Adalo vs Bilt: two different paths to a mobile app
Adalo and Bilt solve the same starting problem in different ways: getting a mobile app into the Apple App Store and Google Play without a traditional development team. Adalo is a visual, drag-and-drop no-code platform for building native mobile and web applications. Bilt is an AI prompt-based platform that generates a React Native and Expo codebase from natural-language descriptions.
The day-to-day workflow, the pricing structure, and what you end up owning differ between them, even though the end goal looks similar on the surface.
- Adalo is a drag-and-drop visual editor with a built-in database, built for assembling an app’s screens and logic by hand.
- Bilt is a conversational, prompt-driven tool that writes a React Native and Expo codebase for you, with a live preview streamed to your phone.
- Adalo’s paid tiers start at $36 per month (Starter, billed annually); its Free plan runs $0 per month with a 500-record database limit.
- Bilt’s paid tiers start at €15 per month introductory for Professional (€25 per month standard); its Free plan runs €0 per month with a monthly AI credit allotment, and Bilt bills in euros, not dollars.
- Adalo uses flat, plan-based pricing with no usage-based charges; Bilt uses a token/credit system with one-time top-up purchases on top of the plan.
- Sticklight is a separate, third option built by the Elementor team: a prompt-to-production platform that generates full-stack websites, apps, dashboards, and internal tools, and publishes them.
What Adalo is built for
Adalo is a no-code platform for building native mobile and web apps, with publishing to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store built in. You work in a drag-and-drop visual editor: you place screens, components, and logic yourself instead of describing the app in a prompt. It ships with a built-in database for storing app data, though the Free plan caps that database at 500 records.
Adalo’s plans line up with what you’re trying to do. Starter is the entry point for publishing to app stores. Professional adds capacity aimed at small and medium business use. Team supports multiple editors and multiple apps, which fits agencies or freelancers juggling several client projects at once. A separate, custom-priced “Adalo Blue” tier sits above that for enterprise needs. Pricing across the standard tiers is flat and plan-based, with no per-action or per-record usage charges layered on top.
What Bilt is built for
Bilt is an AI prompt-based platform that generates a React Native and Expo codebase from natural-language descriptions, built for non-technical founders who want to build and publish a mobile app without touching code directly. Instead of assembling the interface by hand, you describe what you want and Bilt generates the app underneath it. A live preview streams to your phone as you iterate, no Xcode or Mac required, which matters if you’re on Windows or Linux.
Publishing to the Apple App Store and Google Play is a one-click step once the app is ready, and Bilt also offers a GitHub export if you want the generated code outside the platform. Usage runs on a token or credit system: paid plans come with an allotment, and one-time top-up purchases (5M, 10M, or 20M tokens) are available if you need more. The Free plan includes a monthly AI credit allotment rather than an unlimited build budget. Bilt doesn’t detail its specific backend and data-store options on its public pages, so confirm directly with Bilt if you have firm backend requirements.
Adalo vs Bilt at a glance
| Dimension | Adalo | Bilt | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | No-code, drag-and-drop app builder | AI prompt-based React Native/Expo generator | Prompt-to-production platform for full-stack sites, apps, dashboards, and tools |
| Output | Native mobile app plus web app, assembled visually | React Native + Expo codebase, generated from prompts | Production-ready website, app, dashboard, CMS, or internal tool from one prompt |
| Backend / data | Built-in database (500-record limit on Free) | Not detailed on public pages | Additive to your existing WordPress/Elementor stack |
| Publish / hosting | Publishes to Apple App Store and Google Play, plus web | One-click publish to Apple App Store and Google Play; GitHub export available | Publish included as part of the Prompt → Build → Publish flow |
| Best for | Builders who want to assemble screens and logic by hand | Non-technical founders who prefer describing the app in a prompt | Professional creators wanting production-ready, full-stack output beyond a single app |
| Entry pricing | $0 per month Free; $36 per month Starter, billed annually | €0 per month Free; €15 per month introductory Professional | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack |
Pricing in detail
Adalo’s tiers, confirmed on its official pricing page: Free at $0 per month; Starter at $36 per month billed annually; Professional at $52 per month billed annually; and Team at $160 per month billed annually. Monthly billing runs roughly 20 percent higher, though the page didn’t itemize exact monthly dollar figures at the time this was checked.
Bilt’s tiers, confirmed on its official pricing page, are denominated in euros: Free at €0 per month; Professional at €15 per month introductory, rising to €25 per month standard; Professional Plus at €30 per month introductory, rising to €50 per month standard; and a custom-billed Enterprise tier. On top of the plan, Bilt sells one-time token top-ups (5M, 10M, or 20M tokens) for teams that exceed their monthly credit allotment.
The structural difference matters as much as the numbers: Adalo’s cost is predictable and plan-based, while Bilt’s cost can shift month to month depending on how much you generate and regenerate through prompts.
Where Sticklight fits as a third option
Adalo and Bilt both solve a narrower problem than many builders eventually run into: they get you a mobile app, but a growing project often also needs a marketing site, an internal dashboard, or a small tool for the team, and that usually means picking up a second or third platform.
Sticklight is built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, and it’s designed around a broader flow: prompt, build, publish. From a single prompt it generates production-ready output across websites, apps, dashboards, CMS setups, and internal tools, with publishing built into that same flow rather than a separate step. It’s additive to WordPress and Elementor, so it works alongside an existing WordPress or Elementor stack instead of requiring you to leave it behind. If you want one platform to cover more of the stack than a single mobile app, that breadth is the practical differentiator over a dedicated mobile builder like Adalo or a mobile-focused generator like Bilt. AI agents are on Sticklight’s roadmap, coming soon rather than shipped today.
A working prototype by lunch used to sound like a joke. Now it’s just Tuesday, if you know how to ask for what you actually need.
Itamar Haim
Frequently asked questions
What’s the main difference between Adalo and Bilt?
Adalo is a visual, drag-and-drop editor where you assemble the app’s screens and database yourself. Bilt generates a React Native and Expo codebase from a written prompt, with a live preview and one-click publishing.
Does Bilt charge in dollars or euros?
Euros. Bilt’s official pricing page lists every figure in euros, including its Free plan at €0 per month and its Professional plan starting at €15 per month introductory.
Can I export the code from either platform?
Only from Bilt. It offers a GitHub export for its generated React Native and Expo codebase. Adalo’s public pricing and feature pages don’t detail a comparable code-export option.
Is Sticklight a replacement for Adalo or Bilt?
No. Sticklight isn’t a like-for-like mobile app builder. It’s a prompt-to-production platform for full-stack websites, apps, dashboards, and internal tools, built by the Elementor team and additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor setup, which makes it a broader option if you need more than a single mobile app.
Built by the Elementor team. Powered by Claude.
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