Getting Started with Softr
Create your Softr account, explore the builder interface, and understand how no-code apps work.
# Getting Started with Softr
Softr lets you build web applications by clicking, not coding. It turns your spreadsheets and databases into professional-looking portals, dashboards, and internal tools. If you can use Airtable or Google Sheets, you can build a Softr app.
## Why Softr Basic?
The free tier lets you experiment, but it caps you at 5 users and shows Softr branding. The Basic plan ($49/mo) unlocks: unlimited external users, custom domain, removal of Softr branding, custom code blocks, and advanced permissions. For a client-facing portal, you need these — no client wants to see another company's logo on your tool.
## Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to [softr.io](https://softr.io) and sign up. You'll be prompted to connect a data source — choose **Airtable** for now (we'll connect it properly in Lesson 4). You can also connect Google Sheets, but Airtable gives you more flexibility with relational data.
## Step 2: Choose a Starting Point
Softr offers three ways to start: - **Templates**: Pre-built apps for common use cases (portals, directories, marketplaces). Great for learning. - **AI App Generator**: Describe your app in plain language and Softr generates a starting point. - **Blank app**: Start from scratch with an empty canvas.
For this course, choose the **Client Portal** template. It's the closest to what we're building, and starting from a template teaches you the structure faster than starting blank.
## Step 3: Tour the Builder
The Softr builder has four main areas:
- **Pages** (left sidebar): Your app's pages. The template starts with Home, Projects, Login, and Signup pages.
- **Blocks** (center): The building blocks of each page. Click any block to select and edit it. Blocks include: hero sections, lists, tables, forms, charts, and more.
- **Data** (top menu): Manage your connected data sources and their fields.
- **Settings** (gear icon): App-wide settings — domain, authentication, SEO, and permissions.
## Step 4: Preview Your Template
Click **Preview** in the top-right. The template shows a functional portal with sample data. Click around — notice the login flow, the project list, and the detail pages. This is what we're customizing for your specific business.
## What We're Building
Over the next four lessons, you'll transform this template into a custom **Client Portal** for a service business (agency, consultancy, freelancer). Clients will log in, see their active projects, download deliverables, submit new requests, and view invoices. The data lives in Airtable, the app lives on Softr, and you won't write a single line of code.
## Next Up
In Lesson 2, you'll customize the template by swapping blocks, adjusting layouts, and making the design match your brand.