Softr vs Stacker: Airtable Portal Builders Compared
Comparing Softr and Stacker for building client portals on Airtable — pricing, features, and which to choose.
Tom Bradley
2026-02-25
Softr and Stacker occupy the same niche: no-code platforms that let non-developers build client portals and internal tools on top of existing data sources. Both work well with Airtable, but they differ meaningfully in pricing structure, design flexibility, and data source breadth.
Quick Comparison
| Softr | Stacker | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free (paid from $59/mo) | $29/mo (14-day trial) |
| Airtable support | Yes | Yes |
| Other data sources | Google Sheets, Notion, HubSpot, SQL, Supabase, BigQuery, more | Limited (Data Connections on Plus+) |
| User limits (entry paid) | 20 app users | 50 external + 5 internal |
| Custom domain | All plans | All plans |
| SSO | Enterprise only | Not mentioned |
| Free plan | Yes, permanent | No (trial only) |
| SOC 2 | Type II certified | Enterprise certifications listed |
Softr
Softr is the larger platform of the two, with over a million teams using it across client portals, internal tools, intranets, CRMs, and more. Its core strength is a block-based UI builder with 100+ components — lists, tables, Kanban boards, calendars, charts — that snap together without code. The result looks polished out of the box, and can be customized further without touching CSS.
Data sources are where Softr has the clearest edge. Beyond Airtable and Google Sheets, you can connect Notion, HubSpot, monday.com, SQL databases, Supabase, and BigQuery — all in real-time. This makes Softr viable for teams whose data doesn't live in a single place, or who want to consolidate views across multiple tools.
The permissions system is granular: you can control which user groups see which records and what actions they can take (create, update, delete, trigger workflows). Custom user groups are gated behind the Professional plan and above, which limits this for smaller teams on the Basic tier.
Pricing tiers: - Free: 1 app, 10 users, 5,000 database records, 500 workflow actions - Basic — $59/mo: 3 apps, 20 users, 50,000 records, 2,500 workflow actions - Professional — $167/mo: Unlimited apps, 100 users ($10 per 10 additional), 3 custom user groups, 500,000 records - Business — $323/mo: 500 users, unlimited user groups, 1M records - Enterprise: SSO (SAML, OpenID), SOC 2 reporting, IP blocking, dedicated success manager
One practical constraint: user seat pricing climbs steeply. At $10 per 10 additional users above 100, scaling a portal to 300 users on the Professional plan adds $200/mo on top of the base price. Teams with large external user bases should budget carefully or jump to Business.
Softr also includes a built-in database for teams that don't want to manage a separate Airtable base, plus native workflow automation, forms, payments, and an AI assistant. The 24/7 chat support on all plans — including free — is a genuine differentiator.
Stacker
Stacker takes a narrower, more focused approach. The platform is built around a clean app-building experience aimed at teams that need a functional tool fast, particularly for customer portals, work management, and CRM-style workflows. Notable customers include TED (fellowship program management), Meow Wolf, Zapier, and Segment — suggesting comfort at the enterprise end of the market despite accessible pricing.
The interface follows a more structured, data-first model than Softr. You connect your data source, define tables and relationships, set up roles and permissions, and let Stacker generate the views. This is less visually flexible than Softr's block system, but arguably easier to get right quickly — particularly for teams who want a working app more than a pixel-perfect one.
Permissions are a strength. Stacker includes record-level permissions, role-based access, and advanced permissions — features that Softr gates behind higher tiers. Even on Starter, you get one portal with a custom domain and the basic role infrastructure. The Plus plan adds up to 3 roles per app and data connections.
One notable difference: Stacker distinguishes between internal users (collaborators building and managing the app) and external users (clients or portal end-users). The Starter plan allows 50 external users but only 5 internal, which may constrain agencies building on behalf of clients.
Pricing tiers: - Starter — $29/mo: 1 app, 50 external users, 5 internal users, 10,000 records, 10 tables - Plus — $149/mo: 3 apps, unlimited external users, 10 internal users, 3 roles per app, 20 tables, 100,000 records, data connections - Pro — $299/mo: Unlimited apps, unlimited users, unlimited records, unlimited tables, unlimited roles - Enterprise: Custom pricing, enhanced security
The $29/mo Starter is genuinely affordable for a single-portal use case. And Stacker offers a 14-day free trial — more time than most competitors — though unlike Softr there's no permanent free tier.
The platform's data source flexibility appears narrower than Softr's. "Data connections" are mentioned as a Plus feature, but the specifics of which sources are supported aren't detailed in public-facing materials — worth verifying before committing if your data isn't in Airtable or Google Sheets.
When to Choose Softr
Softr is the better choice if you need design flexibility, want to connect data from multiple sources (Notion, HubSpot, SQL, Supabase alongside Airtable), or are building multiple apps across different use cases. The free plan is useful for prototyping. Teams that need polished, branded portals with complex UI layouts — charts, calendars, embedded content — will find more building blocks to work with. The 24/7 support on all plans removes a common no-code frustration.
It's also worth noting: one published Softr testimonial comes from a founder who switched from Stacker specifically because Stacker required too much input from the client side. If your end-users are non-technical and need a frictionless experience, Softr's polish may matter.
When to Choose Stacker
Stacker is the better choice if you're building a single focused tool — a customer portal, a partner management system, a process tracker — and want something functional quickly without spending $59/mo on day one. The $29 Starter is hard to beat for a small team with a concrete use case and up to 50 external users.
Stacker also suits teams that prioritize permissions depth over visual customization. If your portal involves multiple roles, record-level access control, and approval workflows rather than marketing-grade aesthetics, Stacker's model maps well to that.
Larger organizations will find Stacker's enterprise case study roster (TED, Zapier, Segment) reassuring. The Pro plan at $299/mo with unlimited everything is also meaningfully cheaper than hiring developers for equivalent functionality.
Bottom Line
Both tools are capable Airtable portal builders, but they serve different instincts. Softr is the right pick for teams that want maximum design flexibility, broader data source integrations, and a free tier to start with — at the cost of a higher entry price and user-based fees that add up. Stacker suits teams that want a functional, structured tool fast at a lower starting price, with strong permissions out of the box and a cleaner internal/external user model. If budget is tight and your use case fits one app and one portal, start with Stacker's trial. If you need to connect five different data sources and build three branded portals, Softr is worth the premium.