In a rapidly changing digital world, low-code platforms like Mendix and Power Apps have significantly transformed software development. These platforms allow organizations to develop applications quickly and efficiently. Compared to traditional methods, development time with low-code can be up to 2-3 times faster. Over time, many new platforms have emerged. In Europe, three platforms are often in the spotlight: Mendix, OutSystems, and Power Apps. Gartner and Forrester have named these three platforms as low-code leaders in their latest reports. In this comparison, we look at the key differences between Mendix and Power Apps.
Each platform receives a brief introduction, after which we will highlight the following aspects:
- Ease of use and development environment
- Integration capabilities
- Customizability and scalability
- Costs and licenses
Mendix – Enhancing IT & Business Collaboration
Mendix was founded in 2005 to bridge the gap between business and IT. At that time, the founder observed frustration between business teams and developers. The business side didn’t understand why developers found it difficult to grasp an “obvious” business need, while developers didn’t understand why the business couldn’t clearly articulate its requirements. To solve this communication problem, they created the Mendix platform.
Power Apps – Seamless Integration with Microsoft 365
Since 2018, Power Apps has been part of Microsoft’s Power Platform, answering the growing demand for low/no-code solutions. A key advantage is its strong integration into the Microsoft ecosystem. The division between Canvas apps and Model-Driven apps is a unique feature of Power Apps, where Canvas apps are built using a simple drag-and-drop interface. Model-driven apps can be automatically generated based on process models and the business data structure in Dataverse.
Ease of Use and Development Environment: Mendix vs. Power Apps
Both platforms are user-friendly and designed for easy development. Mendix offers Mendix Studio Pro, where users can switch between the application structure and a live preview. Power Apps works directly in a live preview, allowing you to test without launching the app.
Mendix apps are developed using the desktop application Studio Pro, while Power Apps Studio runs in the browser. Power Apps Studio offers Canvas apps (drag-and-drop) and Model-Driven apps (automatically generated based on business logic). The drag-and-drop approach of Canvas apps is ideal for beginners as long as it’s clear that the end product always operates in roughly the same aspect ratio and screen size. Building an interface quickly becomes more complicated if that’s not the case. In Mendix apps, responsive design is the default, and many built-in tools ensure that an app works well on any type of screen.
Beyond building applications, the underlying data and logic are just as important. In Mendix, app building, logic, and data sources are all handled directly in Studio Pro, while in the Power Platform, these are divided into separate products. This requires careful consideration of the necessary licenses. Fortunately, it’s easy to bundle the different components into one package, keep everything organized, and quickly connect them.
Integration Capabilities: Mendix vs. Power Apps
Mendix and Power Apps allow integration with third-party services or in-house data sources. In the case of Mendix, there is the Marketplace; for Power Apps, these are called Connectors.
If a service doesn’t offer a Marketplace integration or Connector, this doesn’t necessarily mean integration is impossible. As long as the service provides an API (Application Programming Interface), both Mendix and Power Apps allow you to write custom logic to integrate it. Sometimes, APIs are preferred over built-in integrations and connectors due to the extra freedom to implement custom logic.
Since Power Apps is a Microsoft product, integrating Microsoft services into your applications is particularly easy, or vice versa—integrating Power Apps into other Microsoft products. For instance, you can easily have a Power App function in a Teams channel, generate Word documents in your app, and have Single Sign-On automatically work with Microsoft accounts in your organization. This can be a significant advantage for companies that rely heavily on their Microsoft licenses.
When it comes to integrating specific Microsoft products, Mendix may pose more limitations. While much groundwork has already been laid on the Microsoft side, achieving the same functionality often requires more time from the Mendix developer. On the other hand, the Mendix Marketplace offers a much more comprehensive and organized range of third-party data integrations, app templates, and components.
Customizability and Scalability: Mendix vs. Power Apps
If having tight control over the server and runtime of your applications is important, Mendix is the clear winner in this area. Mendix offers complete freedom of choice between Mendix’s cloud platform, third-party platforms, or on-premises solutions.
Power Apps are designed to run on the Azure cloud, and a Power Apps license typically includes Azure bandwidth. While Microsoft advertises on-premises gateways for secure data connections between the cloud and on-premises data sources, your Power App itself will never run on your own on-premises servers.
The strong dependence on Azure limits the options somewhat, but setting up the Power Apps environment and deploying apps is very simple and fast. Deploying an application is just a matter of setting permissions and clicking publish.
Low-code simplifies building software, but sometimes high code is needed for more demanding tasks or precision work. In Mendix, you can supplement your logic with Java and JavaScript actions, while the appearance of your application can be enhanced with JavaScript components and (S)CSS. In the case of Power Apps, there’s the Code Components feature, which allows you to build and implement HTML, CSS, and TypeScript components.
Costs and Licenses: Mendix vs. Power Apps
A Power Apps Premium license costs €18.70 per user, allowing users to build and use unlimited applications. For 2,000 users, the cost drops to €11.20 per user. Each license adds 250MB of Dataverse capacity and 2GB of file storage to your organization’s pool. It’s also possible to purchase an app-specific license per user for €4.70, and for simple applications using SharePoint (if this is already in place within the organization), the free version could suffice.
Mendix shows a starting price of €900. This refers to licenses for the minimum functionalities needed to develop business applications. As you use the platform more intensively, the price is based on two factors: the number of apps and users. If the environments run on Mendix Cloud, this is also factored into the price.
Conclusion
In this article, we have highlighted the main differences between Mendix and Power Apps, but it’s clear that both are complete systems.
Mendix is particularly suitable for organizations that focus heavily on customization, flexibility in cloud options, and full control over their infrastructure. With its robust development environment and extensive customizability, Mendix offers more space for advanced and complex applications that can be seamlessly integrated with various systems.
On the other hand, Power Apps offers a user-friendly and easy-to-learn environment, especially appealing to organizations already deeply integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem. Its strong connection with other Microsoft products and the simplicity of the interface makes it an ideal choice for companies looking to build applications without extensive technical knowledge quickly.
In short, the choice between Mendix and Power Apps largely depends on the organization’s specific requirements. Mendix is a powerful choice for those who need maximum flexibility and control, while Power Apps excels in accessibility and integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. Organizations should carefully evaluate their needs and choose a platform that best supports their long-term goals.
Why We Choose Mendix
Mendix provides many organizations with an all-in-one solution that allows us to build applications quickly, reliably, and effectively, meeting the highest standards.
Whether it’s a cloud, on-premises, or hybrid solution, Mendix offers the freedom to adapt the infrastructure to the specific needs of our clients. This flexibility is also evident when it comes to who can use Mendix apps. An app built on Mendix can be used by anyone—colleagues, partners/suppliers, customers, and users without an account, each getting a tailored experience.
Mendix allows us to extend the functionality of applications with Java and JavaScript, meaning developers can supplement the limits of low-code with more complex logic. Moreover, with Mendix, you can build not only web applications but also native apps for both Android and iOS. This allows us to use a single platform to create a unified experience across multiple devices without compromising performance or user experience.
Another strength of Mendix is that all the necessary tools and features are available on one platform rather than across separate products. This ensures a more efficient workflow and avoids the complexity of using multiple integrations and licenses.
In short, Mendix offers the flexibility, scalability, and power our customers need.
Would you like a comparison or advice on Mendix versus Power Apps for your situation? Contact Justin and tell us your story.
