Softr and Alori both help you put software in front of a business without hiring a dev shop. They start in different places. Softr is a no-code builder for internal tools, client portals, and other web apps, with a visual editor and AI. Alori is the all-in-one app for service businesses, starting with HVAC, assembled from modules for customers, quotes, scheduling, jobs and invoices. If the thing you need is a portal on top of data you already have, Softr is the closer tool. If the thing you need is the app that runs the shop, Alori is.
For what a customer-facing portal should contain, read what to put in a client portal. That article is a planning list. A portal is not a default Alori module.
The short version
- Pick Softr if you are building a client portal, a partner portal, or an internal tool, especially when people outside your company need to log in, and you want a visual builder as well as AI.
- Pick Alori if you run a service company and the work is customers, quotes, scheduling, jobs and invoices for your own team.
Different starting points
Softr starts from the app you design. As of October 2026, Softr's pricing documentation describes plans for builders (people who edit the app) and app users (people who log in), split into team users and client users on paid plans. You build with AI and with a no-code editor. Their docs say you can keep building in the editor after AI credits run out. The product is used for internal tools and for client-facing apps with roles and permissions.
Alori starts from the service business. You do not lay out a portal and then invent a quote. You describe the shop, and the modules show up with your words. The people using it are your team, at the office and on a phone. A client login, a booking page, and a place for the customer to pay are not part of those default modules.
| Softr | Alori | |
|---|---|---|
| What you can build | Internal tools, client portals, and other web apps | Apps that run service companies |
| How you set it up | AI plus a visual no-code editor | Describe the business, then ask for changes in chat |
| Who logs in | Team users and client users, priced by plan | Your team. Unlimited users on every Alori plan. No client portal in the default modules |
| Starting point | The screens and data you design | Modules for customers, quotes, scheduling, jobs, invoices |
| Best when | The portal or the internal tool is the product | The daily work is quotes, jobs and invoices |
What Softr is good at
Softr fits when the problem is access and presentation:
- A client portal where customers approve something, see a status, or download a file.
- An internal tool for a team that already has its data, with roles for who can edit what.
- Permissions and branded login as a first-class part of the plan. Pro is where Softr's own guide says to start if you want custom role-based permissions.
- A visual editor you can use when you would rather drag a block than spend another AI credit.
Those are real reasons to pick Softr. Alori will not pretend to be a portal product. Card payments, online booking, and a client portal are not in the default modules. If the customer must log in to approve a quote or pay an invoice, Softr (or another portal tool) is the honest recommendation today. You can still plan the contents with what to put in a client portal.
What Alori is good at
Alori fits when the office and the techs need one set of records:
- Customers, with notes and history.
- Quotes you can email from the app.
- Scheduling and jobs with the stages you use.
- Invoices you can email from the finished job.
Email goes out from your app name on mail4.alori.dev, replies come to your account email, and each recipient uses 0.01 credits. You change a stage or a field by asking. The change is tried on a copy first, so the live app stays put until you publish. English and French are both available. Hosting, the database, sign-in and SSL are handled.
The steps are in how Alori builds your app. If the record you care about is the customer list itself, see build your own CRM.
What it costs
As of October 2026, Softr's pricing docs list:
- Free: $0, with up to 3 builders and 5 app users.
- Basic: $19/mo billed annually ($25/mo monthly). 1 builder, 5 team users and 5 client users.
- Pro: $99/mo billed annually ($119/mo monthly). More builders, and extra team and client users can be added up to a cap.
- Business: $329/mo billed annually ($395/mo monthly).
- Enterprise: custom, including SSO and higher limits.
Extra users on Pro and Business are billed on top of the plan. Annual prices above are the monthly equivalent when you pay yearly. Confirm the card on softr.io/pricing.
Alori's pricing page is free to start (10 credits, no card). Every plan includes unlimited users. Solo starts at $99 a month for 375 credits. Business starts at $249 a month for 1,000 credits. You are not buying client-login seats, because there is no client portal to seat them in.
For agencies
Softr is a strong fit when the deliverable is a portal or an internal tool for a client who already has data somewhere else. Alori is a strong fit when the deliverable is the operating app for a plumber, a cleaner, a salon, or a similar shop, one project per client, with that client's staff invited to their own app. See how to sell custom software to local businesses.
Some agencies will use both: Alori for the shop's own records, and a portal product for anything the customer must log into. That is a reasonable split until a client portal exists in the Alori app.
When Softr is the better pick
- The user is the customer, a partner, or a vendor, and they need a login.
- You want a visual builder and fine-grained permissions.
- The app is an internal tool that does not look like quotes and jobs.
- The job is a portal or an internal tool with roles, for staff or for people outside the company.
When Alori is the better pick
- Your team runs the day from customers, quotes, the schedule, jobs and invoices.
- You would rather describe the business than design screens.
- You want changes tried on a copy before the crew sees them.
- You want English or French.
- You do not need a client login yet, and emailing the quote is enough.
Questions to ask before you choose
| Question | If the answer is yes |
|---|---|
| Must the customer log in to approve, book, or pay? | Softr is built for client users. Alori has no client portal in the default modules. |
| Is the daily work quoting, scheduling and invoicing for your crew? | Alori starts there. |
| Do you want to edit screens visually, not only by chat? | Softr's editor is part of the product. |
| Do you want the app in French? | Alori includes French. |
| Are you pricing logins for people outside the company? | Softr bills team and client users. Alori's plans include unlimited users for your team. |
Product details change. Check each vendor's site for current features and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alori a Softr alternative?
For a service company's own team app, yes. For a client portal or a general internal tool, no. Softr is the no-code product aimed at those logins and permissions. Alori is the product aimed at quotes, jobs and invoices.
Can Softr run a field service business?
You can build a lot of operational apps in Softr, including something that tracks customers and jobs, if you are willing to design that structure. Alori starts with that structure. The gap that remains in Alori is the customer-facing side: booking, payments, and a portal. Softr is ahead on the portal. A dedicated field-service product such as Jobber is ahead on payments and booking. See Alori vs Jobber if that is the real comparison.
Does Alori have a client portal?
No. A client portal is not a default module. You can email quotes and invoices to customers. You cannot hand them a login in the current modules. If that login is the project, use Softr or read what to put in a client portal before you scope it.
Do I need to code?
No. Softr is a no-code editor with AI. Alori takes a plain-language description and later changes in chat. Pick based on the app you need, not on syntax.
Try Alori on your business
Describe your service business in a sentence or paste your website, and see the all-in-one app. It is free to start, with no credit card and no account needed. Try it free.
