Core to every successful digital transformation or modernization initiative is a formal mobile strategy that enables IT to leverage the best mobile architecture for every mobile app. Mobile app demand across the enterprise is skyrocketing because mobile now makes it easier for companies to engage with customers and employees in real-time with just a simple tap or swipe. Traditional mobile app development is not typically quick or cheap because many methods and skills are often required to manage a growing mobile portfolio. On the user experience side, as mobile technology continues to evolve, so too do the demands and expectations of both customers and employees. The headache-inducing reality of IT is figuring out how to manage or structure the ever-expanding range of use cases with a long list of development skills needed.

There are a few strategies IT Leaders historically use to manage their mobile stack, but recent trends show gravitation toward leveraging low-code development platforms because they provide a faster and more cost-effective way of building, deploying, and maintaining their mobile application infrastructure. In fact, low-code application development is so widely used for mobile development that mobile and web applications for SaaS and independent software vendors (ISV) is one of the critical capabilities of a low-code platform, one which Gartner uses to evaluate low-code vendors for their 2020 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms. 

Determining which low-code platform can help you best with your mobile strategies begins at making sense of your mobile stack.

Leveraging Mobile with Low Code

At a high level, there are two ways a mobile app can be delivered to the end-user: a browser-based application (apps that run within a mobile device’s browser) or an app-store-based application (apps that are downloaded from an app store and installed locally on the device). Some use cases require offline first or cutting-edge functionality and top-notch security for millions of users. Other use cases are far less complex, and the lift needed to support and build a mobile solution for a small division within the business is better served with a more cost-effective approach.

IT leaders looking to execute their digital transformation strategy would do well to select a low-code platform that plays well with the needs of their business, mobile development skills of their employees, the application performance demands of their users, and, frankly, the tolerance to support yet another development language. Low-code platforms offer a single skillset and platform, making it easier for developers of all levels to leverage mobile technology.

Ultimately, the mobile architecture you choose for every mobile solution shouldn’t be limited by the capabilities of the low-code platform. Rather, choose the best mobile architecture based on your organization’s digitization needs, whether it’s native, progressive web apps (PWAs), web, or hybrid. Then you can see how that low-code platform sets you up for mobile success.

When evaluating a low-code platform for mobile development, you want one that not only provides the ability to choose mobile architectures on a case-by-case basis but also supports a best-of-breed approach for mobile like PWAs (for browser-based) or (for app-store based) mobile solutions. Doing this through a low-code approach helps abstract and automate much of the traditional development. In turn, this enhances the cost savings and accelerates the time-to-market speed needed to deliver a quality mobile solution.

Mendix and Mobile, Hand in Glove

The mobile and web application critical capability use case sets out to determine the capability of a vendor’s low-code offering and their effectiveness in building mobile and web SaaS and ISV applications, as well as providing rich user experiences for both B2B and B2C scenarios. While most low-code vendors support PWA for the best browser-based mobile experience, few deliver true native for the best app-store-based mobile experience. Instead, they rely on dated hybrid technology for their “native” capabilities, which can’t compete with the performance, security and overall user experience of a true native mobile application.

Mendix doesn’t have that limitation.

After watching the capabilities and community interest of hybrid diminish over the last several years, we strategically decided to incorporate React Native within our low-code platform to enable customers to deliver the Native mobile experience their users were demanding. Between PWA and Native mobile, we’ve empowered our customers to build best-of-breed mobile solutions.

All vendors evaluated in the Gartner Magic Quadrant in 2020 have a mobile development value proposition, but only Mendix ranked #1 with the highest score of 4.03 out of 5 for the mobile and web application for SaaS and ISV use case according to the Gartner Critical Capabilities for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms report.

We believe it’s the ability to choose a combination of best-of-breed mobile deployments, as well as our completeness of vision, that lends validation to the pioneering role that Mendix has played in ensuring the future of forward-thinking, mobile-leaning, digital enterprises. See how we stack up against other low-code players in the mobile arena by clicking the banner below.