How to Convert an Adalo Project to a Mobile App

The Problem With Adalo Apps

Adalo is a no-code platform that lets you build mobile apps using a drag-and-drop interface. It does technically produce mobile apps — under the hood, it uses React Native. So on the surface, it seems like it should work fine.

The problem isn't the concept. It's the execution. Adalo wraps everything in its own proprietary layer, and that layer introduces significant limitations that become more painful as your app grows.

Performance That Doesn't Scale

This is the most common complaint. Adalo apps tend to be slow. Screen transitions lag. Data-heavy lists take noticeably long to load. Scrolling feels janky. The Adalo community forums are full of threads with titles like "My app is very slow" and "Android app is super slow / miserable speed." Adalo has worked on performance improvements, but the fundamental architecture — everything routing through Adalo's servers and proprietary rendering layer — limits how much you can optimize on your own.

Limited Customization

Adalo's drag-and-drop builder is great for simple apps. But the moment you need something that isn't in their component library — a custom animation, a specific navigation pattern, an advanced chart, or a pixel-perfect design — you hit a wall. You can build custom components, but they require React Native knowledge, and even then, you're working within Adalo's constraints.

Record Limits and Escalating Costs

Adalo's pricing is tied to database records. The free plan caps at 200 records, which barely covers testing. As your user base grows, you're forced into higher tiers quickly. This means your costs scale with your data, not with the value you're delivering, which is a frustrating pricing model for growing apps.

The App Store Rejection Risk

Adalo apps can be submitted to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, but that doesn't mean they get accepted. Apple reviewers have rejected Adalo apps for slow performance, feeling like pre-release software, and lacking minimum functionality. If your app takes too long to load or freezes during review, it gets rejected — and there's limited room to fix it when the performance bottleneck is the platform itself.

Why You Can't Just Export Your Adalo App

This is the part that catches most people off guard. Unlike some development tools that give you the source code to do whatever you want with, Adalo does not offer any code export. At all. Your app — all the screens, logic, database structure, and components you built — lives entirely inside Adalo's platform.

What "No Code Export" Actually Means

It means you cannot download a project folder. You cannot open your Adalo app in Xcode, Android Studio, VS Code, or any other development environment. You cannot take it to a freelance developer and ask them to improve it outside Adalo. You cannot self-host it. If Adalo raises prices, changes their terms, or shuts down a feature you rely on, you have no fallback.

You're Renting, Not Owning

This is the core issue. With Adalo, you don't own your app — you rent it. You pay monthly for access to something that only works inside their ecosystem. The moment you stop paying or want to leave, you lose everything. Your database, your screens, your logic, your workflows — all gone. This is textbook vendor lock-in.

The Migration Cost Problem

Because nothing exports, migrating away from Adalo means rebuilding from scratch. Industry estimates put the cost of migrating off a no-code platform at 2–4x the cost of the original build. The longer you stay and the more complex your app gets, the more expensive it becomes to leave. That's why it's worth thinking about this early.

Two paths for your app idea

Adalo Lock-in vs. Native App You Own

Adalo App

Proprietary no-code platform

No Code Export

Locked in forever

Result

Slow performance & laggy UX

No code ownership

Risk of App Store rejection

Costs scale fast with record limits

Natively

Describe your app idea with AI

Real Native Code

React Native + Expo

App Store & Google Play

Fast, native performance

Full code ownership

Passes App Store review

No record limits or scaling costs

Can You Export Your Data at Least?

You can export your database records as a CSV through Adalo's dashboard. That's something, but it's just the data — not the app logic, not the screens, not the relationships between your data collections. Rebuilding the app still requires starting from a blank canvas on a new platform.

What About Just Staying on Adalo?

If your app is simple, works fine, and you're happy with it — staying on Adalo is a valid choice. Not every app needs to be rebuilt. But there are clear signals that it's time to move on:

Adalo Works for Prototyping, Not for Production

Adalo is a good prototyping tool. It lets you validate an idea quickly. But there's a gap between "I proved this concept works" and "this is a production-quality app that users will pay for." If you've crossed that gap — if you have real users or you're ready to launch for real — you need a real native app.

The Right Approach: Rebuild as a Native App

Since there's no export path, the way to "convert" your Adalo project is to rebuild the same app idea using a proper native mobile framework. This sounds like starting over, but it's not as painful as it seems — especially with AI tools that do the heavy lifting for you.

This is what Natively does. You describe your app in plain English — the screens, the features, the behavior — and it generates a real React Native + Expo project. The same framework that powers apps at Instagram, Shopify, and Discord, except you don't need to write code.

Step-by-Step: From Adalo to a Native App

What Transfers From Your Adalo Project

Even though you can't export code, the work you did in Adalo isn't wasted. Here's what carries over:

Your Product Knowledge

You know what your app does. You know the screens, the user flows, what works and what doesn't. That understanding is the hardest part of building an app, and you've already done it. Feed that knowledge directly into your Natively prompt.

Your Data

Export your database records as CSV from Adalo and import them into your new backend. Natively supports Supabase out of the box, which makes it straightforward to set up a database and import your existing data.

Your Users and Validation

If you already have users on your Adalo app, that's proof your idea works. That's the most valuable thing you can carry forward. A native rebuild with better performance will only make those users happier.

Why React Native Is the Right Foundation

Natively generates apps using React Native and Expo — the industry standard for cross-platform native mobile development. Unlike Adalo's proprietary layer on top of React Native, a Natively app gives you direct access to the framework itself. This means real native UI components, actual native performance, and a codebase that any React Native developer can work with if you ever want to bring in custom development.

Want to compare more no-code tools for building native mobile apps? Check out our guide to the best no-code mobile app builders.

Considering other no-code platforms? See how Softr and Base44 compare for building mobile apps.

Frequently Asked Questions