# Softr Databases and Data Sources: Airtable, Notion, HubSpot, SQL

> Choosing data for a Softr app: Softr Databases limits per plan, Airtable, Sheets and Notion on Free, HubSpot and SQL on Business, and the Airtable import.

_Source: https://professionalstoolkit.com/articles/softr-databases — The Professional's Toolkit · updated November 2026_

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Which data should a Softr app run on? For a new app, Softr's docs point to **Softr Databases**, the built-in relational database that every plan includes, not held back by a third-party API's rate limits [1]. Its record caps grow with the plan: 5,000 records per workspace on Free, 50,000 on Basic, 500K on Pro and 1M on Business. If your data already lives in Airtable, Google Sheets or Notion, you can leave it there. All three connect with two-way sync on every plan, Free included. The gates start above that line. Supabase, ClickUp and monday.com need Pro, HubSpot and SQL databases need Business, and Salesforce and Snowflake are Enterprise sources.


**1M records** — Softr Databases limit per workspace on Business (Pro 500K, Basic 50,000, Free 5,000)



- **Free** — Lowest Softr plan for Airtable, Google Sheets and Notion sources
- **Business** — Lowest Softr plan for HubSpot and SQL data sources
- **100,000** — Notion records per Softr app; more needs Enterprise


## Match the source to where your data already lives

Softr says it connects natively to over 20 data sources, and the source you choose fixes the lowest plan you can run on. The grid below holds the gates and limits that decide most projects. Every external source works live: Softr reads through the source's API, keeps only a short-term cache and stores the credentials on its own servers, so no second copy of your records piles up inside Softr.

| Source | Lowest Softr plan | How it connects | Limit worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Softr Databases | Free | built in, no third-party rate limits | record caps per plan |
| Airtable | Free | real-time two-way sync | Airtable allows 5 requests per second per base |
| Google Sheets | Free | real-time two-way sync | up to 512 columns read |
| Notion | Free | two-way sync | up to 100,000 records per app |
| SmartSuite | Free | real-time two-way sync | computed fields read-only |
| REST API | Free | read-only | cannot hold app users |
| Supabase, ClickUp, monday.com | Pro | read and write | Supabase up to 10 million records per app |
| HubSpot, SQL databases | Business | read and write | SQL up to 10 million records per app |
| Salesforce, Snowflake | Enterprise | native | Snowflake through sales |

The list runs longer than the grid. Coda [p1], Xano, Microsoft Excel (a source since June 2026), Zoho CRM (native since August 2026) and BigQuery also connect. BigQuery is read-only, so forms cannot write to it and it cannot store your app users. Xano first needs its own paid Data Connector add-on, switched on in Xano. A REST API source only reads; writing back to that API goes through a Call API action or a Softr workflow.

## What Softr Databases hold on each plan

Softr Databases reached every user in June 2025. It handles linked records (one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many), lookups, rollups, formulas, attachments and filterable views. Per workspace, Free holds 5,000 records with at most 1,000 per database and 1 GB of file storage; Basic 50,000 and 10,000 with 5 GB; Pro 500K and 50,000 with 50 GB; Business 1M and 200K with 250 GB; Enterprise is custom [2]. The structure ceiling is 1,000 databases per workspace, 512 tables per database and 512 fields per table, with files up to 128 MB each.

Recovery depends on the plan too. **Revision history** logs who changed which field, when, and the before and after values, kept for 7 days on Free, 14 on Basic, 30 on Pro and 90 on Business. Automated backups start on Basic, every 3 days with 7 days of history; Pro and Business back up daily and keep 14 and 30 days. Free has manual backup only. Since July 2026 you can also take a manual snapshot of a whole database. Restoring one creates a new database and leaves the original untouched. Apps keep reading the original until you reconnect them, and a deleted snapshot is gone for good.

Softr Databases also has its own limits for outside access. Its Database API (REST with a Personal Access Token) allows 40 reads and 30 writes per second per token and returns a quota error once a plan limit is hit. Workflow triggers on Softr Databases fire instantly, while Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion and HubSpot triggers poll about once a minute; the [workflows guide](/articles/softr-workflows) covers the rest.

**Database AI Agents** turn a field into an AI field that tags, summarizes, extracts details from PDFs or enriches records with web search. An agent runs manually, on record creation or on update, with filters and a skip-if-filled option. It draws on the workspace's monthly AI credits: 5 on Free, 10 on Basic, 50 on Pro, 100 on Business. The Preview estimates the cost for one record. Plan credits reset monthly without rollover, and at zero the agents pause with no overage charge, as the [pricing guide](/articles/softr-pricing) explains with the add-ons. Agents cannot write to formula, rollup or system fields.


> 💡 **Test on Free with real data:** Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, SmartSuite and REST API sources all connect on Softr's Free plan, so you can try an app on your own data before choosing a paid plan.


## Connecting Airtable, Google Sheets or Notion

Airtable stays the most common starting point. Your records remain in Airtable, edits in the app write back, and one app can read several bases with one block per table. Formula, rollup, lookup and autonumber fields arrive read-only; button, barcode and sync fields do not come through at all. **The ceiling is Airtable's**, not Softr's: 5 requests per second per base whatever the sign-in method, and 1,000 API calls a month on Airtable's Free plan, past which Airtable restricts requests until the monthly reset. Busy pages can hit that limit, and Softr cannot bypass it. Softr suggests a personal access token instead of OAuth and about five dynamic blocks per page. Our [Softr vs Airtable comparison](/articles/softr-vs-airtable) weighs the two side by side.

Google Sheets asks for more care than it looks. Softr adds a Record ID column, which must stay the last column, so the connected account needs edit rights on the sheet. Every column needs a header. Softr reads up to 512 columns. Files and images live as URLs, since Sheets takes no direct uploads, and dates must use English formats. To move a sheet into Softr Databases, export it to CSV and import it there.

Notion works on Free, with limits of its own. Only Notion database pages count, each page becoming a record. Rollup, formula, people and timestamp properties show but cannot be edited; Button, Verification and Place properties are not supported. Relation fields cannot appear in list-type blocks, so Softr suggests a rollup built on the relation instead. The hard cap: **100,000 records per app**, which cannot be raised on existing plans; going past it needs Enterprise [3]. Sub-items show as one flat list unless you add a parent-item filter.


> ⚠ **User deletes reach your source:** Deleting an app user in Softr also deletes it in the connected data source, while deleting it only in the source leaves it in Softr and it returns on the next sync.


## HubSpot, SQL and Supabase on the paid plans

HubSpot needs Business. Connecting it takes HubSpot Super Admin access, and each block shows one object type, such as Contacts, Companies, Deals, Tickets or a custom object. Filters are tight: up to 5 AND groups and 6 OR filters per group per block. Softr also caches HubSpot user records for 2 minutes, against 8 seconds on Softr Databases, Google Sheets or Notion. A portal on CRM data works, but access changes reach it more slowly.

SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MariaDB) also start on Business. Forms write straight back to the database, several databases can feed one app, and Softr connects from three fixed IP addresses you can allow-list. Supabase opens a plan earlier, on Pro, as PostgreSQL through the Session Pooler credentials with a pool size of 45 or more. Softr frames the split simply: Softr Databases for teams starting from scratch, Supabase for teams whose production data already sits there. SQL databases and Supabase both handle up to 10 million records per app, while Softr Databases stays within the plan's per-workspace cap. ClickUp and monday.com also need Pro; ClickUp skips sub-tasks, and monday.com shows one board per block.

## Sync, app users and who sees which record

Edits made in the source appear in the app without republishing, and edits in the app write back. A dynamic block reads one source, but one page can mix blocks on different sources. Your user list can sync two ways as well, from Softr Databases, Airtable, Google Sheets, ClickUp, Coda, SmartSuite, SQL, monday.com, HubSpot, Notion, Supabase or Xano. BigQuery and REST API cannot hold users. User sync runs continuously only once the app is published.

Email is the key. Softr identifies each user by email address, so never edit it on the source side. Unsynced users still count toward your plan's app-user limit, and choosing which source records become users (filtered user sync) is a Business feature. App users are capped per plan: Free has 5 in total, and from Basic they split into Team and Client users by email domain, with Gmail and other free domains always counted as Client users ([pricing details](/articles/softr-pricing)). Softr warns that Airtable views and Google Sheets filters are not security. Hide records with user groups and conditional filters on the user's email or domain, which Softr checks on its server.

## Moving an Airtable base into Softr Databases

Softr shipped Migrate from Airtable in October 2026, with two paths in Softr Studio [4]. **Import base** copies the whole base (tables, fields, records, attachments) into a new Softr database, along with any automations it finds. **Migrate app** duplicates a classic Softr app that reads from Airtable and points the copy at Softr Databases. Both copy. Neither touches your Airtable base or the original app, so Airtable can keep running during the move.

Expect cleanup afterward. Links become related-record fields, and most formulas run unchanged because the syntax follows Airtable's. Lookups and rollups may differ, rich text turns into Markdown, and button and barcode fields are dropped. Every record gets a new ID, so update any tool that stores Airtable IDs. Automations land as draft workflows that stay off until you enable them, and Run script steps must be rewritten as custom code. The import reads through Airtable's API, spending your Airtable plan's calls; it stops if that allowance runs out, and bases over 512 tables or 512 fields per table fail. Copied app workflows still point at Airtable, and the custom domain must be moved to the copy.


> 💡 **Book the free migration call:** Softr offers a free 30-minute call that maps an Airtable setup to Softr; you can also run the base import yourself.



## FAQ

**Where does Softr store Softr Databases data?**

Softr says Softr Databases data is stored in the AWS EU Region. External sources keep your records in their own service.

**Can Make.com, Zapier or n8n read and write Softr Databases?**

Yes. Softr Databases has native Zapier, Make.com and n8n integrations, launched in July and August 2025, plus a public REST API with a Personal Access Token.

**Can an AI assistant edit my Softr Databases?**

Yes, through Softr MCP, which is free on every plan and spends no Softr AI credits. It can permanently delete records, tables and databases with no undo, unless the token is View only.

**Can I share a database without building an app?**

Since October 2026 a Softr database or a single view can be shared through a public read-only link and embedded on an external site.


## The bottom line

Start new Softr apps on Softr Databases unless a team already works in another tool every day; the built-in option has no third-party rate limits, carries backups from Basic and revision history on every plan, and its record caps are the plan's own. Keep Airtable, Google Sheets or Notion when people edit there daily, and budget for those tools' limits rather than Softr's. Check the source's plan gate before anything else, because HubSpot and SQL alone put you on Business. Coming from Airtable, run the import, then audit IDs, lookups and draft workflows before switching users over.



## Sources

[1] Softr docs: Softr Databases Overview — https://docs.softr.io/softr-databases/softr-databases-overview (2026-11)
[2] Softr plans and pricing — https://www.softr.io/pricing (2026-11)
[3] Other — https://docs.softr.io/faq/other (2026-11)
[4] Softr docs: How to migrate from Airtable to Softr — https://docs.softr.io/migration-tips/migrating-from-airtable-to-softr-databases (2026-11)
[5] Softr help docs — https://docs.softr.io/start-here/welcome
[6] Softr Terms and Conditions — https://www.softr.io/terms
[7] Softr Privacy Policy — https://www.softr.io/policy



## Products mentioned

[p1] Coda — https://api.colosus.site/m/coda