Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Monday.com Clone with Adalo

Why Adalo Is the Right Tool for Building a Monday.com Clone

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 uniquely suited for creating project management tools like a Monday.com clone, where teams need consistent access to boards, tasks, and collaboration features across every device they use.

With app store distribution, your Monday.com alternative becomes more than a web tool—it transforms into a mobile-ready productivity hub. Team members receive push notifications for task assignments, status changes, and approaching deadlines directly on their phones. This real-time connectivity keeps projects moving forward whether your team is at their desks or working remotely, all built without writing a single line of code.

This tutorial walks you through creating a functional project management app using Adalo, an AI-powered app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps. You'll build one version that publishes across all three platforms—including App Store and Play Store publishing—from a single codebase. By the end, you'll have replicated Monday-style essentials: boards, tasks, status columns, team collaboration, automation hooks, and reporting—all without writing code.

Why Adalo Works for Building a Project Management App

Project management tools demand seamless access across desktop browsers and mobile devices. Teams need to track tasks, update statuses, and collaborate in real time whether they're at their desks or on the go. Adalo's cross-platform approach means you build once and deploy everywhere—web, iOS, and Android—with native performance on each.

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.

Having your project management app available on both app stores means your team can receive push notifications for task assignments, deadline reminders, and comment updates. This keeps everyone aligned without relying on email. The platform's AI-assisted building tools—including Magic Start for generating complete app foundations from descriptions and Magic Add for adding features through natural language—accelerate development from weeks to days.

What Is a Monday.com Clone and Why Build One

Monday.com is a work management platform built around configurable boards: items (tasks) move through statuses, teams collaborate with comments and files, and leaders get visibility via dashboards. Building your own version lets you tailor fields, permissions, and views to your exact workflow while maintaining data ownership and iterating quickly.

Core Features You'll Replicate

• Boards & Items: projects with task rows, custom fields, and status tracking
• Assignments & Due Dates: who's responsible and when it's due
• Comments & Files: threaded discussion and attachments per task
• Views: board (kanban/table), calendar, and basic analytics
• Roles & Permissions: owner/admin/member/guest visibility and actions
• Automation Hooks: notifications, reminders, and external workflows

Why Choose an AI-Powered Builder Over Custom Development

Visual builders with AI assistance replace large portions of hand-coding with drag-and-drop interfaces and prebuilt integrations. You focus on UX and business rules, not infrastructure. Many teams validate an MVP in weeks rather than months compared to traditional development—and with Adalo's unlimited database records on paid plans, you won't hit artificial scaling walls as your team grows.

Set Up Your Adalo Account

Step 1: Create Your Account & App

1. Go to Adalo.com → Sign Up
2. Verify your email, then click Create New App
3. Pick Mobile App (you can also publish a responsive web app)
4. Name your app (e.g., "ProjectFlow") → Start from Scratch

Alternatively, describe your project management app to Magic Start and let it generate your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically. What used to take days of planning happens in minutes.

Tip: Begin on the Free plan to prototype. Paid plans start at $36/month with unlimited usage and no record caps—verify current details on the Adalo pricing page.

Design Your Database Structure

A clean relational model prevents duplication and makes filtering and permissions easier. Adalo's built-in database handles relationships between collections without requiring external setup or additional costs.

Step 2: Enhance the Users Collection

Add fields (Database → Users → + Add Property):

• Full Name (Text)
• Profile Image (Image)
• Role (Text) – e.g., Owner, Admin, Member, Guest
• Department, Job Title (Text, optional)
• Notifications Enabled (True/False)
• Timezone, Last Active (Text; Date/Time)

Step 3: Create Projects (Boards)

Fields:

• Project Name (Text)
• Description (Long Text)
• Status (Text) – Planning, Active, On Hold, Completed, Archived
• Start Date, Due Date (Date)
• Priority (Text)
• Color (Text) for visual tags
• Progress % (Number)
• Created Date, Updated Date (Date/Time – Automatic)

Step 4: Create Tasks (Items)

Fields:

• Task Title (Text)
• Task Description (Rich/Long Text)
• Task Status (Text) – Not Started, In Progress, Review, Blocked, Completed
• Priority (Text) – Low, Medium, High, Urgent
• Start Date, Due Date (Date)
• Estimated Hours, Actual Hours (Number)
• Tags (Text; comma-separated)
• Order (Number) for custom row sorting
• Checklist JSON (Long Text, optional)
• Attachments Count (Number)
• Created Date, Completed Date (Date/Time)

Step 5: Create Comments

Fields:

• Comment Text (Long Text)
• Mentions (Text; store mentioned user IDs)
• Is Edited (True/False), Edited Date (Date/Time)
• Created Date (Date/Time)
• Attachment URL/Type (optional)

Step 6: Create Files

Fields:

• File Name (Text)
• File (File Upload) or File URL (Text)
• File Type (Text)
• File Size (Number)
• Uploaded Date (Date/Time – Automatic)

Step 7: Create Activity (Audit Trail)

Fields:

• Activity Type (Text) – task_created, status_changed, comment_added, assignment_changed, file_uploaded
• Activity Description (Text)
• Related Item ID (Text)
• Related Item Type (Text) – Task, Project, Comment
• Created Date (Date/Time)
• Icon (Text, optional)

Step 8: Add Relationships

Projects

• Project Owner → Users (Many Projects → One User)
• Team Members → Users (Many↔Many)
• Tasks → Tasks (One Project → Many Tasks)
• Files → Files (One → Many)
• Activity → Activity (One → Many)

Tasks

• Project → Projects (Many → One)
• Assigned To → Users (Many → One)
• Created By → Users (Many → One)
• Comments → Comments (One → Many)
• Files → Files (One → Many)
• Activity → Activity (One → Many)
• Optional: Subtasks → Tasks (self-reference)

Comments

• Task → Tasks (Many → One)
• Author → Users (Many → One)

Files

• Task → Tasks (Many → One)
• Uploaded By → Users (Many → One)

Build Core Screens

Step 9: Welcome / Auth

• Welcome: logo/image, tagline, buttons → Sign Up and Login
• Sign Up: Form (Users) → Email, Password, Full Name, Role → on submit → Dashboard
• Login: Login form → on submit → Dashboard

Step 10: Dashboard

• Top bar: logo/search/notifications/profile
• Quick stats (tap to drill in):
  • Due Today (Assigned To = Logged In User; Due = Today)
  • Overdue (Assigned To = L.I.U.; Due < Today; Status ≠ Completed)
  • Completed This Week (Assigned To = L.I.U.; Completed Date ≥ start of week)
• Recent Projects list: Team Members contains Logged In User → sort by Updated Date (newest first)

Step 11: All Projects (Filterable)

• Filters: Status (All/Active/Planning/Completed) + Search by name
• List item: name, status badge, team avatars, progress bar, due date
• Edit/Delete buttons visible only to Owners/Admins

Step 12: Project Details

• Header: name, description, status, progress, quick actions (Edit Project, Add Task)
• Tabs:
  • Board (kanban/table)
  • List
  • Calendar
  • Files
  • Team
  • Activity

Board, List & Calendar Views

Step 13: Board View (Kanban)

• Horizontal scroll container → a column per Task Status
• Each column: section header (status + count) + list of tasks filtered by Project & Status
• Task card: title, priority badge, assignee avatar, due date, small icons for comments/files/subtasks
• Optional drag-and-drop via a marketplace component (see Marketplace section)

Step 14: List View (Table)

• Custom table list (Project filter) with columns:
  • Complete (checkbox)
  • Title (link to Task Detail)
  • Priority (badge)
  • Status (badge/dropdown)
  • Assignee (avatar/name)
  • Due Date (color coded)
  • Progress (from subtasks)
  • Row actions (edit/delete)
• Multi-select for bulk status updates and bulk assignment

Step 15: Calendar View

• Install a calendar component (Marketplace)
• Show tasks by Due Date with month/week/day toggles
• Click on a task → open Task Detail
• Click empty date → create a new task with that Due Date

Create & Manage Tasks (CRUD)

Step 16: New Task Modal

• Form (Tasks): Title (required), Description, Project (pre-filled when opened from Project), Assigned To (project members), Priority, Status (default Not Started), Start/Due Dates, Estimated Hours, Tags
• On submit:
  • Create Task
  • Set Created By = Logged In User
  • Log Activity (task_created)
  • Notify Assignee if different from creator
  • Close modal & refresh list

With Magic Add, you can describe new task features in plain language—"add a time tracking field that starts when status changes to In Progress"—and the AI generates the necessary database fields and logic.

Step 17: Task Details

• Header: inline edit Title, Status dropdown, Priority badge, "More" menu (edit/duplicate/delete)
• Sections:
  • Description (rich text)
  • Dates (start/due; editable)
  • Assignee (change via modal; show workload count)
  • Tags (add/remove)
  • Subtasks (optional nested list)
  • Files (upload, preview, delete if allowed)
  • Activity (chronological feed)

Step 18: Quick Status & Assignment

• In table/board cards: Status dropdown → if status becomes Completed, set Completed Date = Now and recalc project progress
• Assignee dropdown → update Assigned To; log Activity (assignment_changed) and notify the new assignee

Roles & Permissions

Step 19: Visibility Rules

• Create Project: show if Role = Admin/Owner
• Edit Project: show if Role = Admin/Owner or Logged In User = Project Owner
• Delete Project: Owner only
• Task Editing: allowed for assignee, creator, admins; guests read-only
• Message/Comment Moderation: authors edit/delete own; admins/owners can moderate/pin

Step 20: Team Invitations

• Project → Team tab: Invite Member (pick an existing user) → add to Team Members
• Optional: send in-app or push notification
• For more advanced flows (email invites, tokens), wire up Zapier/Make (see below)

Automation & Integrations

Step 21: In-App Rules

• When Task Status changes to Completed:
  • Set Completed Date
  • Recalculate Project Progress (completed/total)
  • Log Activity
  • Notify Task Creator/Owner (optional)
• If status reverts from Completed: clear Completed Date and recalc

Step 22: Zapier (External Workflows)

• Enable Zapier
• Common Zaps:
  • New Task → Slack channel message
  • High/Urgent Completed → Email to project owner
  • Daily at 8AM: find overdue tasks → log to Google Sheets / send digest

Step 23: Make (formerly Integromat)

• Use Make for multi-step logic and branching
• Examples:
  • Approval loop (status → "Review" triggers approver email; branch on approve/reject)
  • Time tracking (start on "In Progress", stop on "Completed", write Actual Hours back)

Step 24: External Data (Scale with Xano/Airtable)

• Use External Collections for larger datasets or complex queries
• Backends: Xano (custom API & logic), Airtable (flexible base and collaboration)

With Adalo 3.0's infrastructure overhaul (launched late 2025), the platform is 3-4x faster and scales infrastructure with app needs. Most apps won't need external backends until they're serving enterprise-level data volumes.

Step 25: Payments (Stripe)

• Install a Stripe component via Marketplace
• Add Subscription Plans collection (Plan Name, Price, Features, Stripe Price ID)
• Upgrade screen: show plans → checkout → on success set user plan; gate features via visibility rules

Marketplace Components

Step 26: Kanban Board

• Browse the Adalo Marketplace for "Kanban/Board"
• Add to Project Details as an alternative view
• Columns: Not Started / In Progress / Review / Blocked / Completed
• Drag between columns updates Task Status

Step 27: Calendar / Timeline

• Install a Calendar component
• Show task due dates & milestones
• Click events → open Task Detail
• For Gantt-style timelines, use a premium component or embed an external view

Step 28: Charts & Rich Text

• Charts (donut/line/bar) for analytics and progress
• Rich Text Editor for task descriptions and long comments

Testing & Feedback

Step 29: Preview & Device Testing

• Click Preview in the builder (web)
• For mobile: use Adalo's preview app to scan the QR code and test on real devices
• Validate auth flows, permissions, performance, and error handling

Use X-Ray to identify performance issues before they affect users—it highlights potential bottlenecks in your database queries and screen logic.

Step 30: Structured QA

• Auth: sign up, login, reset password
• Projects: create/edit/delete (permissioned), add/remove team
• Tasks: create/update/assign/complete/delete
• Comments/Files: post, edit, upload, download, delete
• Permissions: verify role-specific visibility and actions

Step 31: Collect Feedback

• Invite a pilot group (5–10 users)
• Provide scenarios ("Create a project and assign 3 tasks", "Post a comment with @mention", "Upload a file")
• Gather notes via an in-app form or quick interviews
• Prioritize fixes by frequency, severity, and effort

Publishing to Web, iOS, and Android

Step 32: Web App

• On a paid plan with custom domains, open Settings → Publishing → Web
• Configure favicon, SEO, and analytics
• Add a custom domain following the DNS instructions (SSL handled automatically)
• Domain pricing varies by registrar/TLD; DNS changes can take up to ~48 hours to propagate

Step 33: Apple App Store (iOS)

Requirements:

• Apple Developer Program ($99/year)
• Icons, screenshots, privacy policy URL, listing metadata

Process:

1. Adalo → Publishing → iOS
2. Upload assets & metadata
3. Generate IPA
4. Upload via Apple Transporter to App Store Connect
5. Submit for review
   • Note: Apple doesn't guarantee review times; many reviews complete within a few days, but timing varies

More: Adalo iOS publishing

Step 34: Google Play (Android)

Requirements:

• Google Play Developer account (one-time $25)
• Icons, screenshots, privacy policy, content rating

Process:

1. Adalo → Publishing → Android
2. Upload assets & metadata
3. Generate AAB (App Bundle; required for new apps)
4. Upload to Play Console, complete listing & questionnaires
5. Submit for review
   • Note: Personal developer accounts created after Nov 13, 2026 must run a closed test with ≥20 testers for ≥2 weeks before production release (per Google)

More: Adalo Android publishing · Google policy

Why Adalo Works Well for Monday-Style Project Management

• Built-in relational DB with no record limits: Users ↔ Projects ↔ Tasks ↔ Comments ↔ Files ↔ Activity—scale without hitting artificial caps — Database help
• Cross-platform publishing: Ship to iOS, Android, and web from one project with native performance on each — Adalo publishing
• Marketplace components: kanban boards, calendars, charts, rich text, advanced lists — Marketplace
• Integrations: APIs, webhooks, external data/services — Custom Actions · External Collections

Cost & Resources

• Adalo plans: Starting at $36/month with unlimited usage and no database record caps — https://www.adalo.com/pricing
• Developer programs: Apple $99/year — https://developer.apple.com/programs/ · Google Play $25 one-time — https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435
• Android testing policy (new personal accounts): closed test with ≥20 testers for ≥2 weeks — Google Play policy
• Automation: Zapier — https://zapier.com/apps · Make — https://www.make.com/

Additional Resources

• Adalo Help Center — https://help.adalo.com/
• Adalo Marketplace — https://www.adalo.com/marketplace
• External Collections (docs) — https://help.adalo.com/integrations/external-collections-with-apis
• Custom Actions (docs) — https://help.adalo.com/integrations/custom-actions
• Xano Integration — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/xano
• Airtable Integration — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/airtable
• iOS Publishing — https://www.adalo.com/ios-app-apple-app-store
• Android Publishing — https://www.adalo.com/native-android-app-google-play-store

Note: This Monday-style build is a prototype using Adalo's UI and database. For true real-time co-editing, heavy analytics, enterprise auth/SSO/SCIM, and large-file storage, pair Adalo with external backends (e.g., Xano) and storage (e.g., AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage) via External Collections / Custom Actions. App-store policies, marketplace availability, and third-party capabilities change—re-verify before publishing. Always performance-test on real devices and confirm your privacy/compliance posture (e.g., GDPR/CCPA).

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 tools like Magic Start and Magic Add lets you go from idea to published app in days. The platform handles the App Store submission process, generating the necessary build files and guiding you through Apple's requirements.

Can I build a Monday.com-style project management app without coding?

Yes. With Adalo's visual builder, you can replicate core features like boards, tasks, status columns, team collaboration, automation hooks, and reporting without writing code. Magic Start can generate your initial database structure and screens from a simple description.

How long does it take to build a project management app?

Many teams validate an MVP in weeks rather than months. Using Magic Start to generate your foundation and Magic Add to build features through natural language requests accelerates development significantly compared to traditional coding.

Do I need coding experience to use Adalo?

No coding experience required. Adalo's visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint." You drag and drop components, set up database relationships visually, and configure logic through simple menus rather than writing code.

How much does it cost to build a project management app?

Adalo paid plans start at $36/month with unlimited usage and no database record caps. You'll also need an Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year) for iOS publishing and a Google Play Developer account ($25 one-time) for Android.

Can I publish to both the App Store and Google Play?

Yes. Adalo builds native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. You publish once and deploy to web, Apple App Store, and Google Play Store—with unlimited updates to your apps after publishing.

What features should a project management app have?

Essential features include boards with task rows and custom fields, assignments with due dates, threaded comments with file attachments, multiple views (kanban, table, calendar), roles and permissions for different user types, and automation hooks for notifications and external integrations.

How does Adalo handle database scaling?

Adalo 3.0's modular infrastructure scales with your app's needs. Paid plans have no record limits—with proper data relationship setups, apps can scale beyond 1 million monthly active users. The platform is 3-4x faster than previous versions following the late 2025 infrastructure overhaul.

Can I add automation and external integrations?

Yes. Adalo supports in-app automation rules plus external integrations via Zapier and Make. You can set up triggers like automatically updating project progress when tasks complete, sending Slack notifications for new tasks, or creating email digests for overdue items.