Robotic Process Automation has seen a rise in popularity and usage in the past couple of years, and is becoming a more widely used and accepted solution for organizations to automate manually and repetitive tasks.
However, there might be a challenger lurking. A more recently developed solution which has seen rapid growth and adoption in the past years is low code. This solution offered by companies such as Mendix and BettyBlocks, can provide similar solutions, and fulfill the same need as RPA, but by different means and on a different level.
RPA is standardized and largely focusses on automating repetitive and standardized tasks that are normally carried out by humans, linking different systems with each other, and leaving the existing infrastructure intact.
Low code, however, is a form of software development which is geared towards visually designing applications and offers a development speed increase of 6 to 10 times in comparison to RPA.
In comparison to RPA it is more easy understand, implement and use. Next to linking software systems, low code has the ability to replace existing software or IT, making it a much more far reaching product. This comes with additional perks such as the possibility to build customized apps and less time spent on maintenance (due to faster development).
The downside, however, is that the basic solutions offered to companies are also much more financially expensive in comparison to RPA. With a minimum of 20K for a license excluding 60 to 80K euro costs for the development of a single app. This is relatively expensive compared to RPA where the price for one robot starts at 20K. Making low code a less attractive option for organizations with a limited budget.
Reputation wise, low code also still has a long way to go, not all organizations are aware of the possible opportunity low code presents, whereas RPA has already seen extensive multiple extensive marketing campaigns, making it a well-known and established solution in the market.
Nevertheless, an exciting time in the industry and a good moment to be watching news in the information technology sector!
