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Magic xpa Application Platform vs Salesforce Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Magic xpa Application Platform
Ranking in Mobile Development Platforms
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (8th), Application Infrastructure (15th)
Salesforce Platform
Ranking in Mobile Development Platforms
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
PaaS Clouds (7th), Rapid Application Development Software (8th), Low-Code Development Platforms (6th), No-Code Development Platforms (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Mobile Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Magic xpa Application Platform is 3.2%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Platform is 9.1%, up from 7.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mobile Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

IgorLastric - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 29, 2022
Fast development and user-oriented functionalities, but it needs better .NET integration and a completely different pricing structure
First, in my personal opinion, being a developer myself and working with web and mobile technologies, I think they're trying to cover all the sectors, and that's the problem. They want to be one toolbox for everything, but primarily, we are using xpa to develop desktop applications, and in that area they're lacking functionalities, flexibility, and modern stuff. MSC is marketing xpa as a .NET-based solution, but their .NET integration is lousy. For example, in Visual Studio, you put a control, you right click, and you set everything. In xpa, they're using Visual Studio as a basis of the development tool, but you cannot do what I just described. There's also poor integration of third-party tools because, for example, to put something together using the very popular .NET framework and components framework, it takes me at least three times longer than it should. We started using this solution because it was fairly easy, and 10 years ago, the speed of development was incomparable to any other tools. My employees can develop and deploy something in a matter of hours. My clients buy from me because we can do everything very fast, but the applications we are currently developing with xpa are kind of outdated. Not the functionalities, because we can do almost everything, but the UI and UX and the mechanics of the application are outdated. The problem is that their grid functionalities are very bad in general. For example, in order to have the ribbon bar like the one you have in Word or Excel, we have to do all kinds of gimmicks and purchase external libraries. That's one of the problems, and that's something I would really like to change. I really don't care about the web integration with xpa. I don't need it to be a tool for the API, for the backend, for the frontend, or for mobile applications. I want xpa to be a very powerful tool for desktop applications.
ChrisTook - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 21, 2022
Reliable with good reporting and custom dashboards
I don't have any huge love for it. I don't have any huge love for most of the tech solutions I use. Working in software sales could be better. The tasks, the reminders, and keeping myself on point, for example, in that sense, the forecasting could all be better. It could be maybe a bit more user-intuitive. I've been using the Lightning version for the last couple of years. There were a couple of features that were lost from Salesforce Classic to Lightning, though I recognize some of the improvements. Better UI and UX would be great. They should offer more help built into the platform itself. It would be really useful if, for example, in the reporting tab, I could have a little wizard or something which says, "Hey, this is your first time visiting the reports tab. Here are details and Youtube videos," et cetera.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Typically an experienced Magic developer can do the work of two to three experienced C#/.NET developers. Customers are amazed at how quickly most new features can be added and bug fixes implemented. I have worked for four employers - including myself - using Magic, and in most instances, bug fixes are addressed and deployed in under six hours."
"The best feature of Magic is the development time. The time it takes to develop something is incredibly fast if you compare Magic with, for example, Java."
"Being able to make changes to existing programs to comply with last minute changes in requirements, and/or being able to fix, test, review, and deploy new code in a manner of hours instead of days, definitely gives us a huge advantage over our competitors and this is only possible thanks to Magic’s speed of programming."
"The ability to use the same development environment for both Windows and Android applications. Magic xpa also supports iOS applications."
"Without the need to compile code, the time spent in the development cycle is greatly reduced, allowing the programmer to test modifications to a program immediately after they have been saved."
"The speed of development is the quickest for any tool on the market."
"The Magic xpa Application Platform is very suitable for production since it is easy to update. The program is simple to upgrade and deploy. The solution is convenient in production. You need to adjust the data, then adjust the program which is not difficult."
"Magic’s unique approach to development ensures that the programmer stays focused on the objective of the program (i.e. display all customers in California), instead of the repetitive tasks that surround it (i.e. connect to database, open customers table, create the query to retrieve records within the specified criteria, fetch the result of the query, connect it to a data grid, etc.)."
"I like using the reports feature, but also the fact that we are able to have a smooth process when it comes to leads and opportunities."
"What I like about the Salesforce Platform, in particular, its enterprise edition is that apart from its many features, you can have a wider view of the customers, a 360-degree view. I also enjoy managing opportunities in the Salesforce Platform a lot because it's easier and gives you a wider view, compared to HubSpot."
"It works beautifully. I haven't had any errors."
"We haven't had any issues with stability so far."
"It's very flexible and offers tremendous features for customers."
"The presentation is clear and easy to comprehend."
"It is a fairly useful and user-friendly tool for salespersons. It is very extensive and flexible. You can customize it for your needs, and you can use whatever you want. I like Salesforce."
"The solution's stability is fine. There are no issues with Salesforce's stability."
 

Cons

"In the next version of the Magic xpa Application Platform, I want tables or small programs where I can directly add expressions. I can do it on SQL, but it would make life much easier if that specification were added to the platform."
"There is room for improvement in Magic's marketing and licensing. I would like to see more integration of web functionality."
"The ability to display page up, page down, top and bottom buttons along the scroll bar would make my mouse-reliant customers happy."
"When you have several tasks, you open a screen in a task in developing mode, and you don't see the parent screens. Debugging lacks the effects to solve problems. You have to do it first in a kind of studio. Then you have to be sure that you can do it in Magic because there is almost nothing to debug it. It's practically impossible to debug. You have to be sure before you put your snippets."
"It is missing basic charting tools for bar/pie/series charts. It is left to the developer to acquire and deploy charting tools or the customer to purchase a third-party reporting tool to produce charts."
"I would like to see a spell checker included with optional language support. Currently, this has to be purchased from a third-party."
"Support is very bad."
"The configuration of the xpa RIA mobile environment is complex and a discouragement to new developers. Also, Magic's documentation can be less than complete at times which leads to frustration for new developers. (I encourage new Magic developers to join the Magic Users Group)."
"In terms of features, for our business needs, we have more than enough right now. There is nothing that we are missing or would like to add. They can maybe share some best practices so that when you are starting, you can stick to a good process, and you don't have to think so much about the process that you want or your CEO or CMO wants. The process should not be based on one person in the company. Having some best practices will make it easier to get started. These best practices can be based on what has worked for others. Its basic version is pretty simple, and the customizations are up to the companies, which can make startups like ours lose a lot of time in figuring out what all stakeholders want rather than what would work."
"The solution's UI is horrible."
"They should provide access to data quality tips and tricks to make it better."
"Salesforce's mobile app could be better. Also, it could integrate more seamlessly with Gmail."
"The back end really isn't user-friendly at all."
"Easier process to move to Lightning Components."
"If you have resellers or distributors, you just need to figure out a way to set up the system in the backend. Since every company is different, it takes a little bit of time to figure that out."
"They have some limitations as a cloud solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My clients have to purchase additional licenses in order to use what I built. It's not a fair approach."
"The licensing is too costly."
"The cost for developers is high because you have to pay for licenses as well as runtime."
"Magic is not the cheapest IDE out there. If you are considering Magic xpa, you should do a cost-benefit analysis to feel comfortable with your decision. The Magic sales staff is very helpful in providing pricing."
"It's not cheap. The licenses are not cheap. Not at all. They cost much money. There are other tools with free licenses but Magic asks for a lot of money."
"The main problem with the Magic xpa Application Platform is pricing. You have to pay a lot of money for development, and you also have to pay a lot for the deployments and runtime, while in most competitors, you have to pay a lot for one of the two and not both."
"There are different licenses, we have the application and the online application. There are two different licenses for two different program sites for the Magic xpa Application Platform."
"The licensing cost varies because nowadays Magic has tailor-made offerings for clients. I think the solution is worth the money."
"I haven't had to buy Salesforce, however, I have heard it's $1500 a user."
"The licensing is per user per month, which we took out a contract on a long time back. It's really an okay price for what solutions are available and for how many features and what kind of functionality you get."
"The licensing is on the expensive side, but most clients engage in negotiations to reach a more favorable agreement. For stand-alone or medium-sized clients, it can be relatively costly."
"The solution is a bit expensive."
"It is quite expensive. Its developers come at a premium cost, which makes it expensive."
"It is expensive. Licensing is on an annual basis."
"The price of Salesforce Platform is very expensive. There are other solutions that are similar that cost a quarter of what Salesforce Platform does, such as HubSpot."
"I don't know anything about its cost, but I'm sure it has got a nice little price tag that goes along with it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
13%
Insurance Company
11%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Magic xpa Application Platform?
The Magic xpa Application Platform is very suitable for production since it is easy to update. The program is simple to upgrade and deploy. The solution is convenient in production. You need to adj...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Magic xpa Application Platform?
There are different licenses, we have the application and the online application. There are two different licenses for two different program sites for the Magic xpa Application Platform.
What needs improvement with Magic xpa Application Platform?
Throughout my career, I've encountered difficulties when integrating new technologies with Magic xpa Application Platform. In particular, when attempting to incorporate features from other developm...
How would you choose between Microsoft PowerApps and Salesforce Platform?
I think it depends on your use case. If your organization uses Microsoft Enterprise products, PowerApps will work better in your environment. Similarly, if you have a Salesforce integration in pla...
How does Salesforce Platform compare with Azure?
Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform is not easy or intuitive to deploy. The difficulty will be impacted by the type of application that you are trying to use the platform to build. Organizations tha...
Do you build applications using low-code or pro-code builders on Salesforce Platform?
At my organization, we have only used Salesforce Platform's low-code builder. The reason for this is not because we do not like the pro-code option, but because we do not see the need of using it, ...
 

Also Known As

uniPaaS
Salesforce1, Force.com, Salesforce App Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ADD, Cape plc, Adecco, Kuno Kinzoku Industry Co., GE Capital, Dove Tree, CBS Outdoor, Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Titan Software Systems
ADP
Find out what your peers are saying about Magic xpa Application Platform vs. Salesforce Platform and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.