Softr - we don’t just want apps, we want systems that actually run businesses

Ask the community
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Tagging Softr users here :backhand_index_pointing_down:

@Ben @nocoder @marc-encawa @matthieu_chateau @Grainne @Arthur_06 @Teun @sarah_h @thouwers @TobyMacLeod

Whether you:

Build apps for clients

Or run your own business on Softr

I think we’re all starting to feel the same thing…

-–

:warning: The shift we’re noticing:

Softr is leaning heavily into:

:backhand_index_pointing_right: AI

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Faster app creation

:backhand_index_pointing_right: More apps

But…

The real pressure is coming from what happens after the app is built.

-–

:brain: From both sides:

Agencies:

Your clients don’t just want apps -

They want systems that actually run their business.

And increasingly:

→ They’re asking for deeper functionality

→ More control over data

→ Less workarounds

-–

Operators (like us):

We’re not building multiple apps.

We’re trying to run:

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Inventory

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Orders

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Operations

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Dashboards

All in one system.

And this is where things start to break down.

-–

:police_car_light: What’s happening in reality:

* AI is replacing simple no-code interactions

→ Mapping fields via chat instead of selecting/searching

* It’s slower for real workflows

* It’s more expensive (credit usage)

* It creates more steps, not less

-–

:warning: Example:

Viewing underlying records from charts

This should be core functionality for any business system.

Instead:

→ We’re pushed toward AI blocks

→ Extra steps

→ More cost

→ More friction

-–

:bullseye: The core issue:

> Softr is optimising for building apps faster

> But users need Softr to support running real businesses

-–

What we actually need:

* Stronger core functionality (not AI workarounds)

* Better data interaction within the app

* Ability to build one connected system, not multiple disconnected apps

* Improvements to existing blocks, not just new features

-–

:speech_balloon: Call to the community:

If this resonates:

:backhand_index_pointing_right: React to this post so Softr sees it
:backhand_index_pointing_right: Comment and tag anyone else in the same position who wants to be heard
:backhand_index_pointing_right: Drop the most requested features you’ve been asking for so Softr can prioritise them

Because honestly
it’s getting tiring asking for the same functionality for years.

If enough of us speak up together, this becomes impossible to ignore.

-–

Softr has massive potential.

But the next phase isn’t:

“build faster”

It’s:

“build systems businesses can actually rely on.”

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A new era: build real business software with AI, starting today
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@Eddie @simple_biz_systems @Pooja @Q8T @zoecastro @Kacie @javierlaborde @maggieorganized @swshrey

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@CTSMbuilder @konrad.par @phelocin

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Agreed

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They must publish timeline for all requested updates. And the pricing has increased drastically since the launch. They are the most expensive in the market.

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This is really well thought out @FPX - agree with it all but maybe it’s just us :woman_shrugging:

A timeline of requested updates would be fantastic. If we know it’s not going to be looked at for a while then we can find a workaround and at least set our clients expectations. When we promise them it’s coming soon (because we’ve been told it’s coming soon) it reflects badly on us as business and that’s really frustrating.

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I happily moved from Softr + Airtable to a WeWeb + Supabase development, it wasn’t easy as the learning curve has been ruff, but after 6 months or so I believe is really paying off, no more “We need to upgrade our plan to unlock calendars (or other elements) in the app” and more “of course, give me a couple of days”, components are much more customizable to your taste or your clients branding. WeWeb community is active and very pro-active, you can find great content on YouTube and you can even create your own components to use in your app, is not open source, but you can export the code and host it in your own environment, pricing tariffs are way more generous than Softr’s and the day to day work in the editor is really way more friendly user I think.

In the other hand Supabase is a huge step-up from both Airtable and Softr DB; data validation, RLS, SQL functions, Edge (JS) functions, Auth, storage, realtime, etc. You’ll need some basics on SQL to kick-off, but if you are committed, you’ll learn quickly, plus, you can self host and have this monster that can manage thousands of users with practically no limits for records, api calls, none of that, for free.

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Your 100% right. AI is not all thing to all people. I use softr to run my business and it has enabled me to reduce admin staff by 8. That’s a big saving. But I have noticed quite a lot of frustrations creeping in for all the reasons you outline.

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I agree with most things, if not everything in this thread. I think we can all agree we are at a turning point with technology.

I started using Softr about a year ago for a client project. If I had to restart the project today, I likely wouldn’t select Softr, I’d vibe-code it on a tech stack that would give my client greater ownership (no vendor lock-in), greater resources (more users, DB records, storage, etc.), better design flexibility, and potentially cost savings.

As a test, I tried vibe-coding my clients app using Perplexity Computer. I got about 1/3rd of the way through the project in a fraction of the time. While I did run into some issues, I was shocked at what I had accomplished. In six to twelve months I believe the process of building and maintaining business apps will look much different.

I think Softr needs to focus on AI to stay relevant in today’s AI economy. While I personally wish they would focus more on improving existing functionality and adding new features outside of AI, I understand why they are focused on it.

I played around with Softr AI yesterday and it was good - but not great. A lot of times it wouldn’t complete the task. I quickly noticed the difference between using AI in Softr and using Perplexity Computer. There is no comparison - Perplexity Computer feels light years ahead.

All this to say - I agree with everyone’s concerns and feedback! I just don’t know how much of this will matter in six to twelve months. If you haven’t seriously played around with some of the new AI tools such as Perplexity Computer, Claude Cowork / Code, or OpenClaw, you should. I’ve found it very eye-opening. I have a feeling my next project may not use Softr.

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+1 for needing systems not solely AI support.

Clickable charts is a huge improvement as is page filters an all charts without workarounds.

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I think there is a danger that the AI tools are getting too much prominence. I guess it depends upon whether you are building tools for clients, where multiple apps and rapid development suit the AI model, or whether you have 1 or 2 big internal systems, where I would argue that you’re more interested in stability and bug fixing, with the occasional new release.

I use the Vibe coding blocks, but I can’t really roll out AI features to the users whilst we have such limited credits (Pro plan). It’s good that we can now modify the Vibe code, but quite often the vibe coding block gets confused and you have to go back a couple of versions and try again.

We’ve been asking for things like more than 2 visible buttons on a detail block for seemingly forever. Perhaps its time to split the development teams between UI improvements and AI wizardry.

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Fully agree with this and although I don’t think it will make a difference I might as well throw in my list of what I’m currently waiting on:

Vibe coding seems to be the go to response these days. We’ve built 2 massive apps to basically run our business and we just need the native functionality to improve. Everything we have is linked to a project so we have lots of tables and hundreds of fields all with the one app and database. We don’t want to be creating quick small grade apps that don’t integrate. I’d love to show how far I’ve come with Softr but given it’s all confidential data I can’t share anything. I’m not building apps for other businesses, I’m solely building apps for the company I work in and use the apps on a daily basis.

As I’ve said before I feel AI is being pushed everywhere and although it has it’s benefits I wish Softr would focus on some of the feature requests raised across the community regarding the native block functionality which is why we originally were drawn towards Softr. There’s not been a Business and Professionals community call for months and although I was told this would be starting back up in March, it hasn’t happened. We have no viability of the roadmap and what features are actually being worked on. If even a few of these features were released as promised it would keep the end users happy. I was so excited for the 12 days of Softr in December as I hoped some of the much needed functionality would be rolled out but again nothing.

I appreciate there are thousands of users in Softr and they can’t please everyone but from being a member of this community, the active users seem to be of similar views.

I love the Softr builder platform and when Databases and Workflows were launched it was amazing but please don’t lose sight of what Softr originally was and get some of the basics worked on. The thought of rebuilding everything again and having to move platform would be a nightmare when I’m 90% there with things. Also, the Softr support team are amazing and one of the reasons I’m trying to stick with it.

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Hi everyone,

I am a little confused by the evolution of softr.

The whole AI is not for me but this is not the subject.

There are some super interesting things with the vibe coding block, I create things that I couldn’t do before and for that thank you to the whole Softr team!

On the other hand, it creates frustration, because stability is not always there: editable elements in the settings can disappear partly when I modify the code… I have to make a request again in the chatbot but it costs credits..

The redesign of static blocks is a good thing! Clearly! but also frustrating!!

The ‘Style’ tab has disappeared, as a result, we can no longer manually change the padding for example.

it is necessary to go through the chatbot.. so by using AI credit..

A modification becomes a passage at the checkout! If we want to avoid that, we have to manually change the code… a bit ironic for a NO code platform!

And even if we go through the code, it will take more time than a manual modification, not to mention ecological considerations.

Will the “Style” tab make its return?

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The need for “improving existing functionality” has been my mantra here in the community since 21’, but Softr has always chased trends at the expense of improvements, QA, and much needed business functionality. For instance, instead of improving its performance, Softr adopted Webflow over its own interface for its landing pages last year. So I agree that Softr is for “building apps fast”, but not necessarily useful apps that provide real value for users.

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I’d love to see Softr bring back the level of layout control we had in the legacy version a couple of years ago.

Right now, it feels like Softr is trying to become everything at once: its own Airtable, its own Make, its own Fillout, and now an AI platform on top of that. I get it, this is where the market is going, and the ambition is impressive. But it also feels like something got lost along the way.

AI is moving so fast that no company can perfectly predict what users actually need. That’s exactly why listening to the community matters more than ever.

Ironically, even as a heavy AI user, I haven’t really used Softr’s AI features, and the same goes for Airtable’s AI. Not because AI isn’t useful, but because these integrations often don’t solve the real problems I’m facing when building.

What Softr used to do really well was something different: it gave me clarity. It helped me understand how real apps are structured, data, auth, logic, UI, without the pain of coding or managing infrastructure. It felt like having superpowers, but still being in control. Like building something intentional, not just generating it.

Now, with AI in the mix, there’s a risk of going too far into abstraction, where you can build faster, but understand less and control less.

And pricing-wise, paying a subscription and effectively paying to build through AI credits doesn’t feel like a great trade-off.

Maybe this is just a phase. My guess is things will rebalance when Softr leans into more focused, product-native AI, tools that enhance what makes Softr powerful, instead of trying to replicate the full scope of general-purpose AI.

But right now, I’d trade some of the AI magic for more control and transparency any day.

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The “Ask AI” functionality is a great example of how AI can be used, and I understand why Softr is investing in “build an app fast with AI”, especially with many no-code platforms moving in that direction.

That said, I’d personally love to see more focus on strengthening the core functionality and expanding the flexibility of existing components.

Once you’ve built one or more real business apps, either for yourself or clients. Stability and control become much more important than speed. At that point, you don’t want AI making broad changes for you. You want predictable behavior and the ability to fine-tune things yourself.

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I agree with @FPX and many of the replies on this thread. As an agency, we increasingly feel like we are being subcontracted AI credits for UI building - this is especially true when we use non-softr databases like supabase or postgres.

As a business, we are wary of overusing vibe-coded blocks which are not fully in our control and understanding - this just means borrowing time from the future to build and ship fast now and then pay with time later to make any fixes or improvements.

What made softr stand out was its efficiency to build apps that are in control, can run real businesses and affordable when scaled for multi-users. In the recent days, the AI first approach has put a lot of essentials on the backburner. I can see why this is a tricky business decision for Softr though.

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+1

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I would love to see them nail the basics. With the advancement of AI and Vibe coding, I feel like the team at softr should be able to completely polish up their current blocks in no time. The table block is a good example - such a simple block, but we cannot do simple things like wrap headers or align content as desired in the table. I do appreciate the tool and the team.

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Maybe the most important topic we’ve been waiting for nearly 6 months: database backup and management… and I imagine a lot of people are waiting for this too. It’s so critical that I think it’s even more important than AI. If you have a database with tens of thousands of records, it can make you downright paranoid.

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