Softr

What Is Softr?

The no-code app building market is crowded with US-headquartered platforms. Bubble, Glide, Adalo, and Retool all originated in the United States, which creates a compliance friction point for European teams that need to demonstrate GDPR and data residency compliance to clients or regulators. Softr is the Berlin-built alternative that occupies the same territory with a European legal entity, SOC 2 Type II certification, and the option of EU data hosting.

Founded in Berlin in 2019 by Mariam Hakobyan (CEO) and Artur Mkrtchyan (CTO), Softr was initially positioned as a portal builder on top of Airtable. The product's scope has broadened significantly since its $13.5M Series A in 2022, led by FirstMark Capital and Atomico. It now connects to eight data sources (Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Supabase, and HubSpot), and the 2026 AI Generator enables full-app creation from a text prompt.

The core value proposition is narrow and deliberate. Softr is not trying to replace custom software development. It is specifically designed for a set of recurring business requirements that no-code builders handle well: client portals where external users need to view and interact with internal data, internal tools where employees need structured interfaces to data stored in spreadsheets or databases, and member directories and marketplaces where user authentication and role-based access are the primary requirements.

Over 7,000 organisations use Softr, including teams at Netflix, Google, Stripe, UPS, and Clay. These are companies with existing engineering resources choosing Softr for specific portal or tool requirements rather than full application development, a telling signal about where the product adds most value.

Key Features

Multi-Source Data Connectivity

Softr's data connector layer is the feature that most distinguishes it from simpler no-code builders. Rather than maintaining its own database (as Bubble does), Softr reads and writes to wherever data already lives. A portal can display records from an Airtable base, a PostgreSQL table, and a HubSpot contact list simultaneously, joining them in a single user-facing interface.

This matters because most organisations adopting Softr already have data distributed across tools. The alternative to a Softr connector is either a data migration project (time-consuming and disruptive) or a custom-built integration (expensive). Softr eliminates both requirements by treating the existing data stack as the source of truth.

The data connectors support both read and write operations, so portal users can submit forms, update records, and interact with data, not just view it. This bidirectional capability is what enables customer portals where clients can update their own information, or internal tools where employees can log activities against project records.

European teams who prefer a self-hostable, GDPR-native database can pair Softr with Baserow or SeaTable for full EU data sovereignty, since both speak the Airtable-compatible API Softr was originally built against. The Supabase connector covers teams already running on Postgres, and the bring-your-own-PostgreSQL option works with hosts like Hetzner for fully EU-hosted stacks.

User Authentication and Role-Based Access

Authentication is often the most technically complex part of building a client portal or internal tool. Softr handles it out of the box: users can register, log in, reset passwords, and be assigned roles that control which data they see, which records they can edit, and which pages they can access.

The role system is flexible enough for most B2B use cases. An agency might configure a portal where each client company has its own login domain and can only see their own project records. A SaaS company might configure an internal tool where account managers see their own book of business and admins see the full customer list.

MFA (multi-factor authentication) is available from the Professional plan. SSO via SAML or OIDC is available on Enterprise. These capabilities are the minimum expectation for enterprise client portals, and Softr's implementation is solid if not exceptional.

AI App Generator

Launched in 2026, the AI Generator accepts a natural language description of the app needed and produces a working Softr app: blocks, data structure, navigation, and access controls. "Build a client portal where customers can view their invoices and open support tickets" generates a functional starting point in under a minute.

The AI output requires review and iteration; it produces a reasonable scaffold rather than a production-ready application. But the time saving versus starting from blank blocks is genuine, particularly for agencies building similar portal templates across multiple clients.

This positions Softr alongside tools like v0.dev and Builder.io in the AI-first app generation space, with the advantage of GDPR-compliant EU infrastructure rather than US-hosted infrastructure.

White-Label and Agency Features

Business plan subscribers can remove all Softr branding from the editor, login pages, emails, and published apps. This is the feature that makes Softr viable as an agency product: clients interacting with a Softr-built portal see only the agency's brand and domain.

The audit log on Business tier tracks all data changes with timestamps and user attribution, a common compliance requirement for enterprise client portals in regulated industries. The sandbox environment allows teams to test configuration changes without touching the production app.

See the low-code-no-code category page for how Softr compares across the European no-code landscape.

n8n and Automation Integrations

Softr integrates natively with Make, Zapier, and n8n for workflow automation. The n8n integration is particularly relevant for teams that already use the Berlin-based workflow tool, a natural pairing of two EU-native products that avoids routing data through US automation intermediaries.

Stripe payment collection is built into the block library, enabling portals with paid membership tiers or invoice collection without additional payment gateway configuration.

Pricing

Softr's pricing requires careful planning around record limits, which drive plan selection more than feature access.

The free plan is generous for evaluation: 5 internal users, 100 external users, and access to most core blocks with Softr branding. It is not viable for production use.

Basic at $59/month ($49 annually) enables custom domains and branding removal, but the 5,000 record limit constrains it to small datasets. Teams with active customer lists or project records typically outgrow this quickly.

Professional at $167/month ($139 annually) raises the limit to 50,000 records and adds custom JavaScript blocks, MFA, and charts. This is the operative tier for most production portals.

Business at $323/month ($269 annually) supports 250,000 records, audit logs, sandbox environments, and white-label. For agencies building and managing multiple client portals, the white-label capability alone justifies this tier.

Enterprise pricing is custom, adding SSO, dedicated support, and advanced security controls. The annual savings (roughly 17-20% across tiers) are consistent enough to make annual billing the default choice for established teams.

A 14-day free trial with full features applies to all paid plans.

EU Compliance and Privacy

Softr GmbH is a German company incorporated in Berlin, making GDPR compliance a structural feature rather than a checkbox exercise. The company is SOC 2 Type II certified, the compliance standard most US enterprise buyers require and increasingly demanded by European enterprise procurement teams.

EU hosting is available, keeping data within the European Economic Area for teams with strict data residency requirements. AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS in transit are standard. A Data Processing Addendum is available for enterprise customers, covering the obligations that apply when Softr processes personal data on behalf of a customer.

MFA is available from Professional, which aligns with GDPR's pseudonymisation and access control requirements for systems handling personal data. For teams building portals that handle customer personal data under GDPR's Article 28 controller-processor relationship, Softr's DPA and compliance stack are properly documented.

Who It's Best For

If you are building a client portal where external users need to access data stored in Airtable or Google Sheets, Softr is the most direct path to a production-quality portal without custom development. The authentication, role-based access, and Airtable connector combination solves this use case cleanly.

If your data lives in PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Supabase, Softr's database connectors eliminate the middleware layer that most no-code tools require for SQL database access. This is unusual in the no-code space and worth the product's subscription cost for engineering teams managing data-heavy portals.

If you need complex multi-step business logic, conditional workflows, or custom backend functions, Bubble or Retool offer deeper capabilities. Softr's strength is data display and user authentication, not complex workflow automation.

If you are an agency building portals for multiple clients, the Business plan's white-label capability and client management features make Softr a viable resell product. The $323/month tier supports 100 applications with Softr branding removed.

The Verdict

Softr occupies a specific and useful niche: no-code portals and internal tools for teams with data already in spreadsheets, Airtable bases, or SQL databases. It is not trying to replace Bubble's flexibility or Retool's power. Within its scope of authenticated, data-connected portals built quickly on existing data, it is the best EU-native option available.

The SOC 2 certification, German incorporation, EU hosting option, and n8n integration make Softr particularly well-suited for European teams that face compliance questions from enterprise clients. The record limits force deliberate plan selection, and the pricing escalation from Professional to Business is steep. For agencies and SaaS teams building client-facing portals, those constraints are manageable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Softr GDPR compliant?

Yes. Softr GmbH is a German company subject to GDPR by default. The platform is SOC 2 Type II certified, offers EU hosting, uses AES-256 encryption at rest, and provides a Data Processing Addendum for enterprise customers. MFA is available from the Professional plan ($167/month), and SSO is available on Enterprise.

What databases does Softr connect to?

Softr connects natively to Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Supabase, and HubSpot. Multiple data sources can be joined within a single app. Softr reads and writes directly to the connected database without duplicating data into its own store.

How does Softr compare to Bubble?

Softr is better for building data-connected portals quickly on top of existing databases. Bubble is more powerful for custom workflow logic, complex UI interactions, and full-stack web applications. Softr requires no technical background; Bubble has a steeper learning curve. For authenticated client portals and internal tools with existing data, Softr is faster. For custom application logic that doesn't fit standard templates, Bubble is more capable.

Does Softr support mobile devices?

Yes. Softr apps are responsive and render correctly on mobile browsers. They can be installed as Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on iOS and Android home screens. Softr does not export native iOS or Android builds; for native mobile app requirements, tools like Adalo or Glide are more appropriate.

What is the difference between the white-label and standard plans?

Standard plans (Free through Professional) show Softr branding on login pages, emails, and within the app editor. Business plan ($323/month) removes all Softr branding, allowing agencies and enterprise teams to present a fully branded experience to end users. White-label applies to the published app; the internal Softr admin interface always shows the Softr brand.