Mendix

We automate a lot of processes with Mendix , primarily focusing on automation and robotic process automation.

The domain model of Mendix  is highly valuable as it allows quick setup and public deployment. The framework structure, with its code and building blocks, makes it easy to build logic by dropping elements into place. Mendix's integration capabilities are impressive, allowing for rapid and on-the-fly integration of almost anything imaginable.

Access to the database is limited in Mendix's public cloud, preventing direct database interaction or inspection. Improvements in data grid, particularly for a global search capability when searching through associations, are necessary due to existing limitations.

I have been working with Mendix for two to three years.

I would rate Mendix's stability as a seven. I recently encountered an issue with deploying applications on the Mendix sandbox, which took a week to resolve. Aside from this, we typically do not face significant issues with stability.

We are about to enter the scalability phase, but previously we did not face any scalability issues as our projects did not require scaling. With upcoming projects, scalability will be tested.

The technical support from Mendix is very good. I would rate it as nine.

Positive

The setup process for Mendix is straightforward and user-friendly. I can quickly create an app and start development.

Mendix is quite expensive, and its pricing model makes it inaccessible for startups. The app license costs between $13,000 to $14,000, which is prohibitive for startups. Mendix should consider adjusting its pricing strategy to penetrate the startup market. Startups are deterred by the high costs despite their interest in the capabilities of Mendix.

I also have experience with AWS  and find it preferable in terms of data provisioning, which is not available in Mendix's public cloud. AWS  is a more transparent option without the black-box nature of Mendix's public cloud.

Mendix faces existential threats from advancements in AI that can create full-stack applications at a lower cost. This needs addressing to remain competitive. I would rate the overall solution a seven.

Hybrid Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

I use Mendix  for business purposes only, similar to other low-code and no-code platforms like Unqork . It is not suitable for applications like Netflix, and it is specifically used in industries such as insurance, banking, and manufacturing.

I highly regard Mendix  because of its proper support, troubleshooting options, extensive learning path, and the availability of different types of exams. The solution is beneficial for integration with existing systems due to features like AI integration, SOAP integration, REST API integration, and various other options. Mendix offers validation, workflow and nanoflow minimization, user components, and follows best practices, making applications easily manageable and scalable. It saves time and cost while providing options for maintainability and scalability.

Currently, I do not see any improvements needed in Mendix. However, I have not used Mendix for the last few months, so I lack insight into any new features that might have been added.

I have been working with Mendix since 2021.

The setup is straightforward, similar to other solutions. Using the cloud-based version of Mendix, setup can be completed with a few clicks.

Occasionally, there is downtime if an upgrade is happening in the application.

Mendix provides options for handling scalability and maintainability through features like validation, workflow and nanoflow minimization, and user components, enabling projects to be easily managed and scaled.

Mendix provides proper support, troubleshooting options, and a helping community. The support resources are highly rated.

Positive

I did not work with other low-code solutions but remember names like OutSystems , Pega, and Appian . However, I chose Mendix due to its large market presence and availability of resources.

The initial setup is straightforward and similar to other solutions.

I have some idea about the licensing part, and it depends on the person and the number of applications.

I have not worked with other solutions, but I remember names like OutSystems , Pega, and Appian .

I would surely recommend Mendix because its market is large with many opportunities available. There are stability issues during upgrades, but overall, I rate Mendix nine out of ten.

Public Cloud

Other

I am applying the application to digitalize the Orbiq process and have created a customer-focused program to keep customers close. Additionally, I have an application that enables me to create quotations for my customers and their clients. I maintain and continue to develop these applications.

Mendix  gives me the opportunity to build a solution that is more attractive to my end users, allowing me to create my own specific software. I use an ERP  program called EnterpriseOne from Oracle, but ERP  software options can be rigid and not practical for end users. Mendix  fills the gaps where other software falls short.

Mendix provides the ability to create solutions that fill gaps that I would otherwise be unable to address with standard software. It integrates seamlessly with my existing ERP systems, enabling me to build attractive and user-specific solutions. Its cloud-based platform supports agile methods and enhances my development speed. These features enable me to better meet my organizational needs.

All software applications have their hiccups, including the Mendix Studio Pro developers program. Though still improving, there is no specific example of what really needs to be improved. Some learning paths need improvement, but most are satisfactory. It is not one hundred percent stable.

I have been using Mendix since June last year, so that's about one year and a half.

The product is generally stable, however, is not 100% stable.

Mendix supports scaling well with its comprehensive online documentation and learning paths. Consultancies can assist with scaling from small teams to enterprise levels.

I find support accessible. I haven't often needed to seek direct support from Mendix teams as their online resources and knowledge database are comprehensive. I rate their technical support between eight or nine out of ten.

Positive

I previously worked with IBM Notes. However, since IBM Notes is no longer on IBM and will likely disappear, I have found Mendix to be better for the long term.

You definitely need professional people to do the development in Mendix, especially if you're a small company.

I would recommend Mendix to others, particularly medium to large-sized companies. For a small company, it might be better to hire consultancy companies.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Other

We built a SaaS product for our own customers and are developing internal applications for most of the MDM using Mendix. Additionally, we handle small to medium-complexity workflow management systems, whether process-related or complete system automation, using Mendix Workflow.

Some customers prefer building their products rather than buying them. For instance, they wanted a simplified version instead of purchasing a product management system, so we developed it. We built a couple of external-facing, consumer-facing applications, although the consumer base for these is small.

When I often want to pitch Mendix, if there is something out of the box that is not available, I can always extend Mendix. Whether it's the front end or the back end, It can be extended with Java. I've also built many widgets using Mendix.

We are all moving away from a monolithic product model to microservices. We are building an F2DUI application to decouple the front and back end. Mendix provides an integrated approach for both. Ideally, we should have a way to separate the front end and back end to scale them independently. 

While Mendix does offer different ways to achieve this, I sometimes prefer having the front end separate. I don't want the back end to be tightly coupled with the front end all the time.

 I have been using Mendix for five years.

Mendix is quite stable. However, some customers do not always use the stable versions provided by Mendix, which include both LTS and MTS versions. If a customer chooses a version other than these two options, it may lead to stability issues. Therefore, we always recommend that customers choose the appropriate development version to ensure their applications' stability. Mendix offers stable versions, but customers must be educated about using them correctly.

The scalability has an issue. When you buy a license for a private cloud, you can scale as much as you can afford in your private cloud. However, buying a public cloud with a t-shirt sizing model has limitations. You are limited to the one instance you can get whenever you want to upgrade. There is always a limit to whether they provide 30 gigabytes or 128 gigabytes of RAM. For the public cloud, its scalability is limited, so I'm rating it seven. The rating is nine for a private cloud or on-premise because you can scale however you want.

Most of the time, it is for enterprise customers because of the licensing and the user-based cost. 

Since we are an official partner of Mendix, we receive priority on requests. Based on my interactions, responses are generally quicker, but the quality of resolution varies. There are two levels of resolution: one is through the documentation and technical support they provide, and the other involves their expert services, which may incur charges. While technical difficulties can be resolved with their assistance, charges may apply. It's important to note that Mendix does offer expert services that can help solve any problem.

The initial setup is easy. You can get started right away.

Integrating with Mendix is generally easy. It is integrated with most modern frameworks, such as REST and Kafka. We've even integrated it with external workflow orchestration tools like JPM or Camunda. However, I have encountered some issues with Mendix regarding SDK-based integrations. While it is possible to perform these integrations, there is no direct way to do it, making the process more complex. For example, if Salesforce provides an SDK instead of a REST API, integrating with the SDK is more complicated than a straightforward REST API integration.

I would not recommend Mendix because it is very expensive for external users and can also be expensive for internal users. If your internal workforce is less than 10,000, I recommend Mendix because you can achieve a faster ROI. However, if you have an internal customer base of 30,000- 40,000, I would not recommend Mendix. 

In version 10.12, released a week ago, Mendix introduced some new features I had requested multiple times. They now have an in-app help feature within the Mendix IDE to speed development. Specifically, they have enabled a chatbot within the Mendix IDE, which helps streamline development.

Additionally, Mendix should support modularity in each functionality. For example, the workflow engine should operate separately from the main application, allowing for independent deployment. This means I should be able to deploy the workflow engine, microservices, or UI components separately. If Mendix provides this option, it will be a game changer. This way, I can scale the workflow for workflow-intensive applications, scale the backend for high-throughput scenarios, and scale the content to accommodate many visitors.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Hybrid Cloud

I have used Mendix to build interfaces for unique use cases where other generic solutions like MS Excel won't fit in. Our organization has used the solution to build small applications on the local cloud that took 72 hours, and these applications were already being worked upon beforehand using Python. 

Excellent support is offered for Mendix. 

The vendor should focus more on the opinion of the users and make improvements to the product accordingly. 

I have been using Mendix for a year. 

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. Throughout my experience of using the solution, it only crashed once, which was fixed upon restarting. 

The product exhibits incredible scalability. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. There are about 3000 Mendix users in our organization. The solution is currently used about once a week in our company. Plans are in place to implement more functions in the product at our company. 

I would rate the tech support an eight out of ten. The support team should be more proactive in providing solutions to specific issues. 

Positive

Previously, I have used Visual Studio, Jupiter, and Graphical User Interfaces. 

In our organization, we almost never needed to integrate Mendix with any other solution. I would rate the initial setup an eight out of ten. Some companies might need assistance with the deployment, but overall, it's straightforward.

At our organization, Mendix is deployed in the cloud and on-prem. The deployment of Mendix took around four weeks in our company. Our organization's team made an application using Mendix that was deployed in ten minutes. 

The deployment was implemented in-house. 

The ROI is not always measured in terms of cost for products like Mendix; it's also measured in terms of the user experience, available information about the product, and the adaptiveness of potential users. 

I would rate the pricing a six out of ten. The solution is a bit expensive compared to others, but in the long term, it is worth it.

For instance, Microsoft Power Apps don't demand a huge investment to get started with because they integrate with the Microsoft Suite if it's already present in the system, but when communications with other systems are required, they need to be custom-built as Microsoft doesn't provide communication setup just out of the box, with Mendix such issues can be effortlessly solved.

The basic version of Mendix is enough to compete with power apps, but it can also be upgraded later.  

Mendix has accelerated the development processes in our organization and the speed to market solutions. There are Epics in Mendix that support agile processes and the development of stories. The paths generated from stories using the solution can be appointed to specific team members.

I would certainly recommend the tool to other users mainly because the graphical possibilities are immense for a beginner in Mendix. I would recommend others to build a suitable team with at least one specialist before adopting Mendix. 

I look forward to the vendor's innovations in the product with Artificial Intelligence; for instance, there can be a connection to ChatGPT. Overall, I would rate Mendix a ten out of ten.