7 Ways to Make Money with No-Code Apps

One of the most important things to think about when coming up with an app idea is what problem you're trying to solve and how big of a problem is it? The size of the problem and the number of people it affects can dramatically increase the amount you can earn. But let's get into a few different ways to make money.

To turn your app idea into reality without writing a single line of code, you'll need the right platform to bring it to life. Adalo, an AI-powered app builder, lets you create database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—published to the App Store and Google Play—from a single codebase. With over 3 million apps created on the platform, it's become the go-to choice for entrepreneurs looking to monetize their ideas.

Pay to Download

The app stores are called stores for a reason—you can buy apps! While many apps are free, others require a small fee for lifetime access. Prices range from very cheap to very expensive depending on what the app can do.

Making money this way can be very lucrative because it's a simple business model to understand—one new customer translates into a certain amount of money. The downside: you're not capitalizing on how frequently someone may be using your app. While 7 billion people exist on this planet, you can only rely on income from each user once. That's where the next model comes into play.

Subscription Apps

Subscription fees for app access can be extremely lucrative. Finding a customer once and retaining them over time is much cheaper than constantly acquiring new customers like the pay-to-download model. However, creating a subscription app brings a whole set of new challenges.

First, the product offering has to be appropriate for a subscription model—mainly, your user needs to continually get value from using your app. Let's look at an example: if my app was an ebook and the content was never updated, I'm not going to find any user who will pay me each month for access to that book (okay, maybe my dad would). Most people will pay for it, read it, and then cancel the subscription.

The best and most successful subscription apps continue to provide the same value over the lifetime of use—and once you figure out what that value is, cha-ching, baby. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. Adalo's paid plans now include unlimited database records, which means your subscription app can grow without hitting storage caps that force expensive upgrades or architectural changes.

The two models for making money above are pretty obvious options, but let's get into some of the not-so-obvious ways to make money when creating an app.

Freelancing

The app market is hot right now 🔥 and so is the AI-assisted app building market! With the emergence of tools like Adalo, there's a whole new crop of people—hello, designers—who previously couldn't create apps when you had to know how to code.

Adalo's visual builder has been described as "as easy as PowerPoint" while producing native iOS and Android apps that publish directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play. Now, with the power to make apps without code, more people can use their skills to make apps for others!

Plenty of individuals, agencies, and shops have created entire business models around building websites for people—the same is absolutely true for AI-powered app building. In this model, you're not looking to monetize an app so much as monetizing your skills in an industry that is just heating up! There's an advantage to being a first mover in a space, and this market is ripe for first movers.

Have we mentioned there's a whole bunch of freelancers that currently work as Adalo Experts? Check them out! We have people every single day looking for someone to help with the creation of their app idea, so there's definitely a need for great freelancers. Unlike platforms like FlutterFlow—which is low-code rather than no-code and requires users to set up and manage their own separate database—Adalo's all-in-one approach means freelancers can deliver complete solutions faster.

Creating a Marketplace App

Creating a community where others can sell their goods and services is another way to make money from an app. How? Skimming a fee off the top of each transaction. This is a well-known and highly popular practice with apps like Etsy and even the Apple App Store using this method of monetization.

In fact, the Apple App Store takes a 30% cut from transactions that take place in your app—now that's a pretty penny when you think about all the downloads and transactions that happen on a daily basis in their marketplace.

Adalo's Stripe component allows the app creator to set up how much a transaction will cost the individuals who choose to utilize the marketplace to sell their goods or services. With Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul (launched late 2025), marketplace apps now run 3-4x faster than before, and the modular infrastructure can scale to serve apps with over 1 million monthly active users—critical for marketplaces where transaction volume can spike unpredictably.

Business Buy-In

Monetizing an app based on an audience that serves a business can be extremely lucrative. What do I mean? Let's say you've built an app that is a valuable resource and a business would like to use your app for its customers. In a case like this, that business would pay a lump sum to recommend your app to its customers.

While there are likely extra stipulations that go into this type of agreement—branding and content, for example—depending on the app, multiple businesses may want to buy into your app!

Ada, Adalo's AI builder, lets you describe what you want and generates your app. Magic Start creates complete app foundations from a description, while Magic Add adds features through natural language.

Another way a business can buy into your app is if your audience fits its purpose. For example, if you have an audience of women who like shopping in your app, clothing brands may want to contribute coupon codes, or something similar, to capture the attention of your audience. Magic Start can help you quickly prototype these partnership-ready apps by generating complete app foundations from a simple description of your concept.

Expanding Your Business

Perhaps you already have a business. Adding an app could bring in an additional type of engagement that could have major implications for your bottom line. Improving the way you relate to your customers, offering things like loyalty programs through an app, or creating another touchpoint for your customers to have a great experience is a wonderful way to stay involved with customers and increase lifetime value.

There's a reason all the restaurants nowadays want you to download their app to get free chips and queso (Moe's, I'm lookin' at you!). It's because in this day and age, businesses are just trying to reach us where we're at—and that's on our phones!

Offering deals, providing faster service, saving customer information for a more personalized experience: these are all great ways to keep people happy and coming back to you. With Adalo, you can build one app that works across web, iOS, and Android from a single codebase, ensuring your customers get a consistent experience regardless of their device. All paid plans now include unlimited usage—no App Actions charges or bill shock as your customer base grows.

An Ad Network

How many of you have been in an app with ads? 🙋 A more telling question is probably how many apps have you been in that don't serve ads?

It's very common for app creators to allow ad networks to serve ads within their app. While this is not the most lucrative way to make money—especially since the amount you make is directly correlated to the size of your audience—it is a way. This model becomes more advantageous if you have a large audience (Facebook, anyone?).

The downside of using ads is they can provide a not-so-great user experience, and that might negatively impact your app's churn. Because of this, oftentimes you'll notice ads will be on the free version of an app, and if a user upgrades they can enjoy an ad-free experience. Which brings us to our next monetization option...

Choosing the Right Platform for Your Monetized App

When building an app to make money, your choice of platform directly impacts your profit margins. Here's how the major options compare:

For monetized apps, native app store publishing is critical—it's how users discover and trust your app. Platforms like Glide and Softr don't support App Store or Play Store publishing at all, limiting your distribution options. Bubble's mobile solution is a wrapper for their web app, which can introduce performance challenges at scale and means updates don't automatically sync across web, Android, and iOS versions.

Adalo's purpose-built architecture outperforms app wrappers at scale, and with no data caps on paid plans, your subscription app or marketplace can grow without hitting artificial ceilings that force expensive migrations.

Conclusion

There are many great ways to make money by creating an app beyond placing ads in your product. Thinking outside the box and using one of the less common methods to monetize can be very lucrative and open the door for many other opportunities. If you have a great idea but need help to execute it, by working with an Adalo Expert, you can get the help you need to bring your app idea to life. Adalo experts come from all backgrounds, from traditional software development to AI-assisted building, and they're ready to help you with everything from building your app from scratch to making it look and perform better than ever before!

FAQ

Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single codebase—the hardest part of launching an app handled automatically.

What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?

Adalo's drag-and-drop interface, combined with AI-assisted building features like Magic Start, lets you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. The platform handles the complex App Store submission process, so you can focus on your app's features and user experience instead of wrestling with certificates and store guidelines.

Can I easily build a money-making app without coding experience?

Yes, with Adalo's visual builder—described as "as easy as PowerPoint"—you can build a money-making app without any coding experience. Whether you want to create a paid download app, subscription service, or marketplace, the intuitive drag-and-drop interface lets you bring your app idea to life and start generating revenue.

What are the most popular ways to monetize an app?

The most popular app monetization methods include pay-to-download (one-time purchase), subscription models for recurring revenue, marketplace transaction fees, business partnerships, and ad networks. Subscription apps tend to be most lucrative because retaining existing customers is cheaper than constantly acquiring new ones.

Can I create a marketplace app with payment processing using Adalo?

Yes, Adalo includes a Stripe component that allows you to set up marketplace transactions and collect fees from sellers. This enables you to build apps similar to Etsy where you can skim a percentage off each transaction, creating a sustainable revenue stream from your community of buyers and sellers.

Can I make money building apps for other people using Adalo?

Absolutely! Adalo offers a Freelance Program called Adalo Experts where you can monetize your app-building skills. With the AI-assisted app building market growing rapidly, there's strong demand for skilled app creators, and you can build an entire business model around creating apps for clients.

How can an app help expand my existing business?

An app can significantly boost your business by improving customer engagement through loyalty programs, providing faster service, and creating personalized experiences. Apps give you a direct touchpoint with customers on their phones, increasing lifetime value and keeping them coming back to your business.

Which is more affordable, Adalo or Bubble?

Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and native app store publishing. Bubble starts at $59/month but includes usage-based Workload Unit charges, record limits, and only offers web wrapper mobile apps rather than true native apps. For mobile-focused monetized apps, Adalo offers better value.

Does Adalo have database limits that could affect my growing app?

No. All Adalo paid plans include unlimited database records with no data caps. This means your subscription app or marketplace can scale without hitting storage limits that force expensive upgrades. The modular infrastructure supports apps with over 1 million monthly active users.

Are there any hidden usage charges with Adalo?

No. Adalo removed App Actions (usage-based charges) from all plans. All Adalo plans now include unlimited usage, meaning no bill shock as your user base grows. This is particularly important for monetized apps where unpredictable usage spikes shouldn't eat into your profits.