This blogpost aims to compare Microsofts Power Platform (low-code) vs traditional custom software development – something that companies ALWAYS struggle with when deciding how to modernize their systems.
Companies today are under more pressure than ever to modernize their systems, digitize manual processes, and do it all without overspending. Because of this, one question comes up again and again across small and mid-sized organizations:
Should we build our solution using Microsoft Power Platform, or invest in full custom software development?
It’s a difficult decision, especially when businesses need a scalable, secure, and future-ready system. Both approaches can deliver results – but the differences in cost, delivery time, and flexibility are significant. This blog post breaks down those differences clearly, helping you understand which option is the smarter investment for your organization
Main Differences
Low-Code Development
- Build apps without heavy coding
- Drag-and-drop UI
- Ready-made connectors
- Fast automation (Power Automate)
- Business users can participate
- Lower cost, faster delivery
- Built on Microsoft ecosystem (security, governance)
Traditional Custom Development
- Fully coded from scratch
- Requires a software development team
- More expensive
- Longer delivery time
- Harder to maintain
- Usually necessary only for extremely complex projects
Reasons WHY companies compare these two
Businesses in 2026 face several problems including:
- Higher development costs
- Talent shortages (developers are expensive!)
- Pressure to digitize processes
- Need for quick solutions
- Desire to integrate with existing Microsoft systems (Outlook, SharePoint, BC, Dynamics 365, Teams)
So then the question becomes: Should we build it with Low-Code or do it with a development team from scratch? This is EXACTLY the question Solutionade, your trusted Microsoft Gold Partner aims to answers. To help you understand which option fits best, here’s a clear breakdown across the categories that matter most for small and mid-sized organizations.
SPEED OF DELIVERY
Power Platform:
- Apps in days or weeks
- Automations in hours
- Reusable components
- No “back-end” server setup needed
Custom Development:
- Weeks to months or even a year
- Requires architecture, coding, QA, deployments
- Slow + expensive
Winner: Power Platform (especially for SMBs)
COST
Power Platform:
- Lower upfront cost
- No need for full dev team
- Licensing predictable
- Maintenance cheap
Custom Development:
- High upfront cost (developers, testing, hosting)
- Hard to estimate
- Maintenance very expensive
- Bug fixes take longer
Winner: Power Platform (unless extreme customization needed)
FLEXIBILITY
Power Platform:
- Very easy to modify
- Allows iterative improvements
- Great for workflow automation, internal tools, CRM add-ons
- Limitations appear only in super complex systems
Custom Development:
- Infinite customization
- No platform limits
- Best for heavy, complex, unique systems
- But changes are slow + costly
Winner: Power Platform for 80% of use cases
SECURITY & GOVERNANCE
Power Platform:
- Built-in Microsoft security
- Dataverse makes data management structured
- Admin center controls
- Easier to maintain
Custom Development:
- Security depends on the developers
- Hosting riskier
- Requires security audits
- More maintenance problems
Winner: Power Platform
INTEGRATIONS
Power Platform:
- 1000+ connectors
- Perfect for D365, BC, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook
- API calls simplified
Custom Development:
- Integrations must be coded
- Higher cost + longer time
- More room for bugs
Winner: Power Platform
MAINTENANCE
Power Platform:
- Automatic updates
- No back-end servers
- Low maintenance cost
- Citizen developers can make small edits
Custom Development:
- Requires a dev team long-term
- Bug fixes cost money
- Changes take time
- Technology becomes outdated
Winner: Power Platform
Final Conclusion
For most SMBs in 2026, Power Platform offers the faster, more cost-effective, and more scalable path to modernizing internal systems. It reduces development time, lowers maintenance costs, and integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem – making it the ideal choice for the majority of process automation and internal app scenarios.
Custom development still makes sense for highly complex, specialized, or externally facing applications, but for everyday business needs, low-code development delivers far greater long-term value.
If you’re unsure which approach aligns better with your requirements, a trusted Microsoft Partner like Solutionade can help you evaluate both options and determine the most efficient and cost-effective path for your organization.