vs G Compare
Softr, Noloco or Glide for your portal or app?
All three put an app on top of data you already keep. They suit different users: clients on a portal, staff on an internal tool, crews on a phone.
In short
Choose Softr for a client or partner portal that is mostly lists, detail pages and forms over Airtable or a similar base. Choose Noloco when the app needs firmer roles and permissions across internal staff and clients, and writes back more. Choose Glide for a mobile app for field and operations teams that non-technical admins can change. All three keep the data in a source you own, so the front end can be replaced later.
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Softr
Best for Client and partner portals over a base your team already runs.
- Quick to stand up on Airtable, SmartSuite or Google Sheets
- Login, user groups and record filters by logged-in user
- Staff keep working in the base while clients use the portal
- Plans cap team and client users, so cost tracks user count
- Complex write-back logic moves to automations
- Strict, deeply nested permissions are harder
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Noloco
Best for Internal tools and portals that need roles and permissions a spreadsheet cannot give.
- Connects to Noloco Tables, Airtable, SmartSuite, Sheets or SQL
- Roles and permission rules for staff and clients
- Built-in workflows for write-back and notifications
- Plans count records, client users and workflow runs
- Overlaps with Softr; the choice turns on permissions and write-back
- Very high volumes belong in a database underneath
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Glide
Best for Mobile apps for field and operations teams: inspections, deliveries, stock counts.
- Clean phone apps fast
- Non-technical admins can change screens
- Big Tables for larger data on higher plans
- Standard tables have row limits; computed columns can slow screens
- Pricing by plan, team members and usage credits
- Less suited to large external client portals
Side by side
Where they differ.
| Softr | Noloco | Glide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Client and partner portals | Internal tools and portals with firm roles | Mobile field and operations apps |
| Data sources | Airtable, SmartSuite, Google Sheets and more | Noloco Tables, Airtable, SmartSuite, Sheets, SQL | Glide Tables, Big Tables, Sheets, SQL |
| Permissions | User groups and record filters | Roles and rules, the strongest of the three | Roles and row ownership |
| Cost grows with | Team and client users | Records, client users and workflow runs | Plan, team members and usage credits |
| When it is outgrown | Move data to Supabase, rebuild as an app | Move data to a database, keep or replace the front end | Move data to SQL, keep or replace the app |
How to choose
Pick by the situation, not the brand.
- 01
Clients should log in to see their own jobs, documents and quotes
Softr - 02
Staff and clients share an app with different roles and the app writes back a lot
Noloco - 03
Crews in the field need a phone app for inspections or deliveries
Glide - 04
Thousands of external users, strict permissions or heavy logic
A custom app on Supabase
Questions
Can we switch between them later?
Yes, if the data lives in a source you own, such as Airtable, SmartSuite or a database, rather than only in the app builder. Then a move means rebuilding screens and permissions, not migrating data.
Which is cheapest?
It depends on what grows: Softr on users, Noloco on records, client users and runs, Glide on team members and credits. We price all three against your expected numbers during the audit, using each vendor’s current pricing page.
What does SBD charge to build one?
Internal tools and portals start at $3,000 and multi-module systems at $5,000, at a fixed price set after a $500 Automation Audit that is credited to the build.
Related: Softr consulting, Noloco consulting, Glide consulting, Client portals, Airtable or Supabase?. All comparisons.
Not sure which fits?
We build on both. We will tell you which.
On a discovery call we look at your data, users and volumes and tell you which option fits now, and what would make you move later.
Book a discovery call