Discover how DHL Group increased connectivity across the enterprise and automated multiple processes end-to-end
Microsoft Power Apps is a quick way to build business apps without much coding. For Microsoft 365 users, it feels like the default choice – familiar to navigate, easy to launch, and already connected to the tools most teams use every day.
But it’s not all positives. Licenses stack up and costs increase. Integrations beyond the Microsoft ecosystem can get messy. And when workflows grow more complex, Power Automate’s flow-based setup can start to feel like building a skyscraper from Lego bricks.
So if you need tighter integrations, stronger governance, or a platform that can handle thousands of transactions without slowing down, it might be worthwhile looking at some other options on the market.
Power Apps is great for quick prototypes, department tools, and anything tied closely to Microsoft 365. But challenges show up when the work gets more complex:
Rising costs
Licenses can get expensive as apps scale across the company or use premium features.
Integration gaps
Works best with Microsoft tools but connecting to third-party systems may require additional middleware.
Governance issues
Managing multiple apps, versions, and compliance rules can be tough.
Workflow limits
Complex workflows that include humans, multiple systems, and long-running processes often need more than Power Apps can offer.
Enterprise-grade integration
Connecting the legacy systems and modern tools your business processes rely on is essential.
Scalability
As your business scales you’ll need a platform that can handle large datasets, long-running processes and high workloads consistently.
Security and governance
Compliance with industry standards and the ability to control who sees and can do what with role-based access controls should come as standard.
Extensibility
For more complex use cases, you’ll need the ability to tailor applications based on your needs using custom code and plugins and integrations.
Bizagi
Bizagi’s low-code platform uses visual interfaces and pre-built components to help organizations digitize, orchestrate, and automate complex workflows with minimal coding.
Features:
- Experience Matrix: The Bizagi Experience Matrix allows technical and non-technical users to create personalized apps based on personas.
- Wizard and Expert views: Switch between views for different skill levels.
- Multi-level governance: Bizagi offers governance at development, CoE and application level.
Strengths:
- Process-driven approach.
- Encourages collaboration between business and IT teams.
- Powerful integration capabilities, offering integration to any data source via pre-built, native or bespoke connectors and APIs.
What makes it a good alternative?
Bizagi can orchestrate long-running processes, people, bots, systems, and events and triggers.
OutSystems
The OutSystems platform offers a visual development environment to simplify app development, enabling developers and non-technical users to build solutions faster than traditional development.
- Service Studio: Drag-and-drop interface for building UIs, workflows, data models, and logic.
- OutSystems Forge: Marketplace of pre-built templates, connectors, and UI widgets.
- Mentor: GenAI assisted development to generate, edit and validate apps.
- Front-end and back-end development in a unified environment.
- Supports custom code in JavaScript, C#, and SQL when low-code components need extra functionality.
- Built-in lifecycle management.
OutSystems is more enterprise-ready than Power Apps for complex applications needing high performance, full-stack capabilities, and lifecycle management.
Mendix
Mendix’s platform uses a model-driven development approach to help users of all skill levels collaborate to build applications.
- Mendix AI Assistance (Maia): AI co-developer for app generation, best-practice suggestions, and workflow design.
- Mendix Marketplace: Library of modules, widgets, services and industry templates.
- One-click deployment: Deploy apps to cloud or on-premises environments.
- Real-time co-editing and version tracking.
- Allows custom Java, JavaScript, and CSS.
- Full application lifecycle management.
Mendix allows a wider range of application types beyond the Microsoft ecosystem, with advanced logic and multi-device support.
Appian
Appian helps businesses automate processes and create applications. It’s low-code platform provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface that enables pro and citizen developers to build apps.
- AI Copilot: Generate application plans and objects using natural language.
- Appian AppMarket: Library of pre-built applications, templates, and components.
- Data fabric: Unifies enterprise data to provide access to real-time data stored across systems.
- Process-centric.
- Generates responsive web and mobile apps automatically from the same design.
- Can support complex, mission-critical apps and handle high transaction volumes.
Suitable for businesses needing process automation alongside low-code development, which Power Apps handles but less specialized.
ServiceNow
ServiceNow offers strong low-code/no-code development capabilities through its App Engine. This lets both technical and non-technical users build custom business apps quickly, often without writing traditional code.
- Now Experience UI Framework: Build responsive, modern user interfaces using reusable components.
- IntegrationHub: No-code connectors (“spokes”) for integrating ServiceNow apps with other enterprise tools.
- ServiceNow Common Service Data Model (CSDM): Standardized framework for organizing and relating data within the ServiceNow platform.
- Apps work on web and mobile out-of-the-box.
- Enterprise-grade security: role-based access, audit trails, and compliance with standards like GDPR and HIPAA.
- Designed for high-volume transactional workflows.
ServiceNow is strong for enterprise service and operations apps, especially for internal workflows, where Power Apps might require more custom connectors.
Pega
Pega (Pegasystems) focuses on model-driven, rules-based application building, making it well-suited for complex, enterprise-scale, process-heavy applications.
- Pega GenAI Blueprint™: Design and prototype workflow-centric applications using natural language inputs, industry best practices, and Pega’s generative AI capabilities.
- App Studio: Build data models, workflows, UI screens, and integrations without traditional coding.
- Business Rules Engine (BRE): Centralized rules repository to separate business logic from application code.
- Handles large-scale applications across departments and geographies with high transaction volumes.
- Process-first approach.
- Native AI.
Pega provides enterprise-grade scalability and rules-driven development suitable for for high-volume, multi-department applications.
Power Apps is great for quick, Microsoft-integrated solutions. But when your needs grow beyond that comfort zone, the right alternative depends on process complexity, integration breadth, and governance needs. Evaluate these tools not just on features, but on how well they match your tech stack and your people.
