Product Review | Adalo.com - No Code App Builder

In the rapidly evolving world of app development, Adalo has emerged as a popular no-code platform that seeks to empower it's users with the ability to create fully functional mobile and web applications without writing a single line of code.

No need for complex coding syntax, web and mobile app enabled and an intuitive drag and drop user interface. Sounds too good to be true? Let's take a look at what Adalo is, it's benefits and it's limitations.

Adalo: First Impressions

Having signed up to an Adalo account here we were presented with the option to create a web app or a native mobile app. Already, we're impressed that one platform can cater for both mobile and web apps, this means you only need to learn one platform.

Once you've selected the type of app you want to build you're offered some templates along with the option to start from scratch. We opted to start from scratch and you're presented with a canvas and some initial screens. For those of your familiar with Figma, this will feel similar. We found adding components, Sections and Features were all incredibly easy to build with. Components, as the name suggests are small, individual elements on a page - a text field, a button an image etc. Sections are groups of components already nicely formatted that you can add quickly and edit as you wish. Features are entire sections of an app (along with the corresponding database design), this is probably helpful if you're just getting started with the system.

As you build you're able to see a preview of the web app or a PWA (progressive web app) version of your mobile app with just the click of a button. Publishing to an Adalo domain is easy, and to a custom domain requires just a few steps that you are guided through thanks to the documentation section.

First impressions? Incredible. If you can design a power point slide, you can now design an app, thanks to Adalo.

What we loved

There's a lot we loved about this platform:

• Ease of use: Adalo's drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to users without technical skills, an eye for design and a cracking idea and you can now build it.

• Rapid development: A huge benefit to Adalo is the speed at which you can go from a blank screen to a basic app in a matter of hours, and more than this, the ability to make changes in real time is phenomenal.

• Cost effective: With the option to test the platform out on a free account and paid for accounts starting from $45 per month, the financial risk exposed is nothing compared to partnering with traditional development agencies.

• Third-party integrations: Adalo supports third-party integration enhancing the platforms capacity and the functionality of the apps you can build.

• Rich design: Adalo's absolute winning formula for us is it's dedication to allowing you to build genuinely beautiful looking apps.

What we hated

It's not all perfect though:

• Limited customisation: Adalo offers a lot - and we mean, a lot. But if you're looking for some complex interface, this platform won't be for you. You won't be building a mobile game in Adalo.

• Database performance: Adalo has focussed on the UI and UX of app development and while it comes with it's own database so that your app is fully functional, the database has limitations and is unlikely to be fit for enterprise level traffic volume.

• Platform dependency: Over the few months of working reviewing Adalo, we were alerted by the Adalo team of some performance issues, none directly impacted us and the team at Adalo did resolve this quickly, but the concern remains that your apps performance and availability is reliant on an external team.

• No data storage choice: If you're making an app in the UK or EU, there's no option to have the data stored in a server in a GDPR compliant country, making this another barrier to Adalo being a single solution.

Adalo: The Final Score

Adalo is an incredibly powerful platform and excels in the UI and UX side of app development, nothing else compares to it in terms of speed of development and intuitive functionality. There are some drawbacks, the database being the main one - be Adalo offers the ability to link to external databases, meaning that you can use Adalo for what it does best - App design.

Adalo as a single solution is a 2/5

Adalo for frontend development is an outstanding 5/5

At Cloudplex Solutions we've begun to migrate our frontend development work to Adalo it offers our Clients far greater access to the development and design of their app. If you'd like to check out what Adalo could do for you see our affiliate link here.