Software engineering teams are under pressure like never before. Business leaders demand new applications that are fast, flexible, and scalable—yet IT departments continue to face resource shortages, rising costs, and complex integration challenges across distributed systems. Against this backdrop, enterprise low-code application platforms have evolved from departmental tools into a foundation for mission-critical application development.

This shift is reflected in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAPs), published in July 2025, which evaluates the most significant vendors shaping this fast-growing market. SAP has once again been positioned as a Visionary in the report, building on its 2024 placement and demonstrating continued momentum with its unified low-code solution, SAP Build.

For IT decision-makers and enterprise architects, this recognition matters. It highlights not only where SAP stands among leading providers, but also how low-code application development platforms are redefining the balance between speed, scale, and control in enterprise development.

Understanding the Visionary distinction

In Gartner’s words, “Enterprise LCAP Visionaries demonstrate a good strategic vision and a strong understanding of the needs of the enterprise LCAP market.”

Being named a Visionary in the Magic Quadrant for LCAPs recognizes vendors that are anticipating where the market is headed—particularly around AI, integration, and enterprise-scale use cases. It signals that SAP Build has the right strategy for enterprise customers who need a platform that works across both SAP and non-SAP landscapes.

Why low-code matters now

The core pain points for development teams remain consistent, including:

• Slow delivery cycles driven by traditional coding approaches and limited developer bandwidth
• High costs for building or modernizing enterprise applications
• Integration hurdles across complex and distributed IT landscapes

Low-code application development platforms address these challenges by streamlining development with:

• Model-driven design and visual tooling that reduce reliance on manual coding
• AI-assisted development for faster code generation, optimization, and testing
• Prebuilt components and connectors that accelerate delivery while reducing risk

Enterprises once viewed low-code app builders as best suited for lightweight apps or departmental workflows. But today, LCAPs are powering mission-critical workloads—from finance to supply chain, healthcare, and manufacturing—thanks to their ability to support enterprise-grade architectures, security, and governance.

SAP Build: A unified platform for enterprise-scale innovation

As an LCAP offering, SAP Build is designed to deliver speed without sacrificing the enterprise capabilities organizations require. It combines:

• App development: Visual tools rapidly create business applications and customer-facing portals
• Workflow automation: Preconfigured workflows and business rules orchestrate processes across systems
• Digital workspaces: Low-code portals and collaborative hubs helps teams engage with data and applications
• AI agents: Embedded AI assistants and proprietary generative AI models streamline tasks, guide users, and generate application logic

What sets SAP Build apart is its seamless integration with SAP and non-SAP systems alike, giving organizations freedom to modernize existing landscapes while extending innovation to heterogeneous environments.

SAP Build comes with over 500 prebuilt use cases spanning finance, HR, and supply chain, helping customers jumpstart projects while embedding industry best practices. Embedded AI assistants guide developers through tasks, recommend components, and accelerate delivery—an important differentiator as enterprises look to standardize AI adoption responsibly.

SAP’s strengths in the Magic Quadrant for LCAPs

According to Gartner’s evaluation, the benefits of SAP Build include:

• Overall viability: SAP’s stable financial foundation and global enterprise footprint reinforce long-term product investment
• Geographic reach: SAP has a strong presence across every major region, supported by a mature partner ecosystem
• Customer support: Enterprises gain access to robust training, documentation, and account services, along with deep integration into SAP’s application portfolio

These factors reassure IT leaders that SAP Build is a core element of SAP’s strategy for enterprise low-code application platforms.

The bigger market picture

The 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Low-Code Application Platforms evaluated 12 vendors, dividing them across Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players. SAP joins Pegasystems in the Visionary quadrant.

The report underscores three critical market trends:

1. Enterprise-grade adoption: LCAPs are no longer confined to departmental apps. They are being used for internet-facing portals, modular enterprise systems, and large-scale modernization initiatives.
2. AI-augmented development: Generative AI is embedded across platforms to assist with model-driven design, documentation, and even security guardrails. AI has become a co-developer, boosting productivity for professional teams.
3. From peripheral to central: Once considered complementary, LCAPs are now at the center of enterprise IT strategies—accelerating digital transformation, supporting agentic AI, and reducing technical debt from legacy modernization.

Customer perspective: SAP Build in action

Lion Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s leading beverage companies, wanted to give its sales and marketing teams better visibility into where its products were being served—and do it fast. Using SAP Build, Lion developed a new mobile app in just 10 days that connects venue data, inventory information, and sales insights into a single digital experience.

The app combines low-code development with embedded AI to crowdsource real-time tap data from the field. It syncs directly with SAP Sales Cloud to recommend venues, track product performance, and help teams make faster, data-driven decisions.

By using SAP Build’s LCAP capabilities, Lion not only accelerated app delivery but also empowered business users to drive innovation themselves—reducing reliance on traditional development cycles while maintaining security, governance, and integration with core SAP systems.

Why SAP Build matters for IT leaders and architects

For IT decision-makers weighing platform options, the case for SAP Build is tied to several strategic considerations:

• Architectural fit: SAP Build aligns with hybrid and cloud-native strategies while extending SAP systems into broader ecosystems
• Productivity gains: Low-code tools, AI assistants, and prebuilt content accelerate delivery, freeing scarce developer resources to focus on innovation
• Risk mitigation: Integration with SAP’s enterprise applications helps ensure compliance, security, and governance are built in from the start
• Future-readiness: SAP’s investment in AI agents and generative development reflects where enterprise application platforms are headed

SAP’s vision for the future of enterprise low-code application platforms

SAP’s recognition as a Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Low-Code Application Platforms signals its strong understanding of enterprise needs and its clear strategy for the future.

By unifying app development, workflow automation, digital workspaces, and AI agents in a single low-code platform, SAP Build is helping enterprises scale innovation, modernize processes, and improve productivity across both SAP and non-SAP systems.

For IT leaders and architects, SAP Build offers a compelling path to bridge the gap between speed and governance, experimentation and standardization—positioning low-code not just as a tactical tool, but as a strategic enabler of enterprise transformation.

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