Updated Jan 24, 2026

50 Enterprise Shift from Legacy Tools to No-Code Platforms Trends – Statistics Every App Builder Should Know in 2026

Key Takeaways

Visual development and drag-and-drop interfaces demonstrate strong ROI potential - Individual vendor case studies show returns ranging from 206% to 506%, though results vary by platform and implementation

Mobile-first no-code platforms accelerate enterprise adoption - Gartner projects 70% of new applications will use no-code by 2026, with mobile development significantly faster than traditional methods

Citizen developers projected to outnumber professional developers 4:1 - Gartner's forecast indicates democratized development through visual builders will transform workforce dynamics

Federal agencies spend 70-80% of IT budgets on legacy maintenance - While federal spending patterns show massive legacy costs, private sector patterns vary significantly

Cross-platform capabilities reduce development time by 30-50% - Research shows meaningful time savings through unified deployment approaches

Rapid prototyping accelerates innovation cycles - Visual builders enable faster prototype creation versus traditional coding methods

Digital transformation drives measurable business improvements - Organizations adopting modern platforms report enhanced outcomes, though specific metrics vary by implementation

Global Adoption & Market Growth

70% of new applications will use low-code or no-code technologies by 2026. Gartner projects this massive shift from less than 25% in 2020, representing one of the fastest technology adoption curves in enterprise history. This acceleration reflects the convergence of developer shortages, growing application demand, and platform maturation. Organizations embracing this shift can respond to market changes faster, while those maintaining traditional development approaches risk falling behind competitors who deliver solutions in weeks rather than months.

Low-code market projected to reach $30-50 billion by 2028. Forrester's 2026 analysis shows the market at $13.2 billion in 2026, with potential to reach $50 billion by 2028 with AI acceleration. This 33% compound annual growth rate validates enterprise confidence in no-code platforms as critical infrastructure. The range reflects uncertainty around AI's impact, with the upper bound assuming AI-infused platforms drive explosive citizen development adoption.

87% of enterprise developers use low-code platforms for at least some work. Forrester's 2026 Developer Survey confirms this mainstream adoption within IT departments, showing visual development has evolved beyond citizen development. Professional developers leverage these platforms to accelerate delivery while maintaining governance standards. This hybrid approach allows enterprises to balance speed with control, using low-code for rapid prototyping and routine applications while reserving traditional coding for complex system integration.

60% of software development organizations will use enterprise low-code as their main platform by 2028. Gartner predicts this dramatic increase from just 10% in 2026, driven by digital transformation pressures and innovation demands. This six-fold increase in four years represents a fundamental shift in how enterprises approach application development. Companies delaying adoption risk competitive disadvantage as peers accelerate delivery cycles and reduce development costs.

Global Lighthouse Network manufacturers show 76% low-code/no-code adoption. McKinsey's research on World Economic Forum Global Lighthouse factories reveals high adoption among manufacturing leaders, though this represents best-in-class facilities. These industry leaders use low-code to rapidly deploy operational improvements and respond to supply chain disruptions. While not representative of all manufacturers, this demonstrates the potential when organizations fully commit to digital transformation.

Drag-and-drop app builder market valued at $2.5 billion, reaching $8.4 billion by 2032. The 14.5% compound annual growth rate demonstrates sustained enterprise demand for visual development approaches. This growth reflects recognition that visual interfaces dramatically reduce the learning curve for new developers. Market expansion is driven by both new platform entrants and existing vendors adding visual capabilities to traditional development tools.

Flutter used by 46% of cross-platform framework developers. According to Statista's 2026 developer survey, Flutter leads among developers who specifically use cross-platform frameworks. This preference indicates growing focus on development efficiency and unified codebases. The trend toward cross-platform development aligns with enterprise needs to support multiple device types while minimizing development resources.

22% of companies use low-code for UI customization. Organizations leverage visual development specifically to create consistent, branded user experiences across applications. This UI-focused adoption allows marketing and design teams to directly influence application appearance without developer bottlenecks. The ability to rapidly iterate on user interfaces based on feedback accelerates time-to-market for customer-facing applications.

70% of users learn low-code platforms within one month. This rapid onboarding contrasts sharply with the months or years required to master traditional programming languages. The accelerated learning curve enables organizations to quickly scale development capacity across business units. However, building complex applications still requires deeper platform expertise and understanding of application architecture principles.

37.6% CAGR projected for intelligent developer technologies through 2028. IDC's forecast shows exceptional growth for the combined low-code, no-code, and AI-enhanced development market. This growth rate exceeds nearly all other technology categories, indicating fundamental market transformation. The convergence of visual development with AI assistance promises to further accelerate application creation and reduce technical barriers.

Mobile Development Revolution

No-code platforms accelerate mobile app development significantly. Organizations report dramatic time savings when building mobile applications through visual interfaces versus traditional coding. This acceleration enables businesses to meet mobile-first customer expectations while managing limited development resources. The speed advantage is particularly valuable for customer-facing applications where rapid iteration based on user feedback determines market success.

Cross-platform development approaches show meaningful cost savings. Organizations report substantial reductions in development expenses when using platforms that deploy to multiple channels from a single codebase. These savings come from eliminating duplicate development efforts for iOS, Android, and web platforms. However, actual savings vary based on application complexity and existing development infrastructure.

Apps developed in reduced timeframes using no-code platforms. Time compression allows businesses to respond to market opportunities faster than competitors using traditional methods. This speed advantage proves critical in competitive markets where first-mover advantage determines market share. The ability to quickly test and iterate on concepts reduces the risk of large-scale development investments.

72% of low-code applications developed in under 3 months. Traditional development cycles typically spanning 6-12 months are being replaced by quarterly delivery cycles. This acceleration enables businesses to adapt to changing requirements and market conditions more effectively. Shorter development cycles also reduce project risk by enabling earlier validation of concepts and requirements.

Cross-platform development saves 30-50% of development time. Research2guidance confirms that 50% of users report time savings over 30%, with 33% developing more than 50% faster. These time savings translate directly into cost reductions and faster time-to-market. The efficiency gains are most pronounced for organizations maintaining multiple platform versions of the same application.

Mobile apps built with no-code enable faster iteration cycles. The ability to update and deploy changes quickly enables continuous improvement based on user feedback. This rapid iteration capability proves essential in mobile markets where user expectations evolve rapidly. Organizations can test features with subset audiences and quickly scale successful innovations.

Elite DevOps teams deploy multiple times daily. DORA's State of DevOps research shows that elite performers deploy on demand, often multiple times per day. While this represents top-tier performance rather than industry averages, it demonstrates achievable velocity with modern tools. Organizations adopting DevOps practices with low-code platforms can approach these elite performance levels more quickly.

Native mobile features accessible through visual interfaces. Modern platforms provide access to device capabilities including camera, GPS, and push notifications without traditional coding requirements. This democratization of native features enables non-developers to create professional mobile applications. The abstraction of complex device APIs into visual components accelerates development while maintaining functionality.

Progressive web app development accelerated with no-code. The ability to create mobile-responsive web applications that function like native apps expands deployment options. PWAs eliminate app store approval processes and enable instant updates across all users. This approach proves particularly valuable for internal enterprise applications where app store distribution adds unnecessary complexity.

Reduced complexity in mobile app deployment. McKinsey discusses simplification trends as visual builders help manage app store submissions and platform requirements. Platforms handle certificates, provisioning profiles, and store compliance automatically. This complexity reduction enables smaller teams to manage mobile applications that previously required dedicated DevOps resources.

Speed & Development Efficiency

Significant reduction in development time reported with no-code. Various sources suggest improvements ranging from 50% to 90% in specific scenarios, though results vary by project complexity. The wide range reflects differences in application types, team experience, and platform capabilities. Organizations typically see greatest time savings on standardized business applications rather than highly customized solutions.

50% faster development reported in Microsoft Power Apps case study. Forrester's TEI study of Microsoft Power Apps shows verified time savings for organizations using that specific platform. The study analyzed actual customer implementations to validate these efficiency gains. While specific to one vendor, this demonstrates achievable improvements with enterprise-grade low-code platforms.

26% faster time-to-market for applications reported in some studies. Speed advantages translate directly into competitive benefits, particularly for customer-facing applications. Faster deployment enables organizations to capture market opportunities before competitors. The acceleration also reduces the risk of requirements changing during lengthy development cycles.

Prototypes created faster using no-code tools. Rapid prototyping enables businesses to validate concepts before significant resource investment. Visual builders allow stakeholders to interact with functional prototypes rather than static mockups. This tangible validation reduces miscommunication and ensures alignment before full-scale development.

Development backlogs potentially reduced with citizen development. The ability for business users to create their own applications helps alleviate IT bottlenecks. Citizen developers can address departmental needs without waiting for IT resources. However, governance and training remain essential to prevent shadow IT proliferation.

Automated testing improves development efficiency. Modern platforms increasingly include automated testing capabilities that reduce manual quality assurance requirements. Built-in testing features catch errors earlier in the development cycle when fixes are less costly. This automation enables smaller teams to maintain quality standards previously requiring dedicated QA resources.

Reusable components accelerate subsequent projects. Organizations build libraries of components that speed development of future applications. Each project contributes to a growing repository of tested, approved building blocks. This compound effect means development accelerates over time as component libraries mature.

API integrations simplified through visual interfaces. Connecting to external services becomes accessible to non-technical users through pre-built connectors. Visual mapping tools eliminate the need to understand complex authentication and data transformation requirements. This democratization of integration capabilities enables business users to connect systems independently.

Template-based development jumpstarts projects. Pre-built templates for common use cases reduce initial development time significantly. Templates provide proven architectures and design patterns that accelerate project initiation. Organizations can customize templates to match their specific requirements while maintaining best practices.

Collaborative development features improve team productivity. Real-time collaboration tools enable multiple team members to work simultaneously on applications. Version control and merge capabilities prevent conflicts while enabling parallel development. This collaboration extends beyond developers to include business stakeholders who can directly contribute to application logic.

Financial Returns & Cost Savings

OutSystems users report 506% ROI in vendor-commissioned study. Forrester's Total Economic Impact study specifically for OutSystems found these returns with $14.77 million net present value over three years. This analysis examined actual customer implementations and quantified both costs and benefits. While impressive, these results reflect a specific vendor's enterprise customers and may not generalize to all low-code implementations.

No-code platform costs vary widely by vendor and scale. Entry-level platforms start at hundreds of dollars annually, while enterprise implementations cost thousands to tens of thousands monthly. Total costs include licenses, training, support, and integration expenses that can significantly exceed base platform fees. Organizations should evaluate total cost of ownership including internal resources required for governance and support.

Potential for significant cost savings reported across implementations. Organizations report various levels of savings when comparing no-code to traditional development. Savings come from reduced developer hours, faster deployment, and lower maintenance costs. However, realizing these savings requires proper platform selection, training, and change management.

Variable payback periods for no-code investments. Organizations report ROI timelines ranging from months to years based on use cases and implementation strategies. Faster payback typically occurs with high-volume, standardized applications where development efficiency gains are greatest. Complex, highly customized applications may show longer payback periods but still deliver positive returns.

Microsoft Power Apps shows 206% ROI in vendor study. Forrester's 2026 TEI study specifically for Microsoft documents these returns for their analyzed composite organization. The study showed payback in less than six months with cumulative benefits exceeding $31 million. As with other vendor studies, these results reflect specific implementation scenarios and may vary.

Reduced hiring needs potentially save on developer salaries. With U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing median developer salary of $133,080, avoiding additional hires represents significant savings. Organizations can redirect these funds toward strategic initiatives rather than routine development. However, platforms still require skilled resources for governance, training, and complex development.

4.01x higher ROI for cloud-based solutions versus on-premises. Nucleus Research confirms the general financial advantage of cloud-native platforms. Cloud deployment eliminates infrastructure costs while providing automatic scaling and updates. This advantage applies broadly to cloud solutions, with low-code platforms amplifying benefits through reduced complexity.

Long-term savings compound as platform usage expands. Organizations typically see increasing returns as they expand no-code usage across departments. Initial investments in training and governance create foundations for broader adoption. The network effect of shared components and expertise accelerates value creation over time.

Reduced maintenance costs through platform management. Vendors handle infrastructure updates, security patches, and platform enhancements automatically. This eliminates the hidden costs of maintaining custom-developed applications over their lifecycle. Organizations avoid the technical debt that typically accumulates with traditional development approaches.

Faster time-to-value improves financial metrics. Quicker deployment means faster revenue generation or cost savings realization. This acceleration improves project NPV by bringing benefits forward in time. The ability to quickly pivot based on market feedback also reduces the risk of failed investments.

Citizen Developer Empowerment

Gartner predicts citizen developers will outnumber professional developers 4:1. This 2021 forecast for 2026 represents a potential fundamental workforce shift. The prediction reflects growing platform accessibility and business demand for rapid application delivery. While actual ratios vary by organization, the trend toward democratized development continues accelerating.

Gartner forecasted 80% of technology products built by non-IT professionals by 2026. This prediction suggested a dramatic shift from IT-centric to business-driven development. While actual 2026 measurements aren't yet available, organizations report increasing business-led development initiatives. The forecast highlights the potential scope of citizen development transformation.

80% of low-code users projected to be outside IT departments by 2026. Business users potentially becoming primary application creators would fundamentally restructure IT's role. IT transitions from builder to enabler, focusing on governance, security, and platform management. This shift requires new organizational models and collaboration frameworks between IT and business units.

83% of enterprise tech leaders have active citizen development programs. Widespread institutional support indicates citizen development has moved beyond experimentation to strategic initiative. Organizations invest in training, governance frameworks, and platform licenses to support business-led development. Success requires balancing empowerment with control to prevent shadow IT proliferation.

65% of application development via no-code platforms by 2026 (Gartner forecast). This projection suggested no-code platforms would become the primary development method for many organizations. The forecast reflects platform maturation and growing business acceptance of citizen-developed applications. Achieving this level requires significant organizational change management and platform investment.

Legacy System Transformation

U.S. federal agencies spend 70-80% of IT budgets on legacy maintenance. The U.S. GAO reports federal agencies spend 80% on operations and maintenance, with some agencies reaching 90%. This massive allocation prevents investment in innovation and modernization initiatives. While private sector percentages typically run lower, legacy maintenance still consumes disproportionate resources across industries.

U.S. federal legacy systems average $33.7 million annual cost. GAO's analysis of ten specific federal legacy systems shows $337 million total annual costs. These systems include critical infrastructure like tax processing and benefits management. Private enterprise costs vary widely, but maintaining decades-old systems universally drains resources from innovation.

78.9% of federal civilian IT budgets go to maintenance. IDC research on federal spending patterns confirms this maintenance burden limits modernization capacity. The federal example illustrates the technical debt accumulated over decades of incremental system updates. Private organizations face similar challenges with core systems developed in previous technology eras.

Global legacy system maintenance represents substantial spending. Various estimates suggest over $1 trillion globally on legacy maintenance across all sectors. This spending maintains existing capabilities without adding new value or addressing changing business needs. The opportunity cost of this maintenance trap prevents organizations from investing in transformative technologies.

Organizations report legacy systems hamper innovation capabilities. Legacy constraints prevent rapid response to market opportunities and customer needs. Inflexible architectures make simple changes expensive and risky, discouraging experimentation. Modern platforms offer escape paths from legacy constraints through API-based integration and gradual modernization approaches.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Can I easily build mobile apps without coding experience?	Yes, with Adalo's No Code App Builder, you can easily build professional mobile apps without any coding experience. Research shows that 70% of users learn low-code platforms within one month, and Adalo's visual drag-and-drop interface makes app development accessible to citizen developers and business users alike.
Why choose Adalo over other App Builder solutions?	Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This cross-platform capability can save 30-50% of development time compared to building separate apps. Publishing directly to app stores is crucial because distribution and marketing are often the hardest parts of launching a new app or business—Adalo removes this major technical barrier so you can focus on reaching your audience.
What kind of ROI can I expect from using a no-code platform?	Studies show that no-code and low-code platforms can deliver significant returns, with vendor case studies reporting ROI ranging from 206% to 506% depending on the platform and implementation. Organizations also report development time reductions of 50-90% and the ability to build applications in under 3 months rather than traditional 6-12 month cycles.
Can citizen developers really build enterprise-quality applications?	Yes, Gartner predicts that citizen developers will outnumber professional developers 4:1, and 83% of enterprise tech leaders already have active citizen development programs. Modern no-code platforms like Adalo provide access to native mobile features, database functionality, and API integrations through visual interfaces, enabling business users to create professional applications independently.
How does no-code help with legacy system modernization?	Organizations often spend 70-80% of IT budgets maintaining legacy systems, leaving little room for innovation. No-code platforms offer an escape path through API-based integration and gradual modernization approaches, allowing businesses to build modern applications that connect with existing systems without costly full replacements.
How fast can I prototype and launch a new app idea?	No-code platforms enable rapid prototyping that allows you to validate concepts before significant resource investment. With visual builders, you can create functional prototypes in days rather than weeks, and 72% of low-code applications are developed in under 3 months—dramatically faster than traditional development cycles.

Question

Answer

Can I easily build mobile apps without coding experience?

Yes, with Adalo's No Code App Builder, you can easily build professional mobile apps without any coding experience. Research shows that 70% of users learn low-code platforms within one month, and Adalo's visual drag-and-drop interface makes app development accessible to citizen developers and business users alike.

Why choose Adalo over other App Builder solutions?

Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This cross-platform capability can save 30-50% of development time compared to building separate apps. Publishing directly to app stores is crucial because distribution and marketing are often the hardest parts of launching a new app or business—Adalo removes this major technical barrier so you can focus on reaching your audience.

What kind of ROI can I expect from using a no-code platform?

Studies show that no-code and low-code platforms can deliver significant returns, with vendor case studies reporting ROI ranging from 206% to 506% depending on the platform and implementation. Organizations also report development time reductions of 50-90% and the ability to build applications in under 3 months rather than traditional 6-12 month cycles.

Can citizen developers really build enterprise-quality applications?

Yes, Gartner predicts that citizen developers will outnumber professional developers 4:1, and 83% of enterprise tech leaders already have active citizen development programs. Modern no-code platforms like Adalo provide access to native mobile features, database functionality, and API integrations through visual interfaces, enabling business users to create professional applications independently.

How does no-code help with legacy system modernization?

Organizations often spend 70-80% of IT budgets maintaining legacy systems, leaving little room for innovation. No-code platforms offer an escape path through API-based integration and gradual modernization approaches, allowing businesses to build modern applications that connect with existing systems without costly full replacements.

How fast can I prototype and launch a new app idea?

No-code platforms enable rapid prototyping that allows you to validate concepts before significant resource investment. With visual builders, you can create functional prototypes in days rather than weeks, and 72% of low-code applications are developed in under 3 months—dramatically faster than traditional development cycles.