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

This comprehensive tutorial walks you through building a fully functional video streaming platform using Adalo's no-code platform. You'll create a Hulu-style app with video playback, multi-user profiles, subscription payments, watchlists, and cross-platform publishing—all without writing a single line of code.

Key Takeaways

• Build a production-ready streaming app in 2-5 weeks using Adalo's visual builder
• Create native iOS and Android apps plus a responsive web version from a single build
• Implement subscription payments with Stripe integration for monetization
• Use external video hosting (YouTube, Vimeo, or AWS S3) to bypass Adalo's 40MB file limit
• Set up a relational database structure with six core collections for content management
• Launch your streaming platform for $36/month (annual billing) on the Starter plan

Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account and Project

1. Navigate to Adalo.com and click "Start Building For Free"
2. Sign up using email or Google account
3. Choose "Create New App" from your dashboard
4. Select "Responsive App (Adalo 2.0)" for cross-platform compatibility
5. Name your app (e.g., "StreamHub" or "WatchBox")
6. Pick a color scheme—dark theme works well for streaming platforms

What you get: Access to Adalo's builder with unlimited test apps and 500 records on the free tier.

Step 2: Choose Your Video Hosting Service

Before building, decide on external video hosting since Adalo's 40MB practical limit makes hosting videos directly impractical:

Option 1: YouTube

• Upload videos as "Unlisted" (hidden from search)
• Copy video URLs for database
• Best for: Quick prototypes and MVPs

Option 2: Vimeo

• Set videos to "Hide from Vimeo" privacy
• Professional player controls
• Best for: Professional streaming apps
• Note: Embeds may not work on native Android

Option 3: AWS S3 + CloudFront

• Upload .mp4 files with H.264 compression
• Generate public URLs
• Best for: Enterprise control and scalability

Building the Database Structure

Step 3: Create the Videos Collection

1. Click the Database icon in the left sidebar
2. Click "+ Add Collection"
3. Name it "Videos"
4. Add these properties (click "+ Add Property" for each):
   
   • Title (Text)
   • Description (Text - Multiline)
   • Video URL (Text - this holds your external video link)
   • Thumbnail (Image - compress to <200KB for performance)
   • Duration (Number - in minutes)
   • Release Year (Number)
   • Is Featured (True/False - for homepage banner)
   • View Count (Number)
   • Content Rating (Text - G, PG, PG-13, R, TV-MA)

Step 4: Enhance the Users Collection

1. Click on "Users" collection (automatically created)
2. Add these custom properties:
   
   • Phone Number (Text)
   • Profile Image (Image)
   • Subscription Status (Text - Values: "Active", "Inactive", "Cancelled")
   • Subscription Tier (Text - Values: "Basic", "Standard", "Premium")
   • Subscription End Date (Date & Time)
   • Display Name (Text)

Step 5: Create the Profiles Collection

This enables multi-profile support like Hulu's family sharing:

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Profiles"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Profile Name (Text)
   • Avatar (Image or Text - for avatar selector)
   • Is Kids Profile (True/False)
   • Language Preference (Text)

Step 6: Create the Categories Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Categories"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Category Name (Text - e.g., "Action", "Drama", "Comedy")
   • Icon (Image)
   • Display Order (Number)

Step 7: Create the Watch History Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Watch History"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Progress (Number - seconds watched)
   • Last Watched (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Completed (True/False)

Step 8: Create the Watchlist Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Watchlist"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Added Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

Step 9: Set Up Database Relationships

This is where Adalo's relational database shines:

1. In Videos collection:

• Add relationship to Categories: Many-to-One (many videos in one category)

2. In Profiles collection:

• Add relationship to Users: "Account Owner" Many-to-One (many profiles per user)

3. In Watch History collection:

• Add relationship to Profiles: Many-to-One
• Add relationship to Videos: Many-to-One

4. In Watchlist collection:

• Add relationship to Profiles: Many-to-One
• Add relationship to Videos: Many-to-One

Expected result: Your database now mirrors Hulu's content structure with proper relationships between users, profiles, videos, and viewing data.

Creating User Authentication

Step 10: Build the Welcome Screen

1. Rename the default screen to "Welcome"
2. Add your app Logo Image at the top
3. Add Text component: "Stream unlimited movies and shows"
4. Add two Buttons:
   
   • "Start Your Free Trial" → Link to new screen "Signup"
   • "Sign In" → Link to new screen "Login"

Step 11: Create the Signup Screen

1. Add new screen "Signup"
2. Add Form component:
   
   • Connect to Users collection
   • Include fields: Email, Password, Full Name, Phone Number
3. Add Text explaining subscription tiers:
   
   • Basic: $7.99/month (with ads)
   • Standard: $14.99/month (ad-free, HD)
   • Premium: $19.99/month (4K, 5 profiles)
4. Add Dropdown for tier selection
5. On submit button:
   
   • Create user account
   • Navigate to "Payment Setup" screen

Step 12: Build Login Screen

1. Add new screen "Login"
2. Add Form with Email and Password inputs
3. Add login action on submit
4. On successful login → Navigate to "Profile Selection"

Step 13: Create Profile Selection Screen

1. Add new screen "Profile Selection"
2. Add Custom List of Profiles:
   
   • Filter: "Account Owner = Logged In User"
   • Display in grid layout (2 columns)
3. Show for each profile:
   
   • Avatar image
   • Profile name
   • Kids profile indicator
4. Add "Add Profile" button (show only if profile count < 5)
5. On profile click → Set "Current Profile" → Navigate to "Home"

Step 14: Build Add Profile Form

1. Add new screen "Add Profile"
2. Add Form connected to Profiles:
   
   • Profile Name (Text Input)
   • Avatar (Image Picker or preset avatars)
   • Is Kids Profile (Toggle)
3. On submit:
   
   • Link profile to Logged In User
   • Navigate back to "Profile Selection"

Designing the Home Screen

Step 15: Create the Main Home Interface

1. Add new screen "Home"
2. Add App Bar component:
   
   • Logo on left
   • Search icon (link to "Search" screen)
   • Profile avatar on right (link to "Account Settings")

Step 16: Build Featured Content Banner

1. Add Custom List component:
   
   • Connect to Videos collection
   • Filter: "Is Featured = True"
   • Limit: 1 item
   • Display as full-width banner
2. Inside list item:
   
   • Image: Bind to Video → Thumbnail (full height)
   • Text: Video → Title (large, bold)
   • Text: Video → Description (2 lines max)
   • Button: "Play" → Navigate to "Video Player" screen

Step 17: Add Horizontal Content Rows

Following the Netflix clone approach:

1. Add Text component: "Continue Watching"

2. Below it, add Horizontal List:

• Connect to Watch History collection
• Filter: "Profile = Current Profile AND Completed = False"
• Sort: "Last Watched (Newest First)"
• Show 10 items

3. For each item, display:

• Video thumbnail with progress bar overlay
• Video title
• "Continue" button

4. Repeat this pattern for different rows:

• "Trending Now" (Videos sorted by View Count)
• "Action Movies" (Videos filtered by Category)
• "Drama Series" (filtered list)
• "Recently Added" (sorted by Release Year)

Step 18: Optimize List Performance

Critical for smooth scrolling:

1. Select each video list
2. Go to Advanced Options
3. Enable "Load Items as User Scrolls"
4. Set initial load to 10-15 items
5. Compress all thumbnails to under 200KB

Building the Video Playback Screen

Step 19: Create Video Player Screen

1. Add new screen "Video Player"
2. Add Video Component at the top:
   
   • Set video source to "Current Video → Video URL"
   • Enable "Show Controls"
   • Set "Show Full Video (Don't Crop)"
   • Height: 40% of screen

Important: The video component requires .mp4 format with H.264 compression. YouTube URLs need the separate YouTube component from the marketplace.

Step 20: Add Video Details Section

Below the video player:

1. Text: Current Video → Title (large, bold)
2. Text: Current Video → Release Year · Duration · Content Rating
3. Text: Current Video → View Count + " views"
4. Button: "Add to My List" (conditional: show if not in watchlist)
   
   • Action: Create Watchlist record linking Current Video + Current Profile
5. Button: "Remove from My List" (conditional: show if in watchlist)
   
   • Action: Delete matching Watchlist record

Step 21: Implement Progress Tracking

This enables resume watching:

1. Add Custom Action on screen load:
   
   • Check if Watch History record exists for Current Profile + Current Video
   • If exists: Update "Last Watched" to Current Time
   • If not: Create new Watch History record
2. Add timer action (updates every 30 seconds):
   
   • Update Watch History → Progress to video current timestamp
3. On video complete:
   
   • Update Watch History → Completed = True

Step 22: Add Related Content Section

1. Below video details, add Text: "More Like This"
2. Add Horizontal List:
   
   • Connect to Videos
   • Filter: "Category = Current Video → Category"
   • Exclude: Current Video
   • Limit: 10 items
3. Display thumbnails with titles

Setting Up Subscription Payments

Step 23: Install Stripe Component

1. Go to Adalo Marketplace
2. Search for "Stripe"
3. Click Install on the Stripe Payment component
4. You'll need Stripe API keys (free Stripe account required)

Step 24: Create Payment Setup Screen

1. Add new screen "Payment Setup"

2. Add three plan cards (use rectangles and text):

Basic Plan Card:

• Text: "Basic" (title)
• Text: "$7.99/month" (price)
• Text: "Watch with ads • 1 screen • 720p"
• Button: "Select Basic"

Standard Plan Card:

• Text: "Standard" (title)
• Text: "$14.99/month" (price)
• Text: "Ad-free • 2 screens • 1080p"
• Button: "Select Standard"

Premium Plan Card:

• Text: "Premium" (title)
• Text: "$19.99/month" (price)
• Text: "4K Ultra HD • 4 screens • Downloads"
• Button: "Select Premium"

Step 25: Configure Stripe Payment

On each "Select" button:

1. Navigate to "Payment Form" screen
2. Pass the selected tier and price as parameters
3. On "Payment Form" screen:
   
   • Add Stripe Payment Component
   • Set amount to passed price parameter
   • Configure for subscription mode
   • Enable "Save payment method for future"
4. On successful payment:
   
   • Update Logged In User:
     
     • Subscription Status = "Active"
     • Subscription Tier = selected tier
     • Subscription End Date = 30 days from now
   • Navigate to "Profile Selection" screen

Step 26: Build Payment Methods Screen

1. Add "Payment Methods" screen
2. Add List showing saved payment methods
3. Display card type and last 4 digits
4. Add "Add New Card" button
5. Add "Update Billing" option

Adding Advanced Features

Step 27: Build Search Functionality

1. Create "Search" screen
2. Add Text Input for search query
3. Add Custom List of Videos:
   
   • Filter: "Title Contains Search Input"
   • Show thumbnails and titles
4. Display results in grid layout

Step 28: Create Categories Browse Screen

1. Add "Browse" screen
2. Add Horizontal List of Categories at top
3. Add Custom List of Videos below:
   
   • Filter by selected category
   • Grid layout (3 columns on tablet/desktop)

Step 29: Implement Rating System

Following the Udemy clone pattern:

1. Create "Ratings" collection with:
   
   • Rating Value (Number, 1-5)
   • Comment (Text)
   • Relationship to Videos (Many-to-One)
   • Relationship to Profiles (Many-to-One)
2. Add star rating component to Video Player screen
3. Calculate average rating with formula

Step 30: Build Account Settings

1. Create "Account Settings" screen
2. Add sections:
   
   • Manage Profiles (link to Profile Selection)
   • Membership & Billing (show current plan, cancel option)
   • Playback Settings (quality preferences)
   • Notification Preferences
   • Sign Out button

Step 31: Add Trip History Screen

1. Create "Watch History" screen
2. Add List of Watch History records:
   
   • Filter: "Profile = Current Profile"
   • Sort: "Last Watched (Newest First)"
3. For each item show:
   
   • Video thumbnail
   • Title
   • Date watched
   • Progress bar
   • "Continue Watching" or "Watch Again" button

Testing Your Streaming App

Step 32: Add Test Data

1. Create 3-4 test user accounts with different subscription tiers
2. Upload 20-30 sample videos to your hosting service
3. Add video records to database with URLs
4. Create multiple profiles per user
5. Add sample watch history and watchlist items

Step 33: Test Core User Flows

Verify these paths work correctly:

1. New User Journey:
   
   • Signup → Select plan → Enter payment → Create profile → Browse content
2. Existing User Journey:
   
   • Login → Select profile → Continue watching → Play video
3. Content Discovery:
   
   • Search for videos → Browse by category → Add to watchlist
4. Playback Flow:
   
   • Play video → Track progress → Resume watching → Complete video

Step 34: Preview and Debug

1. Use Adalo's web previewer for desktop testing
2. Download the Adalo app for mobile testing
3. Test video playback on iOS and Android
4. Verify subscription payments with Stripe test cards
5. Check conditional visibility rules
6. Test all navigation flows

Publishing Your Streaming Platform

Step 35: Publish to Web

1. Click Publish in top right
2. Choose Web App
3. For custom domain (requires Starter plan at $36/month annual):
   
   • Add your domain in settings
   • Configure DNS records as shown
   • Wait for SSL certificate (automatic)
4. Click "Publish Now"

Your web app is now live and accessible at your custom domain.

Step 36: Publish to iOS App Store

Requirements:

• Apple Developer account: $99/year
• App icons (1024x1024px)
• App Store screenshots
• Privacy policy URL

Steps:

1. In Adalo, go to Publish → iOS
2. Upload app icons and launch screens
3. Fill in app details
4. Click "Submit to Adalo" (Adalo handles build process)
5. Once built, submit to App Store Connect
6. Wait for Apple review

Step 37: Publish to Google Play Store

Requirements:

• Google Play Developer account: $25 one-time fee
• App icons and screenshots
• Privacy policy

Steps:

1. In Adalo, go to Publish → Android
2. Upload required assets
3. Configure app details
4. Submit to Adalo for build
5. Download APK and upload to Google Play Console
6. Complete store listing and publish

Scaling Your Platform with Adalo

As your streaming app grows, you'll want to optimize performance and potentially upgrade your plan.

When to Upgrade Plans

Starter to Professional ($65/month or $52/month annually):

• You need more than 1 published app
• You want 5 collaborators for team building
• You need Custom Actions for external APIs
• You require 25GB storage vs 5GB

Professional to Team ($200/month or $160/month annually):

• You're scaling to 5 published apps
• You need Xano integration for advanced backend
• You want 10 editor seats
• You need priority support

Optimizing for More Users

Adalo's platform 20 million daily requests and maintains 99%+ average uptime, but follow these best practices:

1. Enable pagination on all video lists
2. Compress images to under 200KB
3. Use External Collections to connect Airtable or Xano for larger databases
4. Avoid lists-within-lists which slow rendering
5. Cache frequently accessed data in user properties

Why Adalo Is Perfect for Building Your Streaming Platform

Adalo stands out as the ideal no-code solution for launching a Hulu-style streaming platform. Unlike competitors that focus on web apps only, Adalo enables you to build native iOS and Android apps alongside your web version—all from a single build. This means your streaming service reaches users everywhere, just like Hulu.

The platform's built-in relational database has already powered apps serving 2 million+ end users, proving it can handle the complex relationships between users, profiles, videos, watch history, and subscriptions that streaming platforms require. When you need to scale beyond Adalo's database, seamless integrations with Xano and Airtable let you expand capacity without rebuilding your app.

Payment processing is straightforward with native Stripe integration, letting you implement subscription tiers, free trials, and payment management without custom code. Combined with responsive design that automatically adapts to any screen size, you can launch a professional streaming platform in weeks instead of months—and for $36/month instead of tens of thousands in development costs.

Start building your streaming platform today with Adalo's free plan and see how quickly you can turn your vision into a working app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I really build a streaming app like Hulu without coding?

Yes—Adalo's visual builder lets you create fully functional streaming apps without writing code. You'll build screens using drag-and-drop components, set up a database with click-based relationships, and configure actions through dropdown menus. The video component handles playback, while Stripe integration manages subscriptions. However, you'll need external video hosting since Adalo's 40MB practical limit makes storing videos directly impractical.

How much does it cost to publish a streaming app to App Store and Google Play?

Apple charges $99/year for their developer program, while Google requires a $25 one-time fee. You'll also need Adalo's Starter plan minimum ($36/month annual billing) to publish apps. Add domain costs ($10-45/year) and video hosting ($0-50/month), bringing total monthly costs to around $75-150 for a published streaming platform across all platforms.

How do I add subscription payments to my Adalo streaming app?

Install the Stripe Payment component from Adalo's marketplace, connect your Stripe account (free signup), then create payment screens with plan selection cards. Configure the Stripe component for subscription mode and link successful payments to user properties (Subscription Status, Tier, End Date). Stripe handles all payment processing and PCI compliance—Adalo never stores card data. This works on all plans but requires Starter minimum ($36/month annual) to publish and test real payments.

Can my Adalo streaming app scale to thousands of users?

Yes—Adalo apps 20 million daily requests with 99%+ uptime. However, performance depends on your database design. Enable "Load Items as User Scrolls" on video lists, compress thumbnails under 200KB, and avoid lists-within-lists. For apps exceeding 10,000+ users, integrate external databases through Xano (available on Team plan at $160/month) or Airtable to offload data storage while keeping Adalo's interface.