Softr vs Noloco: Which Airtable Portal Builder is Better?
A detailed comparison of Softr and Noloco for building client portals on Airtable.
Tom Bradley
2026-02-25
Softr and Noloco both let you build client portals on top of Airtable without writing code, but they target different buyers and make different tradeoffs. Softr is a general-purpose no-code app builder with a broad template library; Noloco is built specifically for agencies managing client-facing operations.
At a Glance
| Softr | Noloco | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $59/mo (Basic) | $49/mo (Starter, monthly) |
| Free plan | Yes — 10 users, 1 app | Yes — 3 team + 7 client seats |
| Airtable sync | Yes, real-time | Yes, live sync on paid plans |
| Other data sources | Google Sheets, Notion, HubSpot, SQL, BigQuery, Supabase | Google Sheets, SmartSuite, Xano, Stripe, MySQL, Postgres, HubSpot |
| Field-level permissions | No (user groups only) | Pro+ ($149/mo) |
| Custom domain | All plans including Free | Pro+ only |
| SSO | Enterprise only | Not offered |
| SOC 2 compliance | Yes (Type II) | Not mentioned |
| Best for | Broad portals, internal tools, varied use cases | Agency operations, client delivery |
Softr
Softr positions itself as a full no-code app platform — client portals are one use case among many, including CRMs, intranets, project trackers, and inventory tools. It claims over one million teams and a template library spanning dozens of use cases.
Interface and building blocks. Softr's editor gives you over 100 drag-and-drop blocks — lists, tables, Kanban boards, calendars, charts, and forms — that connect directly to your data. The output looks polished by default, and you can customize it substantially without touching CSS. Apps are responsive and can be deployed as PWAs.
Data connectivity. Softr connects to Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, HubSpot, monday.com, Supabase, BigQuery, and SQL databases. It also has a built-in Softr Database with relational tables and linked records if you don't need an external source. This breadth gives it an edge if your data lives somewhere other than Airtable.
Permissions. Softr uses user groups to control data access. The Free and Basic plans only give you default user groups. Custom user groups — essential for multi-tier portals where clients see only their own records — require the Professional plan at $167/month. You can add extra users in blocks of 10 for $10.
Pricing tiers: - Free — 1 app, 10 users, 5,000 database records, 500 workflow actions, custom domain included - Basic — $59/mo — 3 apps, 20 users, 50,000 records, 2,500 workflow actions - Professional — $167/mo — unlimited apps, 100 users, 3 custom user groups, 500,000 records, 10,000 workflow actions - Business — $323/mo — 500 users, unlimited user groups, 1M records, 25,000 workflow actions - Enterprise — custom — adds SSO (SAML, OpenID), SOC 2 reporting, IP blocking, dedicated success manager
One notable feature: every Softr plan — including Free — includes a custom domain and 24/7 live chat support. That's unusual for a free tier.
Limitations. Softr's permission model is less granular than Noloco's. There's no field-level access control, which matters if you need to hide individual columns from certain users. SSO is locked to Enterprise pricing. The workflow engine is basic compared to dedicated automation tools; for complex multi-step automations you'll be leaning on Zapier or Make.
Noloco
Noloco markets itself as a "Custom No-Code Agency Operating System" — its entire positioning is around agencies that need to manage projects, clients, and internal workflows from one place. It serves over 1,000 agencies and professional services firms.
Agency-specific design. Noloco's user model reflects how agencies actually work: it distinguishes between team seats (your staff) and client seats (your clients), with separate per-seat pricing for each. Client seats are cheaper to add — $0.50–$1/extra depending on plan — which matters when you're onboarding dozens of clients without wanting to pay full-user pricing.
Permissions depth. Noloco's permissions system is more rigorous. The Pro plan ($149/mo) adds both record-level and field-level permissions, letting you control not just which records a client can see but which specific fields they can read, edit, or create. This is critical for portals where clients should interact with data but never see internal notes, cost fields, or other sensitive columns.
Data and sync. Airtable gets live sync on all paid Noloco plans. Google Sheets, Xano, MySQL, and Postgres are supported as synced data sources on higher tiers. Uniquely, Noloco offers native Stripe integration with live sync — handy for agencies tracking billing or client payments. SmartSuite is also supported, which Softr doesn't offer.
Pricing tiers (monthly): - Free — 3 team seats, 7 client seats, 2,000 rows, unlimited apps, 100 workflow runs, no Airtable sync - Starter — $49/mo — 4 team seats (+$4/extra), 10 client seats (+$0.50/extra), 10,000 rows, 5,000 synced rows, 1,000 workflow runs - Pro — $149/mo — 10 team seats (+$6/extra), 50 client seats (+$1/extra), 50,000 rows, 25,000 synced rows, field-level permissions, custom domain - Business — $319/mo — 30 team seats (+$10/extra), 100 client seats (+$1/extra), 200,000 rows (+$75/25k), unlimited user roles
Annual pricing saves 20% across all plans.
Limitations. Noloco's free plan doesn't include Airtable sync — you'd need to start at Starter. Custom domains require Pro, which at $149/mo is a steeper gate than Softr's free-tier custom domain. There's no mention of SOC 2 compliance or SSO, which rules Noloco out for enterprise security requirements. The platform is narrower in scope: if you need something beyond agency/client workflows, you'll be stretching against the grain of how it's designed.
When to Choose Softr
Softr is the better pick if you're building portals across varied use cases — a client portal today, an employee intranet next quarter, a vendor management tool after that. The breadth of data source connectors (especially Notion and BigQuery) is hard to match. If you need enterprise-grade security features like SSO and SOC 2 compliance, Softr's Enterprise plan covers that. The free plan's custom domain and 24/7 support make it the stronger option for solo builders or small teams validating an idea before committing budget.
When to Choose Noloco
Noloco is the better pick if you run an agency or professional services firm and want one system for internal project management, team collaboration, and client portals simultaneously. Its separate team/client seat pricing scales more predictably as you add clients. The field-level and record-level permissions on Pro make it genuinely more secure for portals where different user types interact with overlapping data. If Stripe billing visibility or SmartSuite integration matters to your stack, Noloco has the edge there too.
Bottom Line
Both tools can build solid Airtable-connected client portals — the question is fit. Softr wins on breadth: more data sources, a larger template library, better enterprise security, and a more generous free plan. Noloco wins on depth for its specific niche: the agency-centric user model, granular field-level permissions at a reasonable price point, and purpose-built workflows for client delivery. If you're an agency, Noloco will feel like it was built for you. If you're not, Softr is probably the safer, more flexible choice.