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

This comprehensive tutorial shows you how to build a multipurpose messaging and social app inspired by WeChat using Adalo's no-code platform. WeChat serves over 1 billion monthly active users by integrating messaging, social features, and payments into one platform. While building a full WeChat replica requires extensive resources, you'll learn how to create core functionality—messaging, social feeds, user profiles, and payments—all without writing code.

Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account

1. Visit Adalo.com and click "Sign Up"
2. Choose a plan based on your needs:
   
   • Free Plan: Perfect for prototyping with 200-500 records per app
   • Professional Plan ($52/month annually): Recommended for production apps with custom integrations and geolocation
   • Team Plan ($160/month annually): Best for collaborative development with 10 editors
3. Verify your email and log into the dashboard

Learn more about Adalo's pricing plans.

Step 2: Start Your WeChat Clone Project

1. Click "Create New App" from your dashboard
2. Select "Mobile App" as your primary platform
3. Name your project (e.g., "ChatConnect" or "SocialHub")
4. Choose "Start from Scratch" to build custom functionality
5. Select your brand colors:
   
   • Primary: WeChat-inspired green (#07C160) or your brand color
   • Secondary: Neutral gray for backgrounds (#F7F8FA)
   • Accent: Highlight color for notifications
6. Choose a clean, readable font (e.g., Inter, SF Pro)

Step 3: Understand WeChat's Core Architecture

Before building, understand the five foundational features you'll replicate:

1. Real-time messaging: 38 billion messages sent daily on WeChat
2. Social feed ("Moments"): Share photos and status updates with friends
3. User profiles: Contact management with friend requests
4. Payments: Integrated digital wallet functionality
5. Group messaging: Multi-person conversations

Building the Database Structure

Step 4: Enhance the Users Collection

1. Click the Database icon in the left sidebar
2. Select the default Users collection
3. Add these properties by clicking "+ Add Property":
   
   • Full Name (Text)
   • Phone Number (Text)
   • Profile Image (Image)
   • Bio (Text - Multiline)
   • WeChat ID (Text - Unique identifier)
   • QR Code (Image - for friend adding)
   • Account Created (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Last Active (Date & Time)
   • Privacy Settings (Text - "Everyone", "Friends Only", "Private")

Step 5: Create the Messages Collection

WeChat handles messaging at a massive scale. Build your foundation:

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Messages"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Message Text (Text - Multiline)
   • Timestamp (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Message Type (Text - Values: "Text", "Image", "Voice", "Video", "Location")
   • Media URL (Text - for attachments)
   • Read Status (True/False)
   • Deleted (True/False)

Step 6: Create the Conversations Collection

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Conversations"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Conversation Name (Text - for group chats)
   • Conversation Type (Text - Values: "Direct", "Group")
   • Created Date (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Last Message (Text)
   • Last Message Time (Date & Time)
   • Group Image (Image - for group chats)
   • Muted (True/False)

Step 7: Create the Moments Collection

Replicate WeChat's social feed where 68 million videos are posted daily:

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Moments"
3. Add properties:
   
   • Post Content (Text - Multiline)
   • Post Image (Image)
   • Post Video (Text - URL)
   • Posted Date (Date & Time - Automatic)
   • Visibility (Text - "Public", "Friends", "Custom")
   • Like Count (Number - Default: 0)
   • Comment Count (Number - Default: 0)

Step 8: Create Supporting Collections

Likes Collection:

1. Click "+ Add Collection" → Name: "Likes"
2. Properties:
   
   • Liked Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

Comments Collection:

1. Click "+ Add Collection" → Name: "Comments"
2. Properties:
   
   • Comment Text (Text - Multiline)
   • Comment Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

Friend Requests Collection:

1. Click "+ Add Collection" → Name: "Friend Requests"
2. Properties:
   
   • Status (Text - "Pending", "Accepted", "Rejected")
   • Request Message (Text)
   • Request Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

Payments Collection:

1. Click "+ Add Collection" → Name: "Payments"
2. Properties:
   
   • Amount (Number)
   • Payment Type (Text - "Transfer", "Payment", "Red Envelope")
   • Status (Text - "Pending", "Completed", "Failed")
   • Stripe Payment ID (Text)
   • Transaction Date (Date & Time - Automatic)

Step 9: Set Up Database Relationships

Establish connections between collections:

Users Relationships:

1. In Users collection, add relationship:
   
   • Friends: Many-to-Many relationship with Users
   • Blocked Users: Many-to-Many relationship with Users

Messages Relationships:

1. In Messages collection, add:
   
   • Sender: Many-to-One with Users
   • Conversation: Many-to-One with Conversations

Conversations Relationships:

1. In Conversations collection, add:
   
   • Participants: Many-to-Many with Users
   • Messages: One-to-Many with Messages

Moments Relationships:

1. In Moments collection, add:
   
   • Author: Many-to-One with Users
   • Likes: One-to-Many with Likes
   • Comments: One-to-Many with Comments

Likes Relationships:

1. In Likes collection, add:
   
   • User: Many-to-One with Users
   • Moment: Many-to-One with Moments

Comments Relationships:

1. In Comments collection, add:
   
   • Author: Many-to-One with Users
   • Moment: Many-to-One with Moments

Friend Requests Relationships:

1. In Friend Requests collection, add:
   
   • Sender: Many-to-One with Users
   • Receiver: Many-to-One with Users

Learn more about relational databases.

Installing Required Components

Step 10: Install Essential Marketplace Components

1. Navigate to the Adalo Marketplace
2. Search and install these components:
   
   • Chat/Messaging Component: For real-time conversation UI
   • Image Carousel: For multi-image posts in Moments
   • Star Rating: For content reactions
   • QR Code Generator: For user ID sharing

Adalo's Component Marketplace offers over 50 components tested for cross-platform compatibility.

Step 11: Set Up Payment Integration

1. Search for "Stripe Payment" in Marketplace
2. Click "Install"
3. You'll need Stripe API keys from stripe.com
4. Configure test mode for development

Creating User Authentication and Profiles

Step 12: Build the Welcome Screen

1. Rename the default screen to "Welcome"
2. Add Image component for your app logo
3. Add Text component: "Connect with friends and family"
4. Add two Button components:
   
   • "Sign Up" → Link to new screen "Sign Up"
   • "Log In" → Link to new screen "Login"

Step 13: Create Sign Up Flow

1. Add new screen "Sign Up"
2. Add Form component connected to Users collection
3. Include form fields:
   
   • Email (Email input)
   • Password (Password input - minimum 8 characters)
   • Full Name (Text input)
   • Phone Number (Text input)
4. Add Image Picker for profile photo
5. Set form submit action:
   
   • Create User
   • Log In User
   • Navigate to "Setup Profile" screen

Step 14: Create Profile Setup Screen

1. Add new screen "Setup Profile"
2. Add Form updating Logged In User:
   
   • WeChat ID (Text - unique username)
   • Bio (Text area - 140 characters)
   • Privacy Settings (Dropdown)
3. Add QR code generation:
   
   • Use QR Code component
   • Generate from User ID
   • Save to Profile Image field
4. Submit → Navigate to "Main" screen

Step 15: Build Login Screen

1. Add new screen "Login"
2. Add Login Form component:
   
   • Email field
   • Password field
   • "Remember me" toggle
3. Add "Forgot Password?" link
4. Submit action → Navigate to "Main" screen

Building the Messaging Interface

Step 16: Create Main Chat List Screen

1. Add new screen "Chats"
2. Add List component showing Conversations:
   
   • Filter: Participants > Contains > Logged In User
   • Sort by: Last Message Time (Newest First)
3. For each conversation item, display:
   
   • Profile image or group image
   • Conversation name
   • Last message preview (40 characters)
   • Timestamp
   • Unread badge (count of unread messages)
4. Add "New Chat" floating button → "New Conversation"

Use Adalo's Group Messaging template to accelerate development.

Step 17: Build Individual Chat Screen

1. Add new screen "Chat Conversation"
2. Add List of Messages:
   
   • Filter: Conversation = Current Conversation
   • Sort by: Timestamp (Oldest First)
3. Style message bubbles:
   
   • Sender messages: Align right, green background
   • Receiver messages: Align left, white background
   • Show timestamp
   • Show read status (checkmarks)
4. Add input section at bottom:
   
   • Text Input for message
   • Send Button creating new Message
   • + Button for attachments (image, voice, location)

Step 18: Create New Conversation Screen

1. Add new screen "New Conversation"
2. Add List of Users:
   
   • Filter: Friends of Logged In User
   • Search bar for name filtering
3. Add selection checkboxes for group creation
4. Add "Start Chat" button:
   
   • Create new Conversation
   • Add selected users as Participants
   • Navigate to Chat Conversation screen

Step 19: Add Group Chat Features

1. On Chat Conversation screen, add menu button
2. Create "Group Settings" screen:
   
   • Group name editor
   • Group image uploader
   • Participant list with remove option
   • "Add Members" button
   • "Leave Group" button
   • "Mute Notifications" toggle

Check out the User Chat template for implementation details.
Creating the Social Feed (Moments)

Step 20: Build Moments Feed Screen

1. Add new screen "Moments"
2. Add List component showing Moments:
   
   • Filter: Author > Friends of Logged In User OR Author = Logged In User
   • Sort by: Posted Date (Newest First)
3. For each moment, display:
   
   • Author profile image and name
   • Post content text
   • Post image/video (if present)
   • Timestamp
   • Like count and comment count
   • Like button and comment button

Step 21: Create Post Moment Screen

1. Add new screen "Create Moment"
2. Add Form connected to Moments collection:
   
   • Text Area for post content
   • Image Picker for photos (multiple selection)
   • Visibility Dropdown (Public, Friends, Custom)
3. Add Location component for check-ins
4. Submit button:
   
   • Create Moment with Author = Logged In User
   • Navigate back to Moments feed

Step 22: Build Moment Detail Screen

1. Add new screen "Moment Detail"
2. Show full moment information
3. Add List of Comments:
   
   • Filter: Moment = Current Moment
   • Sort by: Comment Date (Oldest First)
4. Display for each comment:
   
   • Commenter profile image
   • Commenter name
   • Comment text
   • Timestamp
5. Add comment input section:
   
   • Text Input field
   • Send button creating new Comment

Step 23: Implement Like Functionality

1. On Moment list item, add Like Button
2. Set visibility conditions:
   
   • Show "Like" if user hasn't liked
   • Show "Unlike" if user has liked
3. Like action:
   
   • Create Like record (User = Logged In User, Moment = Current Moment)
   • Update Moment > Like Count (+1)
4. Unlike action:
   
   • Delete Like record
   • Update Moment > Like Count (-1)

Learn more about social media features.

Building Contact Management

Step 24: Create Contacts Screen

1. Add new screen "Contacts"
2. Add List of Users:
   
   • Filter: Friends of Logged In User
   • Alphabetical sorting
   • Search functionality
3. Display for each contact:
   
   • Profile image
   • Full name
   • WeChat ID
   • Last active status
4. Click → Navigate to Contact Profile

Step 25: Build Contact Profile Screen

1. Add new screen "Contact Profile"
2. Display user information:
   
   • Profile image
   • Full name
   • WeChat ID
   • Bio
   • QR code
3. Add action buttons:
   
   • "Send Message" → Create/Open conversation
   • "Voice Call" → Link to tel:[Phone Number]
   • "Remove Friend" → Update relationship
   • "Block User" → Add to Blocked Users

Step 26: Create Add Friend Flow

1. Add new screen "Add Friend"
2. Add multiple methods:
   
   • Search by WeChat ID (Text input + Search button)
   • Scan QR Code (Camera component)
   • From Contacts (Phone contacts integration)
   • Nearby (Location-based discovery)
3. Show search results with "Add Friend" button
4. Add action:
   
   • Create Friend Request
   • Send notification to recipient

Step 27: Build Friend Request Screen

1. Add new screen "Friend Requests"
2. Add two lists:
   
   • Received Requests: Filter by Receiver = Logged In User
   • Sent Requests: Filter by Sender = Logged In User
3. For received requests, show:
   
   • Sender profile image and name
   • Request message
   • Accept button (Add to Friends, Update Status)
   • Reject button (Update Status)

Implementing Payment Features

Step 28: Create Wallet Screen

1. Add new screen "Wallet"
2. Display:
   
   • Balance (calculated from Payments)
   • Transaction history list
   • "Add Money" button
   • "Send Money" button
   • "Payment QR Code" button

Step 29: Build Send Money Flow

1. Add new screen "Send Money"
2. Add recipient selection:
   
   • List of Friends
   • Search functionality
   • Recent recipients
3. Add Form for payment:
   
   • Amount (Number input)
   • Message (Text - optional)
   • Payment Type (Transfer or Red Envelope)
4. Add Stripe Payment component
5. Submit action:
   
   • Process Stripe payment
   • Create Payment record
   • Send notification to recipient

Publishing to app stores requires fees: $99/year Apple and $25 one-time Google.

Step 30: Create Red Envelope Feature

WeChat processed 768 million envelopes during the Spring Festival. Replicate this:

1. Add new screen "Red Envelope"
2. Add customization options:
   
   • Total amount
   • Number of envelopes (for group sharing)
   • Personal message
   • Cover design
3. Distribution logic:
   
   • Random amount splitting for group envelopes
   • First-come, first-served claiming
   • Expiration after 24 hours

Adding Navigation and Polish

Step 31: Create Tab Bar Navigation

1. Add bottom Tab Bar component with icons:
   
   • Chats (message icon) → Chats screen
   • Contacts (person icon) → Contacts screen
   • Moments (camera icon) → Moments feed
   • Me (profile icon) → Profile screen
2. Set active states for current screen
3. Add notification badges for unread counts

Step 32: Build Settings Screen

1. Add new screen "Settings"
2. Add menu options:
   
   • Account Settings (email, password, phone)
   • Privacy (who can see moments, contact me)
   • Notifications (push notification preferences)
   • Blocked Users (manage blocked list)
   • Language (app language selection)
   • Help & Feedback
   • Log Out button

Step 33: Implement Search Functionality

1. Add global search screen "Search"
2. Add search categories:
   
   • Contacts (search names, WeChat IDs)
   • Messages (search conversation history)
   • Moments (search post content)
3. Display recent searches
4. Add search filters (date range, post type)

Setting Up Notifications

Step 34: Configure Push Notifications

1. Enable push notifications in Adalo settings
2. Request permission on first app launch
3. Set up notification triggers:
   
   • New message received
   • Friend request received
   • Moment liked or commented
   • Payment received
   • Friend posted new moment

Explore notification setup.

Step 35: Add In-App Notifications

1. Create Notifications Collection:
   
   • Notification Type
   • Message Text
   • Link (screen to navigate)
   • Read Status
   • Created Date
2. Add notification icon to header
3. Show unread count badge
4. List notifications with mark-as-read functionality

Optimizing Performance

Step 36: Implement Data Loading Strategies

1. Use pagination for long lists (20-50 items per page)
2. Add "Load More" buttons instead of infinite scroll
3. Filter conversations to load recent messages only (last 100)
4. Cache frequently accessed data in Custom Lists

Adalo handles 20M daily requests with 99% uptime.

Step 37: Optimize Images and Media

1. Compress images before upload (max 1MB)
2. Use thumbnail versions for list views
3. Store video content via external services (YouTube, Vimeo)
4. Implement lazy loading for images

Step 38: Add Offline Support

1. Display cached messages when offline
2. Queue messages for sending when connection returns
3. Show connection status indicator
4. Store draft messages locally

Testing Your WeChat Clone

Step 39: Create Test User Accounts

1. Create 10-15 test users with:
   
   • Varied profiles (images, bios, WeChat IDs)
   • Friend relationships established
   • Sample conversation history
2. Add test moments with images and comments
3. Create test transactions and payments

Step 40: Test Core Functionality

Verify these flows work correctly:

Messaging:

• Send and receive text messages
• Share images and locations
• Create and manage group chats
• Search message history

Social Features:

• Post moments with images
• Like and comment on posts
• View friends' moments only
• Privacy controls working

Contacts:

• Search and add friends
• Accept/reject friend requests
• Block and unblock users
• QR code scanning

Payments:

• Send money to friends
• Create and claim red envelopes
• View transaction history
• Stripe integration functioning

Step 41: Test Across Devices

1. Use Adalo's preview app for iOS and Android testing
2. Test on multiple screen sizes (iPhone SE, iPhone Pro Max, iPad)
3. Verify responsive layouts for web version
4. Check notification delivery on all platforms

Learn about responsive design.

Publishing Your App

Step 42: Prepare for Production

1. Replace test API keys with production credentials:
   
   • Stripe live keys
   • Google Maps API key
   • Push notification certificates
2. Add required legal pages:
   
   • Privacy Policy (GDPR/CCPA compliant)
   • Terms of Service
   • Community Guidelines
3. Configure custom domain for web version
4. Set up analytics tracking

Step 43: Submit to App Stores

For iOS (App Store):

1. Enroll in Apple Developer Program ($99/year)
2. Create App Store listing:
   
   • App name, description, keywords
   • Screenshots (6.5" and 5.5" displays)
   • App icon (1024x1024px)
   • Privacy policy URL
3. Submit through Adalo's publishing wizard
4. Wait for Apple review (typically 24-48 hours)

For Android (Google Play):

1. Create Google Play Developer account ($25 one-time)
2. Prepare store listing:
   
   • App description and category
   • Screenshots and feature graphic
   • Content rating questionnaire
3. Publish through Adalo
4. Staged rollout recommended (10% → 50% → 100%)

For Web:

1. Configure custom domain (costs $10-45/year)
2. Set up SSL certificate (included with Adalo)
3. Test responsive layouts
4. Publish instantly with manual publishing control

Check out the guides for publishing iOS, Android, and web.

Scaling Your WeChat Clone with Advanced Features

Step 44: Integrate External Services with Zapier

Adalo integrates with Zapier for automation:

1. Connect to 5,000+ apps and services
2. Automate workflows:
   
   • Save new users to CRM
   • Send welcome emails via Mailchimp
   • Log analytics to Google Sheets
   • Backup data to Airtable
3. Set up AI integrations:
   
   • ChatGPT for smart replies
   • Image recognition for content moderation
   • Translation APIs for multi-language support

Step 45: Add Video and Voice Calling

1. Integrate WebRTC service via Custom Actions
2. Add call buttons to chat screens
3. Display call history
4. Implement call notifications
5. Support group voice calls

WeChat users spend 139 minutes monthly on calls, showing strong demand for this feature.

Step 46: Create Mini-Programs Ecosystem

Replicate WeChat's mini-programs where 6 of 10 users engage with embedded services:

1. Use External Collections to connect external databases
2. Create service categories:
   
   • Games and entertainment
   • Shopping and commerce
   • Utilities and tools
   • Business services
3. Allow third-party integrations via API
4. Implement sandboxed environments for security

Step 47: Implement Advanced Privacy Controls

1. Add granular privacy settings:
   
   • Who can add me (Everyone, Friends of Friends, Nobody)
   • Who can see my Moments (All Friends, Selected Friends, Hide From)
   • Profile visibility controls
   • Last seen status toggle
2. Create custom friend lists for targeted sharing
3. Add disappearing messages option
4. Implement screenshot detection alerts

Why Choose Adalo for Your WeChat Clone

Building a messaging super app traditionally requires teams of specialized developers and months of development time. Adalo changes this equation entirely.

Speed to Market: No-code development with Adalo delivers 50-90% faster development compared to traditional coding. What would take 4-6 months with a development team can be accomplished in 2-4 weeks using Adalo's visual builder. This speed advantage is critical when validating your app concept or reaching the market before competitors.

Cost Efficiency: Traditional app development requires hiring iOS developers (averaging $120,000+ annually), Android specialists, backend engineers, and designers.

True Cross-Platform Publishing: Unlike platforms that require separate builds for web, iOS, and Android, Adalo publishes to all three platforms from a single project. This means you maintain one codebase while reaching users across 257 billion annual global app downloads. Your WeChat clone automatically adapts to mobile, tablet, and desktop screens with responsive design.

Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure: Adalo's platform processes over 20 million daily data requests with 99% average uptime, providing the reliability needed for communication apps. The built-in relational database handles complex relationships between users, messages, and social features without requiring SQL knowledge. As your user base grows, upgrade plans provide additional storage, editors, and priority support.

Rich Integration Ecosystem: Connect your WeChat clone to external services through native integrations with Xano, Airtable, Stripe, Google Maps, and Zapier. The Component Marketplace offers over 50 verified components—including premium messaging and social features—maintained by developers and tested for cross-platform compatibility. This extensibility enables you to add AI chatbots, advanced analytics, and specialized features without custom coding.

Community and Support: Join over 1 million apps created on Adalo by makers who share your vision. Access the App Academy for tutorials, participate in community forums for peer support, and leverage Adalo Experts for professional development assistance. This ecosystem ensures you're never stuck during development.

The no-code movement enables 70% of apps to use these technologies by 2025. Adalo positions you at the forefront of this shift, empowering makers to bring communication platform ideas to life without technical barriers.

Start building your WeChat clone today with Adalo's free plan and join the creators transforming social communication for their communities.