Softr launches AI no-code platform for business teams

Softr has launched an AI-native no-code platform for building business software, designed for non-technical teams.

The update introduces an AI Co-Builder that lets users describe an application in plain language and receive a working system with a database, user interface, permissions and business logic. The software is intended for day-to-day business use rather than early-stage mock-ups.

The Berlin-based company has operated in the no-code software market for the past five years. Since launching in 2020, it says it has grown to more than 1 million builders and 7,000 organisations, including Netflix, Google, Stripe, UPS and Clay.

Prototype gap

Softr is positioning the new platform around a common problem in AI software tools: the gap between a quick demo and a system that can support live operations. It argues that many AI app builders can generate surface-level outputs from a prompt but still leave users to handle code, fix errors and rebuild workflows before the software can be used in production.

That distinction matters most in internal tools and customer-facing systems that rely on live data, defined user roles and access controls. In those cases, businesses often need software that works consistently, connects with existing systems and can be maintained without turning back to developers for every change.

The platform includes authentication, user roles, permissions and hosting from the outset. It also uses a visual database and supports custom workflows and integrations with other tools, which should make applications easier for non-technical teams to maintain over time.

Broader push

Teams already use Softr's platform for client portals, customer relationship management systems, company intranets and other operational tools across a range of industries. The latest move extends that model by using AI to assemble more of the underlying structure automatically.

In practice, users can request a specific business tool and the platform generates the core elements needed to run it. Softr says the resulting application connects to live data and can be used immediately by staff, customers or partners, depending on the use case.

That approach reflects a wider shift in business software, as vendors try to appeal directly to employees outside IT departments. The goal is to let operations, finance, human resources and client teams build software for specific processes without waiting for formal development cycles.

There are limits to that ambition across the market, especially where AI-generated products still require technical intervention before deployment. Softr's argument is that no-code tools must address security, governance and reliability if they are to move beyond experimentation.

"For the first time, AI made the idea that 'I can build something myself' mainstream for millions of people - but most AI app-builders stop at the shiny demo stage," said Mariam Hakobyan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Softr.

"We built Softr to solve the hard parts of software building. Every business app, from an internal HR portal to a client-facing tool, runs on real data, users, permissions and security. It has to work every single time. Our goal has always been to give non-technical teams the ability to build the custom solutions they need without relying on developers. This evolution turns that vision into reality: software that helps people build and run the mission-critical systems that power their business operations," Hakobyan said.

The company also says it has a profitable base, which it is now combining with AI as it expands the product. That is notable in a market where many software groups are under pressure to show that AI features can translate into sustained commercial use rather than short-lived interest.

Softr did not disclose pricing or financial details at launch. It framed the new product as part of a broader effort to let business users create software that can support live operations from the start, rather than after further engineering work.

"The future of software isn't written - it's created," Hakobyan said.

"The next generation of software will be built by everyone - not because we simplified code, but because we simplified creation - and made building hard things easy," she added.