Adalo and UpCode Studios: Building A Directory App For American Products

An App for American-Made Products

The idea was to create a catalog of American-made products with a robust and slick search function to help people find what they were looking for. Users needed to refine their search results with filters or by navigating through categories. Additionally, their client wanted to include personalized recommendations based on user behavior—a smart app for discerning users.

To build this idea out, Blaise and his team at UpCode needed an MVP that they could get out the door quickly. It had to be cost-effective and customizable. Adalo, 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, was a great fit for this project because it offered the flexibility to make changes on the fly without incurring additional costs.

Build and publish with Adalo's iPhone app builder.

"Adalo had so many pre-built visual elements like login screens and push notifications and I could show the client so many examples of apps built on the platform, which made it easy to convince them to build their app on Adalo," said Blaise.

"This was important because my client had a very specific vision for what the app should look like. He needed it to be clean and visually-appealing, something that was in line with Adalo's look and feel. Adalo provided a good balance between customization and affordability, making it the ideal solution for his needs."

Building Out My MIA

The app was named "My MIA" (My Made in America). UpCode's client had a hard time finding genuinely American-made products and wanted to provide a vetted resource for others to use. The app initially focused on bigger and midsize brands, and included a variety of product categories, ranging from kitchen appliances to car parts.

"Their mission was to easily provide listings of American made products to the consumer through our mobile application. The quality of the products was the USP of this directory app," said Blaise. In order to create a user-friendly database that catalogs American-made products, including rating and review systems, the team at UpCode had to make it easy for users to explore. Features like search, filter, and category navigation were essential.

With Adalo's unlimited database records on paid plans, the team could add as many products as needed without worrying about hitting storage caps. This was crucial for a directory app that aimed to catalog thousands of American-made products across dozens of categories.

The app also needed interactive features that allowed users to favorite products and individual store pages. "Users can search for products either by entering a keyword or browsing through brands like Amazon's homepage. Once they find an American-made product, they get connected to the company's website. We also made a search bar that looks for keywords in the product titles and descriptions, not just the title."

My MIA is free to use, and the plan is to add as many brands as possible while building relationships with them to create affiliate programs. The project will highlight favorite brands and include a unique code or link that connects users through the affiliate relationship.

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.

The platform automates the initial steps of setting up a new page or app, making it a repeatable and effortless process. This feature is especially helpful in creating links and transitions between screens. With Magic Start, teams can now generate complete app foundations from a simple description—what used to take days of planning happens in minutes.

Happy Clients = Repeat Business

The app-building process was collaborative, with the UpCode team running screen-share sessions with their client to design the screens. Adalo's preview link makes it easy to show the client what the app will look like in real time, and they appreciated the visual building process.

When discussing the process of building the app, Blaise highlighted the key benefits for them choosing Adalo: "The platform provides you with the basic features right away, such as sign-up, sign-in, and welcome screens. Even if you start with a blank app, it sets up the user data and allows for easy database customization. Adding new elements like collections, relationships, and screens is made simple with Adalo's user-friendly interface."

The visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," making it accessible for teams without technical backgrounds. For agencies like UpCode, this means faster turnaround times and more satisfied clients.

"We're a digital marketing and software agency focusing on making hybrid apps. Adalo fits perfectly with our workflow, and we love the brand's design. Our next steps are to integrate even more external resources," adds Blaise.

Scaling Without Limits

UpCode's approach is rooted in a software mindset. Hybrid app development using technologies like Ionic and Xamarin allows them to build once and deploy twice, making it more cost-effective for their clients. Adalo makes it possible to build one app and publish it everywhere—iOS, Android, and web.

Following the Adalo 3.0 infrastructure overhaul in late 2025, apps now run 3-4x faster with modular infrastructure that scales to serve millions of monthly active users. Unlike web wrappers that hit performance constraints under load, Adalo's purpose-built architecture maintains speed at scale. The platform now handles over 20 million data requests daily with 99%+ uptime.

For directory apps like My MIA, this scalability matters. As the catalog grows and user adoption increases, the app needs to handle more searches, more favorites, and more concurrent users. With no data caps on paid plans and no usage-based charges, UpCode's client can scale without worrying about unexpected costs or performance degradation.

Sharing his parting thoughts, Blaise said, "Adalo fits nicely into our workflow and the brand is clean and sleek, which aligns with our aesthetic approach. We're excited to work with Adalo and believe it's a great fit for us."

FAQ

Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With unlimited database records on paid plans and no usage-based charges, you get predictable costs as your app scales.

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

Adalo's drag-and-drop interface and AI-assisted building let you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from a simple description, and Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process so you can focus on features instead of certificates and provisioning profiles.

Can I easily build a product catalog app with search and filter functionality?

Yes, Adalo provides pre-built visual elements and an intuitive interface that makes creating category navigation, keyword search, and filtering options straightforward. The platform's unlimited database storage on paid plans means you can catalog thousands of products without hitting record limits.

What features does Adalo provide out of the box for building apps?

Adalo provides essential features right away, including sign-up, sign-in, and welcome screens, as well as push notifications. Even starting with a blank app, Adalo sets up user data and allows for easy database customization, making it simple to add collections, relationships, and new screens.

Can I show my clients a preview of the app during development?

Yes, Adalo's preview link feature makes it easy to show clients what the app will look like in real time. This enables collaborative screen-share sessions where clients can see changes as they're made, making the visual building process transparent and engaging.

Is Adalo cost-effective for building MVPs?

Absolutely. Starting at $36/month with unlimited usage and no record caps, Adalo offers excellent value for MVPs. The platform's flexibility allows you to make changes on the fly without incurring additional development costs, which is crucial for startups and agencies working within tight budgets.

How does Adalo compare to Bubble for mobile apps?

Bubble's mobile solution is a web wrapper starting at $59/month with usage-based charges and record limits. Adalo creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase at $36/month with unlimited usage. One Adalo build automatically updates web, Android, and iOS apps deployed to their respective stores.

Can I integrate external databases and resources with my Adalo app?

Yes, Adalo supports database customization and integration with external resources. You can connect your app to external databases like Xano, or use SheetBridge to turn a Google Sheet into an actual database for the easiest control without DB-related learning curves.

How well does Adalo scale for growing apps?

Following the Adalo 3.0 infrastructure overhaul in late 2025, apps run 3-4x faster with modular infrastructure that scales to serve apps with millions of monthly active users. Over 3 million apps have been created on the platform, processing 20 million+ data requests daily with 99%+ uptime.