What will it really cost?
Look beyond the first build. Count the seats, the AI usage and the years of maintenance.
Explore the tool →Read the field guide ↗Build with AI.
Decide with evidence.
For mid-market organisations with a small IT team: get AI-coding speed without building a large engineering team, with governance and a way out as your safety net.
The demo is the easy part. Before you choose how to build, understand the cost, the controls, the way out and your sovereignty: who owns the code and where it runs.
Free tools. Transparent assumptions. No account.
The decision behind the demoFIG. 01
Fast to build.
But what happens next?
But what happens next?
Cost visibility
Exit readiness
Governance
Three dimensions. No single winner.
Illustrative platform profile · 0–100 scale
Illustrative platform profile · 0–100 scale
01 / Field notes
Four questions worth asking first.
Can you leave on your terms?
Exporting data is one thing. Taking your logic, runtime and contracts with you is another.
Explore the tool →Read the field guide ↗Who stays in control?
Give teams room to build with clear access, review and accountability.
Explore the tool →Read the field guide ↗Who owns it, and under whose law?
Code ownership, where it is hosted, which AI model it uses and which jurisdiction applies. Hosting in Europe is only part of the answer.
Explore the tool →02 / Field notes
Explore all ten tools →Start with your situation.
Find your platform shortlist.
Nine answers. Five platforms. A clearer place to start.
Try the tool →What will your app really cost?
Compare agency, AI coding and platform costs over the life of one app.
Try the tool →Know your way out before you go in.
Check the data, logic and contract risks that make a platform hard to leave.
Try the tool →03 / The platform landscapeCompare the trade-offs.
Compare the trade-offs.
Not just the feature list.
Betty Blocks, Mendix, OutSystems, Power Apps and Lovable. Five different answers to the same buying decision.[1]
Compare the platforms →Next research release
The cost & control benchmark.
One repeatable brief. A consistent method. The first edition is in preparation for Q1; the release year is still to be confirmed.
See what we’re measuring →Sources & assumptions
- App Build Index sample research model, 14 October 2026. Prices and scores illustrate the interface and are not verified vendor offers.
- European Commission · AI Act framework. Reviewed 14 October 2026. Apply the rules to your exact use case with qualified advice.
A useful next step
Put your next decision in context.
Tell us what you are comparing and where you need clarity.
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