Should You Become a No-Code Freelancer?

The demand for mobile apps is skyrocketing, and nearly 80% of small businesses outsource their app development to freelancers or agencies. But do you need to know how to code to tap into this growing market?

Adalo lets you build database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps — published to the App Store and Google Play — from a single no-code editor. This opens the door for anyone to become a freelance app developer and serve the thousands of businesses searching for affordable, custom mobile solutions.

The market for mobile apps is expanding too! A leading design research firm that surveyed over a thousand small business owners about their experience with mobile apps in 2022. It highlighted three interesting trends:

Platforms like Adalo, 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, are changing this landscape entirely. These tools empower entrepreneurs and business professionals to tap into the growing app market without traditional coding skills.

• More businesses need mobile apps! Nearly half of the small businesses surveyed have an app in 2022, compared to one-third in 2021, possibly driven by an increase in the time that consumers spend on their mobile devices.
• The goal for them is to improve customer service and boost branding efforts! Small businesses are most motivated to build a mobile app to improve customer service and boost branding efforts.
• Outsourcing is the most popular way small businesses choose to build an app! Nearly 80% of businesses outsource app development to a dev shop or a freelancer.

So what does this mean for you? Well, it means that there’s more opportunity for anyone looking to build apps for clients – whether businesses or individuals. But the ability to code has restricted this opportunity to less than 1% of the population with that specific skillset – until now!

Can you build a mobile app without coding?

Building apps without coding is now a reality with no-code app building tools. You don’t have to learn how to code, or start from scratch either. Templates, cloneable apps, and tutorials make it possible to build an app in days instead of months at a fraction of the cost.

If you’re considering getting a piece of the pie of the ever-growing demand for mobile app building, now is the best time! We’ve seen countless people learn how to build apps without coding on Adalo, and go on to provide that as a service. The Adalo Experts program has empowered makers to help others with their skills, and make money from it!

Here’s the perspective of Adalo Expert, Zaylan Jacobsen, who runs an agency called Adalo.

Who should become an Adalo Expert?

I think anybody that really enjoys the process of making apps on Adalo – that’s basically what the work involves.

If you find yourself working on a bunch of projects late into the night simply because you think it's fun to build apps and you like to see your ideas come to life, I’ve got news for you! You should probably consider the Adalo Experts program.

One of the best things is seeing a client that had an idea for an app for years or months, and to be able to see their face and their excitement when you're able to deliver that  – it’s just unparalleled!

The Adalo Experts program isn’t just for someone who wants to make a quick buck building apps, but the whole process is a lot better when you actually find it fun to solve challenges and create stuff that doesn’t exist in the world right now.

Getting started as an Adalo Expert

1. Build a portfolio: If you're looking for how to become an Adalo Expert, the main tip I would give you is to work on curating a portfolio and spending as many hours as you can practicing Adalo. Practicing sounds vague, but honestly the best way to do it is to just come up with different ideas or try to replicate existing applications on Adalo. That way you get used to solving very specific challenges.

2. Explore resources: I’d recommend checking out the kits and templates on Adalo, you can open those up and just dissect the way they work. Then you can reuse those components for your own apps. This by the time you’ve curated a portfolio, you’ll know a few tips, tricks, and best practices to adopt.

3. Try and solve specific problems: You can reuse components as much as you’d like – once you’ve mastered it on one app, try using it on another. You’ll get better and better at putting them to use. Just get in there, start playing around and start trying to create as many different apps as you can.

4. An app idea to get you started: One thing that’s fun to start out with is to create a basic social media app. Although there are cloneable apps for this, I’d recommend you try building it from scratch. Think of something like Instagram or Twitter and build a clone for it, but with a unique twist of your own if you’d like. A social media application teaches you a lot about the basics of working with a database. You’ll get the hand of the whole ‘create–read–update–delete’ process that way. Also, it’ll give you a basic idea of how user generated content works, and you’ll see your database expand as your users are creating that information by engaging with your app.

Interested in learning how to build apps on Adalo?

Check out the Adalo App Academy! It’s a treasure trove of FREE instructor-led courses and resources that empower you to build and launch successful mobile apps.

It’s unlike any other program in the no-code universe – it goes beyond just how to build an app, and helps you with how to build a business as a no-code freelancer!

Here are some of the things you’ll learn on the Adalo App Academy!

• Introduction to Apps
• Strategy and Business
• UX Design
• Practical Guides to Build an App
• How to Launch and Iterate
• Navigating the Freelancer and Agency Ecosystem

Find out more about the Adalo Experts program and get your freelance no-code app building career started!

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