Updated Oct 01, 2025

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

Table of Contents

This comprehensive tutorial will guide you through creating a fully functional dating app using Adalo's no-code platform. Gartner forecasts that by 2025, 70% of new applications developed by organizations will use low-code or no-code technologies—an indicator that visual platforms like Adalo can significantly accelerate delivery (actual speed-ups vary by scope). You’ll build user profiles, prompts, matching logic, chat, and location-based discovery—without writing code.

Prerequisites

Before you start, have these ready (or plan to set them up before publishing):

Apple Developer Program (for iOS submission): $99/year.
Google Play Console (for Android submission): $25 one-time.
Maps/Geolocation setup: Google Maps Platform key (if you’ll use map components) and app privacy disclosures.
Basic brand assets: App name, icon, color palette, and screenshots (for store listings).

Why Choose Adalo for a Hinge-Style Dating App

Platform Advantages for Dating Apps

Built-in collections & relationships for complex user data and matching logic.
Visual development for fast UI builds (swipe cards, chat lists, modals).
Component Marketplace with swipeable cards, maps, and UI helpers.
Cross-platform publishing to iOS, Android, and web (PWA) from one project (store submissions happen separately).

Essential Features for Your Hinge Clone

Core Dating Features

User profiles with multi-photo galleries
Matching logic & mutual likes
1:1 messaging between matches
Location-based discovery & distance filters
Authentication (sign up/login)
Push notifications for matches/messages

UX Elements

Profile prompts with guided answers
Swipe/scroll discovery and mutual interest cues
Activity indicators (recently active)
Report/block controls

Safety Basics

Photo verification flow (camera/file upload + review)
Location privacy & consent prompts
Moderation queue for reports

Setting Up Your Workspace and Database

Step 1: Create Your Adalo App

Sign up at Adalo.com
Create New App → Mobile App
Name it (e.g., “DateConnect”)
Choose Start from Scratch

Step 2: Theme & Branding

Pick a primary brand color and contrasting CTA color
Select readable fonts
Add app icon & splash
Continue to the builder

Step 3: Build the Users Collection

Add/confirm fields in Users:

Display Name (Text)
Age (Number)
Bio (Text – Multiline)
Profile Photos (Image – allow multiple)
Location (Location)
Gender (Text/options)
Looking For (Text/options)
Interests (Text/multi)
Height (Number)
Job Title / Company / Education (Text)
Verified (True/False)
Last Active (Date & Time)

Step 4: Profile Prompts Collection

Create Profile Prompts:

Prompt Question (Text)
User Answer (Text – Multiline)
Category (Text)
Display Order (Number)

Step 5: Matches Collection

Create Matches:

User 1 (Relation → Users)
User 2 (Relation → Users)
Match Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
Status (Text: “Pending”, “Matched”, “Unmatched”)
User 1 Liked (T/F), User 2 Liked (T/F)

Step 6: Messages Collection

Create Messages:

Sender (Relation → Users)
Receiver (Relation → Users)
Message Text (Text – Multiline)
Sent Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
Read (True/False)
Match (Relation → Matches)

Relationships recap (at a glance):

Users ↔ Matches (two user relations per match)
Users ↔ Messages (Sender/Receiver)
Matches ↔ Messages (one-to-many)
Users ↔ Profile Prompts (one-to-many)

Authentication & Onboarding

Step 7: Welcome Screen

Include logo/tagline with key actions:

Sign Up → registration flow
Login → login screen
Optional background image/gradient

Step 8: Multi-Step Registration

Screen 1 – Basic Info: Email, Password, optional Phone
Screen 2 – Personal Details: Name, Birthday (derive Age), Gender, Looking For, Location (device or manual)
Screen 3 – Profile: Photo upload (min 2), Bio, Interests

Step 9: Add Profile Prompts

List available prompts
Let users pick 3
Capture answers into Profile Prompts

Swipe Discovery & Card Actions

Step 10: Install Swipe Components

Go to Marketplace → install a Swipe/Stack component appropriate for profiles.

Step 11: Discovery Screen

Add swipe component bound to Users
Filters: exclude current user, exclude already matched/blocked, respect preferences (age, gender, distance)

Step 12: Card Actions

Swipe Right (Like):
- Create/update match record; if the other user liked already → set Status = “Matched” and notify both users
Swipe Left (Pass):
- Record pass to exclude from future cards
(Optional) Super Like:
- Premium action + notification

Step 13: Card Layout

Main photo, name & age, distance (if enabled)
First prompt & answer snippet
Visible like/pass buttons as accessibility backups

Messaging

Step 14: Matches List

Screen: Matches
Show matched users with last message preview & unread count
Sort by last interaction

Step 15: Chat View

Screen: Chat
List messages (by Match) oldest→newest
Input bar (text + optional attachments)
Show timestamps & read state

Step 16: Push Notifications

Configure triggers for new match and new message.
Docs: Push Notifications

Location-Based Matching

Step 17: Geolocation Setup

Ask permission on first use
Save user coordinates (on open or via a “Refresh Location” button)
Provide privacy toggle to hide/show distance

Step 18: Distance Filtering

Add a distance slider to preferences (e.g., 1–100 miles/km; “Travel Mode” or global radius can be a premium perk).
Compute distances (Haversine) via a formula or small API and store/update as needed:
- Reference (math): Haversine formula

Step 19: Map View (Optional)

Install Maps from Marketplace
Show nearby matches with markers (respect privacy settings)

Preference Logic & Recommendations

Step 20: Preference Matching

Use Adalo actions/conditions to enforce:

Mutual age range acceptance
Gender/orientation compatibility
Distance threshold
Exclude blocked/reported

(For authoring conditions and visibility rules, see Adalo’s Action Basics and Visibility guides in the Help Center.)

Step 21: Compatibility Scoring

Create a computed Match Score (example weights—tune for your app):

Shared interests (30%)
Profile completeness (20%)
Activity recency (20%)
Distance (30%)

Sort discovery by score (or create a “Top Picks” subset).

Step 22: Smart Recommendations

Daily Picks list
Cap to 10 per 24 hours
Refresh timer or midnight reset

Publishing to iOS, Android, and Web

Step 23: Store Assets & Prep

App icon (1024×1024), screenshots, short/long descriptions
Age rating per each store’s matrix
Privacy policy & data handling disclosures
(Context) Global app downloads were ~257B in 2023; quality listings help discovery.

Step 24: iOS Submission

Enroll in Apple Developer ($99/year)
Generate iOS build from Adalo
Submit via App Store Connect
Most reviews complete in 24–48 hours, though some take longer.

Step 25: Google Play Submission

Create Play Console account ($25 one-time)
Generate Android AAB/APK from Adalo
Complete content rating & disclosures
Reviews vary and can take up to 7 days or longer.

Monetization (In-App + Web)

Step 26: Subscriptions & Purchases

For native iOS/Android digital content (subscriptions, boosts, super-likes), use platform billing:
- iOS: StoreKit / IAP (via IAPHUB integration)
- Android: Google Play Billing (via IAPHUB)
- Policies: Apple Payments, Google Payments
Stripe is suitable for web payments or cases outside the in-app purchase rules (e.g., physical goods, certain services).

Step 27: Premium Feature Gating

Examples:

Unlimited likes
See who liked you
Extra Super Likes / Boosts
Advanced filters
Rewind last swipe

Implement via conditional visibility and usage counters tied to plan/entitlements.

Platform Limitations & Workarounds

Critical Constraints to Address

Performance:

Very large collections and compound filters can slow screens.
Deeply nested lists increase render cost.
Heavy images/files impact load times.

Real-Time Behavior:

Adalo relies on foreground refresh/polling on screens; true background live tracking is not native.
Manual refresh or timer-based updates are common patterns.

Workaround Strategies

Use External Collections/APIs for large datasets or heavy queries.
Consider a lightweight backend (e.g., Xano/your API) for compute-heavy operations while keeping the UI in Adalo.
Add Timer components for screen-level refresh during active sessions.
Optimize images (dimensions/size) and paginate lists (20–25 items per page).
Split complex flows into smaller screens to reduce on-screen computation.

Cost Breakdown & Resources

Adalo Subscription

Plan names, limits, and prices can change—always confirm current details here:
Adalo Pricing

Additional Service Costs

Apple Developer: $99/year (Apple)
Google Play Console: $25 one-time (Google)
Maps: billed by Google Maps Platform usage (if used)
Payments: App-store fees per Apple/Google policies; Stripe fees for web payments
External databases/integrations may incur extra costs (varies by provider)

Marketplace Components

Browse options and (if applicable) pricing:
Adalo Component Marketplace

Additional Resources

Database docs & relationships: Help Center – Database
Actions, conditions, and visibility: Help Center – Action Basics
Push notifications: Help – Trigger Push Notifications
Publishing guides: Adalo Publishing
App templates & examples: Adalo App Templates

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Note: This Hinge-style clone includes prompts, swipe discovery, matching, chat, optional maps, and in-app monetization—implemented within Adalo’s native capabilities. For features like continuous background location tracking, web sockets, or complex ML ranking, integrate external services through Custom Actions or move targeted logic to an external backend while keeping the UI in Adalo.

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