OutSystems Reviews

I am a consultant for another organization. We've been using OutSystems to develop in-house applications and a convention-type application.

The solution is all-encompassing and very easy to use with its drag-and-drop feature. OutSystems has a Forge feature that allows me to drag and use predeveloped components into the platform so that I don't have to develop everything from scratch.

I'd like to see AI features integrated into the solution.

I have been using OutSystems for two years.

We've very rarely encountered an issue with the solution crashing.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine and a half out of ten.

OutSystems is a very scalable solution. We developed an app, and we've had no problem at all with having 200 people at the convention and, in other cases, 1,000 people at the convention. We use the solution daily in our organization.

There have been times when the solution's technical support took a while to respond. This happens mostly because their technical support is not in North America but Portugal.

Neutral

I also extensively use another product called Apex. It's an excellent product, but it's not the same as OutSystems. With OutSystems, I can develop phone applications. I cannot do that with Apex because it's built more for a back office.

Using OutSystems to develop applications in-house as opposed to using third-party solutions has probably saved our clients a lot of money in the long run. They're not paying the licensing fees over and over again to the other platforms.

The solution's integration is very good. We've integrated the tool into some other SQL areas we have at the client, and it's no problem integrating at all. The solution is deployed on the cloud.

OutSystems is an excellent platform for development and would be an excellent tool for any small, medium, or enterprise business. However, depending on the price, which I don't know, it may be out of range for small and medium businesses.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We used OutSystems to develop different applications, especially those concerning environmental and sustainability governance.

OutSystems has streamlined or optimized our application development process.

The primary benefit of using OutSystems was our ability to deploy rapidly. We could deploy changes to our applications every two weeks.

Mostly, it was web applications that we created, utilizing the responsive aspect of OutSystems for traditional web applications.

It was easy to learn. OutSystems provides different tutorials depending on the user's expertise, so even beginners can quickly get up to speed.

Moreover, OutSystems integration with our database and internal systems was easy.

I would like to see improvements in versioning. It can be challenging to keep track of what changes should be committed, especially when many developers are working in one environment.

So, I would like to see support for different version models especially when multiple developers are working on the same module, it can be confusing to know which changes need to be deployed when comparing and merging codes.

In future releases, A built-in chart feature would be useful. We had to use Google Charts plugin for dashboards. Native support for charts, like bar and pie charts, would be beneficial.

With OutSystems, my company started working with it in 2017.

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. It is pretty stable. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. 

There were around 20 end users using this solution in my company. 

Another team in my company used to contact OutSystems for support.

It was another team that handled the deployment process.

We used the cloud-based version, hosted in AWS.

OutSystems' low-cost approach has positively impacted our productivity, because we were able to develop faster with OutSystems, enabling us to implement many changes during our sprint.

It is very high price. 

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

The primary use cases are mostly related to the rapid low-code framework. Currently, I'm working on a business use case where we need to create a responsive website that enhances the customer's experience.

OutSystems is a hybrid framework and supports my mobile and web application development needs. This means I don't have to write separate code for mobile applications. It adapts the UI and functionality, whether I'm developing for web or mobile interfaces. All I need to do is provide the layout during development.

The tool has enhanced my development speed through its prebuilt templates and drag-and-drop interface. Unlike legacy frameworks like C# and Java, OutSystems provides everything ready to use. You need to connect integrations and formats, which allows developers to develop their modules rapidly.

In the healthcare sector where I work, we handle clinical and non-clinical research involving study criteria and customer-responsive interfaces.

In one of our recent projects, which involves setting up appointment bookings for healthcare organizations like NHS and Canadian provincial health services, OutSystems plays a crucial role. The system monitors Outlook email criteria every five minutes to detect appointment requests. When a request is identified, OutSystems uses AI capabilities to determine if it's a new booking or a follow-up based on the email content.

Once categorized, the tool integrates with other systems, such as Salesforce.

The tool's weakness is its focus on the solution only. Other than that, it's pretty easy to use for both technical and non-technical people. However, the tool lags in automation. For instance, we've used Python for scraping and other automated tasks. So, I believe automation is an area where it could improve.

I have been working with the product for three and a half years. 

OutSystems servers are currently managed directly by the vendor. This setup makes scalability readily achievable because whenever we need to expand our operations to different locations, we can directly engage with the vendor who handles the tool. They can scale the infrastructure to meet our requirements. However, at this point, our focus isn't on scaling further because the configurations we've implemented for recent developments are adequate for targeting the Canadian and North American regions.

Technical support is good, especially for customers on the Gold tier like us. Typically, we receive responses within 24 hours, and their support team is very responsive.

Positive

Appian offers advantages in automation structures with its Appian RPA platform, formerly Jidoka. They have integrated this acquisition into their offerings as Appian RPA. Additionally, Appian has a well-established market presence. Appian holds a slight advantage over OutSystems, which entered the market approximately five years ago.

Our primary goal has been to enhance customer experience by deploying applications developed with OutSystems. The initial response from users has been positive, particularly in reducing previous backlogs. We've streamlined processes with the product, enabling rapid development, integration, and automation.

We haven't yet reached the stage of calculating ROI specifics. Typically, such evaluations are conducted either at the end of the fiscal year or three years.

The tool has its  own AI modules, but we've utilized our custom models. As we focus on specific regions like Canada and North America, we've developed dedicated forms and solutions. We've implemented our custom models using Python and Gen AI to extract data from emails and forms. OutSystems does offer its own AI capabilities.

Due to its fast development strategies and everything, I would recommend OutSystems over Appian. Appian is in a different space and has its own components and frameworks. 

I rate the overall product a seven out of ten. 

The main use case is that it is a platform as a service based on .NET. We can build any type of enterprise application, but not reporting tools. It supports multi-channel development for websites and mobile applications. We can create a single mobile application and generate iOS for the App Store and Android APK files for the Google Play Store. No recoding is required for conversion, only generation of iOS or APK files as needed.

I have mainly worked on financial and banking domains, and this platform supports all types of use cases. Additionally, with generative AI, OutSystems has started supporting it.

By using a backend database to store data brainstorming and consuming AWS APIs, our customers support the predictive AI mechanism. We can also go with generative AI because most of the tools are available in the market. OutSystems has a feature, IPP (Intellectual Property Protection), that allows for architectural property. 

If someone wants to develop a website or web application in two to three months, they can develop that application in OutSystems. If they don't want to continue with OutSystems as a platform, they can convert the OutSystems source code into normal .NET code. 

There is no extra cost required, and the application will work as a .NET source code base.

This is a possibility that the user or company can adapt this tool for development, and later, if they want to save costs, they can convert it to .NET. This is not possible with other tools.

OutSystems has integrated AI.  We can improve the application tool. For example, if a user is creating a ticket, by using generative AI technology, we can create user interaction inputs. Users can input case IDs and their contacts. Based on that, the large language model (LLM) connects with the OutSystems vector databases and is capable of analyzing and understanding what you want in natural language.

So, some sort of predictive analysis. Based on that, the program can accept the outputs.

There is room for improvement in support. They maintain a two-day SLA for everything. 48 hours is very high.

Scalability is supported by default by OutSystems on the cloud. Let's say we are buying 10 GB or 20 GB of hardware, and our database is near failure. We can request them to increase the sizes from the backend. The OutSystems cloud platform is based on AWS and installed on AWS. So whatever AWS supports is supported by OutSystems.

If we need any extra features, like using S3, OutSystems can integrate with it, but extra licensing costs are required. From the scalability and security point of view, everything is supported by OutSystems, and it is a managed service. Based on that, they are charging.

If I face any problem during application development, I can create tickets based on the category by logging into my account. There is an SLA of two to three days based on the ticket's priority, and the team responds accordingly.

Most of the time, they resolve all issues. To speed up the process, they call if there is a high-priority ticket. We connect with them and fix the issue collaboratively via phone.

I will not rate it ten, though, because they are maintaining a two-day SLA for everything. 48 hours is very high.

Positive

I did not spend my time on any other platform. For the last ten years, I have only been involved with OutSystems.

The initial setup is not difficult because everything is based on integration. A set of databases, like vector databases, and things like that require extra hardware and software configuration. But integrating with OutSystems is very easy.

There is ROI. To be specific, it's purely for the developers. It's reducing the cost of development. There is a 100% guarantee the platform is promoting code on the server with accuracy. Logical errors are a different thing, but the source code generated is secure. Anyone can understand the source code easily. We are providing security as a visual development tool. 

By using the visual development tool, there is no need to remember the syntax. Everything is available as drag and drop. It just depends on remembering how and when we need to use a node for development purposes. Let's assume a project in .NET, native .NET, or Java takes around 12 months. In OutSystems, we can build that application in four to five months.

So, twice or even more. This is the area where we can improve and save money. But definitely, this is a highly in-demand tool, and the cost is very high. It's completely dependent on the vendor. Some companies are going with the cloud environment, and some organizations are using the on-premises environment. In the cloud environment, everything is managed by OutSystems. They provide some credentials, and the company can start developing multiple applications on the same cloud license.

The cost is high. I saw on the website that the minimum license is around $4,000  per month.

Overall, I would rate it a ten out of ten. I would definitely recommend this tool.

We use OutSystems for developing applications that are used by clients in Canada, USA, and Europe. OutSystems has been very effective for us in developing both web and mobile applications. It has reduced our development time by around 30 to 40 percent.

We've used features like batch processing timers, components, and integrations with other systems like SAP, which have accelerated our development process. In terms of productivity, we've seen a 30 percent reduction in screen design time and an additional 10 percent improvement when implementing client requirements. OutSystems' integration capabilities have significantly enhanced our app's functionality, making it quicker and easier to connect with other systems.

While I can't speak to the market impact, as a developer, I've seen significant reductions in development time across different versions of our applications. One area for improvement would be the UI controls in Service Studio. Sometimes, controls don't appear in the IDE, requiring us to check them in the web browser instead. Overall, our experience with OutSystems has been positive, though improvements in UI development would be welcomed.

I've been with OutSystems for about three and a half years now.

On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate the stability of OutSystems at nine.

In terms of scalability, I'd rate it at eight.

OutSystems' technical support has been very helpful and responsive.

Positive

Before OutSystems, I mainly worked with .NET and Android development.

Deployment with OutSystems has generally been straightforward, although we've encountered some challenges with UI development.

I'm mostly focused on development, but our DevOps and maintenance team consists of about five to six people.

The main benefits we've seen after implementing OutSystems include significant time savings, improved deployment processes, and convenient configuration settings in the service center.

As for licensing costs, I'm not directly involved in that aspect.

Overall, I'd rate OutSystems a nine out of ten.

The solution can be used to develop apps, websites, and core applications. We are working for an insurance company on an application to digitize hundreds of documents. We also work for a bank on an application to manage time and time sheets.

It is easy to develop things. It is much easier to develop applications with the product’s IDE.

OutSystems is creating a new platform on the cloud called ODC. The new version could be improved.

I have been using the solution for about five years.

The tool is quite stable. It depends on the way we use it.

Our clients are medium and large enterprises.

My team contacts support. The support responds quite well.

Positive

We have used some local platforms before.

The initial setup is straightforward. Normally, the solution is cloud-based, but it depends on the clients. For the setup of the platform, we must have a contract and license from OutSystems. The setup takes one to three weeks.

The return on investment is difficult to measure, but the time to market is much faster.

OutSystems has a lot of traction in Portugal. We are studying Mendix and Appian to see if they could be adequate in some cases. Some clients don't have the capacity to support OutSystems, or they might be using other tools. We want to adapt to other platforms and tools. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

We have been actively following the below strategy for our application development:

• Core applications and systems (SaaS-based external products)
• Bespoke Applications (using Microsoft Azure and Dotnet Application development technologies and tools)
• Quick turnaround applications for web and mobile (Outsystems)
• Portal knowledge and corporate portals (WordPress, SharePoint, DocuWare)
• Cloud Platform (Azure and AWS)
• Support within two hours on the community portal
• Access to native functionalities (camera, geolocation, QR code reader, and access to file systems, address book, and device calendar)
• Supports custom branding
• Supports custom plugins
• Silk UI response framework
• Big focus on performance
• Best practice for CSS and JS
• Tested on several modern browsers and devices
• Support and community (52000+ members, 500+ projects, and two-hour response time)

The OutSystems platform has improved the quick turnaround for application development and deployment.

It provides for faster development and better software releases.

The solution helps reduce costs and gives us an efficient budget.

The ease of management is great.

The product has good reliability and has improved business continuity with increased resilience.

We have a lot of choices through open-source standards.

The product gives us better customer experiences.

There is access to native functionalities (including the camera, geolocation, QR code reader, and access file systems, address books, and device calendars).

It supports custom branding and custom plugins and has a Silk UI Response Framework.

There is a big focus on performance.

The product has best practices for CSS and JS.

It has been tested on several modern browsers and devices.

There is support and a good community (52000+ members across 500+ projects and a two-hour response time).

Below are the solution's most valuable features: 

• Device support (Android 4.0+, iOS 7+, Windows 8.1+)
• Access to native functionalities (camera, geolocation, QR code reader, access to file systems, address books, and device calendars)
• Custom branding
• Custom plugins 
• Silk UI Response Framework
• Performance
• Best practices for CSS and JS
• Tested on several modern browsers and devices
• Great support and strong community (52000+ members, 500+ projects, and a two-hour response time)
• Online developer training
• Integration Studio
• Service Studio
• Service Center
• Deployment services
• Faster development and better software releases
• Reduce costs/improves budget
• Ease of management
• Reliability/improved business continuity with resilience
• Choice through open-source standards
• Better customer experiences

Areas of improvement include:

• Offering workflow solutions
• Adding event-driven architecture
• Usage of PWA, Responsive, and SPA architecture for front-ends.
• Better documentation and deployment tools. The packaging features need to be standardized using DevOps.
  
• Vertical Tabs (there is a Vertical Tabs problem: Entities.Orientation)
• Data Grid improvements and UI improvements
• There are performance issues in table data using React
• They need to make improvements in various UI assets. 
• There should be automation of logs
• We have performance issues while fetching bulk data
• Need integration with core systems and integration with Outlook email

This is a no-code platform solution. We have been using this for the past five years. We've used it for building solutions for web applications and mobile applications. There is a quick turnaround for applications that need to be implemented and deployed for business.

The solution offers good stability.

There are good scalability options. However, scalability can improve.

The solution offers excellent customer support and responses can be expected within two hours from the community forum to help with resolution.

Positive

This is the first time we are using a no-code solution end-to-end.

The initial setup is straightforward. The process is good enough and elaborate documentation and help in community forums can help the process.

This was an in-house implementation from the development team.

ROI and TCO are great.

With the pressure to deliver new customer and employee digital experiences and having to adjust existing enterprise systems to cope with the market changes, 75% of app development would use low-code platforms. Outsystems has the highest ROI.

The setup cost, pricing, and licensing costs are competitive.

We have not evaluated any other options.

OutSystems is a versatile development platform that I find incredibly useful for various purposes. It is great for building both web and mobile applications, making it suitable for large enterprises and small to mid-sized businesses across different industries like banking, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. With its visual development, pre-built components, and easy maintenance, OutSystems has significantly expedited software development in my experience, offering a rapid and efficient solution for a wide range of applications.

In comparison to other local development platforms, OutSystems is quite advanced. While every platform can benefit from ongoing enhancements, OutSystems seems to have most of the features I, as a software professional, would look for. I have started working with it, and I find it to be a genuinely cool and effective platform for my development needs.

OutSystems is already on the right track for improvements. They plan to transition from their cloud platform to a cloud-native architecture, emphasizing infrastructure scalability and the integration of Docker containers, which is a positive step forward. I would also like to see OutSystems improve its integration capabilities, especially with emerging technologies like AI and GPT. Integrating with AI and GPT models could enhance OutSystems' functionality and help it easily adapt to new trends and concepts in connectivity and artificial intelligence in future releases.

I have been using OutSystems since 2011.

I would rate the stability of OutSystems as a ten out of ten.

OutSystems supports both horizontal and vertical scaling, and I find it quite easy to scale applications when needed. Adding a front-end server to a cluster, for instance, is a straightforward task that takes just a few minutes. As long as you follow OutSystems' recommended application composition and architecture, scalability is not a problem, and I would rate it a solid ten out of ten for scalability. In our company, around eighteen to nineteen developers are actively using OutSystems to develop applications for our customers. For mid-sized applications with OutSystems, you don't require large teams. OutSystems encourages small teams to use agile methodology. Typically, you need an engagement manager, a tech lead, and two to three developers for a medium-sized project. Additionally, a solution architect may be necessary initially, and then one tech lead and two developers are often sufficient for ongoing work.

I have had a positive experience with OutSystems' tech support. They offer a guided learning path, well-structured documentation, and a valuable component repository called Forge. Their community is also quite active, with fellow users and even OutSystems champions and family members providing assistance. In addition, they have a stable support process where you can create a support ticket, and the OutSystems team will reach out to help with any issues. Overall, I'm satisfied with the support available from OutSystems through their various resources.

Setting up OutSystems is straightforward, and even citizen developers can quickly learn and start building software with it. While complex applications may require professional expertise, OutSystems provides numerous prebuilt components and features, such as UI components for creating beautiful interfaces and easy database design tools, making it accessible even for those without extensive design or development experience. It is also user-friendly when it comes to handling logic, integrating with third-party services, and working with APIs. Overall, I find it to be a great and user-friendly platform for software development. The deployment process in OutSystems involves using a tool called Lifetime, which acts as a control console for managing different environments. When you purchase an OutSystems license, you typically receive three environments: development, QA, and production, along with a separate Lifetime environment. Lifetime keeps track of application versions and modules deployed on servers in each environment. It alerts you when an environment is outdated compared to a new version in development. Lifetime also checks references and other prerequisites before deploying releases from one environment to another, making the deployment process straightforward and well-managed.

OutSystems licenses are not cheap, but they fall within the range of standard pricing. It is not very expensive or overly budget-friendly; it is more in the middle, making it an average-cost option for organizations.

Before using OutSystems, I explored other tools like APN and Automation Anywhere. However, I found OutSystems to be the best fit because it offers both rapid application development and flexibility. Unlike some other tools, OutSystems allows you to integrate with third-party libraries and technologies like .NET, Java, BigQuery, and more, making it a more flexible and easily adaptable platform.

I would definitely recommend OutSystems to others. Overall, I would rate it as a ten out of ten.