Build for speed.
April 28, 2021

Build for speed.

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with OutSystems

We use OutSystems for all kinds of internal business processes, where a full fledged externally exposed user interface is not required. Most of them are monitoring related, like invoice or payments overviews. But we also use it as a service layer, where the OutSystems application contains API's. OutSystems provides a way to implement a business solution in a seriously fast way.
  • It provides very clean and intuitive flow editor.
  • All "parts" in OutSystems (flows, UI, data, logic) are fully interconnected. A change in data will be immediately propagated through all layers.
  • I've never, yet, experienced any bug in interconnectivity. For example when you change the size or type of a column, and expect it to be reflected in the properties of some UI field.
  • It's very easy to start being productive in OutSystems as a complete noob. Even for complex matters it is just a matter of a quick google search on how it's done. There is a flat learning curve.
  • The flow editor provides the ability to debug in a way that just works.
  • It integrates very well with custom C# code, if you want to. But we only added custom code during the first few years. After a little more experience we found ways to circumvent the need to implement custom code, but it's nice to know that you at least can extend any functionality in case you really need to.
  • It would be nice if OutSystems provided a way to import and export the YAML for any API.
  • The "servicecenter" and "lifecycle" modules can seem to be a little daunting at first. I would like to see a little more intuitive approach. But this is but a small problem, hardly worth mentioning, because even these modules have a rather flat learning curve.
  • Coding inside OutSystems is "data oriented" and as such follows more database-like architecture instead of good old Object Oriented design. Even when the latter is actually possible, working in OutSystems seems to recommend a more point to point and procedural approach. There are no "interfaces" or "base classes", which is both a strength and a weakness.
  • Speed of development.
  • Easy connectivity with existing databases.
  • Flat learning curve.
  • It's possible to implement a solution without paying attention to best practices, for instance when independent applications rely on others without a service layer (and API Manager) in between. It's hard to change that later. And even then, development saved a lot of time.
  • Complex business processes were "suddenly" easy to implement, which would have required months of development before we used OutSystems. Again, time saved.
  • Inexperienced, new or external developers can immediately start developing, learning along the way.
Totally different products of cource. Sitecore is best suited for full fledged websites with extensive support for analytics. OutSystems for modular business processes with a UI. Hence, there is no overlap. But even for small websites, or even landingpages, I would recommend OutSystems, with a custom made analytics part or a plugin.

Do you think OutSystems delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with OutSystems's feature set?

Yes

Did OutSystems live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of OutSystems go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy OutSystems again?

Yes

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.

OutSystems Feature Ratings

Visual Modeling
10
Drag-and-drop Interfaces
10
Platform Security
8
Platform User Management
7
Reusability
6
Platform Scalability
7