control changes in a single platform. Thus, it isn’t user-friendly for non-technical folks. Users on Capterra have also reported that Retool can get slow to operate.
Retool Pricing:
Free Plan: with its forever free plan, you can design unlimited web and mobile apps for only up to five users and 5 GB of data storage.
Paid Plan: To onboard more users, increase workflow capacity, access enterprise-grade security, and custom brand your apps — you can opt for their paid plans starting at $12/month/user (with edit access to apps) + $7/month/user (without edit access).
Retool Features:
- Build AI apps: build AI tools by connecting your business data with any AI model (like Azure, Anthropic, OpenAI, etc) and pre-built actions.
- Templates library: you get 400+ templates across sales, marketing, IT, etc, and data sources like GraphQL, Salesforce, Stripe, Google Sheets, and more.
- Component library: Retool provides a comprehensive library of 100+ components like forms, charts, tables, and more. You can drag-and-drop these components and configure their properties without writing extensive code.
Retool Integrations:
Retool integrates your app to anything with a REST or GraphQL API. It also provides 40+ API, Cloud, and database integrations.
4. Salesforce Lightning— best low code platform to build CRM and sales apps

G2 rating: 4.5/5
Capterra rating: 4.3/5
Salesforce Lightning offers low-code development tools to build, deploy, and manage applications integrated with Salesforce’s ecosystem. Using Lightening Flow, you can automate complex sales, CRM, and approval processes using a visual drag-and-drop interface.
While this is ideal for extending CRM functionalities, it requires adapting to Salesforce’s ecosystem and navigating a steep learning curve.
Salesforce Lightning Pricing:
Free Plan: you can access Salesforce Lightning builder, training resources, and app developer tools for 30 days.
Paid Plan: to access the Lightning console, API, process automation tools, and more premium features, you can opt for its paid plan starting at $25/user/month.
Salesforce Lightning Features:
- Customize CRM: you get access to 500+ apps and 300+ components to enhance your CRM’s capabilities.
- Salesforce Einstein: helps categorize leads so that you can prioritize your sales tasks. It also helps strategize how to work with the lead and decide the next steps to improve closure chances.
- Build knowledge base: with Lightning knowledge, you can custom-design your company’s resource hub with articles, add advanced search, implement multi-language support, and more.
Salesforce Lightning Integrations:
Mulesoft by Salesforce is its low-code integration platform that helps automate processes by securely connecting various apps, data, or AI models with the Salesforce ecosystem. It provides 250+ connectors across other SaaS, databases, and Cloud software.
5. Outsystems — best low code platform for building Generative AI applications

G2 rating: 4.6/5
Capterra rating: 4.6/5
Outsystems helps enterprises build AI-powered apps using low-code development tools. With its full-stack features, you can build customer portals, e-commerce platforms, CRM systems, project management tools, and more. They also provide strong and helpful community support with forums, training programs, events, etc.
While Outsystems offers the latest features to build modern business apps, its learning curve and pricing can be a hindrance for small and medium businesses.
Outsystems Pricing:
Free Plan: its forever free plan allows creating an app for up to 100 users but only in development mode.
Paid Plan: to enable your apps with Generative AI capabilities, access professional support, and deploy in production, you can choose its paid plan starting at $36,300 per year. There are extra charges for additional apps, features, and users.
Outsystems Features:
- GenAI toolsets: using its AI Agent Builder, you can build a Generative AI Agent by integrating your apps with desired AI models and data sources without extensive coding.
- Built-in DevOps: includes built-in governance features and automation to manage apps throughout the lifecycle.
- AI mentor: developers get assistance in analyzing bugs, performance, code, and more to design and deploy robust applications.
Outsystems Integrations:
Outsystems Data Fabric is their low-code integration platform that provides 400+ pre-built connectors to mix and match data sources, bring data together, sync data, and more. You can also create reusable custom connectors via a drag-and-drop interface.
Softr’s free plan makes it easy to get started with low-code app development
Choosing the best app builder is a task because it involves a long-term commitment, a learning curve, and experimenting with tools to see what fits your business. But you can overcome these hesitations by choosing a low-code app development platform that offers a generous free plan to dip your toes into modern low-code app development.
Softr’s free plan, AI app generator, and enterprise features make it a breeze to design, test, and iterate business apps within a few hours. Deploy it in your domain and invite unlimited visitors to run pilots — sign up for free today.
What is Softr
Join 700,000+ users worldwide, building client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, project management systems, inventory management apps, and more—all without code.