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Adalo vs FlutterFlow | No Code App Builder - read the full article about flutter app development, Mobile App Development and Native and cross-platform solutions from Doc Williams on Qualified.One
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In this video, were going to be comparing Adalo to FlutterFlow.
Were going to be comparing three things. Number one, the pricing number two, the features in number three, the design and onboarding. And at the end, Im going to tell you which platform I would choose to get started with.
First of all, what is Adalo? Adalo is a platform where you can create apps very easily. What is FlutterFlow? With this platform you can build apps visually, you can connect your screens, connect your designs to Firebase, and you can preview an export code, which is pretty amazing.
Next were going to be reviewing the pricing for Adalo. What does it look like? We can begin for free and we can have unlimited amount of apps for free, but there are a few things to note. Number one, you have to publish to an Adalo domain.
Adalo branding will be present and its limited to 50 rows of data per app. I think how they describe it right here, the free plan being for exploring, perfect if you have an idea for an app and want to get started.
This allows you to have an MVP.
You can start showing it to your beta customers, a potential brand that you want to work with, but its highly limited with the data.
You cant do much more than first sell them on the idea and then get them into either paying for the app or paying for the plan and then moving into another plan for you to expand.
Theres 50 rows of data per app when its free.
But when you go over to the pro plan, now youre getting some, some more data right there. Youre going with five gigs of data storage.
Thats pretty good. Again, this depends on what kind of app youre creating, what kind of things youre storing, but five gig gigs is pretty good. Uh, you can publish to the apple and Google stores.
If youre going to be looking for increase adoption for your app, you can now submit it to the story. You can publish a custom web domain.
You can connect to external data collections.
So this allows you to expand with your database. If youre using Xano, Backendless, the list goes on and on.
You can start using these provisions as well, and you can trigger unlimited custom actions. This includes, if youre looking at expanding it to use things like SendGrid or Zapier or other things, you can have multiple actions happen with the $50 a month pro plan.
If Im looking to really expand and Im building out an agency or a business, then youre moving into the business plan, which is $200 a month.
And the main difference right there, youre having more seats.
So youre having more app builders involved in your account, or you potentially can.
So it moves up to five and your data storage goes to 20 gigs.
Instead if youre new into the no-code space, sometimes when youre looking at this, the pricing might be too much for you getting started, but remember, Id really have you concentrate on the free and explore plan in work with purpose.
If you cant get customers to pay for this type of app, thats a strong indication that perhaps you need to reposition app.
You need to look at a different target demographic instead of looking at well.
I want to go into this other plan. I want more, uh, more options.
If you cant get people to buy in on your MVP, your minimal viable product, theres your answer. Looking over at flutter flow, the options are pretty good. And I actually, theres a few things I want to highlight with flutter flow. With the free plan, you get the Firebase integration, the full UI builder access and free templates.
Great. Lets move into the standard plan, which allows flutter flow to stand out in the competition in the no-code space. You get sample apps, preview mode, standard templates, but heres the kicker down. You can download your code.
Youre not, you dont have to stay on this platform.
You can take it other places. And thats a huge thing right there.
Theres not many that do that. Uh, theres about less than five that are no code platforms that allow you to take your code. Now, keep in mind with setting up Firebase and other things. It still takes time.
And theres another level of specificity with flutter flow. Then, you know, on dollar, I would say its more of a plug and play, but flutter flow allows you to download your code.
You can work with other developers.
Theres a lot of things you could do with your project.
And so thats interesting starts at $30 a month. Thats, thats a great price for that. When were moving over to the pro plan, this allows you to have, um, API calls.
So this goes back into looking at, um, two systems talking to each other with having API calls.
This allows you to open up a whole new world of things that are possible with your app.
And if you do not know how to get started with APIs is actually going to be a link down below. We have API for the complete beginners.
So you can understand the massive world that opens up to you.
If you can understand API calls in, in start working with this, additionally, uh, there is a good hub integration.
So your work flow can be a lot more seamless and it allows you to have all templates. I havent explored their entire library, but thats interesting. Uh, so I would just say depends on how many templates they have.
And if it allows you to move faster, if you see a template that is only in the pro plan, but allows you to validate theres something to consider there, comparing prices to the two different platforms.
This comes down to where you are, how skilled are you in no-code or building right now, a dollar just allows you to build so much quicker with their templates.
They already, the workflows done. They already have those things.
Its just very easy.
You can sign up for an account and get started with FlutterFlow.
Youre going to have a lot more options, but youre going to have to invest more time in understanding their workflow, getting your Firebase account set up and also too, because theres a lot more customization you can have with this platform.
Youre still going to have to have time to, to get up to speed regarding the price back-to-back, both of them have free plans. So thats awesome. If Im looking at the pro plan, um, again, it depends on the storage and what Im trying to do. Um, thats, thats something to consider and what kind of app youre trying to build.
But the thing that really entices me is with FlutterFlow at $30, I can still download my own code. Um, again, if Im working with another dev team or something like that, thats very enticing. And then when I go up to the API calls, Im at 70 versus its $50 to get started with the triggered, unlimited custom actions. Those are pretty much the same, but I will say the triggered, unlimited custom actions.
Those are going to be a lot more straightforward, then being able to just do API calls. So again, this depends on the level of where you are as a no-code or a builder.
Whats your background.
And then that allows you to determine which one would be better for you.
If you have more extensive background in either development or API calls, I can see the pro plan being really enticing.
And now it already has that GitHub integration.
And theres something to consider with it being only $20 more than the pro plan it again, it comes down to the project that youre trying to create, who wins pricing.
Um, if Im going to go more bang for your buck, I would say flutter flow is going to be better, what, especially with that, uh, pro plan. But again, if youre just trying to get started and you know, youre trying to test out your audience, you want a lot of things done for you already. The Adalo free plan.
Weve seen people already have validation.
People start paying for the app and then they can transition to a, another, uh, the pro or the business. And theyre good to go.
So in the comment section down below, let me know whats going on with you.
What are you planning to do? How are you planning to use these platforms? Lets review the features. What I love about Adalo, this platform allows you to drag and drop different elements and really build your app very quickly.
The other thing I would mention is when youre creating it from a template, they already have the workflow set up for you. For example, if youre trying to create a coaching app, when you download this template, its already doing all of the hard parts for you.
Its already building out the onboarding for your app.
Its doing a lot of the works, and then you can make those changes.
If you want to, uh, after youre reviewing all of the hard things being done for you, Adalo also allows you to have different components. I really like number one, the components, like I mentioned, you can drag and drop just like blocks.
If youre used to building a website like Squarespace or Wix, you can have blocks.
Its easy to create actions in your app and the database is already included.
So you dont necessarily need to have a third-party database such as Google sheets or Backendless.
It allows you to have the database already with this platform to mention some of the components that I really like. Uh, the, the components include like adding payments, forms, charts, buttons, navigation, you can do a lot with this. And what I would use a dollar for, if I was trying to create a minimal viable product, an MVP to go to market, this allows me to have a lot of different options. I alluded to this before, when I was showing the coaching app where I was like, it already has all of these things done for you. Their clonable kits are really, really interesting and allowing you to bring to life a lot of these different elements for your type of platform.
You can have different things where you can have a podcast app, detailed screen, UI kit, chat features, custom navigation, all those things you can easily bring into your app regarding FlutterFlow They are new newer company, but they still allow you to have different drag and drop UI builders.
So you can get started a lot quicker.
You dont have to custom make everything when youre building with this platform. The other thing to consider when youre using flutter flow, you can simultaneously create iOS and Android apps as well.
And thats because Flutterflow creates one code base for both platforms.
Im comparing the two different platforms for features.
Adalo has more options of already pre-built kits or things that I can be using versus flutter flow.
But what I would really have you do is write down either on a piece of paper or write it down in the chat.
What features are you specifically looking for to see if flutter flow or Adalo would be good for you? Next were going to review the onboarding in the design of the two different platforms. When I log into my dollar account, it allows me to, to choose from creating an app from scratch, or if I want to use some of the templates right here, Im going to say, create a new app. And this is allowing me to decide, do I want a native mobile app or desktop web app? Were going to say mobile app native. Im going to say next. And right here, its allowing me to choose some of the templates that I can use. Number one, chat directory, ordering appointments to do lists. I get to choose that, oh, and coaching. I get to do that.
And it will already pre-build my app in the workflows, or I can start from scratch after I click which type of template I want to use. Im taken to this screen, and now I can clearly see the, that have already been made for me. And if I want to change anything, all I need to do is click on one of the screens.
And once I click on the screens, now Im given more options where I can add different components, change the branding, add different things on the screens, look at the database and the list goes on. And on.
This allows me to have a structure of my app right off the bat.
And again, as you can see this, I like the, the birds eye view.
I can look through the app right now and understand the progression of all of my screens. As I sign up for FlutterFlow, I started with a free account. Then I can choose to create a project.
And here I can start with a blank app, or I can use one of their sample apps. Im going to say, use sample right here. This is the photo sharing one. So, uh, quick, quick outs. So I can see a couple of things.
And it also tells me what I need four screens authentication and fire stores. Uh, so it allows me to understand whats going to happen with this project.
So I clicked. Uh, so I typed in beta test to Im now going to use the sample.
I click the button, and now here, Im taken to the app on the left-hand side, Im seeing different components in widgets of what I can be using in flutter flow in the middle.
Im going to be seeing my app or the display of whats happening.
And also I can see the type of device at the top.
And then on the right-hand side, now I can see details of the component or widget that I just clicked.
I can now do more details with the design of it.
This is very similar to if youre familiar with like Photoshop or even if youve used AppGyver or things like that.
Its pretty standard of the workflow of what Im going to be seeing here on the far left.
Im going to be seeing options of what I can be doing such as, uh, selecting page, my UI builder, widget tree, my actions, my, um, connections, which is my database right here.
Then my API calls and my S my app settings.
So this one on the, on the far, far left of the screen, Im seeing more of the overall things that I can be changing with the platform.
And then I can go more detailed as Im going from left to right on the screen.
Now, depending on what Im trying to do, such as widget tree, now, Im going to be able to see from, from top to bottom my app and what I can control, right? So as Im clicking different things, now Im seeing it just like a tree whats going down.
And then if I switch over here with actions, I can click add actions now, based on whats happening, add tap, add double tap, long press.
So its when theyre in interacting with the element. Now I can say, what should, what do I want to happen after Im done? I can always run it and preview the app to know this is something interesting, especially this is special because not many no-code apps allow you to do this one feature where it says code right here.
Im able to see the code of the app. And not only that, not only that I can download the code, this is huge because very few no-code apps allow you to do this. Uh, theres other platforms like UI bakery, but for a fully utilized app like this, um, this is pretty rare. Not only that, theres something that says, download the APK again. FlutterFlow allows you to have, uh, different options, depending on what youre doing with your project.
If you need to download the code, or youre going to be working with another side of developers, this can be crucial looking at the onboarding and design.
I like both platforms, Adalo and FlutterFlow.
What it really comes down to is what do you need it for? And how much experience do you have in building in platforms like this? If Im looking for a more all-in-one platform that just does a lot of the work for me, I would look at a dollar because it allows me to have a lot of different sample apps that can get me to market a lot quicker, and I can use key components, but if I want more customization and I want to do more, FlutterFlow gives me a lot more.
It gives me a lot more custom actions.
There is something to note about FlutterFlow. Now, when I say run, there is something that comes up that talks about Firebase.
I need to configure Firebase. Well, what is Firebase? Firebase is a Google company that allows you to build and run successful apps.
So in order to use FlutterFlow, you need to sign up for Firebase for a lot of uses for Firebase. It actually starts for free to get started.
So when youre getting started using a flutter flow, just creating an account with Firebase will be good enough, but configuring it and getting started. Theres this an extra step, but keep that in mind, comparing the do platforms, Adalo and FlutterFlow, which one would I choose? I would go with the dollar.
And the reason behind it is if I want to get started very quickly, and I want to create an MVP to get to market, or just test my target audience with something, I can move a lot quicker with Adalo at this time. Now, FlutterFlow allows you to have a lot more customization and its a new platform. And I really think it has a lot of potential, but at this point, if Im looking at functionality, how fast I can move all of those things, I would definitely go with this.
If Im looking for a where Im doing either a very specific mock-ups or Im thinking about I need to work with the development team, and they want to be able to change the code and move fast, then I would consider flutter flow because this allows me to, again, have more control visually. I can move a lot quicker, and then I can work with the devs team and go that way.
So I would say there are very specific cases for FlutterFlow, but it really decides on whats going on with you.
Where are you in your process? Are you just validating your idea? Are you just thinking about something and you want to spend some something up very quickly? Are you thinking about expanding and you need to have a very robust database and you need something to scale.
There might be a case to go with flutter flow instead, because then you can go with something like flutter flow and Xano, or Xano or Backendless or something where you can really scale with that kind of database.
So it depends on what youre trying to do. In the comment section down below, let me know where you are and what youre trying to create right now.
And if you like these kinds of videos, make sure that you give this a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel.
We do this every single week. Ill see you in the next video.
Doc Williams: Adalo vs FlutterFlow | No Code App Builder - Mobile App Development