When you realize how lengthy traditional app development cycles have been in the past, it’s understandable why so many enterprises are attracted to the prospect of being able to build and launch a mobile app in just a few days. Any solution that allows teams to streamline business operations without having to wait months and months for a dedicated team of engineers to take a product live is a solution that is going to draw attention.
Reviewing appsFreedom vs. Capriza
However, it’s important to keep in mind that not every quick mobilization is the same. App development platforms have different features and approaches. It’s important to investigate what exactly can be deployed, and how, before choosing the best platform for your organization. appsFreedom is often compared with Capriza, since both platforms proudly state that our customers’ apps can be ready to ship within a week. But when you drill down into the specifics of each platform’s architecture, it’s clear that the two are quite different from each other.
App Development Platforms
If you want to mobilize your existing web applications quickly, Capriza offers many advantages. The platform is essentially a virtualization solution, whereby a thin client app interacts with the existing web app, with an interface that shows the data rendered and executed in a way that the end user usually won’t know the difference. The user sees a simplified version of the backend application, so it feels like a mobile app, despite the fact that no data is actually stored on the app itself.
A product called Capriza Design uses the Capriza Relay Server middleware to show “zapps,” or thin clients, to the consumer. The resulting programs run well on all mobile devices and can be created quickly and easily. And it comes with distribution and usage analytics, which are extremely useful for business intelligence.
On the other hand, appsFreedom is a true model-driven platform, which means that apps are actually built by the platform, with the interface being structured around the records that matter most to your business. Despite their non-virtualized structure, apps built on appsFreedom can be developed without any coding skills. This means that you’ll be exempt from requiring any input from niche expert engineers who are capable of translating your specific operational needs into executable logic.
Since no programming knowledge is required, appsFreedom-powered apps can be created speedily, typically within one week. With a model-driven platform, enterprises benefit from the low cost of deployment and fast time-to-value : as well as life cycle management tools for governance, iteration rollouts, distribution and usage analytics.
Virtualization and Model-Driven Platforms: Which Is Best?
Both types of platforms allow enterprises to produce apps that end users can start working with in a relatively short amount of time. However, there are a number of disadvantages associated with virtualization solutions like Capriza. Firstly, the platform can only be implemented if the existing backend application in question is already web enabled. Moreover, it can only mobilize certain components of your existing web application, since the technology is meant to essentially simplify desktop web-based app experiences into a front-end that’s made for smaller screens.
What’s more, mobile apps powered by Capriza are incapable of reading and writing data across multiple business applications into a single mobile app, often called a composite mobile app. Virtualization allows enterprises to extend existing business apps to mobile. It does not support the creation of new mobile apps for restructuring business processes, and it won’t work with your applications that aren’t web-enabled. If your app needs are limited and you only require a simplified version of your browser-accessible backend, Capriza may be enough. But if you need more flexibility, virtualization might not be the way to go.
With appsFreedom, flexibility is a given. The model-driven platform drives the full app development lifecycle, from mapping out app requirements and setting up interface designs to deployment and eventual retirement. With a platform like ours, citizen developers can reinvent and innovate business processes, without having to take the limits of existing backend applications into account.
appsFreedom also offers a full application stack with mobile business process management, visualization tools, work flow logic, a database, and document storage layer and runtime capabilities. With our platform, enterprises can easily create composite mobile apps, merging data from on-premise applications like SAP and cloud applications such as Salesforce for a fully integrated platform. Offline apps can run independently and securely on any mobile device, and access can be granted to backend applications via various native integration mechanisms : even if your backend isn’t web-enabled.
Which Is Right for Your Business?
If your needs are limited to mobilizing an already perfect and future-proof backend web application, Capriza may be a good solution for you. But if you are looking for more versatility and flexibility, appsFreedom is a better option. The platform offers a broad range of functions : mobilizing spreadsheets in a matter of hours, complex composite mobile experiences that work offline, visualizing and retooling work flows between modules and even merging data from any number of source types.
Both platforms will have you up and running in a matter of days, but there are big differences in what you can accomplish with each platform. Consider what your business goals are in developing an app, and it should be clear to you whether your company is better off with virtualization or a model-driven platform.
We suggest you take a test drive of each platform to get a better feel of how each one will fit your needs. You can jump into the community edition of the appsFreedom platform right now. Let us know what you like best about it!