PowerApps is a low code / rapid application development product from Microsoft that allows users to quickly build apps.
$20
per month per user
TrueContext
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
TrueContext (formerly ProntoForms) provides an enterprise-level low-code field-focused application. The solution is used to create apps and forms to collect and analyze field data with smartphones and tablets – either as a standalone solution or as a mobile front-end to enterprise systems of record.
PowerApps is well suited for "quick-wins" and fast prototypes of business solutions. It also is beneficial for situations where business partners and developers work together - it allows the business folks to provide a "quick-and-dirty" prototype which is then fleshed-out by developers that are trained experts on the platform. The interactive and easy to understand representation of the solution allows business partners to "see" the solution and add, remove, or correct aspects of it themselves. It provides a common view and understanding of the actual solution across business units and tech teams. PowerApps, being a low-code\no-code platform is not well suited for business processes that require many complex computations or large amounts of custom code - such as solutions that are better architected as Web Site or "full-blown" desktop solutions. There are solutions that are just not easy or quick to accomplish in a low-code\no-code platform. Enterprise Architects should know the difference, however business partners often try to create a solution and only when stuck because it becomes too complex do they engage a tech team for assistance - at which point there are sunk-costs involved and hinderences to re-platforming the solution
Prontoforms is suited for complicated business needs that are able to integrate seamlessly into one of the out-of-the-box solutions available. For simple recording to a spreadsheet, pdf, word document, database, etc. without any additional integrations, better (and in some cases free) solutions may work. For custom integrations, cost and effort may get expensive.
Power Apps has formats that are pre-built that don't require any coding which makes it easier to achieve your vision. This does become a challenge if your App needs don't fit into that format.
We deal with a ton of data so the fact that you can connect to any data source in addition to their pre-stablished data connections makes the process a breeze.
The online learning resources and tutorials are helpful as well for those who are tech savvy.
PowerApps is a great solution and I have spent the last year familiarizing myself with the platform and building custom applications to complete a whole range of tasks such as asset management, custom invoice generation, and item restriction tracking. We as a company have barely begun to scratch the surface of what can be achieved with PowerApps.
As Prontoforms markets itself as a low code, user-friendly drag and drop solution, it definitely excels in the area of user experience. While those who are more on the technical side will appreciate the standard options available as part of its custom integration tools. The learning curve has never been an issue.
The community forums are extremely responsive to questions asked, there is a good body of online documentation and many community posts to draw from. Although the platform has changed, which means some of the posts are out of date and the solutions provided aren't relevant. Of relevance, I read over 400 articles plus documentation to get this first app built in SharePoint, move it to SQL and make it work exactly the way it should.
The customer support for pronto forms was great for me in the only instance that I have had to use it. I called the phone number for ProntoForms customer support, they were quick with the correct answer for me and very reassuring.
Much cheaper, much more customizable, and easier to use. There is not much of a learning curve and the licensing cost is much cheaper. PowerApps does one thing very well, whereas other platforms are mediocre. There is much more customization possible for your in-house workflows that you can build yourself vs using NetSuite engineers to build it for you.
We looked for versatility of product and cost effectiveness when trying to choose vendors. Even though the product can be set up by the user or administrator, the more complex parts of the form required help to be done right. Vendors needed to be able to offer their services to get this done in a timely fashion. ProntoForms hit all the marks. We looked at other vendors and they just couldn't replicate or form closely enough.
It has given us a focal point for development. We now have the possibility of connecting to mobile and the default SharePoint online interface isn't always easy to manipulate. PowerApps has given us an opportunity to improve our user experience.
An improved user experience has given us a better shot at compliance. When users don't fight the environment, they don't gravitate towards workarounds or non-compliance.
As lists and libraries change, the platform scales pretty well.
Having users with the capability to create their own forms and tools has dialed back the app dev need (there is a balance though) and distributed power to the process architects and people who actually need the solutions in the first place—much more efficient model of service delivery: self-service.
