How does Softr compare to Airtable Interface Designer?

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500,000+ companies rely on Softr to build client portals and internal tools, no code required. Customers choose Softr over Airtable Interfaces for more customizable design, more granular access control, and more overall value (no per seat pricing here).

softr functionality overview
Jonathan Strupek

β€œWhile Airtable Interfaces is great, it’s missing that extra something. I wanted a tool that would let me build and take things to the next level. Softr was perfect.”

Jonathan Strupek Agency Owner (Strupek)

Read customer story

8 reasons to choose Softr over Airtable Interface Designer

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1. Softr is a full-stack business app builder

Airtable Interfaces is a good option for simple internal tools, where you need to give your team access to specific Airtable data. But if you want to build more advanced apps with login pages, user authentication, and custom design, Softr gives you that flexibility (while still being easy to use).

2. More advanced permissions

Softr defines user groups and permissions in a flexible way, letting you create your own custom definitions using and/or statements, and any of your database and user information. Control what both internal and external users can access , and what actions they can take. πŸ”“ Global Data Restrictions allow you to define app-level restrictions to ensure restricted data cannot be viewed, updated, or deleted in your app.

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3. More customizable design and layout

Use Softr's building blocks to create your app, then customize the design and the layout to fit your brand. Go ahead and style that page the way you want, or change the layout of your navigation! The design options in Airtable Interfaces are much more limited.

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4. Mobile app generation with no extra effort

After you create your portal or internal tool, turn it into a downloadable mobile app for Apple and Android devices in a few clicks with Softr’s PWA feature. No need to design and build a separate mobile application for your project!

Softr mobile app

5. Built-in conditional forms

Softr’s conditional forms are more powerful than Airtable’s, letting you create: - Multi-step forms - Logic between sections and questions (to make them more customizable to your workflows) Send form submissions directly to Airtable (or another data source), or trigger automations using tools like Zapier and Make.

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6. Combine multiple data sources in one app

Softr gives you a wide range of data sources to connect apps with, including Airtable, Google Sheets, HubSpot, BigQuery, SQL, Xano, and monday.com. Eliminate data silos and build process-driven apps that connect all your workflows.

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7. Awesome support for all plans (even free!)

Softr is known for its fast chat support on all plans, which makes it easy to keep building without getting stuck. Want someone to create your app for you? We also have a team of certified Softr experts ready to help.

8. Designed for building internal and external apps

Because of its design flexibility and advanced permissions β€” plus the ability to add custom domains and branding β€” Softr is ideal for building both internal tools and external-facing apps, including client, partner, and vendor portals.

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Why else are people switching from
Airtable Interface Designer to Softr?

No per seat pricing

With Softr, you can share your app with more users and allow them to take action without paying per seat pricing.

Richer user authentication

Softr offers sign-in with an email code and magic link. It also has OpenID and SAML SSO.

AI app generator

Take your app idea from prompt to reality, then customize to your liking. It’s never been easier to build custom apps!

New feature input

Upvote new features and improvements on our public roadmap, and join our community to leave your feedback.

Compare features: Softr vs Airtable Interface Designer

 

Pricing
FREE (including custom domain)
FREE
Create external & internal apps
Internal tool

Yes

Yes

User authentication

Yes

No

User groups

Yes

No (Enterprise only)

Custom domain

Yes (available in free plan)

No

Design flexibility & customization
Full control of the design

Yes

Yes

Start from scratch

Yes

No

30+ templates to start from

Yes

No

Responsive design (web, tablet, mobile)

Yes

No

User Groups & Permissions
User Groups with powerful AND and OR conditions

Yes

No (Enterprise only)

Field-level View/Update permissions

Yes

Yes

Record-level View/Update permissions

Yes

Yes

Page & block level visibility rules (per user group)

Yes

No

Integrations
Airtable

Yes

Yes

Zapier & Make native integrations

Yes

No

Stripe Payments (one-off and subscription)

Yes

No (Zapier only)

Support
Community

Yes

Yes

Video tutorials

Yes

Yes

Livechat (for all)

Yes

No

Our customers love us

Rated 4.8 in 450+ verified reviews

Read why companies and operators love Softr.

"They say that if you can’t explain it in a simple way, you don’t understand it well enough. I say the same thing about any software. If you can’t figure it out in the first 10 min by yourself without any tutorial, it’s probably not for you. Since the first moment we discovered Softr, we started the work."

Rachid
Rachid Akiki COO at Bookzdoctor

"The best no-code platform to create websites based on airtable databases."

Alexander
Alexander K. Ecommerce Manager

"Softr is an easy to use no-code platform that has so much potential."

Paul
Paul L. Head of Digital Marketing

"Creating a customer portal with Softr allows us to give our customers that bit of extra value. Our customers always comment on how easy to use our Softr portal is and love the fact that it updates with data from Airtable in real-time."

Jeremy
Jeremy Taylor Owner, Defiant CNC

"Incredible platform - from web noob to office superstar in a month!"

Bryant
Bryant H. Analyst

"I have been impressed with the flexibility of Softr. The ability to pull data from different Airtable bases into different blocks and display them on one page was one of the main reasons I chose Softr."

Dan
Dan Smith Director at DS Automotives

"Softr is the goldilocks of no code β€” not too difficult, not too simple. It’s powerful in that you can build a dynamic app that reacts to user inputs, yet is simple enough to build quickly."

Chez
Chez Spigelman Co-founder at Nextcohort

"Easily the shortest learning curve on any app I've used! It's very intuitive and when you can't figure something out the support is excellent and there is also a great community who are always willing to help."

Brian
Brian M. Director

"The best no-code platform to create websites based on airtable databases."

Alexander
Alexander K. Ecommerce Manager

Build better apps

Migrate your app to Softr

If you’re coming to Softr from Airtable Interface Designer, our support team can help you migrate your app quickly. Contact us ->

Get started for free

Custom domain. Unlimited applications. Try Softr's free plan β€” no credit card required. Get started ->

Frequently asked questions

Absolutely! We offer a free consultation to help you answer any questions you may have and plan the move. Our support team and Softr experts team are ready to jump in and help when needed. Please create an account and contact us via support@softr.io to schedule a consultation call.

No. Your data is always stored in your Airtable. We do not store your data in our systems, but only retrieve it via Airtable API, and map it to the Softr front end. Your data is always secure.

Yes. Softr Integrates with both Zapier and Make, which lets you run more powerful automation in your Softr app.

Yes. Softr provides a native Stripe integration that lets you sell any goods or services, add subscriptions to your SaaS, or offer premium membership to your community.

Yes. Softr offers a 30% discount to all non-profits, educational institutions and students. To apply, please create an account and contact us via support@softr.io.

Yes! You have the option to add custom code snippets (Javascript, CSS) to extend your app with custom features. Available on the Basic plan and higher.

Softr apps are completely white-label (Professional plan and higher), with minimal branding on lower-tier plans. Airtable branding will show up on Interfaces, even on the highest-tier plans. To learn more about design customization in Softr vs. Airtable Interfaces, see

No. You can use a Softr subdomain (e.g. yoursite.softr.app) to publish your app. Later on, you can connect your custom domain to Softr in all of our paid plans. We also take care of hosting your app for you!

More questions?

Reach out to us β€” we'd love to help!

Join 500,000+ companies and creators

See how easy it is to build custom apps on Softr.

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