I used to do maintenance at an industrial laundry. They had a huge softener that would treat all the water coming into the plant, and then a secondary softener that would re-treat the water going into the steam boiler.

First thing to do is have you water tested and see how many grains of hardness you have. if you are above 7 or so you could benefit from a softener. Then you will need to size it appropriately based on your grains of hardness and gallons used per day.

Yes it will be "another thing to maintain", but if you have hard water it will save wear and tear on everything else in your house and will be worth it. Especially stuff like your washing machine, water heater, dishwasher, etc.