Build Apps with AI — No Code Required

Build Any App You Can Describe

Ada, Adalo's AI builder, generates working apps from natural language descriptions. Tell Ada what your app needs—screens, database, logic, and navigation are all created automatically with Magic Start. Publish to the Apple App Store, Google Play, and web from a single project.

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Marketplace

💼

CRM

🏋️

Fitness

📅

Booking

🚚

Delivery

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Restaurant

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Social

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Healthcare

The Challenge

From Idea to Working App—Without the Traditional Barriers

Building a custom app has traditionally required hiring developers, learning to code, or spending months figuring out complex tools. Ada, Adalo's AI builder, removes every barrier between your idea and a published app.

The Traditional App Development Problem

Hiring developers costs $50,000–$200,000+ for a custom app—if you can find the right team
Learning to code takes months or years before you can build anything useful
No-code tools without AI still require hours of manual screen-by-screen configuration
Chat-only AI builders (Lovable, Bolt, v0) generate code you then have to maintain and debug
Most platforms require separate builds for iOS, Android, and web—tripling the work
Connecting a database, setting up authentication, and managing user data requires technical expertise

The Adalo AI Builder Solution

Ada generates a complete app from your description—screens, database, and navigation in under two minutes
Visual multi-screen canvas lets you see all screens at once and point at elements to direct changes
Magic Add lets you add features with natural language instead of manual configuration
No code to write, no code to maintain—Adalo handles the infrastructure
One build deploys to iOS (native), Android (native), and web simultaneously
Built-in relational database with user authentication and role-based permissions included

AI Capabilities

What Ada Can Do for You

Ada is Adalo's AI builder—the unified experience for generating, editing, and publishing apps. Here are the capabilities that make it possible to go from idea to published app without writing a single line of code.

✨

Magic Start

Describe your app in plain language and Ada generates a complete working prototype—multiple screens, a relational database, navigation flow, and sample data. Typically under two minutes from prompt to preview. Start with a sentence like "build me a booking app for yoga classes" and get a functional app immediately.

➕

Magic Add

After your app is generated, add new features by describing what you want in natural language. "Add a review system where users can rate products from 1 to 5 stars" or "add a notifications screen for new messages." Ada adds the screens, database collections, and logic automatically.

👆

Visual AI Direction

Point at any element on the canvas and instruct Ada to change it. "Make this button teal," "move this list above the header," "change this card layout to a grid." Unlike chat-only builders where you describe everything in text, you can see what you are pointing at and direct the AI visually.

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X-Ray

Ada's X-Ray feature scans your entire app for performance issues, broken links, missing data connections, and design inconsistencies. It identifies problems before you publish and suggests specific fixes—so your users never encounter issues you could have caught in advance.

🖼️

Visual Multi-Screen Canvas

See every screen of your app simultaneously on one canvas. Unlike page-by-page editors or chat-only builders with a preview pane, Adalo's canvas lets you design spatially—drag, resize, and connect screens. You always see the full picture of your app.

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One Build, Three Platforms

Every app you build with Ada deploys to iOS (native IPA), Android (native APK), and web from a single project. Same database, same screens, same logic. No separate codebases, no platform-specific bugs, no tripled development effort. Publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play .

How It Works

From Description to Published App in Five Steps

Adalo 3.0's infrastructure (launched late 2025) is 3–4x faster and scales to 1M+ monthly active users. Here is how Ada takes you from an idea to a live app on the App Store and Google Play.

1

Describe Your App to Ada

Tell Ada what your app needs in plain language. Be as specific or as general as you like—Ada generates screens, database structure, and navigation from your description. Magic Start creates the full initial prototype, typically in under two minutes.

Example prompts:

"Build me a marketplace app where users can list items for sale, browse by category, and message sellers."
"Create a fitness tracker with workout logging, progress charts, and meal planning."
"I need a booking app for a hair salon with time slots, stylist profiles, and payment confirmation."

2

Generate Your App with Magic Start

Ada analyzes your description and generates a complete working prototype. Multiple screens, a relational database with the right collections and relationships, navigation between screens, and sample data—all created automatically. You can see the full app on the visual canvas immediately.

What Ada generates:

Screens & Layouts

Home, detail views, lists, forms, profiles—all connected

Database Structure

Collections, relationships, field types, and sample records

Navigation Flow

Tab bars, drill-down flows, back buttons, and screen transitions

User Authentication

Login, signup, password reset, and session management

3

Refine with Visual AI Direction & Magic Add

See every screen on the canvas and point at elements to direct changes. Use Magic Add to add features by describing what you want—"add a favorites list," "add push notifications for new orders," "add a search bar to the home screen." X-Ray identifies issues before you publish.

Ways to refine your app:

Magic Add

Point & Direct

X-Ray Scan

Drag & Resize

Database Editor

SheetBridge

4

Preview on Any Device

Preview your app on any device form factor directly from the canvas. Test the complete user flow—login, browsing, creating content, notifications—on iPhone, Android, tablet, and desktop screen sizes. See exactly how your app looks and behaves before publishing.

5

Publish to App Store, Google Play & Web

Adalo compiles your app into native iOS (IPA) and Android (APK) builds and guides you through app store submission. Your same project also deploys as a responsive web app. One build, three platforms—all from a single Adalo project with unlimited usage.

Why Build with AI

The Fastest Path from Idea to Published App

Ada combines AI generation with a visual canvas—so you get the speed of AI with the control of a visual editor. No other platform gives you both.

⚡

Minutes, Not Months

Go from a description to a working prototype in under two minutes with Magic Start. Traditional development takes 3–6 months. Even other no-code tools take days of manual configuration. Ada generates screens, database, and navigation from a single prompt.

🛡️

No Technical Skills Required

No coding, no widget trees, no property panels, no command line. Describe what you want in plain English, point at elements to make changes, and publish. If you can describe your app, you can build it. Adalo handles the infrastructure, the database, and the native builds.

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Unlimited Everything

Publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play with unlimited usage—no caps on actions, users, records, or storage. The lowest price for native app store publishing. Compare to FlutterFlow at $80/mo per seat or hiring developers at $50,000+.

🖼️

Visual + AI Combined

Chat-only builders like Lovable and Bolt give you a prompt and a preview pane. Adalo gives you AI generation plus a visual multi-screen canvas where you can see every screen, point at elements, and direct changes spatially. The best of both worlds.

Compare Your Options

How Adalo's AI Builder Compares

See how building with Ada compares to prompt-led web app builders and traditional development approaches.

Feature	Adalo (Ada)	Lovable	Bolt	Traditional Dev
AI app generation	✅ Full app from prompt	✅ Web app from prompt	✅ Web app from prompt	❌
Visual editing	✅ Multi-screen canvas	❌ Chat + preview only	❌ Chat + preview only	Code editor
Native iOS & Android	✅ IPA + APK builds	❌ Web only	❌ Web only	✅ Platform-specific
Code maintenance	✅ None—no code generated	Code export, you maintain	Code export, you maintain	Full codebase to maintain
Built-in database	✅ Relational DB included	❌ Requires Supabase/Firebase	❌ Requires external DB	❌ Setup manually
App Store publishing	✅ One-click, free tier available	❌ Web deploy only	❌ Web deploy only	Manual submission
Visual AI direction	✅ Point at elements	❌ Text prompts only	❌ Text prompts only	❌
Performance scanning	✅ X-Ray	❌	❌	Manual testing

Best Practices

Tips for Getting the Best Results from Ada

Follow these patterns to get the most out of AI-powered app building.

📝 Be Specific in Your Prompts

The more detail you give Ada, the better your initial app will be. Instead of "build me a fitness app," try "build me a fitness app with workout logging, progress charts, a meal planner, and user profiles with goal tracking." Specific prompts produce apps that need less refinement.

👆 Use Visual Direction Over Chat

When refining your app, point at the specific element you want changed instead of describing its location in text. "Make this button bigger" while pointing at it is faster and more precise than "make the submit button on the checkout screen bigger." The visual canvas exists for this.

🔍 Run X-Ray Before Publishing

Always run X-Ray before submitting to the App Store or Google Play. It catches broken data connections, missing navigation links, and performance issues that users would encounter. Fixing these before publishing prevents negative reviews and app store rejections.

🔄 Build Iteratively

Start with Magic Start to get your core app, then add features one at a time with Magic Add. Test each addition in device preview before moving on. Iterative building produces better results than trying to describe everything in a single prompt.

What You Need

Requirements for Building with Ada

🌐

A Web Browser

Adalo runs entirely in your browser. No downloads, no IDE, no special hardware. Works on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chromebook. Design, build, and publish from anywhere.

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An App Idea

Ada works best when you can describe what your app does. You don't need wireframes, specifications, or technical knowledge—just an idea of the problem your app solves and who will use it.

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Adalo Account (Free to Start)

Build and preview for free with 500 database records. When you are ready to publish to the App Store or Google Play, plans start with unlimited usage—no caps on actions, users, records, or storage.

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Developer Accounts (for App Stores)

Publishing to the Apple App Store requires an Apple Developer Account ($99/year). Google Play requires a one-time $25 developer registration. Both are optional—you can deploy as a web app without either.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions About AI App Building

What is Ada and how does it work?

Ada is Adalo's AI builder—the unified experience for generating, editing, and publishing apps without code. Describe what you want in plain language and Ada generates a complete app with screens, database, and navigation using Magic Start. Then use Magic Add to add features, Visual AI Direction to point at elements and make changes, and X-Ray to scan for issues before publishing.

How is Adalo different from Lovable, Bolt, or v0?

Lovable, Bolt, and v0 are prompt-led web app builders—they generate code from prompts and give you a preview pane. You get web-only output and have to maintain the generated code. Adalo pairs AI generation with a visual multi-screen canvas, produces native iOS (IPA) and Android (APK) builds in addition to web, includes a built-in relational database, and requires no code maintenance. You describe, then visually refine on the canvas.

Can Ada build a mobile app for the App Store?

Yes. Ada generates apps that compile into true native iOS (IPA) and Android (APK) builds. You can publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play directly from Adalo with unlimited usage. These are native builds, not web wrappers or PWAs.

Do I need any technical skills to use Ada?

No. Ada is designed for people without technical backgrounds. If you can describe what your app should do, Ada can build it. The visual multi-screen canvas lets you see and adjust everything visually—no coding, no widget trees, no command line. Adalo users routinely build and publish complete apps to the App Store and Google Play without developer assistance.

What is Magic Start and how does it differ from Magic Add?

Magic Start generates a complete app from scratch based on your description—it creates all the screens, database collections, relationships, navigation, and sample data. Magic Add works on an existing app and adds new features or functionality based on your natural language instructions. Use Magic Start to create your initial app, then Magic Add to expand it incrementally.

Does Ada include a database or do I need to set one up separately?

Adalo includes a built-in relational database—no Firebase, Supabase, or external setup required. When Ada generates your app, it creates the database structure automatically: collections, relationships, field types, and sample records. You can also connect external data sources through SheetBridge (Google Sheets as a relational database) or External Collections for third-party APIs.

How much does it cost to build and publish an app with Ada?

Building and previewing your app is free with 500 database records. Publishing to the Apple App Store and Google Play starts with unlimited usage—no caps on actions, users, records, or storage. For comparison, Lovable and Bolt charge monthly fees for web-only hosting, FlutterFlow starts at $80/mo per seat, and hiring developers typically costs $50,000–$200,000+.

Can I use Ada to build an app if my data lives in Google Sheets?

Yes. SheetBridge lets you connect Google Sheets as a relational database for your Adalo app. This is useful for teams migrating from spreadsheet-based workflows—your existing data becomes the backend for a native mobile app without any data migration or restructuring.

What can't Ada build?

Ada handles most business and consumer app use cases, but there are limitations. Apps requiring real-time video calling, advanced GPU rendering, deep HealthKit or HomeKit integration, or complex custom animations may need native code components. Games with physics engines, apps that need full offline-first architectures, and apps requiring direct Bluetooth hardware control are also outside Ada's current scope. For 90% of database-driven business and consumer apps, Ada's capabilities are sufficient.

What is Adalo?

Adalo is the no-code app builder that pairs AI-powered generation with a visual multi-screen canvas, so entrepreneurs and business teams can design, build, and publish custom database-driven apps to the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and web from a single project—no code, no developers required. Ada is Adalo's AI builder, and Adalo 3.0 (launched late 2025) is 3–4x faster and scales to 1M+ monthly active users.

Explore Adalo's no-code app builder →

Build for every platform: iPhone App Builder, Android App Builder, Web App Builder. Explore solutions: CRM Apps, Marketplace Apps, Fitness Apps, and Booking Apps.