How to Audit a Bubble.io App Built by Someone Else: A 15-Point Checklist
Buying, inheriting or taking over a Bubble.io app is a common situation: a freelancer disappears, an agency relationship ends, or you acquire a product that was built by someone else. Before you spend more money on features, run an audit. This 15-point checklist shows what to inspect, what good looks like and which findings should change your plan.
Before you start: get the right access
- Ask for editor access to the app, ideally as an owner or admin, so you can see everything.
- Confirm who owns the Bubble account and plan. If the previous developer owns it, arrange a proper transfer.
- Collect the domain registrar, email provider, payment and third-party accounts.
- Ask for any written scope, designs and documentation, even if informal.
Section A: Data and structure
1. Review the data types
Open the Data tab and read the list of data types. Names should be clear and consistent. Dozens of near-duplicate types or names like “Thing2” suggest improvisation.
2. Check relationships
Look at how types link to each other. Healthy apps usually connect records through direct references. Watch for large lists stored inside a single field that will grow without limit, a pattern that causes slowness later. See the database design mistakes that break apps at scale.
3. Look for option sets vs free text
Statuses, roles and categories should usually be option sets. If they are typed text, expect inconsistent values and fragile conditions.
4. Check for duplicated or orphaned data
Browse records in the data view. Many empty or duplicate records point to workflows that create data without cleanup.
Section B: Security and privacy
5. Privacy rules on every type
Confirm each data type has rules and that they match who should see what. A type with no rule is a priority fix. Our guide to security best practices explains what to look for.
6. Test as different users
Use the “Run as” feature and separate test accounts to confirm one user cannot see another’s records. For multi-company apps, test across companies. See multi-tenancy architecture.
7. Exposed keys and open endpoints
Inspect the API Connector for keys stored in visible fields, and review any backend workflows exposed as public endpoints. Each should verify who is calling.
Section C: Workflows and performance
8. Read the key workflows
Open the main flows: sign-up, payment, core actions. Are they readable? Do they have conditions and error handling, or long unlabeled chains? Well-built apps use clear names and reusable elements.
9. Look for heavy searches
Repeated searches, searches inside repeating groups and filtering large lists after fetching them are classic causes of slow pages and high workload. Review the guide to performance optimisation.
10. Check scheduled and recurring jobs
Review backend workflows, schedules and recurring events. Unneeded jobs that run constantly burn workload. Learn more in our guide to our backend workflows guide.
Section D: Costs and dependencies
11. Review plan and workload history
Open the app metrics and billing history. Look for spikes, overage charges and the trend over several months. Then compare against what the app should reasonably consume. See how to calculate and control your WU bill.
12. Audit plugins
List every plugin and check who maintains it, when it was last updated and whether it is still needed. Abandoned plugins are a risk to stability.
13. List third-party services and their owners
Payment processors, email, SMS, analytics, AI providers and storage should all sit in accounts you control, with billing you can see.
Section E: Quality and handover
14. Run the product like a new user
Sign up, complete the main journey, try to break forms, test on mobile and note every bug, slow screen and confusing step. Keep a written list.
15. Check versions, backups and documentation
Find out whether there is a development version separate from live, how changes were deployed and whether any documentation exists. If nothing is documented, plan time to write it down.
Scoring your findings
| Finding | Severity | Typical action |
|---|---|---|
| Missing or weak privacy rules | Critical | Fix before any new feature or marketing push |
| Exposed keys or open endpoints | Critical | Rotate keys and secure endpoints immediately |
| Unbounded lists and inefficient searches | High | Refactor the data structure and queries |
| Runaway scheduled jobs | High | Pause, fix and monitor |
| Abandoned plugins | Medium | Replace or remove, with testing |
| No documentation | Medium | Document as you go |
| Cosmetic inconsistencies | Low | Schedule into regular iteration |
Repair, refactor or rebuild?
Most apps can be repaired incrementally. Consider a rebuild only when the data model is fundamentally wrong, because changing it later affects everything. Consider leaving the platform only when you hit genuine limits; our article on migrating from Bubble.io to custom code explains when that makes sense. Whatever you choose, write the plan down as a PRD so costs and priorities are clear.
What to ask the previous developer
- Which parts were rushed or left unfinished?
- Are there known bugs?
- Which integrations are fragile?
- What would they change if they started again?
- Where are the credentials, and who else has access?
Frequently asked questions
How long does an audit take?
A small app can be reviewed in a few hours. A large, complex product can take several days to examine properly.
Can I audit it myself?
You can do a lot with this checklist, especially the user-level testing. For privacy rules and architecture, an experienced Bubble developer will spot issues you might not.
Should I stop development during the audit?
If possible, freeze new features until you know the app’s condition. Building on a weak foundation multiplies the cost of fixing it.
Get an independent review
SA Solutions offers ongoing support and maintenance for Bubble.io apps already in production, billed only for hours spent. To talk through an app you have inherited, book a free call. You can also read our guide to keeping a Bubble.io app running after launch.