Step-by-Step Guide: Building an Amazon Clone with Adalo

Why Adalo Is Perfect for Building Your Own Amazon Clone

Creating a marketplace app like Amazon requires handling complex product catalogs, user accounts, shopping carts, and payment processing—all while reaching customers on every device they use. 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 building a fully functional e-commerce marketplace without writing a single line of code.

For an Amazon-style shopping experience, native app distribution is crucial. Customers expect to find your marketplace in their device's app store, and native apps enable push notifications for order confirmations, shipping updates, and promotional alerts—the same engagement tactics that keep shoppers coming back to major retailers. With Adalo, you can deliver that professional, app-store-ready experience while managing your entire marketplace from a single, unified build.

Why Adalo Works for Building an Amazon-Style Marketplace

Building a multi-vendor marketplace requires robust database management for products, users, orders, and seller accounts—all accessible across web, iOS, and Android from a single build. Adalo, an AI-powered app builder, handles this complexity while publishing true native apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Unlike web wrappers that struggle under load, Adalo's purpose-built architecture maintains performance as your marketplace scales.

For an e-commerce marketplace, native app distribution is essential for reaching customers wherever they shop. Native apps unlock push notifications for order updates, flash sales, and personalized recommendations—the same engagement strategies that drive Amazon's success. With Adalo's modular infrastructure supporting apps with over 1 million monthly active users and no database record limits on paid plans, you can build a marketplace that grows without hitting artificial ceilings.

This comprehensive tutorial walks you through building an Amazon-style marketplace app with product listings, shopping cart, user accounts, seller dashboards, and Stripe payment processing. You'll publish the same app to web, native iOS, and native Android—all without writing code or rebuilding anything.

Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account

  1. Go to Adalo.com and sign up
  2. Click "Create New App"
  3. Choose Responsive App (Adalo 2.0). Mobile App also works, but Responsive is recommended for modern layouts.
  4. Name your app (e.g., "MarketplaceApp")
  5. Select "Start from Scratch"

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.

Pro tip: Magic Start can generate a complete app foundation from a simple description. Tell it you need a marketplace app, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically—what used to take days of planning happens in minutes.

Step 2: Configure App Settings

  1. Choose your primary color scheme (Amazon uses orange/yellow)
  2. Select a clean, professional font
  3. Set app icon and splash screen
  4. Click "Continue" to enter the editor

Setting Up the Database

A marketplace database needs to handle complex relationships between users, products, orders, and reviews. With Adalo's unlimited database records on paid plans, you won't hit storage constraints as your product catalog and order history grow.

Step 3: Enhance the Users Collection

  1. Click Database icon in left sidebar
  2. Select the default "Users" collection
  3. Add these properties (click "+ Add Property"):
    • Profile Picture (Image)
    • Full Name (Text)
    • Phone Number (Text)
    • Address (Text - check "Multiline")
    • City (Text)
    • State (Text)
    • Zip Code (Text)
    • Is Seller (True/False - default: false)
    • Seller Name (Text)
    • Seller Rating (Number - default: 0)
    • Account Created (Date & Time - Automatic)

Learn more about the Users collection

Step 4: Create Products Collection

  1. Click "+ Add Collection"
  2. Name it "Products"
  3. Add properties:
    • Product Name (Text)
    • Description (Text - check "Multiline")
    • Price (Number - 2 decimal places)
    • Sale Price (Number - 2 decimal places)
    • Main Image (Image)
    • SKU (Text)
    • Stock Quantity (Number - default: 0)
    • Weight (Number)
    • Is Active (True/False - default: true)
    • Featured (True/False - default: false)
    • Created At (Date & Time - Automatic)

Step 5: Create Categories Collection

  1. Click "+ Add Collection"
  2. Name it "Categories"
  3. Add properties:
    • Category Name (Text)
    • Category Image (Image)
    • Description (Text)
    • Display Order (Number)
    • Is Active (True/False)

Step 6: Create Orders Collection

  1. Click "+ Add Collection"
  2. Name it "Orders"
  3. Add properties:
    • Order Number (Text)
    • Status (Text) - Values: "draft", "pending", "processing", "shipped", "delivered"
    • Subtotal (Number)
    • Tax (Number)
    • Shipping (Number)
    • Total (Number)
    • Created At (Date & Time - Automatic)
    • Updated At (Date & Time)
    • Shipping Address (Text - Multiline)
    • Payment Method (Text)
    • Notes (Text - Multiline)

Step 7: Create Order Items Collection

  1. Click "+ Add Collection"
  2. Name it "Order Items"
  3. Add properties:
    • Quantity (Number - default: 1)
    • Price (Number)
    • Total (Number)

Step 8: Create Reviews Collection

  1. Click "+ Add Collection"
  2. Name it "Reviews"
  3. Add properties:
    • Rating (Number) - Values: 1-5
    • Title (Text)
    • Review Text (Text - Multiline)
    • Is Verified (True/False)
    • Created At (Date & Time - Automatic)

Step 9: Create Product Images Collection

  1. Click "+ Add Collection"
  2. Name it "Product Images"
  3. Add properties:
    • Image (Image)
    • Display Order (Number)

Step 10: Set Up Relationships

  1. In Products:
    • Add "Seller" → Users (Many to One)
    • Add "Category" → Categories (Many to One)
  2. In Orders:
    • Add "Customer" → Users (Many to One)
  3. In Order Items:
    • Add "Order" → Orders (Many to One)
    • Add "Product" → Products (Many to One)
  4. In Reviews:
    • Add "Product" → Products (Many to One)
    • Add "Reviewer" → Users (Many to One)
  5. In Product Images:
    • Add "Product" → Products (Many to One)

Learn more about Databases

Building the Home Screen

Step 11: Create Home Screen Layout

  1. Add new screen "Home"
  2. Make it the home screen
  3. Add App Bar:
    • Add logo image
    • Add search icon → Link to Search screen
    • Add cart icon → Link to Cart screen

Step 12: Add Category Slider

  1. Add Custom List (horizontal):
    • Data: Categories
    • Filter: Is Active = true
    • Sort: Display Order (Low to High)
  2. For each list item:
    • Add Category Image (60x60)
    • Add Category Name below
  3. Click action → Navigate to "Category Products"
  1. Add Text component: "Featured Products"
  2. Add Custom List (grid, 2 columns):
    • Data: Products
    • Filter: Featured = true AND Is Active = true
    • Maximum items: 6
  3. For each product card:
    • Product Image (aspect ratio 1:1)
    • Product Name
    • Price (formatted as currency)
    • Rating stars
  4. Click action → Navigate to "Product Detail"

Learn more about Components

Creating Product Listing Pages

Step 14: Build Search Screen

  1. Add new screen "Search"
  2. Add Text Input at top:
    • Placeholder: "Search products..."
    • Name it "SearchTerm"
  3. Add Custom List:
    • Data: Products
    • Filter: Product Name contains SearchTerm OR Description contains SearchTerm
    • Filter: Is Active = true

Learn how to create a search bar

Step 15: Create Category Products Screen

  1. Add new screen "Category Products"
  2. Add Text showing Current Category → Category Name
  3. Add filter dropdown:
    • Sort options: Price Low-High, Price High-Low, Rating
  4. Add Custom List:
    • Data: Current Category → Products
    • Filter: Is Active = true
    • Apply selected sort

Step 16: Build Product Detail Screen

  1. Add new screen "Product Detail"
  2. Add Image Slider for product images:
    • Data: Current Product → Product Images
    • Sort: Display Order
  3. Add product info section:
    • Product Name (H1)
    • Price display with strikethrough Sale Price
    • Rating with review count
    • Stock status
  4. Add Dropdown for quantity selection
  5. Add description section
  6. Add seller information:
    • Seller name
    • Seller rating

Step 17: Add Reviews Section

  1. Add Custom List:
    • Data: Current Product → Reviews
    • Sort: Created At (Newest First)
  2. Show for each review:
    • Rating stars
    • Review title
    • Review text
    • Reviewer name
    • Date
  3. Add "Write Review" button → Review Form screen

Implementing Shopping Cart

Step 18: Create Cart System (Draft Order)

  1. On Product Detail, tap Add to Cart
  2. If the user has no draft Order, Create Order with: Status = "draft", Customer = Logged In User
  3. Create Order Item with: Order = that draft Order, Product = Current Product, Quantity = Selected Quantity, Price = Product → Price (or Sale Price if set)
  4. (Optional) Update Order Subtotal/Total via actions (or compute on the Cart screen)

Learn how to set up your shopping cart

Step 19: Build Shopping Cart Screen

  1. Add new screen "Cart"
  2. Add Custom List:
    • Data: Order Items
    • Filter: Order → Customer = Logged in User
    • Filter: Order → Status = "draft"
  3. For each cart item show:
    • Product image
    • Product name
    • Quantity selector
    • Item total
    • Remove button
  4. Add cart summary:
    • Subtotal calculation
    • Tax calculation (e.g., 10%)
    • Shipping calculation
    • Total

Step 20: Create Checkout Flow

  1. Add new screen "Shipping Address"
  2. Add form fields:
    • Full Name
    • Address
    • City, State, Zip
    • Phone Number
  3. Save to User profile or Order

Step 21: Integrate Stripe (Checkout)

A) Single-vendor store

  1. Install Stripe Payment from Marketplace and connect your Stripe account
  2. Amount = Current Order → Total; Currency = desired currency; Description = "Order #" + Order Number
  3. On success: Update Order → Status = "pending" (or "processing"), set Payment Method, then go to Order Confirmation

Learn more about Stripe Payment

B) Multi-vendor marketplace

  1. Add Stripe Connect (for seller onboarding) and Stripe Marketplace Payment
  2. On the seller onboarding screen, place Stripe Connect and save the seller's Connected Account ID to the User (Seller)
  3. On Payment, use Stripe Marketplace Payment and set Connected Account ID = Product → Seller → Connected Account ID (via Magic Text)
  4. (Optional) Set a platform fee. On success: Update Order Status, then go to Order Confirmation

Building Seller Features

Step 22: Create Seller Registration

  1. Add Become a Seller screen
  2. Place Stripe Connect and prompt the seller to complete onboarding
  3. On success, save Connected Account ID to the Seller's User record; set Is Seller = true and Seller Name

Step 23: Build Seller Dashboard

  1. Add new screen "Seller Dashboard"
  2. Show only if User → Is Seller = true
  3. Add statistics cards:
    • Total Products
    • Total Orders
    • Revenue This Month
  4. Add Custom List of seller's products:
    • Filter: Seller = Logged in User

Step 24: Create Product Management

  1. Add new screen "Add Product"
  2. Add form with all product fields
  3. Add image upload for Main Image
  4. Create Product on submit
  5. Add "Edit Product" screen with update forms

Magic Add tip: Need to add a bulk upload feature or inventory alerts? Describe what you want in natural language, and Adalo's AI adds the functionality to your existing screens.

Step 25: Implement Order Management

  1. Add new screen "Seller Orders"
  2. Add Custom List:
    • Data: Order Items
    • Filter: Product → Seller = Logged in User
  3. Show order details and status
  4. Add status update dropdown

Adding Advanced Features

Step 26: Implement Product Reviews

  1. Add new screen "Write Review"
  2. Add star rating selector (1-5)
  3. Add review form:
    • Title
    • Review Text
  4. Create Review on submit
  5. Update Product rating average

Step 27: Create User Account Pages

  1. Add new screen "My Account"
  2. Add sections:
    • Profile Information (editable)
    • Order History
    • Saved Addresses
    • Payment Methods
  3. Add logout button

Step 28: Build Order Tracking

  1. Add new screen "Order Details"
  2. Show order information:
    • Order number
    • Status with progress indicator
    • Items ordered
    • Delivery address
    • Total paid
  3. Add tracking information field

Step 29: Add Wishlist Feature

  1. Create "Wishlist" collection
  2. Add relationship to Users and Products
  3. Add heart icon on product cards
  4. Toggle wishlist on click
  5. Create "My Wishlist" screen

Optimizing Performance

Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul delivered 3-4x faster performance compared to previous versions. Combined with these optimization practices, your marketplace will handle growth smoothly.

Step 30: Implement Image Optimization

  1. Compress all images before upload
  2. Use Imgix parameters:
    • Add ?w=300&q=75 to product list images
    • Add ?w=600&q=85 to detail images
  3. Limit gallery to 5 images maximum

Image optimization guide

Step 31: List Pagination

  1. In product lists, enable Load items as user scrolls (infinite scroll)
  2. Limit initial load (e.g., 10–20 items)
  3. Avoid lists-within-lists for heavy screens

Step 32: Optimize Database Queries

  1. Pre-compute totals (item count, line totals) in actions instead of calculating in lists
  2. Reduce relationship depth in list items—bind only what you display
  3. Keep filters simple; sort by common fields (e.g., Created At, Price)

X-Ray feature: Adalo's X-Ray identifies performance issues before they affect users, highlighting slow queries or heavy components so you can optimize proactively.

Testing and Launch

Step 33: Test Core Features

  1. Create test seller account
  2. Add sample products (10-20)
  3. Test purchase flow end-to-end
  4. Verify cart persistence
  5. Check seller dashboard updates
  6. Test on multiple devices

Step 34: Configure for Production

  1. Switch Stripe to Live keys and test a $1 live charge
  2. Add a custom domain on a paid plan (SSL is handled by Adalo)
  3. Add Privacy Policy and Terms; include refund/shipping policies
  4. (Mobile) Prepare app store assets & listings

Step 35: Prepare for Publishing

  1. Upgrade to Starter — $36/month (includes publishing)
  2. Test end-to-end payments in Live mode
  3. Add support/contact flows
  4. (Mobile) Submit to stores (Apple/Google developer fees apply)

Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines—so you can focus on your marketplace instead of wrestling with technical deployment.

Working with Platform Considerations

Step 36: Handle Advanced Requirements

Requires External Integration:

Available in Adalo:

Workarounds:

Step 37: Scale Considerations

With Adalo's modular infrastructure supporting 1M+ monthly active users and no record caps on paid plans, your marketplace can scale without hitting artificial limits. For comparison, Bubble's Workload Units create unpredictable usage charges, and their mobile solution wraps web apps rather than compiling native code.

  1. Keep product images lightweight (use Imgix params on URL-bound images)
  2. Use infinite scroll, avoid heavy list nesting, and pre-compute counts
  3. For larger catalogs or external sources, connect via External Collections; on Team+, consider the Collections API

Additional Resources

Important Considerations

Pricing (monthly):

All plans include unlimited app actions—no usage-based charges or bill shock. Annual pricing available; check Adalo's Pricing.

Storage: Plan storage tiers apply to your team. Keep media optimized.

Performance: Adalo 3.0's infrastructure runs 3-4x faster than previous versions. Use list limits (≈10–20 initial), Load items as user scrolls, pre-compute totals, and keep list items light.

Payments: Stripe fees apply, and Stripe Connect is required for multi-vendor payouts.

This marketplace provides core e-commerce functionality with room to scale. With proper database relationships and Adalo's infrastructure supporting apps beyond 1 million MAU, you're building on a foundation designed for growth.

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 avoid the bill shock and record limits found on platforms like Bubble.

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 descriptions, and Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines—so you can focus on features instead of deployment.

How do I handle payments for a multi-vendor marketplace in Adalo?

For multi-vendor marketplaces, Adalo integrates with Stripe Connect, allowing sellers to onboard and receive payouts directly. The Stripe Marketplace Payment component automatically splits payments between sellers and your platform, including platform fees. Standard Stripe transaction fees apply.

What database collections do I need to build a marketplace app?

A complete marketplace requires several interconnected collections: Users (with seller fields), Products, Categories, Orders, Order Items, Reviews, and Product Images. These collections link through relationships—Products connect to Sellers and Categories, while Order Items connect to both Orders and Products.

How can I optimize my Adalo marketplace app for better performance?

Optimize by compressing images and using Imgix parameters for dynamic resizing, enabling infinite scroll with limited initial loads (10-20 items), and pre-computing totals in actions rather than calculating in lists. Adalo's X-Ray feature identifies performance issues before they affect users.

What Adalo plan do I need to publish a marketplace app?

The Starter plan at $36/month includes publishing to web, iOS, and Android with unlimited usage. For Custom Actions and External Collections for API integrations, the Professional plan ($36/mo) is recommended. All paid plans include unlimited database records.

How does Adalo compare to Bubble for marketplace apps?

Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and true native mobile apps. Bubble starts at $59/month with usage-based Workload Unit charges and record limits. Bubble's mobile solution wraps web apps rather than compiling native code, which can create performance challenges at scale.

Can my Adalo marketplace scale to handle many users?

Yes. Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to support apps with over 1 million monthly active users, with no upper ceiling. The Adalo 3.0 infrastructure overhaul delivered 3-4x faster performance, and paid plans have no database record limits.

Do I need coding experience to build a marketplace app?

No coding required. Adalo's visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint." Magic Start generates app foundations from descriptions, and Magic Add lets you add features by describing what you want in natural language.

How much does it cost to build and run a marketplace app?

Adalo's Starter plan costs $36/month and includes publishing to all platforms with unlimited usage. Add Stripe's standard transaction fees for payments. Unlike platforms with usage-based charges, Adalo's pricing is predictable with no bill shock as your marketplace grows.