In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Glide vs Softr vs custom at a glance
- 02Glide pricing and limits (October 2026)
- 03Softr pricing and limits (October 2026)
- 04Client portal or internal tool: which suits which
- 05Data ownership and getting your data out
- 06When a custom build pays back
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Use Glide for internal staff apps built from a spreadsheet, Softr for client portals and internal tools with user logins, and a custom app when several processes must share one database, connect to accounting or payments, or the monthly fees and workarounds start costing more than a build.
Glide vs Softr vs custom at a glance
Prices are in US dollars from Glide's pricing page and Softr's pricing page, checked in October 2026, excluding GST.
Glide (GlideOS)
Internal staff appsFree; US$25, US$50 or US$125 a month
- AI builds internal business apps from a spreadsheet, prompt or file
- Priced by credits, team members and published apps
- Public apps from the Plus plan; unlimited apps on Pro
- Glide Classic still runs existing apps on separate plans
Best for: Field teams, inventory, job tracking from a spreadsheet.
Softr
Portals and internal toolsFree; US$19, US$99 or US$329 a month billed yearly
- Apps on Softr Databases or Airtable, Google Sheets, HubSpot, SQL and more
- Separate limits for team users and client users
- Custom domain from Basic; OTP and Google sign-in from Pro
- Workflows and AI credits included per plan
Best for: Client portals, member areas, simple CRMs.
Custom app
Built around your processFrom S$4,900 one-off, plus hosting
- Several modules sharing one database
- Connects to Xero, Shopify, Stripe, WhatsApp
- No per-user platform fee
- Code and data in your own accounts
Best for: Quote-to-invoice, orders and stock, larger customer portals.
Glide pricing and limits (October 2026)
Glide now sells GlideOS, an AI platform for building internal business apps, with its own plans. Glide says existing Glide Classic apps are not affected and continue on Glide Classic.
| Plan | Price | Credits | Team members | Published apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0 | Limited | 2 | 0 |
| Basic | US$25/mo | From 100 | 2 | 2 |
| Plus | US$50/mo | From 250 | 3 | 5 (public apps allowed) |
| Pro | US$125/mo | From 250 plus 50 per member | From 5 | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Unlimited |
Credits pay for the AI building and working with you, so heavy rebuilding uses more. The Pro plan adds premium integrations, org-level roles and human support; Enterprise adds single sign-on and 30-day data backups.
Softr pricing and limits (October 2026)
Softr's plans are priced per workspace with limits on builders, app users and database records. Prices below are the yearly billing rate shown on its pricing page; monthly billing costs more.
| Plan | Price (yearly billing) | App users | Database records | Builders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0 | 5 | 5,000 | Up to 3 |
| Basic | US$19/mo | 5 team + 5 client | 50,000 | 1 included |
| Pro | US$99/mo | 10 team + 50 client | 500,000 | 2 included |
| Business | US$329/mo | 30 team + 100 client | 1 million | 3 included |
Softr counts team users (people with the same business email domain as a builder) separately from client users (everyone else, including all Gmail addresses). For a customer portal, the client user limit is what decides your plan.
Client portal or internal tool: which suits which
The biggest difference between the two tools is who logs in.
| Need | Glide | Softr | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff app from a spreadsheet | Strong fit | Good fit | Overkill at first |
| Customer or member portal | Public apps from Plus | Strong fit; client user limits apply | Strong fit, no per-user fee |
| Hundreds of external users | Check usage limits | Business plan or add-ons | Usually cheaper |
| Payments inside the app | Limited | Limited | Full Stripe or HitPay integration |
| Links to Xero or Shopify | Through integrations | Through integrations and workflows | Built in |
| Complex rules and approvals | Possible, gets fiddly | Possible, gets fiddly | Built to your process |
If your data is still in Airtable or you are weighing Microsoft or Google tools, our comparison of Airtable vs AppSheet vs Power Apps covers those. For a customer list and sales pipeline specifically, a CRM may be simpler; see the best CRM for a small business in Singapore.
Data ownership and getting your data out
No-code tools are easy to start and harder to leave. Before you build, decide where the data lives and how you would move it.
Before you build
Personal data in these apps is still your responsibility under Singapore's PDPA, including where it is hosted and who can see it.
When a custom build pays back
A custom app is a one-off cost; no-code tools are a monthly cost that grows with users and records. The tipping point is usually not the subscription alone but the workarounds around it.
Signs it is time: you pay for three or more tools stitched together, staff copy data between them every week, user limits force you into the top plan, or you need rules the tool cannot express. If you are also considering AI app builders, our guide to Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit covers that middle option.
Do it yourself or get help?
Build the first version in Glide or Softr yourself; it is the cheapest way to learn what you actually need. When the app becomes central to the business, links to accounting or payments, or the monthly bill and workarounds keep growing, a custom build is worth pricing.
IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience. Our Custom Business App starts from S$4,900 with a free written scope and fixed quote: several modules such as quotes, orders, stock, invoices and a customer portal on one database, connected to Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Shopify, Stripe or WhatsApp, hosted in your own account, with the code and data yours. It runs in the browser on phone, tablet and desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Softr is usually the better fit for client portals because its plans include separate client user allowances, custom domains and login options such as OTP and Google sign-in. Glide's GlideOS focuses on internal business apps, with public apps available from its Plus plan. Check each vendor's current limits for your expected number of external users.
As of October 2026, Softr lists a free plan and paid plans at US$19, US$99 and US$329 a month on yearly billing, with monthly billing costing more. Each plan sets limits on builders, team users, client users, database records and workflow actions. Extra builders and users are available as paid add-ons.
Glide's GlideOS plans are free, Basic at US$25 a month, Plus at US$50 and Pro at US$125, with Enterprise on custom pricing. Plans differ in AI credits, team members, published apps, projects and workflows. Glide says annual plans are coming soon, and existing Glide Classic apps continue on their own plans.
If your app uses Google Sheets, Airtable or another external source, the data stays there and you keep it. Data in a tool's own database should be exported regularly to CSV. App logic, permissions and workflows usually cannot be exported, so plan to rebuild them if you move to another tool or a custom app.
Consider it when you pay for several tools linked together, staff copy data between systems every week, user or record limits push you to the highest plan, or you need payments, accounting links or business rules the tool cannot handle. Compare a year of subscriptions and manual work against a one-off build.