Low-Code, No-Code, No-Brainer: Why Building In-House Is Outdated in the Age of SaaS

Introduction

In today's hyper-competitive business environment, the right Software can distinguish between leading the market and lagging. For decades, organisations have faced a critical decision: Should they invest in building custom Software in-house, or look outward for ready-made solutions? Historically, building in-house was the gold standard, promising total control, tailored functionality, and a perfect fit for unique business needs.

But the Software landscape has changed dramatically. The rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) has revolutionised how companies of all sizes acquire and use technology. With SaaS, powerful applications are just a subscription away, offering instant access, continuous updates, and the flexibility to scale with your business. At the same time, the emergence of low-code and no-code platforms has democratised Software development, enabling business users, not just IT professionals, to build and customise solutions at unprecedented speed.

As digital transformation accelerates across every sector, the question is no longer "build or buy?" but "how can we innovate faster, smarter, and cost-effectively?" This article explores why, in the age of SaaS and low-code/no-code, the traditional in-house development approach is rapidly losing its appeal, and how organisations can harness these modern tools to drive growth, agility, and competitive advantage.

The Rise of Low-Code and No-Code Platforms

Low-code and no-code platforms are transforming how organisations approach Software development by making it more accessible, faster, and less reliant on specialised programming skills. While both aim to simplify application creation, they serve different user groups and use cases:

• Low-Code Platforms: Professional developers and tech-savvy business users use low-code platforms to build applications. These platforms provide visual development environments with drag-and-drop components and let users write custom code when needed. This hybrid approach means complex business logic, integrations with legacy systems, and advanced customisations are possible. Low-code tools are ideal for building enterprise-grade applications, automating workflows, and integrating with existing IT infrastructure.

• No-Code Platforms: No-code platforms take simplicity further, targeting business users with little programming experience. These platforms provide pre-built templates, guided workflows, and intuitive interfaces that enable users to create apps by configuring options rather than writing code. While this accelerates development and empowers business teams to solve problems, no-code solutions are generally best suited for simpler, department-level applications, internal tools, or data collection apps.

Some of the Key Differences between the two approaches are :

1. Customisation: Low-code allows for more customisation and scalability; no-code is limited to what the platform offers out of the box.

2. Target Audience: Low-code targets developers and IT; no-code is for business users and "citisen developers."

3. Complexity: Low-code can handle complex, mission-critical apps; no-code is best for straightforward, low-risk use cases.

Key Industry Trends Fuelling Adoption

Several converging trends in technology, business, and the workforce are driving the rapid adoption of low-code and no-code platforms:

• Democratisation of Development: Organisations empower business users, often called "citizen developers," to create solutions. According to Gartner, by 2025, 70% of new applications enterprises develop will use low-code or no-code technologies, up from less than 25% in 2020. This shift reduces bottlenecks, accelerates digital transformation, and frees IT teams to focus on more strategic work.

• IT Talent Shortage: The global shortage of skilled Software developers is a persistent challenge. Low-code and no-code platforms help bridge this gap by enabling non-developers to build and maintain apps, reducing dependence on hard-to-find technical talent.

• Demand for Agility and Speed: In today's fast-paced business environment, quickly responding to market changes is critical. Low-code and no-code platforms dramatically shorten development cycles, from months to days or even hours, enabling rapid prototyping and iterative improvements.

• Cost Efficiency: Building and maintaining custom Software is expensive. Low-code/no-code platforms lower upfront costs, reduce the need for large development teams, and minimise ongoing maintenance expenses. Organisations report significant ROI, with some studies showing up to a 70% reduction in development costs.

• Enterprise Maturity and Integration: These platforms are no longer just for small businesses or simple apps. Large enterprises are deploying low-code/no-code solutions at scale, integrating them with core systems like ERP, CRM, and cloud services, and using them for mission-critical processes.

• Market Growth: The low-code/no-code market is experiencing explosive growth, projected to reach $187 billion by 2030. Digital transformation initiatives, remote work trends, and the need for business continuity in uncertain times fuel this surge.

How AI and Automation Are Changing the Game

Artificial intelligence and automation supercharge low-code and no-code platforms, making them even more powerful and accessible. For example,

• AI-Assisted Development: Modern platforms now incorporate AI to assist users throughout development. For example, AI can suggest next steps, auto-generate code snippets, or create workflows based on natural language descriptions, thus reducing errors, speeding up development, and lowering the learning curve for new users.

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Some platforms allow users to describe what they want in plain English, and the AI translates those instructions into functional app components. This "describe and build" NLP approach makes app creation possible for virtually anyone, regardless of technical skill.

• Process Automation and Optimisation: AI-driven process mining tools analyse business workflows, identify inefficiencies, and recommend automations that accelerate digital transformation and ensure continuous improvement as business needs evolve.

• Enhanced Security and Compliance: AI can help monitor applications for security vulnerabilities, enforce compliance policies, and automate updates and patches, reducing risk for organisations using these platforms.

• Customer Service: AI-powered chatbots and automated ticketing systems built on no-code platforms are streamlining customer support.

• Marketing Automation: Marketers use low-code tools to create personalised campaigns, analyse customer data, and automate outreach.

• Manufacturing: Predictive maintenance apps and IoT dashboards are developed with minimal code, enabling real-time insights and operational efficiencies.

SaaS Takes Centre Stage

Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers cloud-based Software by having a service provider host applications and make them available to users over the internet. Instead of purchasing Software outright and installing it on individual computers or servers, customers subscribe to a service and access the Software via web browsers or dedicated apps. This model shifts the responsibility for infrastructure, maintenance, updates, and security from the customer to the SaaS provider, allowing organisations and individuals to focus on utilising the Software rather than managing it.

SaaS applications are typically multi-tenant, meaning a single instance of the Software serves multiple customers, optimising resource use and reducing costs. Users can access these applications from any internet-enabled device, making SaaS ideal for today's mobile and distributed workforces.

This model offers several advantages over in-house Software development:

1. No installation or maintenance required by the user

2. Automatic updates and patches

3. Scalable subscriptions based on usage or features

4. Accessible from anywhere with an internet connection

5. Lower upfront costs and predictable ongoing expenses

SaaS Growth and the Subscription Economy

The SaaS industry is experiencing explosive growth, driven by digital transformation, cloud adoption, and evolving business needs. In 2025, the global SaaS market is projected to reach nearly $300 billion, with forecasts suggesting it could surpass $800 billion by 2031. Several key trends underpin this rapid expansion:

• AI and Automation: SaaS solutions are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, enabling more intelligent workflows, predictive analytics, and enhanced personalisation.

• Vertical SaaS: More providers are offering industry-specific solutions tailored to sectors like healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing, addressing unique regulatory and operational needs.

• Flexible Pricing Models: SaaS companies are shifting toward usage-based, tiered, and hybrid subscription models, allowing customers to pay only for what they use and scale as needed.

• Global Adoption: SaaS is now necessary for nearly all businesses, with 99% of organisations relying on at least one SaaS solution.

This growth is closely tied to the broader rise of the subscription economy. According to Juniper Research, global subscription economy revenue is expected to reach $996 billion by 2028, up 68% from 2024. The subscription model offers predictable recurring revenue for providers and flexibility for customers, who can start, stop, or adjust their subscriptions as business needs evolve. It lets companies focus on customer retention and long-term value rather than one-time sales.

Benefits of SaaS Using Low-Code & No-Code Techniques

The convergence of SaaS with low-code and no-code platforms transforms how organisations build, customise, and deploy Software. Low-code and no-code approaches allow users without traditional coding skills to create, modify, and extend SaaS applications through visual interfaces, drag-and-drop tools, and pre-built templates.

Some of the Key Benefits include:

1. Accelerated Time-to-Market - Low-code and no-code platforms dramatically reduce the time required to develop and launch new applications or features. Businesses can respond to market changes, customer feedback, or internal needs in days or weeks rather than months.

2. Cost Efficiency - Organisations can lower initial and ongoing costs by minimising the need for specialised developers and reducing development cycles. Small teams or even individual business users can build and maintain SaaS applications, making innovation more accessible and affordable.

3. Empowerment of Citizen Developers - Non-technical users from marketing, operations, or other departments can participate in app creation, reducing bottlenecks and fostering a culture of innovation. This democratisation of Software development enables organisations to solve problems faster and tailor solutions to specific needs.

4. Enhanced Agility and Flexibility - Low-code and no-code SaaS solutions enable rapid iteration and adaptation. Updates can be made quickly without a full-scale redevelopment effort if a feature needs to be changed or a workflow adjusted. This agility is crucial in dynamic markets.

5. Scalability - SaaS applications with low-code and no-code tools can scale easily to accommodate more users, add features, or create new integrations as the business grows. Many platforms offer seamless integration with other SaaS tools and APIs, supporting growth without major overhauls.

6. Improved Collaboration - Visual development environments foster better collaboration between IT and business teams.

7. Streamlined Internal Processes - Organisations can quickly automate internal workflows, build custom dashboards, or create tools to enhance productivity without waiting for IT backlogs to clear.

8. Easy Maintenance and Updates - Because SaaS providers handle infrastructure, updates, and security, and low-code/no-code platforms allow for simple changes, organisations can keep their applications current with minimal effort.

What Is In-House Development and Why Was It Once Popular?

In-house Software development refers to building and maintaining Software applications using a company's internal resources and staff, rather than outsourcing the work to third-party vendors or purchasing off-the-shelf solutions. This approach involves hiring and managing a dedicated team of developers, designers, and project managers who work exclusively for the organisation, overseeing the entire Software development lifecycle from initial concept to deployment and maintenance. The company typically tailors the resulting Software to its specific operational needs, workflows, and strategic objectives.

Some of the Core Features of In-House Development are:

1. Customisation: The most significant advantage is creating Software that fits the organisation's unique requirements, processes, and culture.

2. Control: Companies maintain direct project oversight, including decision-making, prioritisation, and resource allocation. This allows for rapid adjustments and pivots as business needs evolve.

3. Security and Intellectual Property: Sensitive data and proprietary processes remain within the organisation, reducing risks associated with third-party access and ensuring full intellectual property ownership.

4. Communication and Teamwork: In-house teams often collaborate more closely, exchange feedback more quickly, and share a stronger sense of purpose because all members align with the company's mission and values.

5. Alignment with Business Strategy: Software can be developed in lockstep with broader business strategies, ensuring that technology investments directly support organisational goals.

Why In-House Development Was Once Popular

Historically, in-house development was the default approach for organisations with unique or complex Software needs. Several factors contributed to its popularity:

1. Lack of Suitable Off-the-Shelf Solutions: In the early days of enterprise computing, commercial Software was often generic and inflexible. Businesses with specialised requirements had little choice but to build their tools.

2. Need for Customisation: Industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing often faced regulatory, operational, or competitive demands that one-size-fits-all products could not meet. In-house teams could rapidly adapt Software to changing business or regulatory environments.

3. Data Security Concerns: Before the widespread adoption of cloud computing, organisations were wary of sharing sensitive information with external vendors. In-house development ensured that critical data and intellectual property remained protected within company walls.

4. Integration with Legacy Systems: Many organisations relied on legacy IT infrastructure that required bespoke solutions for integration and modernisation, making in-house development a practical necessity.

5. Long-Term Cost Considerations: While in-house development required significant upfront investment, it could offer long-term savings by eliminating recurring licensing fees and reducing the need for costly customisations of third-party products.

6. Greater Accountability and Ownership: Internal teams were directly accountable for the success or failure of Software projects, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility that could drive higher quality outcomes.

The Choice

Choosing between building Software in-house and adopting a SaaS application from a vendor with deep industry expertise is a pivotal decision for any organisation. Increasingly, businesses are finding that SaaS solutions from specialised vendors offer significant advantages over in-house development, particularly when those vendors possess extensive domain knowledge.

Here's why:

1. Immediate Access to Industry Best Practices and Expertise - Vendors specialising in SaaS for a particular industry bring years, often decades, of collective experience and insight into the sector's unique challenges, regulatory requirements, and operational nuances. They design their products to meet these needs, embedding best practices and compliance features that an in-house team would take years to develop and refine. In contrast, internal teams may lack exposure to the broader market and evolving industry standards, leading to less robust, compliant, or effective solutions.

2. Faster Implementation and Reduced Time to Value - Vendors design SaaS solutions for rapid deployment, enabling businesses to implement and start using applications quickly without the lengthy installation processes required by traditional Software. With industry vendors, you can often "switch on" a solution and begin seeing benefits almost immediately, rather than waiting months or years for an in-house project to reach maturity. This speed is a game-changer, allowing organisations to respond quickly to market demands, regulatory changes, or new opportunities. At the same time, recruitment, development, and testing cycles often delay in-house projects.

3. Lower Total Cost of Ownership and Predictable Expenses - Building Software in-house requires significant upfront investment in hiring, training, infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance. However, SaaS operates on a subscription model, spreading costs over time and making budgeting more predictable. Vendors also absorb the costs of upgrades, security patches, and infrastructure scaling, reducing your business's financial and operational burden.

4. Continuous Innovation and Automatic Upgrades - Industry SaaS vendors continually improve their products to stay competitive. The benefits for customers are that regular updates, new features, and compliance enhancements are delivered automatically, keeping your organisation on the cutting edge without additional effort or cost. In-house solutions, by contrast, often stagnate after launch due to resource constraints or shifting business priorities, leaving organisations vulnerable to obsolescence or compliance risks.

5. Scalability and Flexibility - SaaS applications are inherently scalable as vendors design them to handle the needs of both small businesses and large enterprises. You can easily add users or modules as your organisation grows without major redevelopment or hardware investments. In-house systems often struggle to scale efficiently, requiring substantial additional investment and risking performance bottlenecks.

6. Superior Security and Compliance - Security is a top priority for reputable SaaS vendors, especially those serving regulated industries. They invest heavily in advanced security measures, continuous monitoring, and compliance certifications that would be cost-prohibitive for most organisations to replicate internally. Data encryption, regular audits, and dedicated security teams are standard, providing peace of mind and reducing the risk of breaches or regulatory penalties.

7. Seamless Integration and Ecosystem Connectivity - Industry SaaS vendors understand the broader technology landscape and typically offer robust APIs and integration capabilities to connect with other essential systems: ERP, CRM, analytics, and more. This interoperability is crucial for streamlining workflows and unlocking the full value of your data. In-house teams often underestimate the complexity and cost of building and maintaining such integrations.

8. Reduced Risk and Enhanced Support - When you partner with an established vendor, you benefit from their experience supporting hundreds or thousands of similar customers. For each customer, this means faster troubleshooting, access to a knowledge base of common issues, and proactive support to prevent problems before they impact your business. In-house teams, especially in smaller organisations, may lack the breadth of experience or resources to provide this level of support, increasing operational risk.

9. Focus on Core Business, Not IT Maintenance - Adopting a SaaS solution allows your internal teams to focus on strategic initiatives and core business activities, rather than getting bogged down in Software maintenance, bug fixes, and infrastructure management. This shift in focus can drive greater innovation and competitive advantage, while the SaaS provider handles the technical heavy lifting.

In summary, a SaaS application from an industry vendor with deep domain knowledge delivers rapid, cost-effective, and scalable solutions that reflect best practices, regulatory requirements, and technological advancements. These platforms provide superior security, ongoing innovation, seamless integration, and expert support, advantages that are difficult and expensive to replicate with in-house development. For most organisations, especially those in complex or regulated sectors, the choice is clear: leveraging SaaS from an expert vendor is the smarter, safer, and more strategic path to digital transformation.

Conclusion

The SaaS model has fundamentally transformed the Software landscape, enabling organisations to access robust, flexible, and scalable solutions without the heavy burdens of traditional development and infrastructure. The sector's explosive growth reflects this shift, as analysts project the global SaaS market to surpass $400 billion in 2025 and continue expanding rapidly while businesses worldwide embrace the efficiency and predictability of subscription-based services. The rise of the subscription economy has made it easier for companies of all sizes to adopt cutting-edge tools, streamline operations, and respond quickly to changing market demands.

By integrating low-code and no-code capabilities, SaaS platforms have lowered the barriers to innovation, empowering a broader range of users to create and customise applications without deep technical expertise. This democratisation of Software development accelerates digital transformation and ensures that organisations remain agile and competitive in a fast-evolving business environment.

While in-house development once offered unmatched control and bespoke customisation, it now faces significant challenges: rising costs, scalability issues, talent shortages, and the ongoing need for maintenance and compliance. As SaaS solutions become more robust, configurable, and secure, the traditional advantages of building Software internally have diminished. Today, the clear trend is toward leveraging SaaS and low-code/no-code platforms to achieve faster deployment, lower costs, and greater business value, making them the preferred choice for organisations looking to thrive in the digital era.