Choosing between Adalo and Thunkable? Dive into our detailed analysis to make an informed decision for your design and frontend needs.
Irvin Zhan
•
2025-01-13
When it comes to building apps without coding, Adalo and Thunkable are two popular choices. Both offer unique features and cater to different needs. In this article, we'll compare their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews to help you make an informed decision.
Adalo: Overview and Key Features
Adalo is a no-code platform designed to help users build mobile and web applications without needing programming skills.
Drag-and-Drop Interface: Adalo offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to design app screens and components visually without writing code.
Database Integration: Users can create and manage databases directly within Adalo, supporting various data types and relationships to power dynamic app content.
Custom Actions: Adalo enables users to set up custom actions for app interactions, such as sending emails, updating records, or triggering notifications based on user behavior.
Component Marketplace: Adalo's marketplace provides a range of pre-built components, including forms, lists, and buttons, which can be easily integrated into apps to extend functionality.
API Integrations: Adalo supports API integrations, allowing users to connect their apps with external services like Zapier, Stripe, and Airtable for enhanced capabilities.
Responsive Design: Adalo ensures apps are responsive, automatically adjusting layouts and elements to fit different screen sizes and orientations for a consistent user experience.
Publishing Options: Adalo allows users to publish their apps directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, simplifying the deployment process for mobile applications.
Analytics and User Insights: Adalo provides built-in analytics tools to track user behavior, app performance, and engagement metrics, helping users make data-driven decisions.
Adalo's Reviews
Overall, user feedback on Adalo highlights its ease of use and powerful features, though some users note areas for improvement.
G2: 4.7/5
Yassin R. (12/12/2024): 5.0/5 - "Adalo is one of those tools that's revolutionizing entrepreneurship."
Verified User (11/21/2023): 4.5/5 - "Adalo the best experience"
Eva E. (11/4/2023): 4.5/5 - "Great Low Code/No Code Tool"
Positive Aspects:
User-friendly and intuitive interface
Powerful and advanced features
Quick and easy app development
Strong community and customer support
Common Concerns:
High pricing, especially for the Business plan
Occasional slow loading speeds
Limitations in publishing apps to major app stores
Restrictions on the number of users and data rows
Thunkable: Overview and Key Features
Thunkable is a no-code platform that allows users to build mobile apps for both Android and iOS without programming knowledge.
Drag-and-Drop Interface: Thunkable offers a visual interface where users can drag and drop components to design app screens, making app development accessible to non-coders.
Cross-Platform Development: Thunkable enables users to create apps that work on both Android and iOS from a single project, saving time and effort in development.
Component Library: Thunkable provides a rich library of pre-built components, such as buttons, text fields, and media players, which can be easily integrated into apps to enhance functionality.
API Integrations: Thunkable supports integration with various APIs, allowing users to connect their apps to external services like Google Sheets, Firebase, and REST APIs for dynamic data handling.
Live Testing: Thunkable offers a live testing feature that lets users test their apps in real-time on their devices, ensuring that the app functions as intended before publishing.
Publishing Options: Thunkable allows users to publish their apps directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, simplifying the deployment process for mobile applications.
Community and Support: Thunkable has an active community and extensive documentation, providing users with resources and support to troubleshoot issues and improve their app development skills.
Thunkable's Reviews
Overall user feedback on Thunkable highlights its user-friendly interface and powerful features, though some users note areas for improvement.
G2: 4.4/5
Basoene O. (Small-Business): 4.5/5 - "Block-Based Visual Programming With Thunkable: Great, Intuitive Approach. Unlike most no-code development platforms, Thunkable allows users to develop apps with third-party integrations and external data sources for free."
Natanael Mauro F. (Small-Business): 4.0/5 - "The best journey to start programming mobile apps. What I value the most from Thunkable is that you don’t have to learn any platform-specific programming language to have a mobile app."
Verified User (Mid-Market): 5.0/5 - "Excellent tool for IT Departments! Thunkable is the best tool out there for anyone in the Information Technology Services field! It's easy to learn, and you could get started building apps quickly."
Joe M. (Small-Business): 4.0/5 - "Thunkable empowers people to create the app of their dreams. Thunkable allows you to easily build beautiful cross-platform applications (Android, iOS, and Web)."
Albert W. (Small-Business): 5.0/5 - "Intuitive no-code tool for non-coders! Thunkable is a highly beginner-friendly platform that truly makes building an app accessible for anyone!"
Positive Aspects:
Thunkable allows users to develop apps with third-party integrations and external data sources for free.
Thunkable empowers people to create the app of their dreams.
Thunkable is a highly beginner-friendly platform that truly makes building an app accessible for anyone!
Common Concerns:
I wish the number of steps it takes to achieve these integrations and API calls were less.
The free plan has a reduced number of components and it is difficult to build a high-quality UI.
There are a lot of things that are not mature enough.
Feature Comparison: Adalo vs. Thunkable
Similarities
Despite targeting slightly different audiences, Adalo and Thunkable share some important similarities:
Drag-and-Drop Interfaces: Both platforms offer visual, drag-and-drop interfaces, making app development accessible to non-coders.
API Integrations: Each platform supports API integrations, allowing users to connect their apps to external services for enhanced functionality.
Publishing Options: Both Adalo and Thunkable allow users to publish their apps directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Component Libraries: Both platforms provide a rich library of pre-built components that can be easily integrated into apps.
Responsive Design: Each platform ensures that apps are responsive, adjusting layouts to fit different screen sizes and orientations.
Community and Support: Both Adalo and Thunkable have active communities and extensive documentation to help users troubleshoot issues and improve their app development skills.
Differences
Critical differences between Adalo and Thunkable will likely influence your choice.
Database Management: Adalo includes built-in database management, allowing users to create and manage databases directly within the platform. Thunkable does not offer this feature natively.
Cross-Platform Development: Thunkable supports building apps for both Android and iOS from a single project. Adalo primarily focuses on mobile and web applications separately.
Live Testing: Thunkable offers real-time testing on devices, enabling users to see changes instantly. Adalo lacks this immediate live testing capability.
Component Marketplace: Adalo provides a marketplace for pre-built components, which can be integrated into apps to extend functionality. Thunkable does not have a similar marketplace.
Custom Actions: Adalo allows users to set up custom actions for app interactions, such as sending emails or updating records. Thunkable does not offer this level of custom action setup.
Pricing Comparison: Adalo vs. Thunkable
Adalo Pricing
Adalo offers a range of pricing plans to cater to different needs and budgets. Here's a breakdown of their pricing structures:
Free Plan: $0 per month
200 Records Per App
Unlimited App Actions
1 App Editor
Database + Collections
Unlimited Screens
Unlimited Test Apps
Starter Plan: $45 per month (or $36 per month if billed annually)
All Free Features
Custom Fonts
Custom Domain
Publish to Web
Publish to App Stores
1 Published App
Unlimited App Actions
1 App Editor
Professional Plan: $65 per month (or $52 per month if billed annually)
All Starter Features
Custom Integrations
Design Versions
Geolocation
2 Published Apps
Unlimited App Actions
5 App Editors
Team Plan: $200 per month (or $160 per month if billed annually)
All Pro Features
Priority Support
Xano Integration
Collections API
5 Published Apps
Unlimited App Actions
10 App Editors
Business Plan: $250 per month (or $200 per month if billed annually)
All Team Features
Special Add-On Pricing
10 Published Apps
Unlimited App Actions
Unlimited App Editors
Thunkable' Pricing
Thunkable offers a variety of pricing plans to accommodate different user needs and budgets.
Free Plan: $0
Up to 3 public projects
5 screens per project
Live testing
Builder Plan: $59/month (or $37/month if billed annually)
Custom branding
50 public projects
10 private projects
1 live published iOS and Android app
Chat support
Live testing
Advanced Plan: $189/month (or $99/month if billed annually)
Custom branding
Unlimited public and private projects
Unlimited published iOS and Android apps
In-app payments and ads
Collaboration
Priority support
Company Plan: Contact support for pricing
Bulk licenses for teams or classrooms
Customizable options
Subframe, a Better Alternative to Adalo and Thunkable
Subframe is a visual UI design tool that syncs with code in real-time. We offer a drag-and-drop editor that lets you design with real components, ensuring your layouts are pixel-perfect and responsive. With Subframe, your designs are instantly converted into clean, production-ready React and Tailwind code, making the development process faster and more efficient.
Subframe's Features
Subframe is the UI design tool for the AI era, seamlessly integrating design and code for pixel-perfect results.
Component-Based Design: Create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups, ensuring precise, production-ready layouts.
Pre-Built UI Templates: Access a library of customizable templates inspired by established design patterns, built with reusable components to speed up the design process.
Code Export: Generate clean, production-quality React and Tailwind code, allowing designs to be copied directly into a codebase, reducing time spent on handoff and manual CSS adjustments.
Real-Time Collaboration: Collaborate with team members in real-time, making the design process more efficient and cohesive.
Free to Get Started: Enjoy free access to Subframe's visual design tools with no credit card required, making it easy to start designing immediately.
Subframe's Pricing
Subframe pricing is designed to cater to different user needs:
Free Plan: $0 per user/month
1 project
Up to 3 page designs
Up to 3 team members
100s of UI templates
Limited AI features
Pro Plan: $29 per user/month
Up to 3 projects
Unlimited page designs
Unlimited team members
Custom components
100s of UI templates
Full AI beta access
Custom Plan: Pricing is customized ("Let's talk")
Unlimited projects
Unlimited page designs
Integrate your components
Dedicated Slack support
Figma plugin
Unlimited AI
For more details, visit the Subframe Pricing page. Book a demo with us to see how Subframe can transform your design process.
Subframe's Reviews
Users have shared positive feedback about Subframe, noting its user-friendly interface, time-saving tools, and the quality of the UI designs it produces. The platform has earned a 5/5 rating on Product Hunt. Customers especially value the visual editor, drag-and-drop functionality, and AI features that help refine designs based on user input.
"Subframe saved us a lot of time by letting me ship frontend code and control the product experience." - Erin Kim
"Great product, amazed by the accuracy of the pages generated by the AI." - Filmon Arefayne
"Huge shoutout to Subframe guys! Super easy to create UI, and the support is great. Highly recommend!" - Amartya Jha
Adalo, Thunkable or Subframe? Which is The Best Tool For You
Adalo excels in database management and custom actions, making it ideal for users who need robust backend capabilities and dynamic app interactions. Thunkable stands out with its cross-platform development and real-time testing, perfect for those who want to build apps for both Android and iOS from a single project. However, Subframe integrates design and code seamlessly, offering a unique combination of component-based design and AI-powered features to generate production-ready React and Tailwind code.
If you prioritize database management and custom actions, Adalo is a great fit. For cross-platform development and real-time testing, Thunkable may be the better choice. But for those looking for a tool that combines design flexibility with efficient code generation, Subframe stands out.
Get started on Subframe for free to see how it can streamline your workflow and transform your design process into a seamless, efficient experience.
Join thousands of happy builders.
Subframe lets you build stunning UI with beautifully crafted components and a drag-and-drop visual editor.
