What is a CRUD app?

A CRUD app is a software application that stores data within a relational database and allows users to perform four basic data operations:

• Create a new user account or new data to the system.
• Read (view or retrieve) user profiles and existing data or generate reports.
• Update a user’s contact information and modify other existing data.
• Delete an obsolete user account and data that’s no longer needed.

Examples of CRUD apps you likely already use for your everyday workflow include:

• CRM tools like HubSpot: create new customer records, read their information, update lead statuses, and delete outdated or duplicate records.
• Project management apps like Trello: create new projects, read progress reports, update task details, and delete canceled projects.
• Knowledge management systems like Notion: add new pages, read existing notes, update content, and delete irrelevant documents.

CRUD functions are the reason you can input new information, access and analyze existing data, make necessary updates, and remove outdated or incorrect entries on these apps.

Without them, you will be limited in your interaction with these apps; you can view data but would be unable to perform any actions on it.

Why use a CRUD application builder?

CRUD app builders are designed for users with little to no coding experience. They have a drag-and-drop interface and intuitive design tools that make the process easy.

The best ones also come with pre-built responsive templates that allow you to quickly set up your app's basic structure and functionalities without having to build from scratch. Instead, you can customize as you see fit so users can easily perform CRUD operations on their own.

For example, this client portal template from Softr comes with prebuilt pages that provide clients with secure, self-service access to manipulate and manage their information.

After modifying it to fit your needs, your clients can:

• Create new data, such as submitting requests or uploading necessary documents.
• Read resources and updates relevant to them and track the status of their requests.
• Update their contact and personal details, change preferences, or correct errors.
• Delete outdated information to ensure their data is up-to-date and accurate.

This self-service approach allows users to perform necessary tasks and manage their own data, improving user experience and customer satisfaction.

Other reasons to use a CRUD app generator include:

• Lets you develop powerful internal tools without significant financial investment.
• Allows you to customize your app to fit your unique requirements and goals.
• Comes with built-in security features such as role-based access control.
• Allows you to expand your app’s capabilities without having to rebuild from scratch.
• Ensures all parts of your application are consistent and adhere to the same principles

How to choose the best CRUD application builder

There are 150+ CRUD app generators, also known as drag-and-drop app builders, listed on G2.

Choosing the best one for your needs can be time-consuming—you could spend hours scrolling through numerous resources and end up with too many options or none that fit perfectly.

To help you make the best choice, here are ten critical features to look out for:

• Integration with your tech stack and existing data sources, such as Google Sheets and SQL databases.
• A user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface you can use even without coding knowledge.
• Access to a library of pre-built templates for various use cases that you can modify to match your needs and preferences.
• Collaboration features that let multiple users work on the same project simultaneously, with changes syncing in real time.
• Custom tools to adjust the layout and styling of the app to match branding guidelines.
• Access control & permissions to control what users can see and do with the app data.
• Ability to add your own code or scripts to extend the app’s capabilities and functionality.
• Robust security features, including SSL encryption, role-based access control, and data encryption.
• Comprehensive tutorials, guides, and customer support to help you build from scratch and make the most out of different features.
• Ability to handle increasing amounts of data and users without compromising performance.

While researching options, read reviews on platforms like G2 and Capterra to see what past users have to say about the app generator.

You should also compare pricing plans and consider the cost relative to the features offered. Bonus point if the app has a free plan or trial period—you can test the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Check if the platform has a strong user community and customer support, including direct support channels. These will come in handy when you hit a wall and need help.

Popular examples of top-rated CRUD Application builders on review platforms like G2 are:

• Softr: a free tool for small-to-midsize organizations to create company intranets, document portals, and other internal tools without coding.
• Budibase: a low-code platform for medium and enterprise teams with minimal coding experience.
• Superblocks: a low-code platform for startups and large enterprises that requires coding knowledge.

While low-code platforms are a great choice for developers, some require developers on your team to manually export critical data regularly to team leads and analysts and build custom tools from scratch, which is a time-consuming process.

No-code tools like Softr let you quickly create internal tools on top of SQL databases without writing extensive code. Its no-code interface allows non-technical users to create and manage their own tools. Plus, your teams get access to real-time SQL data instead of manual exports that quickly become outdated.

How to use Softr’s CRUD application builder

Softr is a no-code platform that lets you build user-friendly web portals and internal tools using your existing data.

The free CRUD application builder integrates with tools you already use and multiple data sources, including SQL databases, Airtable, and Google Sheets. It natively works with dynamic data; changes made in one system are automatically reflected in the other in real-time.

You can create CRUD apps from scratch using Softr’s drag-and-drop building blocks for various views and functionalities (charts, tables, kanban, forms, calendar) without writing a single line of code. Or choose from hundreds of pre-built, easy-to-customize templates to save time.

Here’s a step-by-step guide for using Softr to create a CRUD app in less than 10 minutes:

Step 1: Log in to Softr or create an account if you haven’t already

To start building your CRUD app, log into your Softr account.

If you don’t have an existing account, sign up for free.

Step 2: Select a template for the CRUD app you want to create

Softr has a library of responsive pre-built templates you can choose from, so you don’t have to build your CRUD app from scratch. After logging in or completing the sign-up process, click on “all templates” to choose the best one for your project.

If you prefer to build from scratch, click on “start from scratch.”



Step 2.1 Search for the right template

There are three ways to find the template you need.

You can click on any of the categories and scroll until you find one that matches the CRUD app you want to build.

Or, scroll down the already highlighted “ALL” until you find one that matches the CRUD app you want to build.

You can also use the search bar to type a keyword for the template you want to use and hit “Enter.” For this example, we will use the client portal template.

Step 2.2: Click on the template you want to use

After selecting a template, click “Preview” for an overview, and then click on the “Use Template” button to start building.

Step 3: Connect Softr and Google Sheets

To continue creating the CRUD app on Softr using data from Google Sheets, you need to connect both platforms

Step 3.1 Choose Google Sheets as the data source

Click the “select data source” dropdown and select Google Sheets from the options.

Once done, click “Continue.”

Step 3.2: Log in to your Google account

You’ll be redirected to the Google account login screen; click on the account where the Google Sheets file is saved to log in.

Step 3.3: Authorize Softr

To allow Softr to see and make changes to your Google Sheets file, check the two boxes or the “select all” checkbox highlighted in the image below. Then click on “Continue.”

Ensure your data is organized so that Softr can easily read it.

The platform can match and align data fields between different systems. For example, if you have a "Customer Name" field on Google Sheets and the template you choose has a "Client Name" field instead, Softr can map these fields so they correspond correctly.

Step 4: Click on “Go to application.”

Once you've completed it, you’ll be redirected back to the onboarding page. There, click on “Go to application” to continue the process.

Step 5: Edit your interface

A good user interface gives users autonomy to create, view, update, and delete data every time they need to do so. To make your application user-friendly:

Step 5.1: Select the page you want to edit

All Softr templates include various pages that make up the user interface you’re creating, and you can customize each one. To do so, click on Pages on the left side of your screen, then click on the page you want to edit.

Step 5.2: Edit existing blocks that come with the templates or add new ones

The template comes with pre-built blocks you can arrange in multiple ways to customize your app’s layout to fit your needs and preferences. To edit an existing block, click on the one you want to work on, and the editor panel will slide in.

From the source tab in the editor panel, you can update the existing conditional filters or add a new one. This helps to filter irrelevant data so that users can quickly find the information most relevant to their current task.

Softr also has a list setting feature that lets you organize your list so that users can easily read and interpret it. To set this up, scroll to list settings and click the “sort by” dropdown menu to select how you want to organize your data.

Step 5.3: Customize your blog title and what data is displayed

Click on the “content” tab to edit the block’s title and subtitle, as well as their positions.

Next, scroll down to the “items field” and hover over each option to hide or reveal blocks of information you don’t want to be a part of your app. If the eye is closed, it’s hidden. But if open, users can see the info on the card before clicking it.

Click on the eye symbol to hide or reveal these blocks.

Also, you can delete blocks that don’t have the option to hide them, meaning the ones that don’t have the eye symbol beside their name. Doing so will result in users only seeing the information when they click on the card. To delete, click on the three dots (...) and then click on “Delete.”

There are other customization options to make your user interface friendlier. You can read this guide to building a custom user interface for your Google Sheets data or Airtable data.

Step 6: Set up user groups

Softr lets you set role-based permissions to control what users can see and do. These permissions are called “user groups.” This means that different users can have different levels of access and capabilities depending on their roles.

For each user group, you define what actions the users in that group can perform. These actions include viewing, editing, creating, or deleting data. You can also specify which parts of your application or data each group can access. For example:

• Admin: Full access to all data and functionalities, including the ability to manage other users.
• Manager: Access to most data, with capabilities to create and update records but limited ability to delete.
• Employee: Access to view and update their own data and certain shared resources.
• Guest: Limited access, mainly to view certain public data.

Here’s how to set up user groups:

Step 6.1: Create a user group (optional)

To create a user group, click on “users” on the left side of your screen and select the User Groups tab to view the existing user groups that come with the template. To add a new one, click on “Add user group” at the right side of your screen.

Step 6.2: Name your user group

After clicking on “Add user group,” a text box will pop up asking you to name your user group. Type the name you use to identify a group of people, such as “New Clients,” then click “Next.”

Step 6.3: Add users to your new group

Once you have a user group, you have to add users to it, either manually or by adding users based on their attributes with conditions.

Step 6.4 Delete user groups you don’t need (optional)

Hover over the user group you want to delete and click the delete icon.

Step 7: Create action buttons

Once you’ve created user groups for your CRUD app, you can start setting up create, update, or delete action for those user groups through action buttons.

For example, say you want users to be able to add a new record from the top bar; click on the “Actions” tab and scroll to the “top bar” buttons. Click on “+” and select “add record.”

You can edit the label, add a field, and choose what happens when a user creates a record.

Also, with the action buttons, you can also perform navigation actions like opening a URL.

Click on the “Actions” tab and scroll to the “Items on click” section. Then click on the dropdown and select what a user should see when they click on a card.

In our example, we selected the option “open details page” so that users can see everything they need to know.

Step 8: Set up visibility

Navigate to the Visibility tab to choose who you want to see your user interface. There are three options to choose from:

• All users: includes those who are logged in and those who aren’t;
• Logged-in users: only those who have a password needed to access the data;
• Non-logged-in users: only those who don’t have a password to access the data.

Choose who you’d like to see your specific blocks on your client portal and on what device. If you want to limit access, select “only logged-in users.” But if you want everyone to access the data, choose “All users.”

Softr's user groups feature lets you assign and choose the specific group of people you want to view details about your clients. If you want only a certain category of your logged-in users to access the specific block, click the “which user group” dropdown and select your choice group.

Step 9: Preview your CRUD app

After customizing and setting permissions, you can see how it looks before publishing and sharing it with your team. Click on the play icon in the top right corner of your screen to preview.

Once the preview page opens, test your visibility settings by clicking the dropdown in the top left corner of your screen to see what your page looks like for a non-logged-in user, a logged-in user, and users in different user groups.

Here’s what our client portal looks like for a non-logged-in user:

For clients, one of the user groups, the portal looks like this:

And for freelancers (another user group), the platform looks like this:

Notice how each user group has different levels of access to information.

Step 10: Publish and share your CRUD app

Once you’re satisfied with your app, click on “Publish” in the top right corner of your screen.

You can publish on a custom domain by clicking on the hyperlinked “Click here” text or publish with Softr’s subdomain, then click publish.

Build your first (or next) CRUD app in minutes

A no-code platform with a free plan or trial period is the best option for building custom tools to fit your workflows and needs.

You can build apps quickly without needing deep technical skills and test the platform to see if it meets your needs before committing to a paid plan.

Softr offers you these benefits, letting you build fully functional internal apps and tools, not just for dashboards and reports but also to optimize processes. Users can interact with the data, input their own data, and perform tasks within the app, and you don’t have to:

• Manually gather data from different sources
• Rely on developers for data access, which causes delays
• Generate reportings manually, which is time-consuming and error-prone.
• Use spreadsheets for manual data tracking and reporting.
• Create ad-hoc scripts or queries to extract data as needed.
• Use business intelligence (BI) tools, which are expensive.
• Requesting periodic data exports from developers.

Instead, you can set granular permissions to secure data sharing and ensure that sensitive information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. And you don’t have to add additional seats in Tableau to share data with external partners; you can generate and share a link to your tool with customers.