Softr

This Softr review covers what Softr is used for, its key features, Softr pricing after the August 2026 change, how it works with Airtable and Google Sheets, where it shines and falls short, and how it compares with other tools. Softr offers a no-code interface that turns existing data into web apps and internal tools: you connect a data source, pick pre-built blocks such as lists, tables, forms, charts and kanban boards, and set who can see and edit what. User authentication, user groups and granular permissions are built in, so the same app can show each client only their own records. Softr apps run in the browser on desktop and mobile devices, and the AI co-builder can generate a first working app from a description.

What is Softr used for?

Softr is mostly used to build internal tools and branded client portals without hiring developers or writing code. Typical business apps are client and partner portals, customer and vendor dashboards, CRMs, project trackers, resource hubs and knowledge bases, membership sites and community platforms, applicant and HR portals, and internal dashboards for operations teams. Agencies use it to give clients a branded portal on top of project data; operations teams use it to replace spreadsheet and email workflows with a working app.

The strongest use case is putting a secure front end on data you already have. Many teams start with an Airtable base or a Google Sheet that works for the internal team but cannot be shared with clients. Softr adds login systems, user roles and a user-friendly interface on top, so real users can view and update only their own data while the base stays private. That turns a no code database into a proper data management layer for more users than the base could ever hold as editors.

Key features

• Drag and drop blocks: a visual editor with pre-built blocks for lists, tables, detail pages, forms, charts, calendars, kanban boards and maps. Themes, global settings and custom domains control the look.
• Data sources: Airtable and Google Sheets with real-time two-way sync, Softr Databases (the built-in database), and more than 15 other sources such as HubSpot, Notion and SQL databases, which can be combined in the same app (Softr).
• User management: sign-up and login, magic links, custom user groups and granular permissions per page, block and record, so one app can serve clients, partners and staff. Enterprise plans add SSO.
• Softr Workflows: workflow automation that runs on form submissions, record changes or schedules, sends email and calls APIs, with actions counted per month.
• AI co-builder: describe the app you need and the AI app builder generates pages, data and permissions that you refine in the editor; AI features use monthly AI credits.
• Custom code and advanced features: custom CSS and JavaScript, API calls from workflows, and REST and SQL database connections on higher plans for deeper customization, without full code access or code export.

Softr pricing

Softr changed its pricing on 5 August 2026. The new model has graduated plans, separate prices for Team Users (internal staff on your business domain) and Client Users (external app users), and pay-as-you-go billing for overages after a 7-day grace period (Softr Community). Existing paying customers can keep their legacy plan. The official pricing page did not render for us, so the figures below come from Totalum's guide checked on 24 August 2026 (written by a competitor):

• Free plan: $0. Includes unlimited apps, databases, workflows and forms, up to 3 builders, 5 app users, 5,000 database records, 500 workflow actions and 5 AI credits a month.
• Basic plan: $19 a month billed annually, $25 monthly.
• Pro: $99 a month billed annually, $119 monthly; extra Team Users $3 each and Client Users $1 each.
• Business plan: $329 a month billed annually, $395 monthly; extra Team Users $5 and Client Users $2 each, plus SQL and REST API connections.
• Enterprise: custom pricing with SSO and governance.

The cost surprise to check is the user count. Before August 2026 the Professional plan and Business plan included 100 and 500 app users; the new plans include fewer and bill each extra internal or external user, so a client portal with hundreds of clients costs far more than the base price. Custom domains cost about $13 a month extra, and heavy workflow automation or AI use can push you into overage billing. Count your app users before you choose a paid plan, and check the live pricing page.

Softr with Airtable data, Google Sheets and other data sources

Softr is best known as the front end for Airtable data, and connecting data takes minutes rather than a migration. The connection is two-way and real time, your data stays in Airtable, and permissions decide which rows each app user can see or edit, so the base itself stays private. You can connect several bases in one app, combine Airtable with Google Sheets or SQL databases, and import an Airtable base with its linked records into Softr Databases when Airtable's own per-editor pricing or record limits become the bottleneck. For small projects, Google Sheets works the same way and costs nothing extra; for more advanced features, Business adds database connections to SQL and REST APIs. Softr apps run on this existing data, so there is no migration project to start building.

Getting started: build internal tools on the free plan

Sign up for the free plan, then start from a template, a data source or the AI co-builder. Connect Airtable, Google Sheets or create Softr Databases tables; add pages and blocks; turn on user authentication and create user groups such as clients, staff and admins; then set granular permissions so each group sees only its own records. Publish on a Softr subdomain to test with actual users, and add a custom domain on a paid plan. A simple portal or internal dashboard is usually working within a day. Softr apps are progressive web apps: they can be added to a phone's home screen, but there is no native mobile app publishing to the App Store or Google Play.

Where Softr shines — and where it falls short

Strengths:

• Very fast to build client portals and internal tools on existing data, without writing code.
• Strong user management: logins, user groups and granular permissions are built in.
• Two-way sync with Airtable and Google Sheets, plus a built-in database and SQL connections.
• The AI co-builder and templates give a working app in minutes.

Trade-offs:

• Per-user pricing since August 2026 makes large client portals expensive.
• Design is block-based; complex apps and pixel-level layouts are limited.
• No native mobile apps and no code export or full code access.
• Heavy logic and complex data processing belong in a backend or another tool; Softr cannot replace a custom full stack app.

How Softr compares

• Airtable: the database many Softr apps run on, with its own interfaces for internal teams.
• Glide: spreadsheet-based apps with a stronger mobile experience.
• AppSheet: Google's no-code builder for internal apps with offline data capture.
• Bubble: full stack apps and SaaS products with far more customization and a steeper learning curve.
• Memberstack: memberships and gated content on Webflow sites rather than data portals.
• Retool: internal tools for developers on databases and APIs.
• Knack: an online database with its own app and portal builder.

Is Softr worth it?

Softr is worth it for teams that need client portals, internal dashboards or simple business apps on data they already keep in Airtable or Google Sheets, and want them live in days rather than months. The free plan is enough to test Softr with real users. It is less of a fit for complex apps with heavy logic, apps that need native mobile publishing or full code control, or portals with many external users, where the new per-user pricing adds up. If you want help building a Softr portal or moving a growing app to a stronger backend, the Softr agencies and developers on LowCodeDevs can take it on.

Sources

• Updates to our pricing plans, Softr Community: the August 2026 pricing change, Team and Client Users, legacy plans.
• Softr pricing: official plans (check the live figures).
• Airtable app builder, Softr: two-way sync, permissions, data sources and import to Softr Databases.
• Softr pricing 2026, Totalum: post-August plan prices and user add-ons (written by a competitor).
• Softr review, Stackby and Softr review, Vitara: features, pros and cons (both written by competitors; their $49/$139/$269 plan prices are the pre-August 2026 legacy plans).