Crust AI vs. Softr: A New Generation of App Building
While Softr helped popularize no-code with its block-based builder, Crust AI represents the next evolution. Build faster, more powerful, and truly custom business apps by describing what you want, not by clicking through menus.
"We spun up a live portal in an afternoon instead of a week. This is a game-changer for our agency's ability to grow."
"We spun up a live portal in an afternoon instead of a week. This is a game-changer for our agency's ability to grow."
The Paradigm Shift: From Assembling Blocks to Instant Creation
For years, agencies and businesses have relied on tools like Softr to build client portals and internal tools. It’s a great tool for creating simple websites from templates. But for those who need to build truly custom, data-driven applications, the block-based approach creates a ceiling on speed, flexibility, and power.
Crust AI was built to break through that ceiling. Powered by a reliable AI engine, it allows you to build the exact tool you need, simply by describing it. This fundamental difference is why leading agencies are switching from Softr to Crust AI to build better products, faster, and scale their own businesses.
7 Reasons Agencies Choose Crust AI over Softr

1. Build at the Speed of Thought, Not Clicks
With Softr, you manually assemble pre-built blocks. You spend your time dragging, dropping, and clicking through side-panel menus to configure each component. A complex client portal can take a week.
With Crust AI, you describe the interface you want. You can say, "Show a list of projects for this client, add a progress bar for each, and include a button to view the invoice." The AI builds it instantly. As BrightLogic Agency discovered, a project that takes a week in Softr can be prototyped in an afternoon with Crust AI. This speed allows you to increase your project capacity and profitability.

1. Build at the Speed of Thought, Not Clicks
With Softr, you manually assemble pre-built blocks. You spend your time dragging, dropping, and clicking through side-panel menus to configure each component. A complex client portal can take a week.
With Crust AI, you describe the interface you want. You can say, "Show a list of projects for this client, add a progress bar for each, and include a button to view the invoice." The AI builds it instantly. As BrightLogic Agency discovered, a project that takes a week in Softr can be prototyped in an afternoon with Crust AI. This speed allows you to increase your project capacity and profitability.

1. Build at the Speed of Thought, Not Clicks
With Softr, you manually assemble pre-built blocks. You spend your time dragging, dropping, and clicking through side-panel menus to configure each component. A complex client portal can take a week.
With Crust AI, you describe the interface you want. You can say, "Show a list of projects for this client, add a progress bar for each, and include a button to view the invoice." The AI builds it instantly. As BrightLogic Agency discovered, a project that takes a week in Softr can be prototyped in an afternoon with Crust AI. This speed allows you to increase your project capacity and profitability.

2. Achieve Any Design, Not Just Variations of a Template
Softr's design is limited by its block library. While customizable, you are fundamentally constrained by the available templates and components, making it difficult to create a truly unique or brand-aligned experience.
Crust AI offers limitless design flexibility. Want a visual timeline for project updates? A dynamic Kanban board? A pixel-perfect dashboard that matches your client's brand guide? Simply describe it. The AI builder isn't confined to a library; it generates the interface based on your instructions, giving you true creative freedom.

2. Achieve Any Design, Not Just Variations of a Template
Softr's design is limited by its block library. While customizable, you are fundamentally constrained by the available templates and components, making it difficult to create a truly unique or brand-aligned experience.
Crust AI offers limitless design flexibility. Want a visual timeline for project updates? A dynamic Kanban board? A pixel-perfect dashboard that matches your client's brand guide? Simply describe it. The AI builder isn't confined to a library; it generates the interface based on your instructions, giving you true creative freedom.

2. Achieve Any Design, Not Just Variations of a Template
Softr's design is limited by its block library. While customizable, you are fundamentally constrained by the available templates and components, making it difficult to create a truly unique or brand-aligned experience.
Crust AI offers limitless design flexibility. Want a visual timeline for project updates? A dynamic Kanban board? A pixel-perfect dashboard that matches your client's brand guide? Simply describe it. The AI builder isn't confined to a library; it generates the interface based on your instructions, giving you true creative freedom.

3. Be the "UI for Automation," Not Just a Trigger
Softr can trigger automations. You can use a form submission to start a workflow in Make or Zapier. This is a standard and useful feature.
Crust AI can be an interactive step inside your automations. This is a capability no-code builders like Softr can't offer. You can have a complex Make.com scenario pause, generate a unique Crust AI snippet to ask a human for a decision (e.g., "Approve this request?"), and then resume the automation based on the button they click. It turns your automations from brittle scripts into resilient, intelligent workflows.

3. Be the "UI for Automation," Not Just a Trigger
Softr can trigger automations. You can use a form submission to start a workflow in Make or Zapier. This is a standard and useful feature.
Crust AI can be an interactive step inside your automations. This is a capability no-code builders like Softr can't offer. You can have a complex Make.com scenario pause, generate a unique Crust AI snippet to ask a human for a decision (e.g., "Approve this request?"), and then resume the automation based on the button they click. It turns your automations from brittle scripts into resilient, intelligent workflows.

3. Be the "UI for Automation," Not Just a Trigger
Softr can trigger automations. You can use a form submission to start a workflow in Make or Zapier. This is a standard and useful feature.
Crust AI can be an interactive step inside your automations. This is a capability no-code builders like Softr can't offer. You can have a complex Make.com scenario pause, generate a unique Crust AI snippet to ask a human for a decision (e.g., "Approve this request?"), and then resume the automation based on the button they click. It turns your automations from brittle scripts into resilient, intelligent workflows.

4. Get More Value with Simple, Unlimited-User Pricing
Softr’s pricing is complex and scales per user. As your clients add more users to their portals, or as your own internal team grows, your bill goes up. This creates unpredictable costs and penalizes success.
Crust AI offers simple, predictable flat-rate pricing with UNLIMITED end-users. You pay one affordable price for your project, and you can have 10, 1,000, or 10,000 users without paying a cent more. This allows you to offer more competitive and scalable solutions to your clients.

4. Get More Value with Simple, Unlimited-User Pricing
Softr’s pricing is complex and scales per user. As your clients add more users to their portals, or as your own internal team grows, your bill goes up. This creates unpredictable costs and penalizes success.
Crust AI offers simple, predictable flat-rate pricing with UNLIMITED end-users. You pay one affordable price for your project, and you can have 10, 1,000, or 10,000 users without paying a cent more. This allows you to offer more competitive and scalable solutions to your clients.

4. Get More Value with Simple, Unlimited-User Pricing
Softr’s pricing is complex and scales per user. As your clients add more users to their portals, or as your own internal team grows, your bill goes up. This creates unpredictable costs and penalizes success.
Crust AI offers simple, predictable flat-rate pricing with UNLIMITED end-users. You pay one affordable price for your project, and you can have 10, 1,000, or 10,000 users without paying a cent more. This allows you to offer more competitive and scalable solutions to your clients.

5. Eliminate the Learning Curve
Softr requires you to learn its system. You need to understand its blocks, its data mapping, and its specific configuration menus.
Crust AI has a near-zero learning curve. If you can write an email, you can build an application. By using natural language, you can bypass hours of tutorials and focus immediately on building a valuable product for your client.

5. Eliminate the Learning Curve
Softr requires you to learn its system. You need to understand its blocks, its data mapping, and its specific configuration menus.
Crust AI has a near-zero learning curve. If you can write an email, you can build an application. By using natural language, you can bypass hours of tutorials and focus immediately on building a valuable product for your client.

5. Eliminate the Learning Curve
Softr requires you to learn its system. You need to understand its blocks, its data mapping, and its specific configuration menus.
Crust AI has a near-zero learning curve. If you can write an email, you can build an application. By using natural language, you can bypass hours of tutorials and focus immediately on building a valuable product for your client.

6. True Mobile & Desktop Experiences
Softr is responsive. The same blocks rearrange themselves for smaller screens.
Crust AI can create distinct, optimized experiences. You can instruct the AI: "On desktop, show a dense data table with all columns. On mobile, show a clean card view with just the name, status, and a picture." The AI will build two tailored layouts, ensuring your app is not just usable on any device, but perfect for it.

6. True Mobile & Desktop Experiences
Softr is responsive. The same blocks rearrange themselves for smaller screens.
Crust AI can create distinct, optimized experiences. You can instruct the AI: "On desktop, show a dense data table with all columns. On mobile, show a clean card view with just the name, status, and a picture." The AI will build two tailored layouts, ensuring your app is not just usable on any device, but perfect for it.

6. True Mobile & Desktop Experiences
Softr is responsive. The same blocks rearrange themselves for smaller screens.
Crust AI can create distinct, optimized experiences. You can instruct the AI: "On desktop, show a dense data table with all columns. On mobile, show a clean card view with just the name, status, and a picture." The AI will build two tailored layouts, ensuring your app is not just usable on any device, but perfect for it.

7. Unmatched Support When You Need It
Softr offers good support, often on paid plans.
Crust AI provides fast, expert live chat support for everyone, including free-plan users. When you're building for a client, you can't afford to get stuck. Our team is available to help you solve problems and build faster, ensuring your project never loses momentum.

7. Unmatched Support When You Need It
Softr offers good support, often on paid plans.
Crust AI provides fast, expert live chat support for everyone, including free-plan users. When you're building for a client, you can't afford to get stuck. Our team is available to help you solve problems and build faster, ensuring your project never loses momentum.

7. Unmatched Support When You Need It
Softr offers good support, often on paid plans.
Crust AI provides fast, expert live chat support for everyone, including free-plan users. When you're building for a client, you can't afford to get stuck. Our team is available to help you solve problems and build faster, ensuring your project never loses momentum.
Crust AI vs Softr

Start Building Now.
It's Free.
Build completely for free. When you're ready, share for just $9.99/month with unlimited end-users.






Start Building Now.
It's Free.
Build completely for free. When you're ready, share for just $9.99/month with unlimited end-users.






Start Building Now.
It's Free.
Build completely for free. When you're ready, share for just $9.99/month with unlimited end-users.





