Softr vs Stacker: Which Is a Better No-Code Website Development Platform?

Softr and Stacker are no code website development. These tools allow you to create a website without extensive coding knowledge.  So, how do they compare?

This post looks at the differences between Softr and Stacker. Read on to find out which is a better no-code web development tool.

Softr Highlights

Softr is a no-code web development platform that allows you to build websites, web apps, and portals from your Airtable data and workflows.

The platform is simple yet powerful. It allows you to build your app like legos, add payments, out-of-the-box memberships, roles, and permissions, then update the app’s information.

Therefore, while you design the front end of your website, Softr works on the code-based backend. This gives you a robust site without having to code it yourself.

With Softr, you can create:

• Personal portfolios.
• Blogs.
• eCommerce sites.
• Mobile apps.
• Membership sites.
• And many more.

Stacker Highlights

Stacker is a cloud-based website and application builder that integrates with Airtable and Google Sheets and transforms a business’s spreadsheets into custom apps.

The platform offers app customization tools that give users intuitive access to data.

Stacker also has tens of templates that allow you to make client portals, request trackers, CRMs, and much more in just minutes.

Similarities Between Softr and Stacker

Stacker and Softr are similar in many ways. Below are some of the biggest similarities between the two platforms.

You Don’t Need to Know How to Code

Softr and Stacker allow users to create complex websites without taking months to learn how to code. They give you visual editors that let you design the front end of your website while they take care of the code in the back end.

Both Platforms Integrate With Airtable

Softr, and Stacker integrates with Google Sheets and Airtable. This allows you to convert your organization’s database into a functional app.

Both Platforms Have Community Support

Softr and Stacker have established communities of users that you can join when you start using them. These communities discuss the platforms’ features and discuss how to solve common problems.

This makes it easier for beginners to troubleshoot or learn how to use the platforms.

Difference Between Softr and Stacker

While Softr and Stacker are quite similar. They also have many differences. Let’s look at some of the main differences.

Features Comparison

Stacker and Softr offer a wide range of features that help you create your ideal website or application. However, Softr offers more features overall.

Stacker provides collaborative features like field and record level Create/ Read/ Update/ Delete permissions. It also gives you access to the Kanban building block.

On the other hand, Softr gives you access to more than 30 integrations, including Zapier and Integromat native integrations. It also offers eCommerce features like Stripe payments, advanced user authentication, and public pages with no login required.

Softr also allows you to create websites from scratch and fully control their design.  In addition, you can create responsive web apps on mobile, tablet, and the web. 

User Interface

Softr has an intuitive user interface that gives you access to everything you need on the home screen. On the left of the visual editor, you have the main menu with pages, themes, users, and settings.

These menu items break down into further features, giving the interface a polished and organized look.

At the top of the visual editor, you have the view editor. You can view how your website will look on a desktop, mobile app, or tablet. You can also edit different views for logged-in and non-logged-in users.

On the right is an advanced editor for features, styles, and visibility.

While Stacker has a pretty straightforward user interface, it’s not very functional. It has few customization options and focuses on editing the data.  It’s also not optimized for mobile and tablet view.

Ease of Learning

Stacker is extremely easy to use because it has few features and customizations. Anyone can create an internally accessible website within a few clicks.

That doesn’t mean that Softr has a steep learning curve. The platform is pretty easy to learn thanks to the intuitive and user-friendly interface and loads of available resources.

Templates

Softr has hundreds of professionally designed website templates. The templates range from blogs, team wikis, sales CRMs, donation trackers, and much more.

You can add your data to these templates and use them as your website’s design or customize them to meet your needs. The templates are also optimized for web, mobile, and tablet displays.

In contrast, Stacker offers few template options. They also offer limited customization options.

Pricing Comparison 

Softr and Stacker have different pricing plans. Let’s look at them below.

Softr Pricing

One of Softr’s best deals is its free plan. While it’s aimed at complete beginners, it offers important features such as:

• Unlimited applications.
• Softr branding.
• Recurring and one-time payments on paywall (5 members.)
• A custom domain.
• Live chat support.
• Support for 200 records on Airtable.

Additionally, Softr has three paid plans including:

• The starter plan for $24 per month: offers a few more options, such as custom code and 1000 records on Airtable.
• The professional plan for $65 per month: Ideal for companies that need custom apps with advanced features.
• The business plan for $165 per month: Best for teams that need powerful collaborative tools.

Stacker Pricing

Unfortunately, Stacker does not offer a free plan. However, it has a 30-day free trial for all its paid plans. The plans include:

• The starter plan for $59 per month: Ideal for small teams that are just getting into web development.
• The plus plan for $149 per month: Offers a few additional features.
• The Pro plan for $290 per month: Best for big organizations that need advanced security and data-sharing features.
• The enterprise plan for a custom price: Ideal for large companies that need custom data-sharing solutions.

If you need a quote for the enterprise plan, you can contact Stacker’s sales team for a custom evaluation.

Customer Support

Stacker offers tons of information in its help center. This includes tutorials and blog posts. You can also submit a feature request to suggest what you’d like to see next on the platform.

That said, Stacker doesn’t offer direct user support by phone, email, or live chat.

On the other hand, Softr has live chat support for all its users (including the free plan) every day from 7 am to 10 pm Berlin time. 

You can also navigate through the tens of Softr docs. There are additional resources on Softr’s blog and Youtube channel. 

Customer Reviews

Stacker has a 4.5 out of 5-star rating from 6 reviews on G2. Positive reviewers liked the level of control it gives users, especially in user permissions and data visibility control.

Negative reviewers disliked the limited customization options and high price tag.

Softr has a 4.8 out of 5-star rating from 132 reviews on G2. Many positive reviewers appreciate its user-friendly interface and ease of use. 

Some also liked the wide range of features available on the free plan.

Recommendations Based on Usage

Let’s now compare Softr and Stacker based on specific use cases.

For Simple or Complex Websites

Stacker is ideal for creating simple, functional websites. The tool has few customization and SEO features, limiting its abilities to build content marketing sites.

Softr is ideal for designing complex websites with advanced features. The platform allows you to design and build blogs, personal portfolios, CRMs, and membership sites.

With its over 30 integrations, you can optimize your sites for SEO, payment methods, and paid memberships. Softr also allows you to have in-site searches and real-time data updates.

Additionally, Softr has many customization options that allow you to dictate your website’s look and feel. 

You can edit how web, mobile, and tablet users view the site on the visual editor. Additionally, you can set custom views for logged-in and non-logged-in users.

For Blogging and SEO

As we’ve already established, Softr has a wide range of blogging and SEO features. These include the ability to change your metadata and add alt text to your images.

You can also create categories for your content and integrate your site with SEO tools like Google Analytics. 

Additionally, you can control your site’s permalink/URL structure or even exclude your pages from search results.

On the other hand, Stacker gives you very few customization options, which makes it unsuitable for blogs. Further, it has few integrations, limiting its SEO capabilities.

For eCommerce

Softr gives you a wide variety of eCommerce options including:

• Ability to create custom memberships.
• Paywall (one-off and recurring payments.)
• Billing and user management.
• Advanced authentication options (Google sign-in, SSO, Magic links, Sign in with SMS, Sign in without a password, and more.)

Most of these features are missing on Stacker, making them unsuitable for eCommerce sites.

Building Portfolio Website

Softr wins again here due to the numerous customization options it gives you. The platform has dozens of professionally made portfolios you can use to create a beautiful portfolio in minutes.

You can also create your portfolio from scratch. This gives you more creative freedom and a better opportunity to display your design skills.

On the other hand, Stacker offers a few customization options. It also doesn’t allow you to create public pages.

CSS/HTML Customization

One of Stacker’s few customization options is the ability to define and reuse CSS classes. This allows you to transfer some design aspects of your page to another.

On the other hand, Softr’s paid packages allow you to customize your HTML/CSS and Javascript code. This gives you complete control over your website’s design and functionality.

For Mobile App Development 

Stacker does not have direct support for mobile and tablet applications. Instead, it focuses on the web experience.

In contrast, Softr allows you to build fully functional mobile apps without typing a single line of code. The platform’s visual editor has a view tab that lets you edit how the front end of your mobile app will look.

Therefore, you can build your site and mobile app from one template in just a few minutes.

Pros and Cons Summary Table

Final Words

While both Stacker and Softr are great no-code web development apps, the latter is a better overall deal.  

Here are some of the reasons:

• Softr has more customization options.
• Softr has a free plan that offers the most basic features.
• It allows you to create a website from scratch.
• It has more integrations.

That said, both platforms have specific use cases.

When to Use Softr

Softr is ideal for beginners who want to learn web development without a coding background. The platform makes it easy to create websites without depriving you of the opportunity to be creative.

With Softr, you can learn basic webpage layouts from the templates and eventually graduate to building your own sites from scratch.

Visit Softr Here

When to Use Stacker

Stacker is great for organizations that want to turn their Airtable or Google sheets databases into apps as quickly as possible.

Since there are few customization options on Stacker, you can focus more on the actual data.