Adalo

Overview

Adalo brings screens, data and publishing into one visual app-building workflow, with Ada adding prompt-based creation and editing. It is strongest for makers who want to take a database-driven project to responsive web and native app stores without building separate projects. The 500-record free-plan cap is useful for trying an idea, but it can constrain a growing app.

Key features

• Three outputs from one project: Adalo supports responsive web apps and native iOS and Android builds, with options to publish to custom domains, the Apple App Store and Google Play. Its IPA and APK builds are native rather than web wrappers, making this a better fit for app-store projects than a web-only approach.
• Database and connections: The built-in hosted Postgres database can be used alongside Airtable, Google Sheets, Xano, REST APIs and external collections. Integrations include Stripe, Google Maps, Zapier, Make and IAPHUB. This breadth suits data-driven apps that need outside services, though custom integrations and some advanced capabilities are reserved for higher tiers.
• Templates, actions and APIs: Feature Templates provide ready-made screens, actions and database setups for functions such as chat, purchasing and appointment booking. Custom Actions can connect to APIs or handle tasks such as sending email and retrieving weather data. REST, Collections and Notifications APIs offer additional ways to connect an app to other systems.
• Ada assistant: Ada can generate and edit apps from natural-language prompts and is included in all plans as a beta assistant. It adds a prompt-based route into the builder, but its beta status makes it a complement to the platform rather than a reason to assume a finished app will build itself.
• Scale and privacy: Adalo reports 99% average app uptime, more than two million unique end users and over 20 million average daily data requests; these figures do not promise the same performance for an individual app. The company says its infrastructure is built to handle five million users and beyond. It also says app data is used for functionality and product improvement, not tracking or advertising, and is not sold or rented. Its privacy policy notes that absolute security cannot be guaranteed.

Pricing

The free plan is free forever, requires no credit card to start and includes one app editor, 500 records per app, unlimited screens and unlimited test apps. It is well suited to learning the builder and validating a small prototype. The record cap and absence of a published-app allowance make it a poor fit for a live app that is likely to accumulate data.

• Starter — $36 a month (billed annually): Includes one published app, unlimited app actions, one editor, a custom domain, web publishing, automated app-store publishing and no Adalo branding. This is the entry point for a founder who needs to publish one app; it does not include the multi-editor allowance or specialist capabilities of higher plans.
• Professional — $52 a month (billed annually): Includes two published apps, unlimited app actions and five editors, plus custom integrations, design versions, geolocation, custom app actions, analytics, formulas and push notifications. It better suits small and medium businesses that need collaboration and richer app functions.
• Team — $160 a month (billed annually): Includes five published apps, unlimited app actions and ten editors, with priority support, Xano integration, App & Collections API, version history and white labeling. Freelancers or agencies managing several apps may benefit from the larger publishing and editor allowances; a single-app maker may not need them.

Paid-plan prices are quoted with annual billing, so the monthly figure is not a month-to-month term. Support includes help documentation, community support, Adalo App Academy and ticket email support; paid-tier service-level entries are three, two and one days. Adalo does not provide HIPAA compliance, so it is not a suitable choice for projects that require it.

Platforms

Adalo supports Android, iOS and web from one project. Responsive web design adapts to the viewing device, while native builds target iOS and Android. This combination is useful for a team that wants web access alongside app-store distribution, rather than a mobile-only or web-only release.

Who it's for

Adalo is a sensible choice for founders, small businesses and independent makers building database-driven apps that need native publishing, responsive web output or integrations with existing services. Agencies may find the Team plan's five-app allowance and ten editor seats more appropriate. It is less suitable for projects that need HIPAA compliance or whose data needs quickly exceed the free plan's 500-record allowance.

Pros and cons

• Pro: One project can produce responsive web and native iOS and Android apps, avoiding separate platform projects.
• Pro: A built-in database, external data sources, integrations and APIs give database-driven apps several ways to connect services.
• Pro: The free plan has no time limit and allows unlimited screens and test apps, making it useful for extended prototyping.
• Con: The free plan's 500 records per app can become restrictive as data grows.
• Con: The entry paid plan has one editor and one published-app allowance; teams and multi-app publishers must move up tiers.
• Con: HIPAA-required projects are not supported, and the company does not guarantee absolute security.

Alternatives

• Replit is another freemium option, with a free Starter plan offering daily usage, one live project and one background task at a time.
• FlutterFlow may suit readers comparing a freemium builder with a free tier that permits up to two projects, ten Lite credits, five lifetime AI requests and two API endpoints.
• Lovable offers a free plan with five daily build credits, up to 30 per month, plus monthly Cloud and AI credits and unlimited workspace members.
• Base44 is worth considering for a free allowance of up to five apps, with authentication, database functionality and analytics included.
• Bubble offers a free Web + Mobile plan with one app editor, 50K workload units per month and six hours of server logs.
• Bolt.new has a free plan with daily and monthly token allowances, website hosting, unlimited databases and Bolt branding.
• Draftbit offers a free plan with one sandbox, three projects, two apps per project, one REST API integration per project and 5,000 one-time credits.
• Dyad is a freemium option for readers seeking a local open-source builder for macOS and Windows, with no sign-up and support for bringing their own API key.

For more options, compare No-Code AI App Builders, AI App Builders, No-Code Development Platforms and No-code app builders.

Verdict

Choose Adalo if you want to build a data-driven app visually and publish the same project to responsive web and native iOS and Android. Its integrated database, connections and lasting free tier make it approachable for prototypes and smaller releases. Look elsewhere if your project requires HIPAA compliance, or if the free data cap and paid tiers' editor and app allowances do not suit your scale.