Adalo makes app development accessible for students without coding skills. With a drag-and-drop interface, it simplifies building native iOS and Android apps while teaching essential concepts like UI design, databases, and API integrations. Students can publish production-ready apps directly to app stores, creating strong portfolios. At $36/month for unlimited usage, Adalo is cost-effective for educators, offering a predictable pricing model and over 70 free courses through its App Academy.
Other platforms like Bubble, FlutterFlow, and Glide have their strengths but often require more technical knowledge, lack native publishing, or impose usage-based fees. Adalo balances ease of use, affordability, and professional-grade results, making it ideal for modern app development education.
1. Adalo
Curriculum Suitability
Adalo’s drag-and-drop interface makes app creation feel as straightforward as putting together a presentation. This simplicity allows educators to focus their lessons on app design and logic rather than getting bogged down by coding errors or debugging. With Adalo, students can dive into creating functional apps right after signing up, exploring essential concepts like UI design, user flows, and logic. The Magic Start feature takes this a step further by generating complete app frameworks - including database structures, screens, and user flows - based on simple text descriptions. This gives students a working prototype they can analyze and refine.
For educators, the Adalo App Academy is a goldmine. It offers over 70 free courses that fit seamlessly into lesson plans. These include detailed tutorials for cloning popular apps, covering advanced topics like user authentication, social feeds, and real-time updates. Students can progress at their own speed, applying what they’ve learned to their own creative projects.
Adalo doesn’t stop at app design. It also simplifies teaching the more technical aspects of databases and APIs, making them approachable for beginners.
Database and API Teaching Capabilities
Adalo’s Collections system uses spreadsheet-style logic, which is familiar to most students and a great way to introduce database concepts. Students can visually create tables (called Collections) and define Properties like Text, Number, or Boolean to grasp data types without needing to learn SQL. The platform also supports relational database design, allowing students to connect tables and see how relationships like one-to-many or many-to-many work in practice. For example, a student building a course management app could link a "Teachers" collection to a "Courses" collection and observe how changes in one affect the other.
For students not ready to dive into relational databases, Adalo’s SheetBridge provides a gentle entry point. It lets them use a Google Sheet as a live database, offering a familiar environment to experiment with before transitioning to more complex structures. Paid plans remove database record limits, giving students the freedom to work with larger datasets without restrictions.
API integration is another area where Adalo shines. Students can connect to external services like Stripe for payments or use tools like Zapier and Make to link their apps with third-party services. These drag-and-drop integrations make it easy to understand how external services work without needing to write API calls or deal with JSON responses. Additionally, External Collections allow students to connect their apps to professional backends like Airtable or Xano.
These features not only simplify technical teaching but also prepare students for deploying apps in real-world scenarios.
Publishing and Portfolio Value
Adalo allows students to publish their apps as Progressive Web Apps vs. native apps - all from a single build. This capability gives students the chance to showcase their skills with production-ready apps that they can add to their portfolios. It’s a practical way to demonstrate their ability to build and launch apps quickly and effectively.
With Adalo 3.0, apps are now 3–4x faster and can scale to over 1 million monthly active users. The platform’s X-Ray performance tool helps students identify and fix bottlenecks before publishing, teaching them valuable lessons about scalability and user experience.
Pricing and Accessibility
Adalo’s pricing structure is designed with accessibility in mind. The platform offers unlimited database records, usage, and publishing to web, iOS, and Android. Importantly, Adalo has removed App Actions charges from all plans, eliminating unexpected costs for students and educators. The free tier includes unlimited test apps and allows for 200–500 database records per app - perfect for classroom projects without requiring a credit card. For schools, additional apps can be added to paid plans for $25 per month each.
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2. Bubble
Curriculum Suitability
Bubble's visual programming approach is ideal for educators aiming to teach the development of complex web applications. Students usually need about 1–2 weeks to grasp the basics of the platform. Its advanced workflow editor, which relies heavily on conditional logic and database relationships, makes it more appropriate for advanced students or courses that focus on business logic and web architecture.
However, mastering Bubble requires additional training before students can create functional apps. While its extensive plugin ecosystem adds depth to the platform, it also increases the complexity of learning. This demanding structure provides a solid foundation for teaching how to manage complex data and API integrations effectively.
Database and API Teaching Capabilities
Bubble stands out in teaching advanced backend structures and database concepts. It supports intricate many-to-many relationships and complex queries, making it a valuable tool for students exploring enterprise-level data architecture. With over 800 native plugins and a powerful API connector, the platform enables detailed lessons on API integrations that go beyond the basics.
That said, the high level of customization can lead to performance issues as apps scale, offering students insight into the importance of optimization. Additionally, Bubble's backend operates on a "Workload Units" pricing model, where charges are based on app activity. This can lead to unpredictable costs, posing challenges for educational institutions managing tight budgets. These backend features also play a role in Bubble's publishing and portfolio strategies.
Publishing and Portfolio Value
Bubble uses a web wrapper for mobile apps, which can limit native performance. While students can publish their apps, the mobile versions may not match the performance of fully native applications. App store submissions also require extra steps, and updates to a single app version don’t automatically sync across web, Android, and iOS platforms.
Pricing and Accessibility
Bubble offers a free plan for learning and experimentation, with paid tiers starting at $32/month for the Starter plan, $134/month for Growth, and $399/month for Team. Mobile-specific capabilities begin at $59/month, with additional charges based on usage. Discounts for students and nonprofits are available upon request, but the Workload Units pricing model can make budgeting unpredictable for educational institutions.
3. FlutterFlow
Curriculum Suitability
FlutterFlow stands out as a low-code platform, making it more suitable for students with some coding experience rather than those seeking a purely no-code solution [3,5]. Its visual Action Flow Editor and drag-and-drop interface, featuring over 200 UI elements, offer flexibility. However, the platform comes with a steeper learning curve, as students must manage external databases and navigate more intricate development workflows [3,5]. For educators, this translates to additional time spent on configuring external tools like Firebase or Supabase [16,3]. With a user base exceeding 3.0 million as of early 2026, FlutterFlow aligns best with advanced learners or STEM-focused programs where technical depth is a priority. Tim Sneath, Former Director of Product at Google, highlighted its potential:
"FlutterFlow provides tooling that helps real world developers & users build apps using it - it's a straightforward, easy to use tool that can generate very powerful results. FlutterFlow brings the power of a rich platform to everybody".
This robust foundation makes it an excellent choice for students aiming to deepen their technical skills, especially in database and API integration.
Database and API Teaching Capabilities
FlutterFlow excels in teaching students how to work with external backends like Firebase and Supabase. It also supports RESTful APIs, enabling students to connect their apps to third-party services or custom backends, offering hands-on experience with practical development scenarios. The platform's visual Action Flow Editor simplifies the process of illustrating app logic and how data flows through the user interface. Tools like Test Mode allow students to debug their projects effectively, while collaborative features such as branching and native team comments make it easier to manage group projects. These capabilities merge the theoretical aspects of app development with the challenges developers face in real-world scenarios.
Publishing and Portfolio Value
Beyond technical training, FlutterFlow equips students to build portfolios with real-world applications. It supports deployment to the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and the web. A standout feature is its "no vendor lock-in" policy, which lets users export full Flutter/Dart code at any point. Dan Somrack, Founder of Silver, shared his perspective:
"What we also liked about FlutterFlow was that we could always export the code into Flutter and we could keep it going as we scaled, which we didn't see with other platforms".
This code portability is invaluable for students transitioning to traditional development workflows. Additionally, the builder interface limits the view to two screens at a time, encouraging a more focused approach to app logic and professional deployment practices [3,5].
Pricing and Accessibility
FlutterFlow offers a free plan for building and testing projects. The Standard plan, priced at $30/month, includes features like code downloads and APK generation. The Pro plan, at $70/month per user, adds one-click deployment to app stores and GitHub integration. For educators, FlutterFlow provides a free one-year Premium subscription through its Education Program, available to eligible students and teachers. However, database services like Firebase or Supabase come with separate costs.
4. Glide
Curriculum Suitability
Glide is an app builder that connects to Google Sheets or Excel, making it a quick tool for prototyping. However, its reliance on templates results in apps that often lack depth in design, limiting its usefulness for teaching advanced concepts like UI/UX design or complex app logic. Since it depends on spreadsheets, educators are restricted from covering topics like relational database structures, entity relationship diagrams, or custom user interfaces in their curriculum. While it works well for introducing basic data-driven logic, Glide falls short when it comes to teaching the entire mobile app development process.
Database and API Teaching Capabilities
Glide’s spreadsheet-based approach means it doesn’t support relational database structures or foreign keys, which are critical for teaching more complex data relationships. Additionally, there are record limits, and exceeding these limits can lead to extra charges, making it less ideal for data-intensive projects. Its API integration options are also limited, restricting educators from demonstrating custom API use or more advanced integrations.
Publishing and Portfolio Value
These technical constraints also affect the practical application and portfolio quality of student projects. One major drawback is that Glide does not allow publishing to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. This prevents students from learning how to navigate the app store submission process or working with native app features like push notifications or offline functionality. The Adalo Team summarized this limitation:
"Glide excels at spreadsheet-based apps with fast deployment... However, the template-focused approach limits creative freedom, and Glide doesn't support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing."
As a result, students can only present web-based applications, which reduces the practical value and appeal of their portfolios.
Pricing and Accessibility
Glide’s pricing for custom domains begins at $25 per month. While this might be manageable for simple projects, the lack of native features, limited design flexibility, and inability to publish to app stores make it less suitable for more comprehensive coding and app development education programs.
Adalo Crash Course | Adalo Tutorial for Beginners 2024
Advantages and Disadvantages
No-Code Platform Comparison for Coding Education: Adalo vs Bubble vs FlutterFlow vs Glide
Adalo offers an intuitive visual builder that's perfect for beginners, making it an excellent choice for those new to app development. Its ability to publish fully native iOS and Android apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store provides students with impressive portfolio pieces. With a flat-rate pricing model of $36 per month - covering unlimited usage and database records - Adalo ensures there are no hidden costs, which is a game-changer for semester-long planning. Its established reputation further underscores its reliability in educational settings.
In modern coding education, simplicity and predictability are essential. Some platforms rely on complex integrations or usage-based pricing, which can complicate budgeting. Others come with higher per-student costs or require additional database configurations, creating barriers for educators. Spreadsheet-based solutions, while simple, often lack the depth needed for robust curriculums and fail to support publishing to official app stores.
Here’s a comparison of how top no-code platforms measure up in key areas like curriculum accessibility, database and API instruction, publishing capabilities, and affordability:
| Platform | Curriculum Fit | Database & API Teaching | Publishing Capabilities | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adalo | Beginner-friendly visual builder with AI tools | Intuitive collections and third-party tools | Native iOS/Android and Progressive Web Apps | Flat rate: $36/month |
| Bubble | Better suited for advanced web concepts | 50+ native integrations | Web-only; mobile via webview wrapper | $32/month base + usage fees |
| FlutterFlow | Requires technical background | External database setup needed | Native iOS/Android; separate publishing | $80/month per seat |
| Glide | Simple but limited | Spreadsheet-based; lacks relational structures | Web and Progressive Web Apps only | $25/month |
Adalo stands out with its balanced feature set, avoiding the technical complications and unpredictable costs of other platforms. Its beginner-friendly tools, strong database and API integration, and real-world publishing capabilities make it a solid choice for institutions aiming to deliver effective, cost-efficient app development programs.
Conclusion
Adalo gives educators a practical, all-in-one platform for teaching app development that mirrors the steps of actual industry workflows. It’s designed to be easy for beginners to pick up while still powerful enough to create fully functional native apps for the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With flat-rate pricing starting at $36 per month and unlimited database records, it’s also budget-friendly for semester planning, eliminating surprise costs. To date, over 3 million apps have been built using Adalo, thanks to its beginner-friendly, visual app builder.
The platform’s recent infrastructure updates deliver performance improvements of 3–4×, ensuring that projects can scale as needed. Meanwhile, the upcoming AI Builder takes things a step further by enabling students to create apps simply by describing their ideas in natural language. This combination of speed and innovation not only enhances the learning experience but also equips students with real, portfolio-ready projects.
Beyond the tools, Adalo helps turn classroom learning into practical achievements. Students can graduate with live apps published in official app stores, gaining hands-on experience with database design, API integrations, and every stage of app development - from brainstorming to deployment. The Adalo App Academy supports this process with over 70 detailed courses, giving educators structured content that fits seamlessly into their teaching plans.
For schools and educators, Adalo offers predictable costs, an intuitive learning curve, and professional-level results. Students leave with skills and live apps they can showcase to employers, making it an effective choice for preparing them for careers in app development without the need for coding.
FAQs
What can students build with Adalo in a semester?
Students can build fully functional, database-driven web apps and native apps for iOS and Android within a single semester using Adalo. These projects can range from intricate platforms, like online learning sites, to recreating popular course platforms. This approach provides hands-on experience in app development while allowing students to create a tangible portfolio to showcase their skills.
How do you teach databases with Adalo Collections?
Teaching databases using Adalo Collections offers a hands-on way for students to grasp how data is organized and linked within an app. In Adalo, collections function similarly to tables in a database, storing records that include properties like text, numbers, or dates. Educators can walk students through creating collections, defining properties, and establishing relationships - such as one-to-many or many-to-many. This process shows how data can be dynamically connected and retrieved, making database concepts easier to understand without needing to write any code.
How do students publish Adalo apps to the App Store and Google Play?
Students can launch their Adalo apps by adjusting app settings, inputting their developer account details, and adhering to the submission rules for each platform. This involves configuring permissions, supplying necessary app details, and completing the review process. Adalo provides tools that simplify these steps, helping students publish their apps to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store with ease.
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