Adalo vs Bubble

Adalo and Bubble are both no-code platforms with a free plan and paid tiers starting near thirty dollars a month, but they are built for different jobs. Adalo…

Best for Adalo: Adalo fits founders and teams who want to design and publish a native mobile app (with a matching web app) quickly, without needing deep backend customization or complex data relationships.
Best for Bubble: Bubble fits founders, agencies, and internal-tools teams building a full web application with a relational database, custom workflows, and user authentication, who are willing to accept a steeper learning curve for more control.

At a Glance

 AdaloBubble
Primary categoryNo-CodeNo-Code
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFreeFree (paid plans from $29/month)
Free planYesYes
Free trialNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesYes
Public APIYesYes

Key Differences

Platform maturity

Adalo: Adalo was founded in 2018

Bubble: Bubble was founded in 2012, six years earlier

A longer track record generally means a larger accumulated plugin and template ecosystem and more community-documented patterns to learn from

Primary build target

Adalo: Adalo is built around native mobile app publishing to the Apple App Store and Google Play, plus a companion web app

Bubble: Bubble is built around full web applications by default, with app store packaging available on eligible paid plans

This determines which platform treats mobile distribution as the core workflow versus an add-on step

Entry-level pricing

Adalo: Adalo's paid plans start at roughly thirty to forty dollars a month billed annually

Bubble: Bubble's Starter plan is twenty nine dollars a month billed annually

Starting price affects budget planning for early-stage projects testing an idea

Pricing structure as usage grows

Adalo: Adalo scales through discrete plan tiers, from Starter up to Professional or Team and Enterprise

Bubble: Bubble scales through Workload Units, a metered allotment tied to database queries, workflows, API calls, and page loads

Usage-based metering can create unpredictable cost growth as an app's traffic or data activity increases, while flat tiers are easier to budget against

Database depth

Adalo: Adalo offers a built-in database through its native collections feature

Bubble: Bubble offers a built-in relational database supporting custom data types, fields, and relationships

Relational data modeling supports more complex application logic without needing a separate backend service

User authentication

Adalo: Adalo's documented feature set does not describe a dedicated user authentication and roles system

Bubble: Bubble documents native support for user sign-up, login, roles, and permissions built into the platform

Built-in authentication and permissions save setup time for apps that need gated content or user accounts

Version control

Adalo: Adalo's documented features do not include a dedicated version control or branching system

Bubble: Bubble supports development and live branches so changes can be tested before affecting a live application

Branching reduces the risk of breaking a live app while testing new changes

Learning curve

Adalo: Adalo is positioned as an approachable visual editor for non-developers

Bubble: Bubble is documented as having a steep learning curve compared to simpler website or app builders

The time investment required before a builder becomes productive differs significantly between the two

Integration ecosystem

Adalo: Adalo offers custom actions and API integrations, including named support for connecting to Zapier

Bubble: Bubble offers an API Connector for virtually any external REST API, plus a large plugin and template marketplace

Broader integration options reduce the need for custom workarounds when connecting to external services

Hosting and portability

Adalo: Adalo's documented facts do not describe custom domain or dedicated hosting terms beyond publishing apps

Bubble: Bubble explicitly documents custom domain support and hosting managed by Bubble on paid plans, with apps hosted on Bubble's own infrastructure

Hosting on a vendor's infrastructure affects portability and long-term control over where an app lives

Feature-by-Feature

Core App Building

FeatureAdaloBubble
Drag-and-drop visual editorAvailableAvailable
Built-in databaseAvailableAvailable
Visual workflow or logic engineAvailableAvailable
Real-time preview while buildingAvailableNot documented

Mobile and Web Output

FeatureAdaloBubble
Native iOS and Android app publishingAvailableAvailable
Web app hostingAvailableAvailable
Pixel-level responsive design controlsNot documentedAvailable

User Management

FeatureAdaloBubble
Native user authentication (sign-up and login)Not documentedAvailable
User roles and permissionsNot documentedAvailable

Integrations and Extensibility

FeatureAdaloBubble
Custom external API integrationsAvailableAvailable
Named Zapier integrationAvailableNot documented
Plugin or component marketplaceAvailableAvailable
Pre-built starter templatesAvailableAvailable

Development and Collaboration

FeatureAdaloBubble
Version control or branching between development and live versionsNot documentedAvailable
Team collaboration featuresAvailableAvailable

Pricing and Plans

FeatureAdaloBubble
Free planAvailableAvailable
Custom domain supportNot documentedAvailable
Enterprise or custom-quote planAvailableNot documented

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Adalo

Free — $0/month N/A
Starter — $36/month Annual
Professional — $52/month Annual
Team — $160/month Annual

Bubble

Free — $0 N/A
Starter — $29/month Monthly (annual available)
Growth — $119/month Monthly (annual available)
Team — $349/month Monthly (annual available)

Pros & Cons

Adalo

Pros

  • True no-code path to publishing native iOS and Android apps
  • Free tier available for prototyping before committing to a paid plan
  • Built-in database plus support for external data sources
  • AI assistant speeds up building common app screens

Cons

  • Publishing to app stores and the web requires a paid plan
  • Record limits on lower tiers can be restrictive for data-heavy apps
  • Costs rise with number of published apps and team editors

Bubble

Pros

  • Full-stack capability (database + backend logic + UI) rather than just a website builder
  • Large plugin ecosystem covering payments, integrations, and add-on functionality
  • Free plan available for learning and prototyping before committing to a paid tier
  • Extensible with custom code and APIs for teams that outgrow pure no-code

Cons

  • Workload Unit pricing can be difficult to predict and may scale quickly for high-traffic apps
  • Steeper learning curve than simpler website builders due to its full-stack complexity
  • Performance can be a concern for very large-scale or highly data-intensive applications
  • Migrating off Bubble is nontrivial since apps are tied to its proprietary runtime

Use Cases

Choose Adalo: Adalo fits founders and teams who want to design and publish a native mobile app (with a matching web app) quickly, without needing deep backend customization or complex data relationships.
Choose Bubble: Bubble fits founders, agencies, and internal-tools teams building a full web application with a relational database, custom workflows, and user authentication, who are willing to accept a steeper learning curve for more control.
Need both: Agencies or product teams that need to ship a true native mobile experience through Adalo while also running a more complex, logic-heavy web application or admin backend in Bubble would reasonably use both rather than picking one.

Adalo

  • MVP and startup app building — Founders building a functional app to validate an idea without hiring developers.
  • Client app development — Agencies and freelancers building apps for clients using reusable templates and components.
  • Internal or small business apps — Small businesses building scheduling, booking, or data-tracking apps for their own operations.

Bubble

  • MVP and startup app development — Non-technical founders build and launch a functional SaaS or marketplace MVP without hiring engineers.
  • Internal tools and dashboards — Operations teams build internal tools and admin dashboards connected to their business data.
  • Agency client app development — No-code agencies build custom web applications for clients faster than traditional development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, Adalo or Bubble?

Their entry-level paid plans are close in price, with Adalo starting around thirty to forty dollars a month and Bubble's Starter plan at twenty nine dollars a month, but Adalo scales through flat plan tiers while Bubble scales through metered Workload Units that can grow more expensive as app usage increases.

Is Adalo or Bubble better for building a mobile app?

Adalo is built around native mobile app publishing to the App Store and Google Play as its core workflow, while Bubble is web-first by default and only supports app store packaging on eligible paid plans, making Adalo the more direct route to a native mobile app.

Which is easier for beginners, Adalo or Bubble?

Adalo is positioned as a more approachable visual editor for non-developers, while Bubble is documented as having a steeper learning curve in exchange for deeper customization and more complex application logic.

Can Bubble do what Adalo does?

Bubble can build web applications and package them for app stores on paid plans, covering much of Adalo's use case, but Adalo is purpose-built around native mobile publishing as its default output rather than an added packaging step.

Does Adalo or Bubble have built-in user authentication?

Bubble explicitly documents native support for user sign-up, login, roles, and permissions, while Adalo's documented feature set does not describe a dedicated authentication system.

Which has a more established plugin and integration ecosystem?

Bubble, founded in 2012 versus Adalo's 2018 founding, documents a large plugin and template marketplace alongside a general-purpose API Connector, while Adalo documents a component marketplace plus named Zapier integration and custom API actions.

Read the full Adalo review · Read the full Bubble review