Building Your First Softr Client Portal

January 8, 2025 • 8 min read
Softr + Airtable = Client Portal Magic

Client portals used to require expensive custom development. Today, with Softr and Airtable, you can build a professional, secure portal in a weekend. This guide walks you through every step—from planning your database to deploying a working portal.

Why Softr for Client Portals?

Softr transforms your Airtable data into beautiful, functional web applications without code. For client portals specifically, it offers:

  • Built-in user authentication — Email/password, magic links, or SSO
  • Row-level security — Users only see their own data
  • Pre-built components — Lists, forms, charts, and more
  • Custom domains — portal.yourbusiness.com
  • Mobile-responsive — Works on any device out of the box

Cost comparison: Custom portal development typically runs $15,000-$50,000. A Softr + Airtable solution costs roughly $50-150/month with no upfront development.

Step 1: Design Your Airtable Database

Your portal is only as good as your data structure. Before touching Softr, plan your Airtable base carefully.

Essential Tables

Every client portal needs at least these tables:

  1. Users — Client information and login credentials
  2. Projects/Orders — The main items clients will view
  3. Documents — Files associated with projects
  4. Messages/Notes — Communication history

The Critical Link: User Email Field

Softr's security model relies on matching the logged-in user's email to records in Airtable. Your Projects table needs a field (typically a Linked Record to Users, or a simple Email field) that Softr can filter against.

Users Table: - Name (Single line text) - Email (Email) ← This is the key field - Company (Single line text) - Phone (Phone number) Projects Table: - Project Name (Single line text) - Client (Link to Users) ← Links to the user - Status (Single select: Active, Completed, On Hold) - Start Date (Date) - Documents (Attachments)

Step 2: Set Up Softr

With your Airtable base ready, it's time to build the portal.

Connect Airtable

  1. Create a new Softr application
  2. Go to Data Sources and connect your Airtable account
  3. Select the base and tables you want to expose
  4. Softr automatically detects your field types

Configure User Authentication

Navigate to Users & Permissions in Softr:

  1. Enable User Sign Up (or disable if you'll create accounts manually)
  2. Select your Users table as the user data source
  3. Map the Email field for authentication
  4. Choose authentication method: password, magic link, or both

Pro tip: Start with magic link authentication. It's more secure (no passwords to hack) and eliminates password reset headaches.

Step 3: Build Your Pages

The Dashboard

Create a home page that gives clients an overview:

  • Add a List block connected to your Projects table
  • Set the filter: Client Email = Logged In User Email
  • Choose which fields to display (status, dates, etc.)
  • Enable click-through to a detail page

Project Detail Page

When a client clicks a project, show them everything:

  • Use a Details block for project information
  • Add an Attachments block for documents
  • Include a List block for related messages or updates
  • Consider a Form block for clients to submit requests

Page Protection

For each page, set visibility to "Logged in users only." This ensures unauthenticated visitors can't access client data.

Step 4: Style and Brand

Softr's default templates are clean, but you'll want to customize:

  • Logo — Upload your company logo
  • Colors — Match your brand's primary and accent colors
  • Fonts — Choose from Google Fonts or upload custom fonts
  • Favicon — Small detail that adds polish

Step 5: Test Everything

Before inviting clients, test thoroughly:

  1. Create a test user in Airtable with your email
  2. Create test projects linked to that user
  3. Log in to the portal and verify you only see your projects
  4. Test on mobile — many clients will access from phones
  5. Try edge cases — What happens with no projects? Empty fields?

Security check: Create a second test user with different projects. Log in as that user and confirm you can't see the first user's data. This validates your row-level security.

Step 6: Launch and Iterate

Soft Launch

Start with a few trusted clients:

  • Manually create their user accounts in Airtable
  • Send them a welcome email with the portal link
  • Ask for feedback on usability and missing features

Common Enhancements

After your initial launch, clients typically request:

  • Notifications — Email when project status changes (use n8n or Make.com)
  • File uploads — Let clients submit documents through the portal
  • Invoice viewing — Integrate with QuickBooks or Stripe
  • Scheduling — Embed Calendly for booking meetings

Real-World Example: Service Business Portal

One of our clients, an HVAC company, needed clients to:

  • View service history
  • See upcoming appointments
  • Access invoices and receipts
  • Request new service calls

We built this in Softr in under two weeks. The result:

  • 60% reduction in "when is my appointment?" calls
  • Faster payments — clients pay invoices directly in the portal
  • Better reviews — clients love the transparency

Next Steps

Ready to build your portal? Here's your action plan:

  1. Sketch out what data your clients need to see
  2. Design your Airtable structure (take your time here)
  3. Sign up for Softr's free trial
  4. Build a minimum viable portal
  5. Test with one client before scaling

If you'd rather have experts handle it, that's what we do. We've built dozens of Softr portals for businesses across industries. Get in touch to discuss your project.

← Back to All Posts