Beyond ChatGPT: Comparing the Different Tools for System-Level AI Development

In the application development space, there has been a recent number of tools and platforms that are leveraging frontier technologies like Artificial intelligence (AI) to help coders, their tech leads, and the overarching IT departments help build applications to help the organization digitally transform. In one of our previous articles here, we shared the classification of the different types of AI tools (in the diagram below) with the pros and cons of each category in the segment.  

In this blog, we are going to deep-dive into "system-level development tools" – which are among the fastest-growing segment in the classification of AI tools.  

System-level development typically makes use of artificial intelligence-powered software engines to help businesses develop custom applications rapidly and at a fraction of the cost they would have used otherwise. Some of the more notable platforms which are most known for AI-assisted software application development include Builder.AI, CodeGPT, Crowdbotics, and more recently Xamun.  

The intent of this article is to help provide a distinct differentiation between all these popular platforms to help you make a more educated decision about which of the tools might be right for your usage.  

But before we get started on the comparison, we must realize that Builder.ai, CodeGPT, Crowdbotics, and Xamun are distinct platforms that serve different purposes in the realm of software development and app creation. While they might have overlapping functionalities and features that might be similar to the other, they are typically used for building varied kinds of applications that might be more suited to the platform capabilities that each of these tools has been able to build.  

Let’s take a closer look below to understand some of their core competencies and how they might suit the application development objectives which your organization might have. Before we delve into the technical factors, let's understand their unique strengths which would help develop an appreciation for the philosophy they have for the application development process. For simplicity let’s begin our classification on the following five key attributes:

1. Purpose and focus
2. Development process
3. Expertise and skill level required
4. Flexibility & customization
5. Pricing and business model  

Let’s take a closer look at each of the tools when compared on the parameters above:

Purpose and Focus:

• Builder.ai: Builder.ai claims to have developed a new category between low code and custom development that allows users with minimal coding experience to ‘assemble’ software applications. It emphasizes visual design and customization using pre-built modules and integrations. The output from their platform is then taken up by Builder.AI’s product experts to support customization to suit the client requirement.
• CodeGPT: CodeGPT is a language model-based platform, like the one you're currently interacting with, designed to assist developers in generating code snippets, providing programming explanations, and answering coding-related queries.
• Crowdbotics: Crowdbotics connects users with developers who follow agile development methodologies. Once the platform outlines the best software packages for a given feature set, Crowdbotics developers and product managers support specifications and customizations having control over the design and functionality.
• Xamun: Focused on solving for scope creep (by the design first approach), difficult upgrade and maintenance (WYSIWYG solution blueprint can easily be done by a developer with standard programming skills) & long build time (reduced by AI-assisted blueprint creation & bot powered code generation) – Xamun offers two options- the first where developers use the platform to support launch custom software & other where users can build the platform to build custom dev apps.  
  

Development Process:

• Builder.ai: Builder.ai offers a drag-and-drop interface with pre-built modules, enabling users to visually design applications without extensive coding. It takes care of infrastructure, hosting, and maintenance.
• CodeGPT: CodeGPT is an AI-powered language model that assists developers with generating code snippets, providing coding explanations, and answering programming-related questions. It can be used as a tool during the development process.
• Crowdbotics: identifies the best software packages for a given feature set, based on what has been historically used to build similar apps. Crowdbotics then identifies expert developers and product managers to help customize the application and deploy it into production.  
• Xamun: The Figma prototype is converted into an AI powered blueprint which is then customized into WYSIWYG blueprint by developers. This then powers the code generation by Bots providing the user with the source code which he owns with the option of deploying on a web/mobile app and hosting it on Microsoft Azure Cloud platform.  
  

Expertise and Skill Level:

• Builder.ai: Builder.ai is designed to be accessible to users with minimal coding experience. It caters to non-technical individuals or businesses seeking to create applications without deep programming knowledge. However, support of developers is required when the user has customization requirements which is limited by the platform capability.  
• CodeGPT: CodeGPT is a tool primarily designed for developers who possess coding expertise. It assists them in generating code snippets and acquiring programming knowledge.
• Crowdbotics: Crowdbotics caters to users who require custom development solutions. It connects them with experienced developers who possess expertise in various programming languages and frameworks.
• Xamun: follows co-creation approach where the simplicity of the low-code app builder is supported by customizability of a dev shop. The platform suggests that 10-40% of software projects still required full-coding, which the platform hopes to minimize by 10x using the AI generated blueprints and bot generated source code.  
  

Flexibility and Customization:

• Builder.ai: Builder.ai offers a wide range of pre-built modules and integrations that can be customized to create unique applications. However, the level of customization may have limitations compared to fully custom development.
• CodeGPT: CodeGPT assists developers in generating code snippets and explanations but does not provide the same level of flexibility and customization as Builder.ai or Crowdbotics. It focuses more on providing coding support for building system grade applications.  
• Crowdbotics: The ‘Managed app development model’ of Crowdbotics ensures since the identified software packages are support by expert developers and product managers. Users work directly with developers to define project requirements, select tech stacks, and incorporate specific features and functionalities.
• Xamun: allows for a high level of flexibility and customization as the AI powered blueprint creation and the bot-powered code generation is complemented by skilled developers who would support the creation of custom software applications.  
  

Pricing / Business model:

• Builder.ai: Builder.ai offers transparent pricing based on the specific features and modules used in the application. Pricing is typically subscription-based or pay-as-you-go (through weekly / monthly instalments plans) and prices may be adjusted based on the speed of app build (‘speedy’ costing more than ‘relaxed’).
• CodeGPT: CodeGPT is generally accessed through API usage, and pricing can vary based on the platform or service utilizing it.
• Crowdbotics: Crowdbotics offers pricing based on the scope and complexity of the project. Estimates are typically provided based on developer hours required and the level of customization needed.
• Xamun: The ball-park estimation of custom application development is done on understanding the high-level requirements before the process of creating the Figma prototype begins. This ensures that the user is fully aware of what he might be expected to shell out, before he begins the engagement of custom app development.

Apart from the above parameters that might be critical for us to compare the system level AI development platforms across some of the other parameters. These would include some of the more practical nuances of software application development such as code ownership, price transparency, the ability to use the platform or its developers to customize services among other key factors. The following table below makes a careful comparison of some of these factors to evaluate the potential fit of your platform with the requirements your company might have.  

Xamun: AI-Powered Bespoke Software Development  

The space in AI-assisted software development is hotter than ever – with companies with their different tools and platforms promising you the moon. However, there are differences between the platforms – not just in the capabilities or features but the audience they intend to cater to. Careful evaluation of the features coupled with the cost and the timelines for using any platform might be critical to understand the best platform for your custom development needs.  

The article explores the popular AI-assisted tools used in system level development to provide the readers with an overview of the potential options available.   To summarize:

• Builder is an app assembly platform which binds reusable components together to simulate software development while connecting customers to their global support network. Builder doesn’t offer full-code capabilities with a library of pre-build components & cloud hosting and software maintenance capabilities.  
• CodeGPT serves as a language model-based tool for developers, assisting them with code generation and programming explanations. The audience of this tool is technical developers supporting them with writing new code from scratch, asking questions, refractoring code and finding bugs.‍
• Crowdbotics offers ‘managed app development services’ where its app builder platform is supported by PMs and developers offering the user full control over scope and final results. The timelines and costs are on the higher side compared to other AI-assisted platforms.  There have also been reviews1 where the apps requested by the customer have not been delivered and they have not been refunded the amount they initially paid for.  

Xamun has a unique ‘co-creation’ approach to AI-assisted custom software development where you would be closely working with Xamun to design the prototype which would then be created as a blueprint / prototype. A sign-off is then obtained on the prototype and you are proposed a fixed cost estimate in terms of time and budget. Bots then convert the prototype into usable source code and provide the user with hosting options, ensuring a whooping 20x faster delivery of web and mobile cloud apps.  Connect with one of our digital transformation agents here to kickstart your digital transformation journey.