outsystems-platform-vs-powerapps

OutSystems and PowerApps are both low-code development platforms designed to allow developers to quickly build applications without writing lengthy sections of code. Outsystems provides a feature rich platform that includes one-step deployment and rapid application development.  OutSystems is most popular with mid-sized businesses and large enterprises, likely due to its advanced feature set and higher price point compared to competitors.  PowerApps is Microsoft’s low-code development tool and is built to integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft applications. PowerApps is most popular with businesses that make heavy use of Microsoft software in their infrastructure.

Features

OutSystems and PowerApps are both built to help developers create applications quickly and with minimal code, but they also have some limitations that are important to consider. 

OutSystems provides an easy to use interface that developers will be able to become comfortable with quickly.  Businesses using OutSystems find that the ease of development provided by OutSystems speeds up development while still allowing for complex applications. In addition to speeding up development time, OutSystems also helps developers deploy their applications with a single click, so pushing applications to production is very quick.

One of the biggest benefits of PowerApps is that it integrates easily with Microsoft technologies such as Azure.  For businesses that heavily use Microsoft technology, PowerApps makes it very easy to deploy applications across an entire organization. PowerApps also provides a variety of pre-built forms and views that can be inserted into projects, or edited to save a developer from having to start from scratch.  All in all, PowerApps is a strong choice for developers building internal applications to be deployed on Windows servers.

Limitations

Though OutSystems and PowerApps both allow for creating applications with minimal code, they also have some limitations that are important to consider.

OutSystems is a strong choice for developers that aren’t working with Windows infrastructures, but it also has limited support for MacOS.  As a result, there are relatively few infrastructures that can’t take advantage of PowerApp’s Windows integrations, but can take advantage of OutSystems.  Businesses using Windows servers may prefer the easy implementation of PowerApps over OutSystems, and Mac users may prefer a tool with a stronger Mac solution.

PowerApps integrates well with Windows technology, but it doesn’t offer any support for MacOS.  For Windows users, PowerApps is a strong choice, but it may be ineffective, or unusable for other users.  Additionally, the user interface for PowerApps is clunky compared to OutSystems, so businesses should expect developers to need either training, or significant time with the documentation before they can be as efficient as possible with it. Additionally, many users state that PowerApps is most appropriate for internal applications, while OutSystems can be better used for consumer applications.

Pricing

OutSystems offers a free version with support for one environment and up to 100 end users, which is a good choice for businesses looking to try before they buy.  The basic package supports up to 1,000 users and starts at $4,000 per month.  The standard package supports any number of end users for $10,000 per month. Businesses that need more features or support can reach out to the vendor for an enterprise quote.

PowerApps starts at $10 per user per month for single apps, or $40 per user per month for unlimited applications.