m-Power vs OutSystems

OutSystems is an enterprise platform for large development teams, run in OutSystems' cloud. m-Power is for small IT teams with big backlogs: Custom screens, your own business rules and live ERP data, on your own servers. You can change anything in an m-Power app, down to the code.

OutSystems fits if

  • A large platform team builds many apps across business units.
  • You want OutSystems to run the cloud for you.
  • You have budget for an enterprise subscription priced by app size and users.

m-Power fits if

  • The business keeps asking for things no template covers.
  • Your apps need to read and write your ERP or other databases, live.
  • The apps have to run on your own servers, under your own security.
  • You want anyone in the business to use them, with no user fees.
  • You want experienced consultants who can step in and build with you.
Get a Demo See the side-by-side

Five reasons IT teams pick m-Power over OutSystems

01 · Customization

You won't hit a wall

Every app starts from a template that already has the screens, security and standard features built. From there, you can change anything.

  • The look, down to the pixel. The front end is standard HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Bootstrap, so any web designer can restyle it.
  • Your own business rules. Plug in your own code and routines your team already wrote.
  • Other systems. Call outside APIs and services from any app.
  • The code itself. Open the code view and edit the HTML, CSS or Java directly.
"There are very few instances I've run into with m-Power where I'm hitting a brick wall and the software itself is a limiter." Case Escher, Employee Services Consultant, The Partners Group
With OutSystems

You build in OutSystems' visual models. Custom code goes into C# libraries you build and upload.

Each custom code function can run for up to 95 seconds, with 1,024 MB of memory and 5.5 MB of data in and out.

Libraries can't keep state between calls.

Source: OutSystems ODC docs on custom code and system requirements, checked November 2026.

02 · People behind you

Our consultants can step in on any project

When you buy m-Power, you also get the people who build with it every day. Use as much or as little of them as you need.

You call.An m-Power consultant answers. They've usually built what you're asking about.
They build with you.Our team works next to yours on the project, so the know-how stays in-house.
Or they build it for you.Short on hands? Hand off the whole project and get back a finished app you own.

96% of first-time services clients come back for more work.

With OutSystems

8x5 support is included. 24x7 support is an add-on, and it requires a success plan.

Help building apps comes from OutSystems professional services or a partner.

Source: OutSystems support and success services pages, checked November 2026.

03 · Your data, your servers

It runs where your data already lives

m-Power installs on your server or in your cloud. Apps read and write your existing database live, so there's no copy to keep in sync.

  • Any JDBC database: Db2 on IBM i, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL and more.
  • A standard Java server: Tomcat on Windows, Linux or IBM i. There's no cluster to build first.
  • Your sign-on: SAML, OAuth2 or Active Directory. Users and roles stay where they are.
  • Your security review covers your own environment, because that's where everything runs.
With OutSystems

OutSystems Developer Cloud runs in OutSystems' cloud. It reaches your on-premises systems through a private gateway and a connector behind your firewall.

The self-hosted option runs on a Kubernetes cluster you manage, with at least 5 worker nodes of 8 CPU cores and 32 GB of memory each.

Source: OutSystems Developer Cloud page and self-hosted ODC requirements, checked November 2026.

04 · No user fees

Let anyone in the business use it

m-Power is one of the few low-code platforms you can buy with a perpetual license. That means unlimited users, apps and data, with no extra fees for any of them.

So the app that starts with one team can go to every department, and to your customers and suppliers too. You can scale up without paying more for it.

Unlimitedusers
Unlimitedapps
Unlimiteddata
With OutSystems

OutSystems is priced by the size of your apps and the number of users. Every screen, table and API method counts toward app size.

Prices come from a custom quote.

Source: OutSystems pricing page and application objects docs, checked November 2026.

05 · Ownership

You own what you build

m-Power builds standard, readable Java and HTML, the kind of code you can hire for on the open market. The apps run on a standard Java server, and they keep running without m-Power. With a perpetual license, you keep the software and every app, even if you stop paying for maintenance.

With OutSystems

OutSystems' contract lets you detach your apps' source code, after you pay all remaining fees, within 30 days of the end of your term. For OutSystems 11, detaching means you stop using OutSystems entirely.

Source: OutSystems master subscription agreement and detach docs, checked November 2026.

Side by side

OutSystemsm-Power
Where the apps runOutSystems' cloud, or a Kubernetes cluster you manageYour servers or your cloud
Where the data livesReached through a private gateway behind your firewallYour existing databases, read and written live
How you customizeVisual models, plus C# librariesTemplates, a visual designer, your own code, and direct edits to HTML, CSS and Java
Custom code limits95 seconds, 1,024 MB of memory and 5.5 MB in and out per callYour server, your settings
User feesPriced by app size and number of usersNone. Users, apps and data are unlimited.
If you stop payingSource code detach, after paying all remaining feesYou keep the software and every app
Help building appsOutSystems professional services or a partnerOur consultants build with you or for you
Support8x5 included; 24x7 is an add-onConsultants who build with m-Power every day
Best atLarge app portfolios built by big development teamsBusiness apps, reports, portals and AI tools over your ERP

Sources, all on OutSystems's own site: custom code in ODC, ODC system requirements, Developer Cloud, pricing, subscription agreement. Checked November 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check before you sign anything.

Where OutSystems is the better pick

Scale without running servers

OutSystems Developer Cloud scales automatically across AWS zones on Kubernetes, without your team managing it.

Built for many teams

Governance tools are made for organizations with many apps and separate teams, with a platform group setting the standards.

A big talent market

There's a large pool of OutSystems developers and partners, so hiring someone who knows the platform is easier.

“

This (m-Power) is a product that I've been looking for, for 30 years, because it checks every box that I wanted in terms of a highly productive development environment without having to build a whole development staff.

Robert Reeder, CIO & VP of Technology, Henley Enterprises

Questions we hear during evaluations

Don't see yours? Ask us. You'll get an answer from someone who builds with m-Power every day.

Send us a note

Page updated November 2026

Is m-Power an alternative to OutSystems?

Yes. Both build custom business apps. Teams usually pick m-Power when the apps have to run on their own servers over their existing databases, when they want consultants who can build with them, or when they don't want user fees. Users, apps and data are unlimited.

OutSystems Developer Cloud runs in OutSystems' cloud and reaches on-premises systems through a private gateway. Its self-hosted option runs on a Kubernetes cluster you manage, with at least 5 worker nodes of 8 CPU cores and 32 GB of memory each.

Not automatically, because OutSystems apps are built in OutSystems's own tools. The data is the easy part: m-Power builds over the databases you already have, so you rebuild the screens and keep the data where it is.

No. People who know their data can build working apps from the templates without writing code. Developers can go further, adding their own logic, calling APIs or editing the code directly. If your team is short on time, our consultants can build with you or build the app for you.

Db2, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Progress, Snowflake and any other database with a JDBC driver. m-Power builds over them where they are, so nothing moves. See the technical specs.
See it over your own data

Bring one request from your backlog

We'll build it live, on your data, so you can see how far m-Power goes. Ask us anything about how it compares.

Get a Demo How perpetual licensing works