Updated Feb 19, 2026

Building an E-commerce App: No-Code Platform Guide

Table of Contents

Building an e-commerce app from scratch typically requires significant technical expertise, substantial budget, and months of development time—resources most entrepreneurs and small business owners simply don't have. Between managing product databases, designing intuitive shopping experiences, integrating payment systems, and ensuring your app works flawlessly across web, iOS, and Android, the complexity can quickly become overwhelming.

No-code platforms have transformed what's possible for non-technical founders, and Adalo stands out for e-commerce builders who need true cross-platform reach. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms. AI-assisted building and streamlined publishing enable launch to the Apple App Store and Google Play in days rather than months. This means you can create a professional shopping experience that meets customers wherever they are, without the traditional barriers of cost and coding knowledge.

Why Adalo Works for Building an E-commerce App

Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This cross-platform capability is essential for e-commerce, where customers expect seamless shopping experiences whether they're browsing on their laptop at home or making quick purchases from their phone while on the go.

What if you could launch a fully functional e-commerce app—complete with product catalogs, shopping carts, and payment processing—without writing a single line of code? For entrepreneurs and small business owners, the traditional path of hiring developers and spending months in development often feels out of reach. But the landscape has changed dramatically.

Adalo, an AI-powered app builder, lets you create database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—published to the App Store and Google Play—from a single editor. This means you can build one e-commerce app and deploy it everywhere your customers are, whether they're browsing on desktop or shopping from their phones. With drag-and-drop tools, AI-assisted setup, and pre-built templates, what once took months and thousands of dollars can now be accomplished in weeks for a fraction of the cost.

This guide walks you through the complete process of building your e-commerce app with Adalo—from setting up your project and structuring your product database to designing a user-friendly interface and publishing across platforms. Whether you're launching your first online store or expanding an existing business into mobile, you'll have everything you need to turn your idea into a live, functional app.

Why Adalo Works for Building an E-commerce App

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This cross-platform capability is essential for e-commerce, where customers expect seamless shopping experiences whether they're browsing on their laptop at home or making quick purchases from their phone while on the go.

Having your e-commerce app in the App Store and Google Play opens doors to millions of potential customers who prefer native app experiences over mobile websites. With Adalo, you can leverage push notifications to alert shoppers about flash sales, abandoned cart reminders, and order updates—features that dramatically boost engagement and conversions. Paid plans include unlimited database records, meaning your product catalog can grow without hitting arbitrary storage caps. Let's walk through exactly how to build your store from the ground up.

Setting Up Your Adalo Project

Adalo

Creating Your Account and Selecting a Plan

To get started, head over to adalo.com and click "Sign Up" or "Get Started for Free." You can register using your email and password or log in through Google or Apple. Once you verify your email, complete the profile setup and confirm your locale preferences, including USD currency and US English spelling.

Adalo offers a free plan that's perfect for building and testing your app. When you're ready to publish, you can upgrade to the Starter plan at $36/month, which unlocks features like app store publishing, custom domains, and Stripe integration. Unlike competitors that charge based on usage or limit how often you can republish your app, Adalo's plans include unlimited usage and unlimited app store updates—no surprise bills as your store grows. For more advanced needs, higher-tier plans provide additional tools, including advanced actions, higher monthly active user limits, and extra editor seats for team collaboration.

Adalo's AI-assisted setup makes the app-building process faster. When creating a new app, choose the AI App Builder option and type something like: "Build an e-commerce mobile app for selling products in the US with product catalog, cart, Stripe payments in USD, and user accounts." Magic Start generates a complete app foundation with pre-built screens and a database structure, saving you hours of planning work. Alternatively, you can select pre-built Feature Templates like "Online Store" or "Store with Shopping Cart", which come with ready-to-use screens, logic, and database collections tailored for e-commerce.

Once your account is set up and you've selected a plan, you can move on to configuring your product database.

Building Your Product Database

The next step is to structure your database to manage products, users, and orders. In Adalo, databases are organized into Collections (tables) and Properties (fields). To get started, navigate to the Database tab on the left toolbar.

Begin by creating a Products collection. Click "Add Collection" and name it "Products." Add relevant properties such as:

Name (text)
Price (number, formatted in USD, e.g., $24.99)
Image
Description
Stock
Category

If you're building a clothing store, you might also include a Size property with options like S, M, L, and XL to match US sizing standards. You can manually add sample products through the "Records" section or import them via a CSV file.

Next, set up a Users collection to handle customer accounts. Adalo provides default fields like Email, Password, and Full Name, but you can add custom properties such as:

Shipping Address (including ZIP code for US postal codes)
Phone (formatted for US numbers)
Stripe Account ID (to track payments)

Then, create an Orders collection. Add properties like:

Total (number, formatted in USD)
Order Date (formatted as MM/DD/YYYY)
Status (text or dropdown with options like "Pending" or "Complete")
Shipping Status

To ensure a seamless checkout experience, establish relational databases between these collections. For example:

Link the Orders collection to Users with a one-to-many relationship (one user can place multiple orders).
Connect Orders to Products using a many-to-many relationship (to allow multiple products in a single order).

For inventory management, include a Quantity property in the order items and use Adalo's actions to automatically update stock levels. When an order is placed, the Product stock count decreases in real time. With no record limits on paid plans, you can scale your product catalog and order history without worrying about hitting database caps—a common constraint on other platforms that charge extra for additional records.

Build an Ecommerce Mobile App using Adalo part 1

Designing Your App Interface and Product Pages

Using your preconfigured database, you can start designing screens to showcase your products. This process uses the same drag-and-drop editor you've been working with throughout the project. To begin, head to the Screens tab in the left sidebar, where you'll find the Building Canvas. This is where you'll arrange all the visual elements of your app. The Add Panel (marked with a "+" icon) contains everything you need—buttons, lists, images, forms, and text fields—all ready to be dragged onto the canvas.

The visual builder has been described as "as easy as PowerPoint" by users, making it accessible even if you've never built an app before. Unlike some platforms that limit your view to one or two screens at a time, Adalo's canvas can display up to 400 screens simultaneously, giving you a complete picture of your app's flow and making it easy to maintain consistency across your entire shopping experience.

To see how your app will look on different devices, use the Staging Preview button located in the top navigation bar. This tool lets you test your app's appearance on various devices like the iPhone 15, Galaxy S20, or tablets, ensuring that your design adapts seamlessly to any screen size. Regularly testing your screens is key to confirming everything aligns properly across devices.

If you're looking for a quicker start, Adalo offers pre-built templates like "Store with Shopping Cart" or "Ecommerce". These templates come with product listing screens, cart functionality, and database structures already set up. You can customize them to fit your brand by using the Branding Button (palette icon) to adjust colors and maintain a consistent look throughout your app. Once your screens are designed, focus on how you will develop a retail app that displays and organizes its products effectively.

Building Product Catalogs and Search

To display your products, the List component is your go-to tool. Drag it onto your screen and link it to your Products collection. This will allow you to showcase each product's image, name, and price (formatted in USD), along with buttons for viewing details or adding items to the cart. Depending on your preference, you can choose between swipe or grid layouts to create the browsing experience you want.

Adding a Search Input component at the top of your product screen makes it easier for customers to find what they need. Placing the search bar above the fold improves usability. Configure the search input's "On Change" action to filter the product list dynamically. For example, if a customer types "shoes", only products with "shoes" in their name or description will appear.

For even better organization, include Button Groups or Chips that link to your Category collection. These can filter products by categories like "Men's Clothing" or "Accessories." When a customer selects a category, the product list updates to show only relevant items. To keep things user-friendly, limit your filter options to four to six choices to avoid cluttering smaller screens. Make sure all interactive elements behave consistently across pages for a seamless browsing experience.

Once your product catalog is set up, you can move on to managing the shopping cart and checkout process.

Creating the Shopping Cart and Checkout Flow

To build your shopping cart, add a new screen and drag in a List component connected to your Orders collection. Filter this list to display only the active, incomplete order for the current user. Each list item should include the product name, image, price, and a Quantity Spinner so customers can adjust quantities directly in the cart. Add a "Remove" button to let users delete items, and display the subtotal in USD for clarity.

The checkout process begins with a "Checkout" button on the cart screen. Set this button to navigate to a new checkout screen where customers can enter their shipping address (with US ZIP code validation), phone number (formatted like (555) 123-4567), and review their order summary. Adalo simplifies secure payment handling with its Stripe Form component, found in the Forms menu. Drag it onto your checkout screen to integrate payment processing without needing to build a custom gateway.

To enhance the shopping experience, include a confirmation modal to reassure users about their actions. Configure your database logic to automatically calculate totals, taxes, and shipping fees right within the cart. This ensures customers see a transparent breakdown before completing their purchase. Thanks to Adalo's responsive design, your checkout flow will work smoothly on mobile devices while remaining fully functional on desktops.

Adding Payment Processing and User Accounts

Once your checkout flow is designed, the next step is to set up payment processing and user account functionality. Adalo simplifies this process with its built-in authentication system and seamless integration with Stripe. This means you can handle secure payments and manage customer data without coding or dealing with complex backend configurations.

Connecting Stripe for Payments

Stripe

Start by verifying your Stripe account with your business and banking details. Once your account is set up, locate the Stripe Payment component in Adalo's Add Panel and drag it onto your checkout screen. In the Adalo editor, click the "Connect with Stripe" button and log in with your Stripe credentials to link your account.

The Stripe component needs three key fields to process payments:

Amount: Use Magic Text to dynamically pull the order total, ensuring customers are charged the correct amount based on their cart.
Charge Description: This will appear on customers' bank statements. Use a clear descriptor like "Your Store Name Purchase" to make transactions recognizable.
Receipt Email: Map this field to the Logged In User's Email so customers receive automated receipts, and payments are easy to track in your Stripe Dashboard.

Always enable Test Mode first. Stripe provides test card numbers that let you simulate various transaction scenarios—both successful and failed—before going live. You can also add extra actions to your payment button, such as redirecting users to a success screen or updating your Orders collection to mark purchases as complete. When you're ready to accept real payments, disable Test Mode in Adalo and replace your test API keys with your Live Secret and Publishable keys.

Once payments are set up, the next step is to secure your app with mobile app security best practices and user accounts for seamless order and data management.

Setting Up User Login and Accounts

Adalo's built-in Users collection makes authentication straightforward. To create signup and login screens, drag a Form component onto a new screen and link it to the Users collection. These forms handle everything automatically, from password encryption to session management.

For the signup form, collect essential details such as email, password, full name, and shipping address (with ZIP code validation for US addresses). The login form only requires email and password fields. Once a user logs in, their session is maintained across screens, which is crucial for features like Stripe payments to work properly. You can also create a profile screen where users can view and update account details. Don't forget to include a logout button to let users clear their session when needed.

These user accounts integrate seamlessly with order tracking, creating a smooth experience for your customers.

Tracking Orders and Inventory

Order tracking depends on relationships between your collections in a relational database. Your Orders collection should include key properties like Total Price, Status (e.g., "Processing", "Shipped", or "Delivered"), and an Is Complete toggle. When a purchase is finalized, configure the Stripe payment button to update the order's Is Complete property to true and adjust the product's stock by subtracting the purchased quantity.

To display order history, add a List component to the profile screen and filter it to show only the orders associated with the logged-in user. To prevent overselling, use conditional visibility settings to hide the "Add to Cart" button when a product's stock level hits zero or below. This ensures customers can only purchase items that are still available.

With unlimited database storage on paid plans, your order history can grow indefinitely without requiring cleanup or archiving—every transaction remains accessible for customer service and analytics purposes.

Publishing Your App and Planning for Growth

Deploying to App Stores and Web

Once your app is ready with payment processing and user accounts, it's time to make it available to users on iOS, Android, and the web. Adalo streamlines this process, allowing you to deploy across all three platforms from a single build. Head to Adalo's Launch tab to manage your publishing settings.

For the Apple App Store, you'll need an Apple Developer account, which costs $99 annually. Start by creating a Bundle ID for your app and generating an App-specific Password through your Apple ID settings. Then, input your credentials, permissions, and privacy policy URL into Adalo. To ensure a smooth launch, consider using Apple's Phased Release feature, which allows you to gradually roll out your app to users.

For the Google Play Store, you'll need a Google Play Console account, which requires a one-time fee of $25. After generating your Android build in Adalo, upload the APK or AAB file to the Play Console. Complete your store listing by adding pricing in USD, optimized descriptions for U.S. searches, and high-quality screenshots. Keep in mind that Google's review process can take anywhere from 1 to 7 days.

A key advantage of Adalo's approach: one codebase updates all three platforms simultaneously. When you make changes to your app, those updates deploy to web, iOS, and Android together. Some competitors that use web wrappers for mobile require separate update processes for each platform, adding complexity and potential inconsistencies.

Publishing to the web is the quickest option. If you're new to this, learning how to build a web app can help you understand the specific advantages of the browser-based format. From Adalo's Publish dashboard, select "Publish to Web" and customize your app's domain. For better branding, you can connect a custom domain, which typically costs between $10 and $45 per year. Unlike app stores, web publishing doesn't require approval, so your app can go live instantly—perfect for reaching U.S. customers without delay. Just make sure your checkout system displays prices in USD and complies with U.S. standards.

Once your app is live, the next step is to focus on optimizing its performance to support growth.

Improving Performance and Handling More Users

After launching, it's crucial to prepare for growth by optimizing your app's performance and managing increased traffic. Over 3 million apps have been created on Adalo, processing 20 million+ daily data requests with 99%+ uptime. The platform's modular infrastructure scales to serve apps with over 1 million monthly active users, with no upper ceiling.

Adalo 3.0, launched in late 2026, completely overhauled the backend infrastructure, making apps 3-4x faster than before. This purpose-built architecture outperforms web wrappers at scale—while wrapper-based solutions often struggle under increased load, Adalo's native compilation maintains performance as your customer base grows.

Start by monitoring your app's analytics dashboard daily. Pay attention to which screens are visited most, how long users spend on product pages, and where they abandon the checkout process. X-Ray, Adalo's built-in performance tool, identifies potential issues before they affect users, helping you proactively address bottlenecks. For apps with large product catalogs, use lazy-loading for images and paginate search results to reduce lag.

Organizing your database efficiently is another key step. Use proper relationships between collections to avoid redundant queries. For instance, link your Products, Orders, and Users collections correctly to streamline data processing. With the right data relationship setups, Adalo apps can scale beyond 1 million monthly active users without requiring external database solutions.

If your app requires complex data handling or you prefer external data management, you can integrate backends like Xano. However, Adalo's internal database with no record caps handles most e-commerce use cases without additional infrastructure costs.

Adalo's publishing plans start at $36/month with unlimited usage—no App Actions or usage-based charges that can create unpredictable bills. As your app grows, you may upgrade for additional features like team collaboration seats, but you won't face surprise charges based on how many customers use your store.

Before rolling out major updates, test thoroughly. Use TestFlight for iOS, which allows up to 10,000 external testers, and Google's testing program for Android to gather user feedback. Adalo's manual publishing feature gives you the ability to make edits in the builder without immediately pushing changes live. This ensures you can fine-tune updates and release them when you're confident they're ready for your audience.

How Adalo Compares for E-commerce Apps

When choosing a platform for your e-commerce app, understanding how different tools stack up helps you make an informed decision. Here's how Adalo compares to popular alternatives:

Feature	Adalo	Bubble	Glide	FlutterFlow
Starting Price	$36/month	$59/month	$60/month	$70/month per user
Native iOS/Android	Yes	Web wrapper only	No app store publishing	Yes
Database Included	Yes, unlimited records	Yes, with limits	Yes, with row limits	No, external required
Usage-Based Charges	None	Workload Units	Additional record fees	Varies by database
App Store Updates	Unlimited	Limited republishing	N/A	Unlimited
Technical Skill Required	None	Low to moderate	None	Moderate (low-code)

Bubble offers extensive customization but comes with Workload Units that can create unpredictable costs as your store grows. Its mobile solution uses a web wrapper rather than true native compilation, which can introduce performance challenges at scale. While Bubble claims support for apps with millions of users, achieving that level typically requires hiring experts to optimize the build—an additional cost that isn't reflected in the base pricing.

Glide excels at spreadsheet-based apps and offers fast setup with templates, but the format restrictions create generic-looking stores with limited creative freedom. More importantly, Glide doesn't support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing, limiting your distribution options. For spreadsheet-based data management, Adalo's SheetBridge feature connects Google Sheets directly to your app's database, offering similar convenience with full app store access.

FlutterFlow is a low-code platform designed for technical users. While it produces native apps, users must source, set up, and pay for their own external database—a significant learning curve that can create scalability problems if not configured optimally. The ecosystem is rich with consultants precisely because so many users need help, often spending significant sums chasing performance. The builder also limits your view to one or two screens at a time, slowing down the design process compared to Adalo's expansive canvas.

Note that many third-party comparison sites and ratings predate Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul in late 2026. Reviews citing performance concerns or database limitations are likely based on the previous architecture, which has been completely rebuilt.

Conclusion

Creating an e-commerce app is no longer a task reserved for seasoned developers or those with hefty budgets. With Adalo's AI-powered platform, you can turn your idea into a functional, revenue-generating app in days or weeks, rather than the months it used to take. This guide walked you through the essentials—setting up your project, designing a user-friendly interface, integrating secure payment systems, and publishing your app across platforms with ease. From managing databases to handling payments and users, every step highlights just how simple it is to build a reliable e-commerce solution.

With its drag-and-drop editor and pre-made components, Adalo removes the technical hurdles, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: your products, your customers, and growing your business. Starting at $36/month with unlimited usage and no record caps, Adalo's paid plans offer the flexibility to manage and update your app on your own—no need to rely on developers or worry about surprise bills as your store scales.

Over 3 million apps have been built using Adalo, proving that anyone, even without technical expertise, can launch scalable and production-ready apps. Whether you're starting a side project or growing an established retail business, the platform equips you with built-in analytics, performance monitoring through X-Ray, and infrastructure that scales to millions of users. You can begin with the free tier to prototype your idea, test it with real customers, and scale up as your business flourishes.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?	Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single codebase—the hardest part of launching an app handled automatically. With unlimited database records on paid plans and no usage-based charges, you won't face surprise bills as your e-commerce store grows.
What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?	Adalo's drag-and-drop interface and AI-assisted building let you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from a simple description, and the platform handles the complex App Store submission process so you can focus on your app's features and user experience.
Which is more affordable, Adalo or Bubble?	Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage, while Bubble starts at $59/month with Workload Units that can increase costs unpredictably. Adalo also includes unlimited app store updates and no record limits, whereas Bubble has constraints on republishing and database records.
Which is easier for beginners, Adalo or FlutterFlow?	Adalo is designed for non-technical users with a visual builder described as "easy as PowerPoint." FlutterFlow is a low-code platform for technical users that requires setting up and managing an external database—a significant learning curve that often leads users to hire consultants for help.
Is Adalo better than Glide for mobile apps?	For mobile apps distributed through app stores, yes. Glide doesn't support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing, limiting you to web-based distribution. Adalo creates true native iOS and Android apps that can be published to both stores from a single codebase.
How long does it take to build an e-commerce app with Adalo?	With Adalo's pre-built e-commerce templates and AI-assisted setup, you can have a functional store with product catalogs, shopping carts, and Stripe payments ready in days. Publishing to app stores adds a few more days for Apple and Google's review processes.
Do I need coding experience to build an e-commerce app?	No. Adalo's drag-and-drop interface handles all the technical complexity. You can build product databases, design screens, integrate Stripe payments, and publish to app stores without writing any code.
How much does it cost to build and publish an e-commerce app?	Adalo's Starter plan at $36/month includes app store publishing, custom domains, and Stripe integration. You'll also need an Apple Developer account ($99/year) for iOS and a Google Play Console account ($25 one-time) for Android. Unlike some competitors, there are no usage-based charges or record limits that add hidden costs.
Can I migrate from Bubble to Adalo?	While there's no automated migration tool, you can export your data from Bubble and import it into Adalo via CSV files. The screen designs and logic will need to be rebuilt, but Adalo's templates and AI-assisted setup can accelerate the process significantly.
What features should an e-commerce app have?	Essential features include product catalogs with search and filtering, shopping carts with quantity management, secure payment processing (Stripe integration), user accounts for order tracking, inventory management, and push notifications for order updates and promotions. Adalo supports all of these out of the box.