Business needs are changing — and so is the custom software landscape. What once worked for small-to-mid-size organizations may no longer scale with modern digital demands.
Many organizations got their low-code start with FileMaker (Claris), one of the original platforms for building custom applications with minimal code. It provided desktop-first simplicity, and the ability to deploy small, single-use apps quickly. Over the years, their users have built custom apps for inventory tracking, simple CRMs, scheduling systems, and form-based workflows.
Today, many of these same organizations are re-evaluating their platforms to keep pace with accelerating digital transformation and user expectations. They’re seeking modern, web-enabled, cloud solutions that scale with their business, support more complex workflows, and integrate easily with their IT ecosystem and cloud environments.
And ultimately, they want to benefit from the full promise of low-code: speed, flexibility, and the ability to deliver richer user experiences.
Development organizations are fast outgrowing FileMaker. Here’s why.
At one point, every development team evaluates whether its current development platform can continue to support its operations.
Organizations that once relied exclusively on FileMaker for their enterprise software development, are now facing limitations as their needs evolve. The demands of modern app development — web-enabled, seamless scalability, and rich user experiences — go far beyond what legacy low-code platforms were originally designed to support. For example, they may need to hire front-end web developers to build custom web apps on top of FileMaker. But this approach is costly—and reintroduces traditional coding challenges for teams that are used to the speed and ease of use of low-code platforms. Not an ideal situation.
Development teams often report these key FileMaker limitations:
- Aging technology stack: Limited cloud-native, mobile-first, and API-first capabilities.
- Poor scalability: Not designed for complex enterprise-grade needs or multi-department use.
- Not for customer-facing apps: Lacks native support for web-enabled intuitive experiences, relying on complex workarounds, adding time and cost.
- Vendor lock-in and costly licensing: Difficult — and more expensive — to adapt or scale affordably.
- High maintenance overhead: With a limited developer ecosystem, it’s harder to find expertise or evolve your applications.
- Rigid extension path: Web apps or advanced features heavily require traditional coding, which runs counter to the promise of low-code agility.
- No structured Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): Lack of native support (including version control, testing environments, deployment pipelines, and team collaboration) makes it difficult to maintain quality, and agility at scale.
While FileMaker continues to serve certain use cases well and will continue to have a supporting role in app development, it’s clear that the platform may not align with the expectations of today’s development teams and end-users.
What modern enterprises look for in low-code development
You don’t need to trade one set of limitations for another.
Whether you’re ready to move on from FileMaker or simply adding a modern platform to your enterprise development stack, dev teams must evaluate what their developers need — and what the market now expects.
1. Modern user experiences
In our digital-first world, users want enterprise applications to look and feel like the apps they use every day: beautifully branded, engaging and responsive. Developers need advanced tools to quickly create web-based, AI-powered, mobile-ready apps, without relying on excessive coding or workarounds.
2. More than a spreadsheet
Data-driven platforms like FileMaker serve a purpose. But developers now also need the ability to embed complex business logic, design advanced workflows, and create intelligent user paths, all while maintaining performance and flexibility.
3. Simplicity that scales
Low-code shouldn’t mean limited. As businesses grow, so do their technical and business needs. From “simple” internal apps to multi-module platforms, dev teams need pro tools that scale — not just in performance, but in collaboration, integration, and maintainability.
4. Adaptive pricing
Traditional licensing models can stifle innovation especially for smaller teams or those managing multiple apps. Platform pricing must be flexible, transparent, and tied to usage or value — not arbitrary tiers or access restrictions.
5. Full low-code capabilities (extend, only, when needed)
Modern low-code platforms should cover the full spectrum of app development with no coding required. Traditional coding should only be used to extend functionality, not as a requirement to achieve core outcomes.
6. Ease of use for pro developers
Professional developers expect low-code platforms to work for them — not against them — with advanced capabilities, such as powerful UI/UX, reusable components, integration tools, version control, AI-powered assistance, and complete application lifecycle management. Teams want to move fast without sacrificing performance, quality, or control.
DAZZM: Next-gen low-code platform created to meet modern enterprise standards
With the stage set for what development teams want from an enterprise low-code platform, it begs the question:
Which low-code platform can truly deliver?
Whether you’re looking to modernize legacy FileMaker applications or build entirely new solutions, DAZZM delivers on every front: flexibility, scalability, usability, and performance. It’s designed to meet today’s standards and evolve with tomorrow’s demands.
The intersection of enterprise needs and low-code capabilities
Here’s how DAZZM’s approach to low-code application creation is addressing the needs of the modern enterprise:
/ Enterprise-grade, web-enabled applications
DAZZM enables the creation of high-performance, high-quality custom applications that are fully web-enabled and mobile-ready. Ideal for internal apps and customer-facing solutions.
/ Modern visual UI that drives engagement
Dev teams can easily design pixel-perfect, branded interfaces with built-in responsive design tools for intuitive, engaging user experiences across devices.
/ Cloud-native and mobile-ready out-of-the-box
Seamlessly deploy instantly across modern environments — including web, tablet, and mobile — so your teams and users can access tools wherever they are, with no hybrid workarounds.
/ Codeless-first, with code flexibility
Developers want platforms that are powerful from the start, but open to customization when needed. DAZZM lets you build entirely without code, and then extend capabilities using JavaScript, React, or Node.js for advanced use cases.
/ Built-in database engine
A fully native database engine allows you to design, manage, and interact with structured data directly within the platform. This enables seamless data modeling, strong business logic, and full-stack application development.
/ Scalable by design
From small in-house apps to complex, customer-facing solutions, DAZZM is engineered to seamlessly grow with your development needs.
/ Effortless, secure integrations
Whether you’re connecting to legacy systems, CRMs, ERPs, or cloud-native databases, DAZZM makes integration simple and secure. Open APIs ensure your apps fit seamlessly into your broader tech ecosystem.
The future of low-code development beyond FileMaker
FileMaker has served many teams well — and for some, it continues to meet the mark. But as business needs evolve, the demand is shifting toward platforms that are built for pro developer capabilities and modern user expectations.
The future of custom software development lies in solutions that deliver on the true power of low-code: web-enabled and empowering for both business and technical users. Whether you’re looking to modernize existing workflows or build new customer-facing applications, modern low-code platforms can unlock far greater value.
DAZZM’s codeless-first approach to low-code development delivers a zero-risk path to creating high-quality, production-ready custom applications at lightning speed, — all without compromising on software quality or user experience.
Because it’s not about replacing FileMaker — it’s about upgrading to what today’s enterprise needs.
