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Mahesh Seenu - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - Projects at Xebia Group companies
Real User
Top 5
Offers great user support and community engagement
Pros and Cons
  • "In terms of user support and community engagement, I rate the tool a ten out of ten."
  • "The product's high price is an area of concern, where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution since it is a low-code platform. I am more into the BFSI domain. Most of the projects that have dealt with revolve around the banking sector. I have used the product for web development and mobile applications. My company has worked on a mobile app for a bank's core processes. My company took care of the website part of the bank with the help of OutSystems. My company also operates with other clients who operate in the banking sector. My company has also dealt with the insurance domain and mutual funds.

What needs improvement?

The product's high price is an area of concern, where improvements are required. OutSystems should play around with the market or with its competitors. A lot of the clients feel that the license cost of OutSystems is way too high than the prices of its competitors.

In the future, I want OutSystems to offer support for which they should not charge any money from users. If a client is new to OutSystems and has taken a license for two or three years, I believe that the solution should provide free support for a year.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using OutSystems for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten.

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OutSystems
January 2025
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

When it comes to the scalability part and its impact on our organization's growth, I can say that the development and implementation timelines are minimalistic, which is something that is good. It is pretty easy to implement anything that a specific client wants with the help of OutSystems. It doesn't take years to implement something with OutSystems since such areas can be dealt with quickly.

From migration to adding internal applications is easy with the product. The platform is very adjustable based on the requirements. The customization levels offered by the product are good. It is possible to distribute the loads in OutSystems.

My company deals with around ten customers who use the product.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have experience with high-code platforms like Java and Clutter.

How was the initial setup?

The product's setup is more of a PnP procedure, making it an easy process. I feel that the setup process can be a bit complex at an architectural level.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The number of people required for the deployment and maintenance of the product depends on the product that is used. If a business entity has multiple business units, it takes a longer time to implement the product. In general, my company has a team of around 15 to 20 people to take care of the implementation process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The clients who use OutSystems feel that it is a bit expensive.

There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to OutSystems. It is an expensive product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I don't see any differences between Java and Clutter or OutSystems since I use different products depending on the requirements of our company's clients. I don't get the clients to choose a particular platform, but my company recommends OutSystems. Not all of our company's clients prefer OutSystems.

What other advice do I have?

The product's scalability is very good. The tool offers easy integration with multiple platforms.

The product's features and speeding up the application development process stem from the fact that the capabilities provided by the tool are not limited. The whole platform, user experience, and implementation time are good.

The interface of OutSystems has impacted our company's development workflow since it is very user-friendly. I rate the product's interface a four out of five.

Though OutSystems is an expensive product. If an organization wants better dynamics when it comes to a particular platform, I would recommend OutSystems to such companies.

In terms of user support and community engagement, I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

The value and positive impact experience from the use of the solution stems from the fact that it works very well when it comes to load balancing. The product is also easily configurable.

I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Senior Manager at Eviden France
Real User
Top 20
Has the flexibility to quickly integrate with almost anything in the system, and the ability to connect with databases
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of OutSystems are the user interface, the flexibility to quickly integrate with almost anything in the system, and the ability to connect with databases."
  • "The solution's testing framework needs to be improved, and the workflow should be slightly more mature."

What is our primary use case?

OutSystems has use cases in the health care, accounting, banking, insurance, and automotive industries.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of OutSystems are the user interface, the flexibility to quickly integrate with almost anything in the system, and the ability to connect with databases.

What needs improvement?

The solution's testing framework needs to be improved, and the workflow should be slightly more mature. The solution should use generative AI capabilities.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using OutSystems for nine years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven’t faced any issues with the solution’s stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

OutSystems is a scalable solution. The solution is auto-scalable regarding the number of users or the volume of data.

I have created an application which is being used by almost 2,00,000 users. That was done for some kind of enterprise wide application where it is being used across the globe. That's the maximum number of users I have created an application for.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is quite useful, but it takes a good amount of time to get a solution from them. The technical support is not so quick and could be faster.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution through an in-house team. Depending on the size of the application, the solution's deployment hardly takes a few minutes.

What was our ROI?

With the solution, I have seen around 80% to 90% increase in the return on investment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

OutSystems is a very expensive solution, and it has to be cheaper. Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I have used the solution for both web and mobile application development. In the healthcare domain, we used the solution to create a mobile application related to patient care. We also used the solution to create web applications, including banking and in-house enterprise applications.

It hardly takes around six resources, including developers, for a typical project which goes for around six months. I would recommend the solution to other users. I rate the solution a nine out of ten for user support and community engagement.

Since I've worked with the solution for nine years, I'm well aware of its visibility. I will promote the solution if the business needs align with what can be achieved with OutSystems.

Overall, I rate OutSystems an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
OutSystems
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about OutSystems. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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AmitTiwari2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect at Aaseya IT Services Pvt. Ltd.
Real User
Top 20
Supports building applications for both web and mobile platforms, keeping up with AI and allows for faster development of applications
Pros and Cons
  • "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."
  • "The customer service and support are maintaining a two-day SLA for everything. 48 hours is very high."

What is our primary use case?

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.

How has it helped my organization?

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.

What needs improvement?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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.

How are customer service and support?

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.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

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

How was the initial setup?

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.

What was our ROI?

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.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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

What other advice do I have?

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

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Shantanu Chande - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Project Engineer at Peristent Systems
Real User
Top 20
A hybrid low-code solution that improves development speed with its prebuilt templates and drag-and-drop interface
Pros and Cons
  • "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'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."

What is our primary use case?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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.

How are customer service and support?

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.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

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.

What was our ROI?

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.

What other advice do I have?

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. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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PeerSpot user
Owner at Berrot Consulting Limited
Real User
Top 20
Useful natural speech to algorithm, reliable, and beneficial automatic task
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of OutSystems are the user-friendly platform. The drag-and-drop feature is great. I have used other rapid application development tools before, but they were not as advanced as OutSystems. With the previous tools, I had to manually build certain features, but OutSystems does it automatically."
  • "I like the OutSystems platform. I am working on integrating it with another platform using APIs, however, it has proven to be difficult. The main issue I am facing is obtaining authorization tokens as well as access and refresh tokens. It may be due to my lack of knowledge of APIs as it is new to me."

What is our primary use case?

My client is the owner of the OutSystems platform, which we have utilized for various purposes, including an event app. This app tracks agendas, speakers, and registration for events.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of OutSystems are the user-friendly platform. The drag-and-drop feature is great. I have used other rapid application development tools before, but they were not as advanced as OutSystems. With the previous tools, I had to manually build certain features, but OutSystems does it automatically.

OutSystems has the ability to create algorithms based on the data requested. I can specify what data I need in natural language and the platform will build the algorithm for me. This is a great feature.

What needs improvement?

I like the OutSystems platform. I am working on integrating it with another platform using APIs, however, it has proven to be difficult. The main issue I am facing is obtaining authorization tokens as well as access and refresh tokens. It may be due to my lack of knowledge of APIs as it is new to me.

The documentation could improve. The reason I am having many problems with the APIs is that there is not a comprehensive piece of documentation that I can read that explains exactly how to do what I'm doing. I've tried the forum, I've tried the Forge, and downloading other components, trying to look at that. However, there isn't a good simple explanation of how to do it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using OutSystems for approximately a year and a half.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The platform is very stable, and I have not encountered any issues or crashes so far. I cannot speak to how it performs on more advanced tasks as I have not encountered any such scenarios yet.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

OutSystems is a scalable platform.

I rate the scalability of OutSystems a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I have not yet needed to reach out to the technical support team. I am currently attempting to troubleshoot the API integration on my own as per my agreement with the client. However, if I am unable to find a solution, technical support would be my next step.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive. The platform is not suitable for all of my clients. I work with labor unions and other smaller organizations that would not be able to afford the platform's current pricing model. It would be beneficial if there were a scaled-down version or a tiered pricing option that would allow me to build an app or a web app that is more cost-effective for my clients. Currently, the platform's pricing is too high for many of my clients, who would not be able to afford something in the $50,000 to $100,000 range.

What other advice do I have?

I rate OutSystems a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System Analyst at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Reduces the manual labor in compiling and deploying applications; simple to connect to multiple data sources
Pros and Cons
  • "Reduces the manual labor in compiling and deploying applications and generating procedural code (by reducing development bureaucracy/processes, resulting in real gains). The LifeTime Server approach, requiring just a few steps to publish applications in production environments, is fantastic."
  • "Once built, web/mobile components can be reused in all new developments. In addition, the OutSystems Forge is very useful. We can exchange components and even already-built applications, reducing costs to build specific solutions."
  • "OutSystems does not provide any native reporting resources. All reports must be created with other tools or as a webpage."
  • "The asynchronous processing and multithreading tasks for which the current resources of the platform are very generic and not built for the end-user. Any asynchronous jobs have to be constructed with an end-user dashboard to allow inspection of the status of the activities."

What is our primary use case?

In the last months, OutSystems has become our primary development tool. Grendene is a huge producer of footwear and our development in OutSystems is supporting the construction of a large set of applications in these areas:

Factory and production-level systems (industrial apps)

There are already many applications built to provide information to our offices and for production control of factory processes, simulation, and machine setup. In addition to the already running analytics apps, we are in the process of integrating OutSystems with machines' programmable logic controllers (PLCs). We believe that OutSystems can support factory-level systems that respond quickly. Beginning with the less critical processes, we have already started to build web/mobile applications to be used on the assembly lines and loading docks in the distribution center.

Integration and ETL

There are many APIs built in OutSystems to provide process automation and information to internal and partner systems. An example is the Melissa branch website that is sustained by a third-party and the product profile is provided by OutSystems APIs. ETL architecture is also developed to synchronize data among some SQL databases and the company’s units. 

Business and ERP Apps

Apps for business and ERPs are a fast-growing set of applications developed in OutSystems, accessed within the ERP portal. New developments are made in OutSystems using the ERP’s database as the information source and connections to many other specialized systems.

Corporative Apps

In addition to the above, there are many office processes, human resources, and product development/design teams that use OutSystems. Our "Careers" website was built in OutSystems with a dynamic approach that allows the human resource team to create and upload their own pages as a self-service website builder.

How has it helped my organization?

In the 21st century, innovation is not easy without IT support. With this low-code platform, we deliver more quickly and it allows innovation to occur fast. It reduces the risks associated with functional changes and these can be produced rapidly to meet deadlines.

What is most valuable?

  • Easy and low-code web/mobile development: Reduces the manual labor in compiling and deploying applications and generating procedural code (by reducing development bureaucracy/processes, resulting in real gains). The LifeTime Server approach, requiring just a few steps to publish applications in production environments, is fantastic.
  • High reuse of components and business logic: Once built, web/mobile components can be reused in all new developments. In addition, the OutSystems Forge is very useful. We can exchange components and even already-built applications, reducing costs to build specific solutions.
  • Build-logic becomes simple with a graphic interface: Developers work better with visual support. In a related vein, we are currently studying if, in the near future, an OutSystems environment could be provisioned to non-technical areas to allow them to construct their own applications (supervised by IT, and with good governance and security assessments).
  • Stakeholder engagement and satisfaction: In the past, it was difficult to keep our clients (employees and partners) up to date on the development process. There were many promises of application delivery dates which were often not met. With OutSystems, we can develop and share progress and functionalities.
  • Integration: With the SOAP and REST APIs and the database connections allowing communication with different data sources, it’s simple and quick to fulfill requirements which demand resources from multiple sources. In this way, the platform provides opportunities for innovative ideas. A simple example is to check transportation costs against rotes using maps and GPS technologies to measure accurate distances.

What needs improvement?

There are some features expected in the future that may speed up some processes. But there is a lack of development resources that need implementing. For example, OutSystems does not provide any native reporting resources. All reports must be created with other tools or as a webpage. 

Another issue is the asynchronous processing and multithreading tasks for which the current resources of the platform are very generic and not built for the end-user. Any asynchronous jobs have to be constructed with an end-user dashboard to allow inspection of the status of the activities.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have basically not encountered any issues with stability. There was only one situation, when we first started using the environments, that a security policy conflicted with the installation of OutSystems or Microsoft IIS server. We had to gather a team to solve the problem by removing security baselines until we found the conflict and fixed it. At that time, it took four days to resolve this conflict. Since then, the servers have never had a single instability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

As a very scalable solution, OutSystems does not provide an already-built infrastructure of modules. Companies should follow OutSystems tips on growing their environments using the concepts of Canvas Architecture.

Canvas Architecture is a very scalable, sustainable, and feasible approach. Companies should use these layouts, but not follow it to the letter. It should be changed according to the company's strategies, depending on the kind of applications they are developing. 

On the other hand, some effort should be made to regularly maintain the norms and standards of the environments. Even with good governance in software development, due to the power and agility of the platform, it is not too easy to keep track of the development team; hence, the importance of a periodic reviews and standard, documented processes.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is qualified and proactive but not very specialized. OutSystems always fixes all bug reports within the expected timeframe.

The team is very proactive. When we had that situation with the security baselines that conflicted with the platform, late at night Brazil time, I received a call from OutSystems support in Portugal right way, willing to help solve the problem. However, when it became more technical they helped only up to a certain point, and only our team could ultimately fix it.

I would give OutSystems support a six out of 10. I understand that a more specialized level of support (with software engineers) is needed sometimes when the operational team cannot resolve.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use another low-code platform before, although many of the traditional development technologies were widely tested (Java, .NET/C#, OpenEdge, etc.). OutSystems was the first which provided a complete, easy, and effective platform.

How was the initial setup?

We have been using OutSystems since the middle of 2016. In the implementation phase of OutSystems, we had formal training and hired a third-party (Sispro S/A) with years of experience in the technology, for consulting and to design our environment correctly.

The setup itself was straightforward. Our company chose a local installation of the platform server in virtualized machines, instead of on the cloud (there were internal reasons for this choice, such as the need for prompt responses in production systems, which are not achievable over the WAN network). The setup was very simple, however, due to our very high-security scope, some difficulties with security policies had to be overcome. I would recommend choosing the cloud platform whenever possible, as it is much simpler to start with.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

OutSystems was open to a deal that worked for both sides. It’s not ethical to give more specifics about the pricing and licensing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated many solutions in the market. Some companies in Brazil were visited with a view to finding a more agile solution for the development of applications. Among those solutions were Zoho and Tibco. However, OutSystems stood out.

What other advice do I have?

We find in OutSystems a great platform that enables extraction of data from multiple sources, and working with business logic to access essential information and produce process-automation at the highest level.

We have future projects in mind to build factory production process with this technology. New developers were recently hired to support the industrial development team and they are being progressively coached in OutSystems development, using an internal training program to reach this goal.

We rate OutSystems an eight out of 10. It is the best platform we have found. However, it’s not perfect.

In terms of advice:

  • When possible, use a cloud environment option rather than a local installation.
  • Negotiate a suitable license with OutSystems, taking into account that the application objects grow quickly.
  • Hire trainers and make sure the development team sets up a proper architecture. If you choose the wrong approach or do not plan appropriate architecture, in a short time you will certainly have a very large rework. 
  • It is essential to build an appropriate Canvas.
  • Sometimes, junior developers will perform better with OutSystems, since senior developers often do not adapt to the graphical structural programming. It is not a rule, but some resistance and difficulty of adaptation were noticed.
  • A good practice is to hire an expert consulting company, for a couple weeks, which already uses OutSystems. They will help your development team with basic questions, increasing the pace of learning and making it more effective. 
  • OutSystems has a set of metadata and any kind of control is possible, but these structures should be practiced with the developers.
  • OutSystems Forge is a very useful place, when starting out, to download components to adapt to your needs.
  • SQL Server is a good default database option for OutSystems. We have never had a problem with it. We recommend using only a single database catalog instead of many.
  • Another suggestion is to plan an approach for the REST/SOAP APIs with more security implementations. As a default, it provides NTLM authentication or basic authentication to SOAP API and a custom strategy for REST. We have built a complete architecture with client authorization, IP control, and cryptography over the exposed services. The OutSystems User Provider module can be customized with the company’s default authentication method, however, it is quite simple to maintain the standard module and just push data into the Users and Roles tables. Otherwise, it will take some time to understand how everything works underneath.
  • Finally, perhaps the most important tip is regarding development governance. Not only for OutSystems but for all types of development, it is very important to maintain normalized and standardized environments. In a chaotic scene with no effort to have periodic reviews, a low-code platform could create a huge mess and the cost will be paid in the near future.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
JG5 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at Wurth IT
Consultant
Top 10
The integration capabilities have significantly enhanced our app's functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

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.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

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

How are customer service and support?

OutSystems' technical support has been very helpful and responsive.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

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

How was the initial setup?

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

What about the implementation team?

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

What was our ROI?

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

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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

What other advice do I have?

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

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Harikrishnan  Ramamoorthy - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Lead at Netlink Software Group America Inc
Real User
Helps with validation, offers good features, and is reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "We can do the validation before calling the API."
  • "Currently, in mobile applications, we don't have push notifications."

What is our primary use case?

It is kind of used for reactive and web applications. We're also working on the mobile applications as well. I use it in a banking environment. 

I've been onboarded there and then I'm just doing the activities for both internet banking as well as mobile banking, handling both servers as well as the front end.

Currently, this banking application can consist of both mobile as well as internet banking. We have it for eight different countries. For mobile, we have eight different applications, and for internet banking, it is a single application, however, it'll support eight entities in eight countries including Bahrain, the UK, Iraq, et cetera.

What is most valuable?

Normally we use it in a banking setup. Usually, transfer payment and then the benefits pay gateway, are those kinds of integrations we are doing currently for mobile. The onboarding process we do, the login for that process, et cetera, offer good features. 

We have one feature called multiple payments where we're able to select multiple beneficiaries and we're able to create ad hoc beneficiaries. Ad hoc beneficiaries mean there's no need to add the benefits directly. We can enter the beneficiary upon the number and we can do the payment. We can add multiple beneficiaries in a single go and then we will do the validation. 

We have a back office application as well where we can configure based upon the user as well as based upon the segment. We can configure per day.

We're able to do transformations. We can do the validation before calling the API. Once validation is done, we will show the set of validation. Either it can be the OTP validation or it can be a token validation. Once that is done, we can call the final API, which calls the code banking system for doing the payments.

What needs improvement?

We've acquired a new bank and would like to integrate e-services into the offering. We'd like to be able to have an option for doing an activation directly from the internet banking area so that there is no need to contact the bank directly. Having e-services capabilities would be ideal. 

There are a lot of enhancements and new features coming.

Currently, in mobile applications, we don't have push notifications. We're hoping that will come in the new release. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for 3.5 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable enough. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. If I want to do any changes or anything, it has a one-click publish. There's no need to re-upload anything. We make changes, we expand, and it is a one-click deployment.

Currently, in Bahrain alone, there are 40,000 users on the app. We have the same for other countries as well. We have deployed more production for three entities - Bahrain, Egypt, and the UK. Currently, for the other three entities, it is in progress. We are planning to move those changes at the end of September.

We can add users as necessary. In LifeTime, we're able to handle user management. We're able to create a set of users and we can assign roles. It can be an admin role, like full control where it's able to do publishing, feedbacking, everything. We can receive a set of users and control access to certain areas. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very good. If there is any production issue or anything, we can raise the ticket and they're immediately helping. If there are any deployment changes that get affected, it means we have control of all directions also. Therefore, we can manage everything properly, without any effect, actually. Everything is completely handed down to OutSystems and it is more stable. If any deployment causes us an issue we can revert back to the older version and it'll work fine.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before that, I used a server platform called Forti. It is similar to the OutSystems Platform. We were able to use mobile and web publications and able to create using that.

I worked on an AD platform as well. 

Comparatively, I'm able to see OutSystems is very easy to maintain and easily fulfills the business requirements. 

How was the initial setup?

The deployment and process depends upon the model we are selecting. Normally consider if we are selecting big models, it'll take around 30 to 40 minutes for making a deployment to set up 15 applications. For example, if it is a mobile application, it means if we can select only the application, it will take a maximum of five to ten minutes for creating the solution and deploying in the UIT of production. For internet banking, we use Windows authentication, ID logins. For mobile banking, we used third-party APIs. We used common plugins for the camera location and everything. We integrated with Apple, Google, and Apple Wallet also.

Everything is completely handled in OutSystems, so we have a LifeTime available in OutSystems. Previously, we don't have LifeTime so we manually exported the solution and we deployed it in the UIT. With the help of LifeTime, we're able to see the versions and the differences. We can select the proper particular application and we can do the deployment. It is easy to maintain and easy to deploy as well.

What about the implementation team?

For doing the deployments, any changes, are completely handled on our side.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not sure how the licensing is set up. I don't handle that aspect.

However, I am able to see it s very costly as compared to other platforms. That said, we see the benefit of paying so much. They provide a lot of options. 

What other advice do I have?

While we use version 11.10.20 for service, the service center for LifeTime is 11.0. Currently, we need to upgrade that. The upgrade plan is in progress. We have had to start recently.

I'd recommend the solution to others. 

I would rate it eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free OutSystems Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.