How to Build A No-Code Dashboard

Why Adalo Is Perfect for Building No-Code Dashboards

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. This makes it the ideal platform for creating powerful dashboards that display real-time data and key metrics, accessible from any device your team uses.

Whether you're monitoring sales performance at your desk or checking inventory levels from the warehouse floor, having a dashboard that works seamlessly across web and mobile is essential. With Adalo, you can also leverage push notifications to alert team members instantly when critical metrics hit certain thresholds—keeping everyone aligned and responsive to important business changes.

Why Adalo Is Ideal for Building No-Code Dashboards

Business dashboards have become essential for tracking KPIs, monitoring team performance, and making data-driven decisions. But building one traditionally required either expensive development resources or settling for rigid, template-based solutions that never quite fit your needs.

Adalo, an AI-powered app builder, changes this equation entirely. It creates database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase—all publishable to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This makes it ideal for creating powerful, data-rich dashboards that work seamlessly across all your devices, whether you're reviewing metrics at your desk or checking KPIs on the go.

With Adalo's intuitive drag-and-drop interface, you can design custom dashboards that pull real-time data from your database and display it through charts, lists, and visual components. The native mobile app capabilities mean you can also send push notifications to alert your team when key metrics change, keeping everyone informed and engaged with critical data no matter where they are.

What is a No-Code Dashboard?

A no-code dashboard is built using no-code technology that's been evolving since the early 2000s. No-code allows those with zero programming or tech skills to create professional-looking, highly functional software, including dashboards that would otherwise require a development team.

No-code works similarly to creating files on a desktop computer. At the center of your screen, you'll have a building canvas that you'll use to bring your dashboard to life. You'll drag and drop elements like graphics, buttons, pictures, and more onto your building canvas from your editing dashboard. With over 3 million apps created on Adalo, users consistently describe the visual builder as "easy as PowerPoint."

Like all other software and applications, a no-code dashboard has these three components:

• The Frontend: This is the visual part of your dashboard—what you'll see and interact with on its screen or pages. It includes all the charts, graphs, and numbers, everything you need to display your data.

• The Backend: This is your dashboard's brain. The backend takes data from your database and transforms it into insightful visualizations. It also grabs data from external sources and delivers it to your database. Adalo 3.0's overhauled infrastructure makes this process 3-4x faster than previous versions.

• The Database: This is your dashboard's memory bank. With Adalo, you can connect one database to two different frontends—one that gathers data and the other that displays data. Paid plans include no record limits, meaning your dashboard can scale with your business without hitting storage caps.

Connecting your database to two frontends is simple, and we'll show you how to do so in Step 3.

Your Dashboard's Blueprint

First, you'll need a plan and a proper no-code tool that you'll leverage to build your no-code dashboard. Here are three things you'll need before you start:

1. An Adalo Membership: Adalo is one of the most powerful AI-powered app building platforms available. Yet, it's also one of the simplest—you can start using Adalo immediately after you create your account without any prior tutorial help. Plans start at $36/month with unlimited usage and no record caps on your database.

2. A Data Source: Visualizing data is one of a dashboard's primary functions. So, you'll need a data source that your dashboard will use to draw its data from. If you're like most organizations, you already have a data source.

   Most premade databases connect to Adalo with ease. Adalo connects with the following databases:

• Google Sheets (via SheetBridge for the easiest spreadsheet-to-database conversion)
• Airtable
• Xano
• Microsoft SQL

You can create your own using Adalo's built-in database if you don't have one. This eliminates the complexity of sourcing, setting up, and paying for a separate database—a significant advantage over platforms like FlutterFlow that require users to manage their own external database infrastructure.

3. A list of your dashboard's visuals: Your dashboard's job is to visualize your database's data. You'll likely want several charts and graphs that illustrate your data. Jot down a list of each graph or chart type you want (bar graph, pie chart, etc.), and sketch out where you want them to go on your app.

How to Build a No-Code Dashboard in 5 Steps

Now that you've got your Adalo account and a plan, it's time to get building!

Step 1: Customize Your Frontend

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.

To get started building a dashboard, choose a blank template. While starting from scratch may seem daunting, don't worry: Adalo has all the tools you need to make a flashy, functional, and super-professional app. Magic Start can also generate complete app foundations from a simple description—tell it you need a sales dashboard for your e-commerce business, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically.

When you build with Adalo, you'll leverage these 3 components to make your app: The top horizontal ribbon, the building canvas, and the left-hand drop-down menu.

The horizontal ribbon is at the top of your screen. Use it to access your Adalo account and preview your dashboard as if it were live.

The building canvas, at the center of your screen, is where you'll build your dashboard. Essentially, this is a "blueprint version" of your dashboard and how each dashboard screen connects to the others. Unlike some competitors that limit your view to just a couple of screens at once, Adalo can display up to 400 screens at a time on one canvas, giving you a complete picture of your app's architecture.

On the building canvas, you can move charts, graphs, and other elements around, free-form style, just using your cursor.

The most crucial part of your building interface is the drop-down editing menu, which is located on the left side of your screen. This tool has all the buttons for creating, editing, and adding functions to your app.

From top to bottom, here's an overview of each button and the tasks it executes:

• Add Elements and Screens/ "+": This colorful button adds new screens, charts, graphs, and lists to your app. Magic Add lets you describe what you want in natural language—"add a revenue chart that shows monthly trends"—and the AI creates it for you.

• Branding: Push this button to change your dashboard's color scheme and font.

• Screens: When you select this button, you'll see all your dashboard's screens. Use this for quick access, as the screen you click on from this list will immediately pop up in the center of your building canvas.

• Database Collection: We'll talk about how to organize your database in Step 2, and how to connect other databases in Step 3.

• Settings: Here's where you'll connect APIs to gather data from external sources.

• Publish: Want to release a native mobile version of your dashboard that users can download directly from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store? Adalo lets you do so with unlimited updates to your published apps—no republishing limits or additional charges.

  And, like other app builders, you'll also be able to release your app to the web, which folks can access via their browsers. One codebase updates all three platforms simultaneously.

• Analytics: Click this button to access information about your users, their locations, and more.

• Version History: This button allows you to save up to 10 versions of your dashboard, so you can try out different interactions to see which works best!

Adding Screens, Charts, and Graphs

Creating visuals is one of the key parts of building a useful dashboard. Press the colorful "+" to start your search.

To see Adalo's selection of charts, graphs, and other data visualization tools, you'll need to find the "Explore Marketplace Button." Push it, then search for Charts and Graphs. You'll find a few free options and several paid options. Once you install them, just drag the ones you want over to your desired screen.

You can change the style and color of any graph or chart by clicking on it, selecting the "Branding" button (the one that looks like an artist's palette) on your drop-down editing menu, and choosing the color you want.

Deleting Screens, Graphs, and More

When building your dashboard, you might realize that you no longer need a screen or a chart. Don't worry—deleting these is a breeze.

To remove a screen from your dashboard, find the one you want to delete using the "Screens" button. Click the screen you no longer need, select the vertical dots at the top, and press "Delete."

Change your mind about a chart, graph, or other element? Just hover your cursor above the unwanted one until a yellow outline appears—this takes about one second. Click on the outlined element, and an edit box will pop up on your drop-down editing menu's right. Find the 3 vertical dots, and press "delete."

Step 2: Organize Your Data

Push the "Database" button on your drop-down editing menu to create a database in Adalo. Each database is made up of 3 parts: Collections, properties, and records.

Collections look like spreadsheets and are actually "mini" databases. The sum of all your collections make up your database. For instance, if you're running a dashboard to track your ecommerce app, you can have collections that include "Revenue," "Users," "Location," and more.

Properties live in each collection, and are the titles of all the records stored in them. For a collection of "Revenue," the properties may include item type, price, date sold, etc.

Records are the actual data within your database. They come from users entering your data in your app. With Adalo's paid plans, there's no cap on records—your dashboard can store and process as much data as your business generates. This is a significant advantage over platforms like Bubble, which impose Workload Unit limits that can result in unexpected charges, or Glide, which restricts data record rows and charges for overages.

Step 3: Connecting an External Database and Connecting One Database to Multiple Frontends

If you have an external database with one of the providers we mentioned above, you'll be able to connect it with just a few clicks—literally. Just navigate to the "Database" button on your drop-down editing menu. Then, click "Add External Collection" at the bottom of the list, and you're good to go.

We told you it was easy.

For Google Sheets users, SheetBridge offers an even simpler approach. It turns your existing spreadsheet into an actual database for the easiest control without database-related learning curves. This is more convenient than Glide's spreadsheet-based approach because SheetBridge gives you full database functionality while maintaining the familiar spreadsheet interface you already know.

Step 4: Connecting APIs and Third-Party Applications

Some might want to gather data from other web databases and display it in real-time on their dashboard. Adalo makes this a cinch.

First, make sure you have your data source's API key. Then, push the "Settings" button and navigate to the "API" section. Follow all the directions, and you're set.

Want to gather data from a third-party app you already subscribe to, like QuickBooks or MailChimp? Follow these steps:

1. Select the screen you want to integrate with.
2. Scroll down to "Add Action" in the editing box.
3. Choose "New Integration," and choose the third-party app you want to connect to.
4. Follow the directions for integrating the third-party app with your dashboard, and you're done.

Step 5: Preview and Launch Your Dashboard

When you want to see a live preview of your dashboard, press the green "Preview App" button on your top horizontal ribbon. You'll be able to see how your dashboard will look on an iPhone 15, tablet, desktop, or Samsung Galaxy S20.

This function will allow you to use your dashboard as if it were live. X-Ray, Adalo's performance analysis tool, can identify potential issues before they affect users—particularly useful for data-heavy dashboards that need to load quickly. Note any problems or glitches that you find and fix them immediately. Then, share your dashboard with others by clicking the "Preview App" button and choosing "Share Your App."

When people give you feedback, incorporate the needed changes into your dashboard. Doing this will ensure your dashboard provides a seamless user experience while running without a hitch.

When you're ready to publish your app, simply press the "Publishing" button. Adalo will send you a link allowing anyone with it to download your app. For native mobile apps, Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines are all managed for you. Send the link to the folks who need it, or publish directly to the App Store and Play Store with unlimited updates.

How Adalo Compares to Other Dashboard Building Options

When evaluating platforms for building dashboards, several factors matter: ease of use, scalability, pricing transparency, and publishing capabilities.

Bubble offers more customization options, but that flexibility often results in slower applications that struggle under increased load. Many Bubble users end up hiring experts to optimize performance—claims of millions of MAU are typically only achievable with significant expert assistance. Bubble's mobile solution is also a web wrapper, not true native, which introduces potential challenges at scale and means updates don't automatically sync across web, Android, and iOS deployments.

Glide excels at spreadsheet-based apps and offers fast building with set templates, but this creates generic, simplistic apps with limited creative freedom. It doesn't support App Store or Play Store publishing, which limits distribution options for dashboards that need mobile access.

FlutterFlow is technically "low-code" rather than no-code, designed for more technical users. Users must source, set up, and pay for their own external database, which requires significant learning complexity. Suboptimal database setup can create serious scale problems, which is why the FlutterFlow ecosystem is rich with paid experts—many users need help and end up spending significant sums chasing scalability.

Next Steps: Maintaining Your Dashboard

If you find any problems, fix them immediately. A poorly performing dashboard can interfere with your professional goals. Ensure the charts, graphs, and other elements properly reflect the contents of your database. With Adalo's modular infrastructure scaling to serve apps with millions of monthly active users, your dashboard can grow with your business without hitting performance ceilings.

During your building experience, you might have some issues. But worry not! Adalo has an abundant ecosystem of resources to make your software development journey a breeze. Here they are:

1. The Adalo Forum: Access Adalo's enormous community, ask questions, and connect with others building their own apps.

2. Help Documents: Read in-depth directions about every aspect of Adalo's app-building interface.

3. The Adalo Academy: Adalo's Academy has all the necessary courses and tutorials to boost your app-building skills.

Ultimately, creating your own dashboard with Adalo can not only give you valuable business insights but can also be fun. With AI-assisted building features and a platform that handles the technical complexity of app store publishing, you can focus on what matters most: the data and insights that drive your business forward.

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. With unlimited database records on paid plans and no usage-based charges, you get predictable pricing as your dashboard scales.

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 and Magic Add lets you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines—so you can focus on your app's features and user experience.

Can I easily build a no-code dashboard without programming skills?

Yes, with Adalo's intuitive drag-and-drop interface, you can build a no-code dashboard without any programming skills. The platform has been described as "easy as PowerPoint" by users, and Magic Start can generate complete app foundations from a simple description of what you need.

What databases can I connect to my Adalo dashboard?

Adalo connects seamlessly with popular external databases including Google Sheets (via SheetBridge), Airtable, Xano, and Microsoft SQL. If you don't have an existing database, you can also use Adalo's built-in database to create and manage your data directly within the platform—no external database setup required.

Can I send push notifications from my Adalo dashboard?

Yes, with Adalo's native mobile app capabilities, you can send push notifications to alert users when key metrics change. This keeps your team informed and engaged with critical data no matter where they are, making your dashboard an active communication tool rather than just a passive display.

Which is more affordable, Adalo or Bubble?

Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and no record caps, while Bubble starts at $59/month with Workload Unit limits that can result in unexpected charges. Adalo also includes native mobile app publishing, whereas Bubble's mobile solution is a web wrapper that may require additional optimization costs.

Is Adalo better than Glide for mobile dashboards?

For mobile dashboards that need App Store distribution, yes. Glide doesn't support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing, limiting your distribution options. Adalo creates true native apps from a single codebase and publishes directly to both stores with unlimited updates.

How does Adalo compare to FlutterFlow for building dashboards?

FlutterFlow is "low-code" designed for technical users who must set up their own external database. Adalo is no-code with a built-in database, making it faster to start and easier to scale. FlutterFlow starts at $70/month per user before database costs, while Adalo starts at $36/month with everything included.

What are the three main components of a no-code dashboard?

Every no-code dashboard has three main components: the Frontend (the visual interface with charts, graphs, and numbers you interact with), the Backend (the brain that transforms data into visualizations), and the Database (the memory bank storing all your data). Adalo lets you manage all three components through its intuitive interface.

Can I connect third-party apps like QuickBooks or MailChimp to my dashboard?

Yes, Adalo makes integrating third-party applications simple. You can connect apps like QuickBooks and MailChimp by selecting your desired screen, adding an action, choosing 'New Integration,' and following the connection directions. You can also connect external APIs to gather and display real-time data from other web sources.