International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

This paper presents a systematic comparative study between traditional application development and Low-Code/No- Code (LCNC) development approaches. Using a Fitness Tracker application as a case study, two implementations were created: a traditional web application using Django (Python, HTML, CSS, SQLite) and a low-code Canvas app using Microsoft PowerApps connected to Dataverse. We evaluate both approaches across development time, code volume, technical complexity, perfor- mance, scalability, security, cost, and maintainability. Experi- mental measurements and qualitative analysis show that LCNC platforms dramatically reduce development effort and accelerate deployment at the cost of flexibility and vendor-dependence; conversely, traditional methods provide greater control and long- term extensibility. We conclude with practical recommendations and propose a hybrid strategy that leverages both approaches.