Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Glassdoor Clone with Adalo

Why Adalo Is Perfect for Building an Employee Review Platform

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 makes it an excellent choice for creating a Glassdoor-style employee review platform, where job seekers and employees need to access company reviews, salary information, and workplace insights from any device at any time.

Building your employee review app with native app store distribution gives your platform the professional presence it needs to build trust with users sharing sensitive workplace feedback. With push notifications, you can keep users engaged by alerting them when companies they're following receive new reviews, when their own reviews get helpful votes, or when employers post responses—all without writing complex code or managing separate codebases for each platform.

Why Adalo Works for Building an Employee Review Platform

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 makes Adalo perfectly suited for building a Glassdoor-style review platform, where users expect seamless access whether they're browsing company reviews on their desktop at home or checking ratings on their phone before an interview.

Having your employee review app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play gives your platform instant credibility and discoverability. You can leverage push notifications to alert users when new reviews are posted for companies they follow, when their reviews receive helpful votes, or when employers respond to feedback—keeping your community engaged and driving repeat usage without any complex backend development.

This comprehensive tutorial will walk you through building a functional employee review platform using Adalo's builder. According to Gartner, by 2026, 70% of new applications developed by organizations will use low-code or no-code technologies (up from less than 25% in 2020). You'll learn how to create a working review app with company profiles, anonymous review submission, rating systems, and verification workflows. You can publish the same app to the web, native iOS, and native Android with Adalo, all without writing a line of code.

What Is a Glassdoor Clone and Why Build One with an App Builder

Understanding Employee Review Platforms

Glassdoor is a jobs and recruiting site that allows employees and former employees to anonymously review companies and their management. The platform offers insights into the employee experience powered by millions of company ratings and reviews, CEO approval ratings, salary reports, interview reviews, benefits reviews, and office photos—all shared by employees.

Building a similar platform addresses workplace transparency, employer branding, and recruitment needs. Glassdoor reports tens of millions of monthly visitors and tens of millions of ratings and reviews, demonstrating massive market demand for employee review platforms.

Core Features of a Glassdoor-Style Review Platform

Your review app should include:

• Company profiles with detailed information, ratings, and reviews
• Anonymous review submission to protect employee identity
• Multi-category rating systems (culture, compensation, management, work-life balance)
• User authentication with verification workflows
• Search and filtering capabilities for companies and reviews
• Review moderation to prevent spam and fake content
• Aggregate rating calculations displayed on company pages

Why No-Code Development Makes Sense for Review Apps

No-code platforms enable creating software via a graphical user interface and configuration instead of programming. Low-code development technologies are experiencing significant market growth, with Gartner forecasting continued expansion through 2026 and beyond.

For review platforms specifically, no-code offers:

• Significant time savings compared to traditional coding
• Cost-effectiveness without hiring development teams
• Rapid iteration based on user feedback
• Built-in database management for handling reviews, users, and companies

Ada, Adalo's AI builder, lets you describe what you want and generates your app. Magic Start creates complete app foundations from a description, while Magic Add adds features through natural language.

Adalo enables users to build fully-custom apps for iOS, Android, or the Web with a drag-and-drop platform described as "easy as PowerPoint," and publish directly to the App Store, Google Play, or as a website. With over 3 million apps created on the platform, Adalo has proven its capability for building data-intensive applications like review platforms.

Setting Up Your Adalo Account and Choosing the Right Plan for Your Review Platform

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account

1. Go to Adalo.com and sign up
2. Click "Create New App"
3. Choose "Mobile App" or "Web App" (both work for review platforms)
4. Name your app (e.g., "WorkReviews" or "CompanyInsider")
5. Select "Start from Scratch" or use Magic Start to generate a foundation from a description of your review platform

Magic Start can accelerate your initial setup significantly. Describe your employee review platform concept, and it generates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically—what used to take days of planning happens in minutes.

Step 2: Understand Plan Requirements

For a review platform, consider these plan options. Note that plan names, pricing, features, and limits change over time, so check Adalo's pricing for current details:

• Free Plan: Testing environment with limited records—ideal for building and validating your concept
• Starter Plan ($36/month): Published apps with custom domains, unlimited database records, and unlimited usage
• Professional Plan: Multiple apps, collaborators, enhanced storage, and advanced integrations
• Team Plan: More published apps, editors, priority support, and backend integrations

A key advantage for review platforms: all paid Adalo plans include unlimited database records with no usage-based charges. This means your platform can grow to thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of reviews without hitting data caps or facing unexpected bills. Compare this to competitors like Bubble, which impose record limits and Workload Units that can create unpredictable costs as your platform scales.

Recommendation: Start with the Free tier to build and test, then upgrade to the Starter plan at $36/month when ready to publish with a custom domain and unlimited data capacity.

Step 3: Set Your App Theme

1. Choose professional colors (e.g., blue for trust, white for clarity)
2. Select a clean, readable font
3. Set up your logo and brand assets
4. Click "Continue" to enter the app editor

Designing Your Review Platform Database: Companies, Users, and Reviews

Understanding proper database architecture is critical. Database schema design for user authentication must support registering new users, sending confirmation emails, providing secure password recovery options, and protecting authentication data from unauthorized access.

With Adalo's unlimited database records on paid plans, you can design your schema for growth without worrying about hitting storage ceilings. The platform's modular infrastructure scales to serve apps with millions of monthly active users, maintaining performance even as your review database expands.

Step 4: Enhance the Users Collection

1. Click the Database icon in the left sidebar
2. Click on "Users" collection (automatically created)
3. Add these properties (click "+ Add Property" for each):
   • Full Name (Text)
   • Email (Email - already exists)
   • Password (Password - already exists)
   • Phone Number (Text)
   • Profile Image (Image)
   • User Type (Text) - Values: "Employee", "Employer", "Admin"
   • Company Affiliation (Text)
   • Job Title (Text)
   • Employment Status (Text) - Values: "Current Employee", "Former Employee", "Intern", "Contractor"
   • Verified Status (True/False)
   • Email Verified (True/False)
   • Account Created (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Last Active (Date & Time)

Adalo's built-in database includes relational database capabilities with prebuilt property types and custom formulas for managing complex data structures.

Step 5: Create the Companies Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Companies"
3. Add these properties:
   • Company Name (Text)
   • Company Logo (Image)
   • Industry (Text)
   • Company Size (Text) - Values: "1-50", "51-200", "201-500", "501-1000", "1000+"
   • Headquarters Location (Text)
   • Website (Text)
   • Description (Text - Multiline)
   • Founded Year (Number)
   • Average Overall Rating (Number)
   • Total Reviews Count (Number)
   • Culture Rating (Number)
   • Compensation Rating (Number)
   • Work-Life Balance Rating (Number)
   • Management Rating (Number)
   • Career Growth Rating (Number)
   • Claimed Status (True/False)
   • Featured (True/False)
   • Created Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

Step 6: Create the Reviews Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Reviews"
3. Add these properties:
   • Review ID (Text - set to "Auto-Generated")
   • Review Title (Text)
   • Review Text (Text - Multiline)
   • Overall Rating (Number - 1 to 5)
   • Culture Rating (Number - 1 to 5)
   • Compensation Rating (Number - 1 to 5)
   • Work-Life Balance Rating (Number - 1 to 5)
   • Management Rating (Number - 1 to 5)
   • Career Growth Rating (Number - 1 to 5)
   • Pros (Text - Multiline)
   • Cons (Text - Multiline)
   • Advice to Management (Text - Multiline)
   • Employment Status (Text) - Values: "Current Employee", "Former Employee"
   • Job Title (Text)
   • Department (Text)
   • Years at Company (Text) - Values: "Less than 1 year", "1-3 years", "3-5 years", "5-10 years", "10+ years"
   • Anonymous (True/False)
   • Verified (True/False)
   • Helpful Count (Number)
   • Flagged (True/False)
   • Flag Reason (Text)
   • Status (Text) - Values: "Pending", "Approved", "Rejected", "Flagged"
   • Created Date (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Updated Date (Date & Time)

Step 7: Create the Review Votes Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Review Votes"
3. Add properties:
   • Vote Type (Text) - Values: "Helpful", "Not Helpful"
   • Created Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

This tracks which users found which reviews helpful, preventing duplicate voting.

Step 8: Create the Company Claims Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Company Claims"
3. Add properties:
   • Claim Status (Text) - Values: "Pending", "Approved", "Rejected"
   • Business Email (Email)
   • Verification Document (Image)
   • Additional Notes (Text - Multiline)
   • Submitted Date (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Reviewed Date (Date & Time)

Step 9: Set Up Database Relationships

1. In Reviews collection:
   • Add relationship to Users: "Reviewer" (A User can have many Reviews)
   • Add relationship to Companies: Many-to-One (A Company can have many Reviews)
2. In Review Votes collection:
   • Add relationship to Users: Many-to-One (A User can vote on many Reviews)
   • Add relationship to Reviews: Many-to-One (A Review can have many Votes)
3. In Company Claims collection:
   • Add relationship to Users: "Claimant" (User requesting claim)
   • Add relationship to Companies: One-to-One (Each company can have one active claim)
4. In Companies collection:
   • Add relationship to Users: "Company Admin" (User who manages company profile after claiming)

These relationships enable Adalo's relational database capabilities to link users, companies, and reviews seamlessly. With the right data relationship setups, Adalo apps can scale beyond 1 million monthly active users.

Building the User Interface: Browse Companies and Read Reviews

Adalo's drag-and-drop interface makes it beginner-friendly, with many newcomers able to get productive within weeks. The visual builder can display up to 400 screens at once on a single canvas, giving you a comprehensive view of your entire app architecture—a significant advantage over builders that limit you to viewing only 2 screens at a time.

Step 10: Create the Home/Browse Screen

1. Add new screen named "Browse Companies"
2. Set as the home screen
3. Add Text component: "Find Your Next Great Workplace"
4. Add Search Bar component:
   • Connect to Companies collection
   • Search fields: Company Name, Industry
5. Add Horizontal List for industry filters:
   • Create buttons: "Technology", "Healthcare", "Finance", "Retail", "Education", "All"
   • Each filters the main company list

Step 11: Add the Company List Display

1. Below search, add List component
2. Connect to Companies collection
3. Sort by: Average Overall Rating (Highest First)
4. Display for each company:
   • Image: Company Logo
   • Text: Company Name
   • Text: Industry
   • Icon: Star rating (use 5 star icons, fill based on rating)
   • Text: Average Overall Rating (show as "4.2" format)
   • Text: Total Reviews Count (show as "245 reviews")
   • Text: Headquarters Location
5. Make entire card clickable → Link to "Company Detail" screen
6. Pass Current Company to next screen

Step 12: Create Company Detail Screen

1. Add new screen "Company Detail"
2. Add top section with company info:
   • Image: Current Company → Company Logo (large, centered)
   • Text: Current Company → Company Name (large, bold)
   • Text: Current Company → Industry
   • Text: Current Company → Company Size
   • Text: Current Company → Headquarters Location
   • Button: "Visit Website" → Link to Current Company → Website
   • Text: Current Company → Description
3. Add ratings overview section:
   • Text: "Overall Rating: [Current Company → Average Overall Rating]"
   • Star display visualization
   • Text: "[Current Company → Total Reviews Count] reviews"
4. Add detailed ratings breakdown:
   • Culture: [Current Company → Culture Rating] / 5.0
   • Compensation: [Current Company → Compensation Rating] / 5.0
   • Work-Life Balance: [Current Company → Work-Life Balance Rating] / 5.0
   • Management: [Current Company → Management Rating] / 5.0
   • Career Growth: [Current Company → Career Growth Rating] / 5.0
5. Add action buttons:
   • Button: "Write a Review" → Link to "Submit Review" screen
   • Button: "Claim This Company" → Link to "Claim Company" screen (if not already claimed)

Step 13: Display Company Reviews

1. On Company Detail screen, add section header:
   • Text: "Employee Reviews"
2. Add filter/sort options:
   • Dropdown: Sort by (Most Recent, Highest Rated, Lowest Rated, Most Helpful)
   • Dropdown: Filter by Employment Status (All, Current Employees, Former Employees)
3. Add List component:
   • Connect to Reviews collection
   • Filter: Company = Current Company AND Status = "Approved"
   • Apply selected sort/filter options
4. Display for each review:
   • Text: Review Title (bold)
   • Star rating display: Overall Rating
   • Text: Job Title • Employment Status • Years at Company
   • Text: "Reviewed [Created Date]"
   • Text: "Pros: [Pros]"
   • Text: "Cons: [Cons]"
   • If Advice to Management exists: Text: "Advice to Management: [Advice to Management]"
   • Button: "Helpful ([Helpful Count])" → Increment counter
   • Button: "Flag Review" → Link to flag form
5. Add pagination or "Load More" button if many reviews exist

Since users often consult multiple reviews before forming an opinion about a company, making reviews easily accessible and readable is crucial.

Creating User Authentication and Account Setup

User authentication modules must provide capabilities to register new users, send confirmation emails, provide secure password recovery, and protect authentication data from unauthorized access.

Step 14: Build the Welcome Screen

1. Create new screen "Welcome"
2. Add your app logo (Image component)
3. Add Text: "Make Better Career Decisions"
4. Add Text: "Read real reviews from employees"
5. Add two Buttons:
   • "Sign Up" → Link to "Sign Up" screen
   • "Login" → Link to "Login" screen
6. Add Button: "Browse Companies" → Link to "Browse Companies" (allow browsing without account)

Step 15: Create Sign Up Screen

1. Add new screen "Sign Up"
2. Add Form component:
   • Connect to Users collection
   • Include fields:
     • Email (Email Input)
     • Password (Password Input - minimum 8 characters)
     • Full Name (Text Input)
     • Phone Number (Text Input)
3. Add Dropdown for User Type:
   • Options: "I'm looking for jobs" (Employee), "I represent a company" (Employer)
   • This sets the User Type property
4. Add checkbox: "I agree to Terms of Service and Privacy Policy"
5. Add Submit Button: "Create Account"
   • Action 1: Create User
   • Action 2: Set Email Verified to False
   • Action 3: Send notification (if possible) or navigate to verification screen
   • Action 4: Link to "Browse Companies" screen

Storing password hashes instead of passwords is a best practice—Adalo handles this automatically through its authentication system.

Step 16: Create Login Screen

1. Add new screen "Login"
2. Add Form component:
   • Email input
   • Password input
3. Add Submit Button: "Log In"
   • Action: Log In User
   • Navigate to "Browse Companies"
4. Add Text Link: "Forgot Password?" → Link to password reset flow
5. Add Text Link: "Don't have an account? Sign Up" → Link to "Sign Up" screen

Step 17: Build User Profile Screen

1. Add new screen "My Profile"
2. Display logged-in user information:
   • Image: Logged In User → Profile Image (allow upload)
   • Text: Logged In User → Full Name
   • Text: Logged In User → Email
   • Text: Logged In User → Company Affiliation
   • Text: Logged In User → Job Title
3. Add navigation sections:
   • Button: "My Reviews" → Link to user's reviews list
   • Button: "Account Settings" → Link to settings screen
   • Button: "Log Out" → Log Out action

Implementing the Review Submission Workflow with Custom Actions

Step 18: Create Submit Review Screen

1. Add new screen "Submit Review"
2. Add header: Text: "Share Your Experience"
3. Add company selector (if accessed without context):
   • Dropdown or Search Bar: Select Company
   • Pre-fill if coming from Company Detail screen
4. Add Form component connected to Reviews:
   • Text Input: Review Title (required)
   • Star Rating (install from Adalo Marketplace): Overall Rating (1-5, required)
   • Star Rating: Culture Rating
   • Star Rating: Compensation & Benefits Rating
   • Star Rating: Work-Life Balance Rating
   • Star Rating: Management Rating
   • Star Rating: Career Growth Rating
5. Add employment information:
   • Dropdown: Employment Status (Current Employee, Former Employee, required)
   • Text Input: Job Title (required)
   • Text Input: Department
   • Dropdown: Years at Company (required)
6. Add detailed review sections:
   • Text Area: Pros (required, multiline, min 50 characters)
   • Text Area: Cons (required, multiline, min 50 characters)
   • Text Area: Advice to Management (optional, multiline)
7. Add privacy option:
   • Toggle: "Submit Anonymously" (sets Anonymous field to True/False)
   • Text: "When anonymous, your name will not be displayed"
8. Add verification checkbox:
   • Checkbox: "I certify that this review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion"

Step 19: Configure Review Submission Actions

On Submit button:

1. Create Review record with all field values
2. Set Review → Reviewer relationship to Logged In User
3. Set Review → Company relationship to selected company
4. Set Status to "Pending" (requires moderation)
5. Set Verified to False initially
6. Show success message: "Thank you! Your review is pending approval"
7. Navigate back to Company Detail screen

Step 20: Add One-Review-Per-Company Validation

To prevent multiple reviews from same user for same company:

1. Before showing Submit Review screen, add conditional visibility
2. Check if Reviews collection contains record where:
   • Reviewer = Logged In User
   • Company = Current Company
3. If it exists, show a message: "You've already reviewed this company. You can edit your existing review."
4. Add Button: "Edit My Review" → Link to edit form

Adding Review Platform Features: Ratings, Sorting, and Moderation

Step 21: Calculate Aggregate Company Ratings

For automatic rating updates when new reviews are approved:

1. Create custom action or use Adalo's automatic calculations
2. For each company, calculate:
   • Average Overall Rating = SUM(All Approved Reviews → Overall Rating) / COUNT(Approved Reviews)
   • Average Culture Rating = SUM(All Approved Reviews → Culture Rating) / COUNT(Approved Reviews)
   • Average Compensation Rating = SUM(All Approved Reviews → Compensation Rating) / COUNT(Approved Reviews)
   • And so on for each category
3. Update Total Reviews Count = COUNT(Approved Reviews for Company)

Adalo's custom formulas enable automatic rating calculations without external tools.

Step 22: Build Review Moderation Dashboard (Admin Only)

1. Create new screen "Admin Dashboard"
2. Restrict access: Only show if Logged In User → User Type = "Admin"
3. Add List of Reviews:
   • Filter: Status = "Pending"
   • Sort by: Created Date (Newest First)
4. Display for each pending review:
   • Company name
   • Review title and text
   • All ratings
   • Reviewer info (name, employment status)
   • Button: "Approve" → Update Status to "Approved", trigger rating recalculation
   • Button: "Reject" → Update Status to "Rejected"
   • Button: "View Full Review" → Link to detail view

Step 23: Implement Review Flagging System

1. On each review display, add Button: "Flag as Inappropriate"
2. Create "Flag Review" modal or screen:
   • Radio Buttons for Flag Reason:
     • "Spam or promotional content"
     • "Offensive language"
     • "Not based on actual experience"
     • "Contains personal information"
     • "Other"
   • Text Area: Additional details (optional)
   • Submit Button:
     • Update Review → Flagged to True
     • Update Review → Flag Reason
     • Update Review → Status to "Flagged"
     • Show confirmation message
3. In Admin Dashboard, add separate tab for flagged reviews

Step 24: Add Helpful Vote Functionality

1. On each review display, add Button: "Helpful ([Helpful Count])"
2. On click:
   • Check if Review Votes contains record where:
     • User = Logged In User
     • Review = Current Review
   • If exists, show "You've already marked this helpful"
   • If not exists:
     • Create Review Vote record (User = Logged In User, Review = Current Review, Vote Type = "Helpful")
     • Increment Current Review → Helpful Count by 1
     • Update button text

This prevents duplicate voting while tracking which users found reviews valuable.

Step 25: Implement Review Sorting Options

For the review list on Company Detail screen:

1. Dropdown: "Sort by"
   • Most Recent (Created Date, Newest First)
   • Highest Rated (Overall Rating, Highest First)
   • Lowest Rated (Overall Rating, Lowest First)
   • Most Helpful (Helpful Count, Highest First)
2. Dropdown: "Filter by Employment Status"
   • All Reviews
   • Current Employees Only
   • Former Employees Only
3. Apply selected filters to the List component's filtering/sorting settings

Users often read multiple reviews before making career decisions, making robust sorting critical for user experience.

Preventing Fake Reviews: Building Verification and Authentication

With concerns about review authenticity common across platforms, implementing verification workflows ensures review legitimacy.

Step 26: Set Up Email Verification

1. Create "Email Verification" screen
2. On user registration, send verification email:
   • Generate verification code (6-digit number, store in User record)
   • Send email with code (use email action)
   • Show verification screen with input field
3. Add Text Input: "Enter verification code"
4. Add Submit Button: "Verify"
   • Check if entered code matches stored code
   • If match: Update User → Email Verified to True
   • If no match: Show error message
5. Restrict review submission to verified users:
   • Before showing Submit Review screen, check if Logged In User → Email Verified = True
   • If False, show message: "Please verify your email before submitting reviews"

Step 27: Create Company Email Verification for Employees

To verify users actually work at companies they review:

1. On Submit Review screen, add optional Text Input: "Work Email Address"
2. Extract domain from email (e.g., @companyname.com)
3. Cross-reference with Company → Website domain
4. If match:
   • Send verification email to work address
   • Mark review as "Verified" after confirmation
   • Display "Verified Employee" badge on review

Step 28: Implement Review Frequency Limits

Prevent spam by limiting review submission frequency:

1. Create property: User → Last Review Date
2. Before showing Submit Review form, check:
   • If Last Review Date exists AND is within last 7 days
   • Show message: "You can submit one review per week. Next available: [date]"
   • Hide submit button
3. Update Last Review Date after each successful submission

Step 29: Add IP and Device Tracking (Advanced)

While Adalo doesn't have built-in IP tracking, you can:

1. Use Xano integration for backend logic
2. Track review patterns (same user, multiple accounts)
3. Flag suspicious activity for admin review

Integrating External Data Sources and APIs for Enhanced Functionality

Adalo supports integrations with Xano, Airtable, Zapier, Make, Stripe, and custom API connections. Adalo integrates with Xano—check the pricing page for which tiers include it.

Step 30: Connect to Airtable for Company Data

If you have existing company data:

1. Go to Integrations → Airtable
2. Connect your Airtable account
3. Select base and table with company information
4. Map Airtable fields to Adalo Companies collection:
   • Company Name → Company Name
   • Logo URL → Company Logo
   • Industry → Industry
   • Etc.
5. Connect Adalo to Airtable to read and write data via the integration

Step 31: Set Up Zapier for Review Notifications

Automate notifications when reviews are submitted:

1. Install Zapier integration
2. Create Zap: "When new review is created in Adalo"
3. Add action: "Send email to admin team"
4. Include review details for moderation
5. Add Slack notification option for instant alerts

Zapier integration lets you connect your Adalo app with over 6,000 apps.

Step 32: Use Xano for Advanced Backend Logic

For complex features like:

• Advanced fraud detection algorithms
• Sophisticated rating calculations
• Real-time analytics
• Data exports

Connect to Xano:

1. Sign up for Xano account
2. In Adalo, go to Integrations → Xano
3. Create API endpoints in Xano for:
   • Review validation logic
   • Advanced search algorithms
   • Analytics calculations
4. Call Xano endpoints from Adalo actions

Check Adalo pricing for which plan tiers include this integration.

Step 33: Integrate Google Sheets for Data Export

For company admins to export their reviews:

1. Add Button on company admin dashboard: "Export Reviews to Google Sheets"
2. Set up Google Sheets integration via Zapier or Make
3. Action: Create new row in Google Sheet for each review
4. Include all review data fields
5. Share sheet link with company admin

Alternatively, use Adalo's SheetBridge feature to turn a Google Sheet into an actual database for the easiest control without database-related learning curves.

Designing for Web and Mobile: Responsive Layouts for Your Review App

Adalo enables building once and deploying as a web app or native mobile app for iOS and Android—true native apps, not web wrappers.

Step 34: Optimize for Mobile Devices

1. For each screen, switch preview to mobile view
2. Adjust component sizing:
   • Stack elements vertically on mobile
   • Increase touch target sizes (minimum 44x44 pixels)
   • Use larger fonts for readability
   • Simplify navigation menus
3. Test review forms on mobile:
   • Ensure text areas expand properly
   • Star ratings are easy to tap
   • Dropdowns work smoothly
   • Submit buttons are prominent

Step 35: Create Responsive Web Layouts

1. Switch editor to web/desktop view
2. Adjust layouts for wider screens:
   • Use two-column layouts for company list (grid view)
   • Show review details side-by-side (ratings on left, text on right)
   • Add fixed navigation header
   • Utilize more horizontal space
3. Add desktop-specific features:
   • Hover effects on company cards
   • Expanded search filters visible
   • Larger company logos and images

Step 36: Test Cross-Platform Compatibility

1. Preview app on Adalo mobile previewer
2. Test on actual devices using Adalo app
3. Check web version in different browsers:
   • Chrome
   • Safari
   • Firefox
   • Edge
4. Verify all actions work across platforms:
   • Form submissions
   • Image uploads
   • Star ratings
   • Navigation flows

Adalo's responsive design features ensure your app works seamlessly on any device. Since Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul in late 2025, apps are 3-4x faster than before, providing a smooth user experience across all platforms.

Building Company Claim and Management Features

Step 37: Create Company Claim Flow

1. On Company Detail screen, add Button: "Claim This Company" (only show if not claimed)
2. Create "Claim Company" screen:
   • Text: "Verify you represent [Company Name]"
   • Text Input: Business Email Address (must match company domain)
   • File Upload: Verification Document (business license, employment verification)
   • Text Area: Additional Notes
   • Submit Button: "Submit Claim Request"
3. On submission:
   • Create Company Claim record
   • Set Claim Status to "Pending"
   • Link to Logged In User and Current Company
   • Send notification to admin
   • Show confirmation: "Your claim is under review"

Step 38: Build Company Admin Dashboard

For approved company admins:

1. Create "Company Admin Dashboard" screen
2. Show only if: Logged In User = Current Company → Company Admin
3. Display sections:
   • Company Profile Editor: Update logo, description, website
   • Review Statistics: Total reviews, average ratings by category
   • Recent Reviews: List of latest reviews (cannot delete, can respond)
   • Review Responses: Add official company response to reviews
4. Add response functionality:
   • On each review, Button: "Respond as Company"
   • Text Area: Company Response (max 500 characters)
   • Displays below review as "Response from [Company Name]"

Step 39: Implement Company Search Optimization

Help users find companies more easily:

1. Create "Advanced Search" screen
2. Add filters:
   • Text Input: Company Name
   • Dropdown: Industry (multi-select)
   • Dropdown: Company Size
   • Text Input: Location
   • Slider: Minimum Rating (1-5 stars)
3. Apply filters to Companies list:
   • Filter: Industry contains selected value
   • Filter: Company Size = selected size
   • Filter: Average Overall Rating >= minimum rating
   • Search: Company Name contains search term
4. Add sorting options:
   • Highest Rated
   • Most Reviewed
   • Alphabetical
   • Recently Added

Implementing User Engagement Features

Step 40: Create Review Feed for Users

1. Build "My Feed" screen for logged-in users
2. Show personalized content:
   • Reviews from companies user follows
   • Reviews in user's industry
   • Highly-rated recent reviews
   • Reviews mentioning user's job title
3. Add Button: "Follow Company" on each company page
4. Track followed companies in user profile
5. Enable notifications for new reviews on followed companies

Step 41: Add Salary and Interview Reviews (Optional)

Expand beyond company reviews:

1. Create "Salary Reviews" collection:
   • Job Title
   • Years of Experience
   • Salary Amount (annual)
   • Bonuses/Stock
   • Location
   • Company (relationship)
2. Create "Interview Reviews" collection:
   • Job Title Applied For
   • Interview Difficulty (1-5)
   • Interview Process Description
   • Questions Asked
   • Outcome (Offer, Rejected, No Response)
   • Company (relationship)
3. Add tabs on Company Detail screen:
   • Company Reviews
   • Salaries
   • Interviews

Step 42: Build Statistics and Insights Pages

Create data visualization screens:

1. "Platform Statistics" page:
   • Total companies listed
   • Total reviews submitted
   • Average rating across all companies
   • Most reviewed industries
   • Top-rated companies (list)
2. "Industry Insights" page:
   • Compare ratings by industry
   • Average salaries by industry
   • Most reviewed positions
   • Industry trends over time

While Adalo doesn't have built-in charting, you can:

• Use text-based displays ("Technology: 4.2 stars")
• Install chart components from Marketplace
• Integrate with external analytics tools

Publishing Your Review Platform to Web, iOS, and Android

Adalo enables publishing directly to the App Store, Google Play, or as a website from a single platform—one build updates all three deployment targets automatically.

Step 43: Prepare for Web Publishing

1. Go to Settings → Publishing → Web App
2. For Free plan:
   • Publish to Adalo subdomain (yourapp.adalo.com)
   • Click "Publish" to deploy
3. For paid plans:
   • Add custom domain
   • Configure DNS settings (follow Adalo instructions)
   • Enable SSL certificate (automatic)
   • Click "Publish"

Check Adalo pricing for current web publishing capabilities by plan.

Step 44: Set Up Apple App Store Publishing

Requirements:

• Apple Developer account ($99/year)
• Requires a paid plan; check Adalo pricing for current requirements
• App icons (1024x1024)
• Screenshots for various device sizes
• Privacy policy URL
• App description and keywords

Steps:

1. In Adalo, go to Settings → Publishing → iOS
2. Generate app icons using Adalo's tool
3. Fill in app metadata
4. Click "Build App" (takes 15-30 minutes)
5. Download IPA file or get App Store Connect link
6. Submit for Apple review

App review times vary by store and submission; allow several days for the process. See Apple's review guidelines and Adalo's iOS guide for details.

A key advantage: Adalo creates true native iOS apps, not web wrappers. This means better performance, full access to device features, and a user experience that meets Apple's quality standards.

Step 45: Deploy to Google Play Store

Requirements:

• Google Play Developer account (one-time $25 fee)
• Requires a paid plan
• App icons and graphics
• Privacy policy
• Content rating questionnaire

Steps:

1. In Adalo, go to Settings → Publishing → Android
2. Configure app details and icons
3. Click "Build App"
4. Download APK or AAB file
5. Upload to Google Play Console
6. Complete store listing
7. Submit for review

App review times vary by store. See Google Play guidelines and Adalo's Android guide for details.

Step 46: Set Publishing Controls

1. Enable manual publishing for web apps:
   • Settings → Web App → Manual Publish
   • Prevents accidental updates going live
   • Test changes before publishing
2. Configure app updates:
   • For web: Instant (users see changes immediately)
   • For mobile: Users download updates from stores
   • Plan update cycles (weekly/monthly)
3. Set up version control:
   • Document each published version
   • Keep changelog for user communication
   • Test thoroughly before each publish

Unlike some competitors that charge per app update or limit republishing, Adalo's paid plans include unlimited updates to your published apps.

Scaling Your Review Platform: Database Capacity and Performance

Understanding capacity planning ensures your app grows smoothly. Check Adalo's pricing for current plan limits and features.

Step 47: Understand Plan Capabilities

Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul in late 2025 transformed the platform's scalability:

• Paid plans have no record limits—store unlimited companies, reviews, and user data
• No usage-based charges—App Actions have been removed from all plans, eliminating bill shock
• 3-4x faster performance compared to pre-3.0 infrastructure
• Modular infrastructure that scales with your app's needs

This is a significant advantage over competitors like Bubble, which impose Workload Units with unclear calculations that can lead to unexpected costs as your platform grows. With Adalo, your review platform can scale to hundreds of thousands of reviews without worrying about hitting data caps or facing surprise charges.

Step 48: Optimize Database Performance

1. Minimize unnecessary relationships:
   • Only create relationships you'll actually query
   • Avoid circular relationships
2. Use filtering strategically:
   • Filter lists server-side (in List settings)
   • Avoid client-side filtering for large datasets
3. Implement pagination:
   • Load 20-50 reviews at a time
   • Add "Load More" button instead of infinite scroll
   • Reduces initial load time
4. Archive old data:
   • Move reviews older than 2-3 years to "Archived" status
   • Exclude from main queries
   • Keep database lean for optimal performance

Step 49: Monitor App Performance

1. Test with realistic data volumes:
   • Add 100+ sample companies
   • Create 500+ sample reviews
   • Test search and filtering speed
2. Check loading times:
   • Company list should load in under 2 seconds
   • Individual company pages under 3 seconds
   • Review submission under 1 second
3. Use Adalo's X-Ray feature:
   • Identifies performance issues before they affect users
   • Highlights optimization opportunities
   • Helps maintain speed as your platform grows
4. Plan for growth:
   • With proper data relationship setups, Adalo apps can scale beyond 1 million monthly active users
   • The platform's purpose-built architecture outperforms app wrappers at scale

Step 50: Implement Data Backup Strategy

While Adalo manages infrastructure:

1. Regularly export data:
   • Use Zapier to backup reviews to Google Sheets
   • Export Companies collection monthly
   • Store user data securely
2. Document database schema:
   • Keep notes on relationships
   • Track custom formulas used
   • Maintain field definitions
3. Plan for data migration:
   • Export capabilities to CSV
   • API access for bulk operations

Testing Your Review Platform

Step 51: Create Test Data

1. Create test user accounts:
   • 3-4 employee accounts (different roles)
   • 2-3 employer accounts
   • 1 admin account
2. Add sample companies:
   • 20-30 companies across various industries
   • Include logos and complete information
   • Mix of company sizes
3. Generate sample reviews:
   • 5-10 reviews per major company
   • Mix of ratings (1-5 stars)
   • Varied employment statuses
   • Some anonymous, some public
   • Include flagged reviews for moderation testing

Step 52: Test Core User Flows

Employee Journey:

1. Sign up → Email verification
2. Browse companies → Search and filter
3. View company details → Read reviews
4. Submit review → Anonymous option
5. Vote on helpful reviews
6. View own reviews in profile

Employer Journey:

1. Sign up as company representative
2. Claim company → Upload verification
3. Access company admin dashboard
4. View reviews about company
5. Respond to reviews
6. Update company profile

Admin Journey:

1. Log in as admin
2. Review pending submissions
3. Approve/reject reviews
4. Handle flagged content
5. Approve company claims
6. Monitor platform statistics

Step 53: Test Edge Cases

1. Duplicate prevention:
   • Try submitting multiple reviews for same company
   • Verify one-review-per-company rule works
2. Validation:
   • Submit review with missing required fields
   • Test character limits on text areas
   • Verify rating scales (1-5 only)
3. Anonymous reviews:
   • Confirm reviewer name doesn't display
   • Check that user can still edit own anonymous reviews
   • Verify admin can see reviewer identity
4. Permissions:
   • Non-admin trying to access admin dashboard
   • Unclaimed company access attempts
   • Unverified user trying to submit review

Step 54: Mobile and Cross-Platform Testing

1. Test on physical devices:
   • iOS (various models if possible)
   • Android (different screen sizes)
   • Tablet views
2. Test web app on:
   • Desktop browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
   • Mobile browsers
   • Different screen resolutions
3. Verify functionality across platforms:
   • Image uploads work
   • Forms submit correctly
   • Navigation flows smoothly
   • Ratings display properly
   • Search functions identically

Building Advanced Features and Monetization

Step 55: Add Premium Company Listings

Monetize your platform by offering enhanced visibility:

1. Create "Premium Features" property in Companies:
   • Featured Placement (True/False)
   • Highlighted Listing (True/False)
   • Premium Badge (True/False)
   • Response to All Reviews (True/False)
2. Build premium listings display:
   • Show featured companies at top of search results
   • Add "Featured" badge on company cards
   • Highlight premium companies with distinct styling
3. Create pricing page:
   • Monthly subscription tiers
   • Annual discounts
   • Feature comparison table

Step 56: Implement Stripe Payments for Premium Features

1. Install Stripe component from Marketplace
2. Create "Subscription Plans" collection:
   • Plan Name (Basic, Premium, Enterprise)
   • Monthly Price
   • Annual Price
   • Features List
3. Build subscription purchase flow:
   • Company admin selects plan
   • Stripe Payment component for payment
   • On successful payment:
     • Update company premium features
     • Create subscription record
     • Send confirmation email
4. Set up recurring billing:
   • Use Stripe's subscription API
   • Handle payment failures
   • Send renewal reminders

Adalo includes Stripe payment components for implementing subscription and one-time payment features.

Step 57: Create Company Analytics Dashboard

Offer insights to premium subscribers:

1. Build "Company Analytics" screen (premium only)
2. Display metrics:
   • Total review views (track with counter)
   • Review submission trend (this month vs last)
   • Rating breakdown by department
   • Common keywords in reviews
   • Comparison to industry average
3. Add downloadable reports:
   • PDF export of monthly statistics
   • CSV download of all reviews
   • Custom date range selection

Step 58: Implement Employer Branding Features

Help companies showcase their culture:

1. Add "Company Culture" tab:
   • Image Gallery: Office photos
   • Video: Company culture video (YouTube embed)
   • Text: Perks and benefits list
   • Text: Mission and values
2. Create "Employee Spotlights":
   • Company can highlight employee testimonials
   • Featured roles and teams
   • Career development stories
3. Add "Jobs" integration:
   • Link to company careers page
   • Display open positions (via API or manual entry)
   • "Apply Now" buttons

Why Adalo Makes Building a Review Platform Accessible for Everyone

With 80% of technology products set to be built by non-IT professionals by 2026, according to Gartner, Adalo positions itself as the ideal solution for creating employee review platforms without coding expertise.

The AI-Powered Advantage for Review Platforms

Adalo offers several capabilities that make it particularly well-suited for review platforms:

Built-in Database Power: Adalo's relational database handles complex data relationships between users, companies, and reviews seamlessly. You can manage unlimited reviews on paid plans with automatic relationship management and custom formulas for rating calculations—all without SQL knowledge.

Cross-Platform Publishing: Build your review platform once and publish simultaneously to iOS, Android, and web. This means you can reach users wherever they are, whether they're researching companies on desktop or reading reviews on mobile during their commute. Unlike competitors that offer web wrappers for mobile, Adalo creates true native apps that perform better and provide a superior user experience.

Scalable Architecture: Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to serve apps with millions of monthly active users, with no upper ceiling. The platform's purpose-built architecture maintains performance at scale—a critical consideration for review platforms that can grow rapidly as they gain traction.

Integration Ecosystem: Connect with Zapier for automation workflows (over 6,000 apps), Xano for advanced backend logic, Stripe for payment processing, and Airtable for external data management. This extensibility means you're never locked into Adalo's native capabilities alone.

Affordable Entry and Predictable Growth

Starting with the Free tier for unlimited testing, then upgrading to the Starter plan at $36/month for published apps with unlimited database records and no usage-based charges, Adalo offers a fraction of bespoke development costs with predictable pricing.

Compare this to alternatives:

• Bubble starts at $59/month with usage-based Workload Units that can create unpredictable costs, plus record limits and restrictions on app republishing
• FlutterFlow starts at $70/month per user for app store publishing, but requires you to source, set up, and pay for a separate database—adding complexity and cost
• Glide starts at $60/month but limits data records and doesn't support Apple App Store or Google Play publishing

Learning Curve and Time to Market

Many newcomers can get productive with Adalo within weeks. The visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," making it accessible to non-technical founders. For a review platform specifically, you can have an MVP running in 4-6 weeks—fast enough to validate your market and iterate based on real user feedback.

Looking ahead, Adalo's AI Builder (due for release in early 2026) will enable prompt-based app creation and editing, promising even faster development speeds. Features like Magic Start already generate complete app foundations from descriptions, and Magic Add lets you add features by describing what you want in natural language.

Component Marketplace Advantage

Rather than building every feature from scratch, leverage Adalo's Component Marketplace for pre-built components like star ratings, advanced forms, charts, and specialized UI elements. This accelerates development while maintaining professional quality.

When to Choose Adalo for Your Review Platform

Adalo excels for:

• MVPs and market validation before committing to custom development
• Small to medium platforms serving specific niches or industries
• Internal employee feedback tools for organizations
• Community-focused review sites serving local markets
• Rapid prototyping to secure funding or partnerships

With the right data relationship setups, Adalo apps can scale beyond 1 million monthly active users—providing the perfect foundation to prove your concept, build your user base, and generate revenue. Note that most third-party platform ratings and comparisons predate Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul in late 2025, so they may not reflect the platform's current performance and capabilities.

FAQ

Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With unlimited database records on paid plans, no usage-based charges, and 3-4x faster performance since the Adalo 3.0 infrastructure overhaul, it offers predictable pricing and scalability that competitors like Bubble can't match.

What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?

Adalo's drag-and-drop interface and AI-assisted features like Magic Start let you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from descriptions, and Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines—so you can focus on your app's features and user experience.

Can I easily build an employee review platform like Glassdoor?

Yes, with Adalo you can build an employee review platform with company profiles, anonymous review submission, multi-category rating systems, user authentication, and review moderation—all with drag-and-drop components and no coding required. The built-in relational database handles complex relationships between users, companies, and reviews seamlessly.

How does Adalo handle the database for managing companies, users, and reviews?

Adalo includes a built-in relational database with prebuilt property types and custom formulas for managing complex data structures. Paid plans include unlimited database records, so your platform can grow to thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of reviews without hitting data caps or facing unexpected charges.

Can I implement review verification and moderation features to prevent fake reviews?

Yes, Adalo supports building comprehensive verification workflows including email verification, company email domain verification for employees, review frequency limits, and admin moderation dashboards. You can set reviews to 'Pending' status by default and create admin-only screens to approve, reject, or flag submissions before they go live.

What integrations are available for extending my review platform's functionality?

Adalo supports integrations with Xano for advanced backend logic, Airtable for external data management, Zapier for connecting over 6,000 apps, Stripe for payment processing, and Google Sheets for data exports. SheetBridge also lets you turn a Google Sheet into an actual database for easy control without database-related learning curves.

How much does it cost to build an employee review platform with Adalo?

Adalo's Free tier lets you build and test your entire platform. When ready to publish, the Starter plan at $36/month includes custom domains, unlimited database records, and unlimited usage with no surprise charges. Compare this to Bubble at $59/month with usage-based Workload Units and record limits, or FlutterFlow at $70/month per user without an included database.

Can I monetize my employee review platform with premium features?

Yes, you can implement premium company listings, featured placements, and subscription tiers using Adalo's Stripe payment components. This allows you to offer enhanced visibility and analytics dashboards to employers while generating recurring revenue from your platform.

How does Adalo compare to Bubble for building a review platform?

Adalo offers several advantages: true native mobile apps (not web wrappers), unlimited database records on paid plans, no usage-based charges, and 3-4x faster performance. Bubble's Workload Units can create unpredictable costs as your platform scales, and its mobile solution is a wrapper that may face performance challenges under load. Adalo's single codebase also updates web, iOS, and Android simultaneously.

Is Adalo better than Glide or FlutterFlow for mobile apps?

For native mobile apps published to app stores, Adalo has clear advantages. Glide doesn't support Apple App Store or Google Play publishing and limits data records. FlutterFlow requires technical knowledge (it's low-code, not no-code) and you must source and configure your own database separately. Adalo includes everything needed to build and publish native apps from a single platform at $36/month.