Airtable vs Softr
Both are no-code tools. Here is what separates them.
What Airtable is
Airtable is a cloud database that behaves like a spreadsheet. Data sits in a familiar grid of rows and columns, but each table has a defined schema with typed fields, records can be linked between tables, and the same data drives views, automations and an API. Work is organised into bases, and more than one base can sit under a single subscription. Existing spreadsheets and CSV files can be imported when moving data in. Interface Designer is included in every plan and builds custom layouts on top of a base, so people can read and update records without working in the raw table. Portals go further by filtering what appears in a table according to field conditions, which controls what a given audience sees. Airtable integrates with Jira, Slack, Google Drive and Salesforce, among other tools, and connects to assistants including ChatGPT and Claude. A public API lets developers read and write base data from their own applications. The free plan allows unlimited bases with 1,000 records and 1 GB of attachments per base, up to five editors per workspace, 100 automation runs a month and 500 AI credits per editor each month. Team costs $20 per seat per month billed annually and raises the limits to 50,000 records and 20 GB of attachments per base, with 15,000 AI credits per paid user each month. Business costs $45 per seat per month billed annually and adds 100,000 automation runs, 100 GB of attachments per base, two-way sync, verified data, an admin panel and SAML single sign-on. Enterprise Scale is priced on request through the sales team and allows 500,000 records and 1,000 GB of attachments per base, with audit logs and data loss prevention. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time without penalty. Airtable was founded in 2012 by Howie Liu, Andrew Ofstad and Emmett Nicholas. The company reports more than 10 million active users and over 500,000 organisations on the platform, including 90% of the Fortune 100. The product is closed source and hosted by Airtable, with no self-hosted option.
What Softr is
Softr turns a spreadsheet or database into a working web application without writing code. Its most common use is putting a client portal or internal tool on top of an Airtable base, which is the job it was originally built for, though it now connects to more than Airtable alone. Data can come from Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, monday.com or Google BigQuery, and Softr can also build and hold databases of its own. On top of that data you assemble the interface: listings, directories, job boards, online courses, e-commerce, upvoting sites, marketplaces and event listings are all templated starting points. The company's claim is that an app can be built and launched in under thirty minutes, which is a fair description of the simpler cases rather than every case. Permissions are the part that makes it usable for client work. Access is controlled at a granular level, so different users see different records, which is what separates a real portal from a published spreadsheet. Users who share a business email domain with somebody building in the workspace are classified as team users, and builders in the workspace can be added as app users at no cost. It connects outward through Zapier and Make for automation, through payment providers and custom APIs for transactions, and through Google Analytics or Fathom for measurement. There is a REST API for driving Softr programmatically. Apps can be converted into downloadable mobile applications, and feedback portals can be built to collect input from users in real time. Softr AI, launched in October 2023, generates applications from a description rather than starting from a blank template. The company complies with SOC 2 Type II, which is usually the question that decides whether an internal tool is allowed. Pricing is freemium, with unlimited apps, databases, workflows and forms on paid plans, and a 50 percent discount for non-profit and educational organisations.
We are not affiliated with either product. Upvote counts come from the published formula and neither position was paid for.