Airtable is a relational database with a spreadsheet UI; this means that it has the ease of use and navigation of an Excel or Google spreadsheet, but powerful features of a relational DB (data validation, links and relationships across data tables). Additionally, a set of add-on "plugins" to Airtable, called Apps, allow you to deploy mini-apps on top of a database. Finally, Airtable has a number of native integrations, and a fairly powerful API.
Airtable can be used as an individual tool, but it's most powerful when you have some or all of the following needs:
People often use Airtable to build lightweight internal tools and apps with a table-like interface:
Airtable is NOT good for:
A few examples of what you can do with Airtable that are not possible with a spreadsheet:
- Define constraints and validation for data (e.g., this column is a date field, or URL)
- Lookups and functions that span different tables (e.g., if you have a "product category" table, with each category tagged with a given employee as "product owner"; you can set up a second "product SKU" table; when you tag the product category to the SKU, then the SKU table can pull in the owner and other attributes of the product category; and the product category table can display "rollups" like total sales of all SKUs in that category)
- Maintain auto-calculated fields (autonumber for a unique ID for each record; created and modified data that is auto-updated, etc.)
- Set up "views" for different purposes people to have their own custom workspace. For example, in a project management tracker, you could have a "month of May" view, an "operations" vs. "product" view, etc., for different purposes. You can also set custom permissions for each kind of views (personal views vs. locked views vs. collaborative views)
- You can share a table or view, publicly or with password protection
- You can also create Kanban boards and Forms -- so that you can visually handle records as "cards" or gather information or conduct surveys in a pinch (though these aren't the primary intended use case for Airtable, so it won't be as powerful as a specialized Kanban tracker or survey tool)
- There is also an extensive audit log of every change made to a table and even specific recoreds
Blocks add a whole dimension of functionality
---- The Page Designer Block allows you to lay out various data fields on a PDF sheet and produce beautiful documents, such as reports, invoices, etc.
---- The Maps Block allows you to map out an address column, so that you can see where all your customers or warehouses are located
---- The Org Chart block allows you to instantly generate your company's org chart
---- The Dedupe Block allows you to compare and merge duplicate or similar records
---- The SendGrid Block allows you to programatically send emails to contacts in a table
---- The Gantt Chart table allows you to visualize your project timeline
---- The Scripting Block allows you to write custom code on top of Airtable as well
Page designer and PDF Export options. You can convert old excels to good looking pdf reports.
It's very effective to use it as a lookup table. For example, I'll use it to list both MemberStac...
UI of Calendar view is exceptional.
It's essentially a database with a really beautiful front-end—makes building new things (and usin...
The API access -> using it as a db backend
Inability to restrict users to specific views and/or columns.
It's pretty slow compared to a traditional database or something like Google Sheets
The pricing, the ways in which the api is limited
Airtable really needs to compete with Typeform on embeddable forms... the lack of input validatio...
It can get expensive real fast as you scale it to your entire company.
Airtable is free for unlimited bases and essential features, including 1,200 records per base, 2GB of attachment storage, 2 weeks of revision and snapshot history, and more.
Plus: $12/user/month ($10 paid annually) unlimited bases plus 5,000 records per base, 5GB of attachment storage, 1 year of revision and snapshot history, and more.
Pro: $24/user/month ($20 paid annually)unlimited bases plus 50,000 records per base, 20GB of attachment storage, 1 year of revision and snapshot history, Blocks, customization and access options, and early access to new features. This plan also features priority support.
Enterprise: includes unlimited bases plus "increased" records per base, 1000GB of attachment storage, 3 years of revision and snapshot history, and more, including SAML SSO, additional admin and billing features, and dedicated customer service and individualized onboarding and training.
We pay $48/month to have two users with edit access at the Pro level (that is monthly pricing, not annual). At one…
We pay $16.80 per collaborator, and with currently 42 collaborators that's $705.60 per month.
We've been using Airtable…
We negotiated to have a $1200 promotional code.
Starting from $200 per month to $100 with the promotional code.
When grouping a grid view by a single select field, you can double-click on the header to edit the name and color, rather than having to go into the column config dialog (similar to existing functi...
When grouping a grid view by a single select field, you can double-click on the header to edit the name and color, rather than having to go into the column config dialog (similar to existing functi...
Conditional lookup, rollup, and count fields
My business has ended up receiving a lot of income from referrals to other businesses in our industry. The companies we're receiving referrals from are all run very differently and have complicated...
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Notion keeps all of your info in one place with collaborative team notes, spreadsheets, and hybrid database tools to build mini-apps without coding.
Airtable offers a lot of integration possibilities. There are native integrations, third-party integrations, and partners apps.
Native integration: Airtable offers native integration with Dropbox, Gmail, Google Drive, Box, and Typeform.
Partner Apps: Airtable Marketplace provides several integration possibilities. Users just need to add the app as a block. Among the options: Miro, Jira Cloud, Typeform, Abyssale, QR Code Generator, etc.
Third-party integrations: It's possible to integrate Airtable with other apps using Zapier, Integromat, IFTTT, Automate.io, and others.
Users can write their own scripts, use and customize an existing script, and create apps in Airtable. In addition, it's possible to remix an app or create a new one.
Airtable website offers detailed documentation. Users can find additional documentation on the Github website.
It's possible to create automation workflows in Airtable using native automation block, third-party integration services, and partner services.
Third-party integration services like Zapier, Automate.io, and Integromat allow users to create simple automation or complex workflows, connecting several apps and multiple steps.
Native solution: Airtable also provides the possibility of adding automation blocks natively.
Partner services : Miniextensions is a partner service offering around 100 extensions to automatize workflows. Miniextensions is a paid service.
