To me it is needed. If you use to wash clothes in washing machine, a detergent and softener is needed for sure. Some might replace detergent with powder/ powder tablet too.
Detergent help to remove dirt and grime from our clothes and softener help to protect and strengthen our clothes during the washing cycle.
There's no right or wrong too. I always use both together. Inside a washing machine there's always a place for us to put detergent and softener in different slot.
