AppSheet vs. Instabase vs. OutSystems

If you need to manage special assets with unique characteristics and keep data in spreadsheets, Appsheet is ideal for replacing these sheets with a system. Once you start using it, you find yourself trying to move everything into Appsheet. It is perfect for generating internal software that would otherwise never be developed due to programming costs.

Incentivized

Well suited for internal exposure of business processes (invoicing, API layer to other systems, customer maintenance etc), whether a UI is required or not. Not so well suited for full fledged web design. An OutSystems application must serve one particular business need, if gets too much functionalities and responsibilities it tends to get chaotic and complex.

Incentivized

• Calculations - I have several apps that do some pretty complicated calculations, and decision making to build things like Shopping Lists for a Kanban assembly team, where the app will help a stocker determine whats low in a kanban assembly line stock box.
• Document generation and record keeping - I have an app that users digitally sign and receive PDF contracts, and the system automatically records all records from the transaction. Everything is held in files on YOUR OWN DRIVE (Google Drive) so when you're done with the project or AppSheet you DONT loose your data.
• Client/Customer Management - I follow the old school "Swimming with Sharks" model for client retention and customer engagement, and have built several small customer tracking tools for local businesses. This tool is limited ONLY by your imagine and desire to learn.

Incentivized

• Developing end user interfaces with ease and speed with a modern look and feel.
• First class low code development to reduce time to market with visual programming
• Their technical support team is fast and responsive. We've yet to have any issues they could not resolve.

Incentivized

• Once the tables / UX Views get way too many in number, it can become a little daunting to manage. This part of the UX may need something really smarter.
• Ability to Undo.
• Could provide more UI Look and Feel options. BTW, the new Graphs look great, but have some bugs, while the new INPUT() feature is a great addition too.

• Price – The licensing model of OutSystems is very expensive and not suitable for small scale developments. This is offset by the time to develop and stability for larger scale developments
• Flexibility on PaaS version – The PaaS hosted version of OutSystems limits your flexibility to access the front end and backend database systems which can significantly restrict your options on high data volume developments or where anything requiring slightly out of the ordinary access is required
• Same price for PaaS and self-hosted system. Licensing model dictates that you pay the same price even when you host the system on your own hardware which effectively means you pay more to manage the infrastructure yourself

Incentivized

We are still less than 10 users and probably may continue to be so. But, this being a franchisor set up, could be of use to other users like us.

We are very happy with OutSystems and our developers deliver good work. OutSystems lets us build new software on a regulare (2 weekly) basis, which is highly flexible and adjustable. Even without very much experience, our developers manage to build usefull software, which is working a lot better than our previous (legacy) software.

It's just great. The usability is the best thing about Appsheet. You must choose which things will really be used later. You have to be careful of not generating something too big and then it feels like something that need to be learned. This is something that resolve problems, but you had to be able to think before doing. It will not solve problems itself. You need to find the problem, think a solution, and then use appsheet to make this solution a reality

Incentivized

OutSystems has a feature in which we can develop a functionality in a application and can use that functionality in another application without developing it again. That is main plus point for the development team so they can work with different functionalities rather focusing on the same thing again and again. if we want to make any change on the user side then we can make it live with just the deployment using the service center.

Incentivized

AppSsheet has a support group and they show videos to help app builders. Though I have truck drivers' hours and can't join the webinars. Support groups with better assists me on a Saturday evening or a Sunday that I have time off. It's hard to watch videos driving down the highway.

The tech support is very reachable. Usually by [email] from but also by phone if needed. We had some difficulties at the start with understanding "what our machine was doing" under high performance load. After some good sessions understanding our needs they delivered good solutions for our problems we had in the beginning.

Excellent material full of hands on that improve the understanding of the platform.

The online training material is well designed and explanations are step by step, helping trainees to understand and follow each exercise and new concept.

I did everything on my own

Incentivized

In a large company, patiently and consistently work the behind the scenes politics with business and IT partners across the firm.
This is transformational - you will need a solid set of key business partners to lock arms together to move forward.

Incentivized

The ease that AppSheet provides to the developer is limitless. Before starting with AppSheet I used other software, but they didn't give me the tools at my fingertips.
When I learned about AppSheet and everything it could do, I understood that it was what I was looking for, the ease with which everything is related within the app with a few clicks is impressive.

I tried to use WordPress with some success. Also looked at Joomla. But when I saw OutSystems I knew I had been wasting my time there. It takes you longer to get going with OutSystems - but even I as a novice realized immediately that Outsystems is simply in another league. Outsystems is powerful. (Can you compare WordPress and Joomla to Outsystems - I don't think so).

• A good impact in general at the beginning since the free version allows great development so the investment in the implementation is of knowledge and time.
• As a consultant I have expanded my services through this platform including new low code application building services.

• The ease of use of the OutSystems development process has been the biggest ROI for us. We have developed our Framework product and maintained/enhanced it with only 4 workers.
• OutSystems has enhanced their product very significantly over the last 4 years. They have gone from a simple to use tool to a very simple to use sophisticated tool that covers the standard mainframe-based computing apps and the apps used on handheld mobile devices all using the same basic set of development tools.

Incentivized