Adalo's visual data model is simpler than Bubble's, which makes the migration more predictable, but its relational layer has specific patterns that need translation before the data moves.
What Adalo's data model looks like in a database
Adalo stores records in a proprietary backend. Every Collection becomes a table. Every field is typed. Many-to-many relationships are stored as link fields. The good news: this translates cleanly to Prisma + PostgreSQL. The work is writing the schema and the migration script.
What translates cleanly
- Collections become Postgres tables with matching column types.
- Relationships (one-to-many, many-to-many) become foreign keys and join tables.
- File uploads move to S3-compatible object storage with signed URLs.
- Authentication (email + password) moves to Clerk or Auth.js with matching user IDs.
What needs a rebuild
- Adalo's component system does not translate — components rebuild in React Native (for mobile) or React (for web).
- Actions and conditional logic translate to Server Actions or API routes, but the logic must be rewritten, not ported.
- In-app notifications require a real push notification provider (Expo Notifications, FCM).
- Custom actions using Adalo's external collection feature rebuild as first-class API integrations.
Mobile vs web target stack
If the Adalo app was mobile, the migration target is React Native with Expo. If it was web, the target is Next.js. If both, the migration adds two to three weeks and a shared API layer. We handle both paths.
Timeline and cost
- Simple Adalo app (1 user role, under 8 Collections): 3–5 weeks.
- Mid-complexity (2–3 roles, integrations, notifications): 5–8 weeks.
- Complex multi-role platform: 8–14 weeks.
Start with a free Adalo architecture audit. We review your app and return a fixed-price quote. No obligation.