Forge vs Softr
Softr's AI Co-Builder is $49/mo entry; apps live inside Softr's runtime forever — no eject. Forge is £7/mo with a ZIP export of the full React source, your own Supabase, your own Stripe.
Comparison verified 2026-05-09. Softr pricing and feature claims sourced from www.softr.io.
Most-damning rows first. Every claim sourced and dated.
| Feature | Forge | Softr |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | £7/mo Pro | $49/mo Basic |
| AI credits at entry | 100 credits / month | 10 credits / month (Basic) |
| Generated app | ZIP export of full React + Supabase source — host anywhere | Locked inside Softr's runtime forever |
| Stripe payments | User-owned key, payment links from any row | No productized payments at SMB tier |
| Backend | Real Supabase (Postgres + RLS) — yours to query | Softr Database / Airtable / Sheets / SmartSuite (theirs) |
| Vertical templates | Restaurants, contractors, salons, property | Client portals, vendor mgmt, CRM, intranets |
| Permissions / SSO | Team plan (£23/mo); SSO not yet productized | Server-side record filters, custom user groups, SSO on Enterprise |
| CSV-first onboarding | Upload spreadsheet → schema inferred → working app | Connect Airtable/Sheets, then build pages on top |
| Scheduled agents | Hourly cron, send_email/send_sms/update_row/email_summary | Workflows (paid tier), no scheduled-agent product |
| Brand & distribution | Newer, vertical SMB framing | 8 years, 1M+ builders, 7,000 orgs (Netflix, Google, Stripe) |
Forge's ZIP export gives you the full React + Supabase source. Host it on Vercel, Netlify, your own VPS — or fork it. Softr apps live inside Softr's runtime; if you want to leave, you rebuild from scratch. That's a structural difference, not a feature.
Softr Basic is $49/mo for 10 AI credits. Forge Pro is £7/mo for 100. That's a 70× more-credits-per-dollar ratio at entry. Softr's brand and connector breadth are real, but they aren't priced for the spreadsheet operator running a 5-person business.
Forge wires createPaymentLink() into your generated app using your own Stripe key — your customers pay you directly. Softr doesn't ship a productized payments primitive at the SMB tier. If you charge customers, you need that primitive on day one.
Forge Pro
£7/mo
Switching from Softr? Free tier first, no card needed.
Start freeNo. Forge can read CSV data; the fastest path is to export your Airtable base as CSV and upload it. Forge infers the schema (text, number, date, currency, foreign keys) and provisions a real Supabase table. Your Airtable stays as a system of record if you want; Forge becomes the operator UI.
Softr's record-level permissions are best-in-class for client portals. Forge ships share-link roles (view-only / can-edit / admin) for the 80% case. If you need server-side record filters per user group, stay on Softr. If you need 'a working tool for me and my staff', Forge is enough.
Yes. ZIP export is the foundation — you get the full React + Supabase source code. Even if Forge goes away tomorrow, your app keeps running on whatever infrastructure you deploy it to. That's the whole point of 'own, don't rent'.
Not yet. Forge's data layer is Supabase-only. The CSV importer covers the most common migration path. If you specifically need a live connection to Notion or SmartSuite, Softr is the better fit — for now.
Comparing Forge to your shortlist?
£7/mo Pro. Your code, your domain, your Stripe — built for the way you actually run your business.
Switching from Softr? Get started in 60 seconds.