Updated Jan 13, 2026

Step-by-Step Guide: Building an OkCupid Clone with Adalo

Table of Contents

This comprehensive tutorial walks you through creating a functional, profile-driven dating app (à la OkCupid) using Adalo’s platform. You’ll design rich profiles and questionnaires, implement compatibility scoring and swipe discovery, add chat and premium tiers. You can even publish the same app to the web, native iOS, and native Android with Adalo, all without writing a line of code or rebuilding anything.

Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account

Go to Adalo.com and sign up.
Start on the Free plan for prototyping; upgrade later as needed. See current pricing for limits and features.
Verify your email and complete onboarding.

Step 2: Start Your Project

Click Create New App → Mobile App.
Name your project (e.g., OkCupidClone).
Choose Start from Scratch or browse app templates for a head start.

Step 3: Configure App Settings

Targets: iOS, Android, and Web App (PWA).
Responsive: Enable responsive design to support phones, tablets, and desktop.
Locale: Set default language and region.
Branding: Colors, typography, icons, and splash screens.

Designing the Data Model (Profiles, Preferences, Q&A)

Step 4: Enhance the Users Collection

Open Database → Users and add:

Display Name (Text)
Date of Birth (Date) → compute age with a Formula
Gender (Text / options)
Sexual Orientation (Multi-select Text)
Bio (Multiline Text, ~500 chars)
Location (Location) + City (Text)
Distance Preference (Number, miles/km)
Age Range Min/Max (Numbers)
Looking For (Text: Dating, Friendship, etc.)
Verification Status (Text)
Premium Member (True/False)
Account Created (Date & Time – automatic)
Last Active (Date & Time)

Step 5: Profile Enhancements (Optional but Useful)

Photos (up to 6 Image fields or a separate Photos collection)
Education Level (Text / options)
Occupation / Company (Text)
Religion / Politics (Text / options)
Lifestyle: Drinking, Smoking, Has Kids, Wants Kids (Text / True/False)
Any other attributes relevant to your niche.

Step 6: Questions (OkCupid-style)

Create Questions collection:

Question Text (Text)
Category (Text: Lifestyle, Values, Dating, etc.)
Type (Text: Multiple Choice, Scale, Yes/No)
Answer Options (Text; store JSON or pipe-separated choices)
Weight (Number; importance for scoring)
Active (True/False)

Step 7: User Answers

Create UserAnswers collection:

Answer Value (Text)
Importance (Number: 1–5)
Created Date (Date & Time)
User → Users (Many-to-One)
Question → Questions (Many-to-One)

Authentication & Onboarding

Step 8: Welcome Screen

Logo + tagline (“Find your most compatible matches”).
Buttons: Sign Up, Log In, Learn More.

Step 9: Multi-Step Registration

Screen 1 – Account

Email, Password, Display Name → Submit → next.

Screen 2 – Personal

DOB (compute Age), Gender, Orientation, Location (device or manual).

Screen 3 – Preferences

Looking For, Age Range dual slider, Distance slider, Relationship Type.

Step 10: Photo Upload & Verification

Image Picker with 1–6 photos and “Set Primary” toggle.
Verification flow (optional): selfie prompt using Camera component; store verification image and set Verification Status.

Phone verification: implement via a third-party service (e.g., Twilio Verify) using Custom Actions.

Matching Engine (Scoring, Filters, and Mutual Likes)

Step 11: Matches Collection

Match Score (Number, 0–100)
Match Date (Date & Time)
User 1 Liked / User 2 Liked (True/False)
Is Mutual (True/False)
Last Interaction (Date & Time)
User 1 → Users (Many-to-One)
User 2 → Users (Many-to-One)

Step 12: Compatibility Scoring

Implement with Formulas + logic:

Inputs: shared answers, answer compatibility %, distance, age preference fit, profile completeness, recent activity.
Weight with Question.Weight and UserAnswers.Importance.
Save Match Score to show as a badge (e.g., “86% compatible”).

Step 13: Criteria & Exclusions

Must match (AND):

Both users within each other’s Age Range
Within Distance Preference
Gender/Orientation compatibility
Not blocked/reported

Should match (OR):

Shared interests/lifestyle values
Similar education or habits
Recent activity

Discovery, Profiles, and Swipe UI

Step 14: Discovery (Swipe) Screen

Add a Card/Stack component bound to Users.
Filter:
- Not already liked/passed by the current user
- Meets mutual age and distance preferences
- Exclude blocked/reported
Card content: primary photo, name + age, city/distance, match %.

Gestures & actions:

Right = Like → create “like” interaction, check for mutual like → if mutual, create Matches record and open It’s a Match screen.
Left = Pass → create “pass” record.
Up = Super Like (premium) → record and notify.

Step 15: Detailed Profile

Screen: View Profile
Sections: photo carousel, basic info, bio, lifestyle tags, “Top answers” to key questions.
Buttons: Like, Pass, Super Like, Report.

Step 16: Match Celebration

“It’s a Match!” overlay with both photos, match %, and actions: Send Message / Keep Swiping.

Messaging (Conversations & Notifications)

Step 17: Messages Collection

Message Text (Multiline Text)
Sent Date (Date & Time)
Is Read (True/False)
Message Type (Text: text/image/gif)
Sender → Users
Conversation → Conversations

Step 18: Conversations Collection

Last Message (Text)
Last Message Date (Date & Time)
Unread Count User 1 / User 2 (Numbers)
Is Active (True/False)
Participant 1 / Participant 2 → Users

Step 19: Chat Screen

Header with match’s photo/name and Unmatch menu.
Messages list (sort ascending), distinct styling for sent/received.
Input bar: text, send, image attach (and optional GIF via Custom Action).
Push notifications for new messages and matches:
- Trigger push notifications

Premium Features & Monetization

Step 20: Subscription Tiers

Suggested tiers:

Basic (Free): limited daily swipes (e.g., 25), standard filters, basic messaging.
Premium (example pricing): unlimited swipes, See Who Liked You, advanced filters, Rewind.
Gold (example pricing): Premium + Super Likes (daily), monthly Boost, priority support.

Step 21: Payments Implementation

iOS/Android in-app purchases (digital goods): integrate IAPHUB with Adalo for native IAP flows:
- IAPHUB on Adalo
Stripe for web payments or eligible non-digital services via Marketplace components:
- Adalo Marketplace

Step 22: Premium Gating

Conditional visibility for premium UI.
Usage tracking for daily limit counters, Super Likes, Boosts.
Upsell modals when a non-premium user taps gated features.

Location & Proximity Matching

Step 23: Location Permissions

Prompt users for permission; provide manual location fallback.
Store Location (lat/long) and update on app open or at suitable intervals.

Step 24: Distance Filtering

Store each user’s coordinates with the Location property (lat/long are available via Magic Text). Compute straight-line distances using Adalo’s Latitude, Longitude, and Special Formulas guide, or call a small external API if you need driving distance. Adalo Help
- Latitude, Longitude, and Special Formulas
To compare two saved locations (e.g., “within X miles/km”), follow Adalo’s Comparing Locations walkthrough and apply your app’s Distance Preference filter (e.g., 1–100 miles/km; premium could offer “Travel Mode” or a global radius). Adalo Help
- Comparing Locations

Step 25: Location-Driven Features (Optional)

Nearby Matches, Travel Mode (set a virtual location), Local Events screens.

Safety & Moderation

Step 26: Reports & Blocks

Reports collection: type (Fake Profile/Harassment/etc.), description, evidence (image), status.
Blocked Users relation on Users; exclude blocked users from discovery and messages.
Add a Safety screen with tips, reporting access, and links to policies.

Installing Essential Components

Step 27: Marketplace Components

Visit the Adalo Marketplace:

Card Stack / Swipe for discovery
Image Carousel for profile photos
Maps (for location views)
Chat UI (or build custom with lists)
Camera/File upload for verification flows

Testing Your App (Flows, Edge Cases, Payments)

Step 28: Test Users & Data

Seed 20–30 test profiles covering ages, orientations, locations, and mixed match % values.
Include edge cases: incomplete profiles, inactive accounts, premium vs. free.

Step 29: Core Flow Tests

Onboarding: registration, photos, preference setup.
Discovery: swipe logic, mutual match creation, gated features.
Chat: message send/receive, notifications, unread counts.
Payments: purchase, entitlement unlock, renewal, cancellation.
Safety: report/block flows and visibility exclusions.

Step 30: Preview & Device Testing

Use Adalo’s previewer and test on physical devices for UI and performance.
Verify conditional visibility, formulas, and all notification triggers.

Optimization, Limitations & Workarounds

Platform Limitations and Workarounds

Critical constraints to address

Performance considerations

Large collections and complex relationships can slow screens.
Deeply nested lists (lists within lists) increase render time.
Heavy image/video usage impacts load times and storage.

Real-time limitations

Continuous background sockets and native live tracking aren’t built-in.
Foreground refresh (polling) is typical; background updates are limited.

Workaround strategies

Keep each list to ~20–30 items and use “Load more” pagination.
Offload heavy datasets/logic via External Collections or a lightweight backend API.
Use Custom Actions to fetch computed results (e.g., distance, recommendations).
Simulate “real-time” with timed list refresh + push notifications for events.
Split roles into separate apps (e.g., user vs. admin) to keep screens lean.
Pre-compress images; prefer carousels over large grids.

Helpful references

Publishing to App Stores & Web

Step 31: iOS Submission

Apple Developer Program: $99/year.
Prepare screenshots, privacy policy, and metadata.
Determine age rating using Apple’s questionnaire (many dating apps end up 17+ due to user-generated content).
Publish guide: Apple App Store

Step 32: Google Play Submission

Play Console: $25 one-time fee.
Complete listing, upload AAB/APK, content rating.
Publish guide: Google Play

Step 33: Web (PWA) Launch

Choose Adalo subdomain or set a custom domain.
Configure SSL, analytics, and SEO basics.
Web publishing

Cost Breakdown and Resources

Adalo Subscription Costs

Plans and limits change; see Adalo Pricing for current details.

Additional Service Costs (as applicable)

Apple Developer Program: $99/year — Apple Programs
Google Play Console: $25 one-time — Play Console Help
Stripe processing fees — Stripe Pricing
Maps/Geocoding (distance/ETA) — Google Maps Platform Pricing
In-app purchases — IAPHUB for Adalo
External databases/APIs — varies by provider

Marketplace Components

Availability and pricing vary — see the Adalo Component Marketplace

Additional Resources

Component Marketplace: prebuilt UI and utilities — Marketplace
Database docs: relationships, formulas, performance — Database Docs
Custom Actions: connect external APIs and services — Custom Actions Guide
Push Notifications: triggers and setup — Notifications
Templates & Learning: App Templates · Learning Hub

Notes: This guide focuses on what’s achievable with Adalo’s native features and light integrations. Real-time GPS tracking, continuous background updates, and complex server-side algorithms are not native; use Custom Actions, External Collections, or a small backend for those.

For larger-scale apps, prioritize: lean screens, progressive list loading, externalized heavy queries, and strict media optimization. Always verify plan features/limits and store policies at publication time, as they change periodically.

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