Airtable Reviews & Product Details
Airtable is a powerful visual project management platform that synergizes data, workflows, and execution teams on a unified dashboard. Streamlining work streams, the platform provides a synced and up-to-date information database that can be accessed by all stakeholders across different departments. Customization is at the heart of Airtable, allowing teams to create personalized apps and a tailored interface allowing easy access to relevant information and giving clear sightlines to the next steps. While customization is a key benefit, it also offers ready-to-use and pre-loaded industry-agnostic templates while extensive integrations and expandability make it scalable and agile.
| Capabilities |
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|---|---|
| Segment |
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| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Mobile Android, Mobile iPad, Mobile iPhone |
| Support | 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Workflow management is a critical part of any job. It’s what keeps a project moving, and a team motivated to see it through. But, how do you support effective workflow management?
You start with understanding better what tools, platforms, and software are out there that can support your team’s ability to effectively manage workflow and collaborate within their teams and beyond.
To that end, we’ve identified Airtable as a strong market leader in workflow management software. So, let’s dive into Airtable’s features, capabilities, and price points to help you better understand your options.
What Is Airtable?
Airtable is a workflow management application with highly customizable database management tools used predominantly for collaborative project management.
The focus on having accessible, easy-to-use software to help with project management is increasing, and Airtable is a top choice. It features a familiar spreadsheet interface, but unlike traditional spreadsheet software that only records data, Airtable can also help you organize, sync, and manage your data and customize exactly how you need it.
For example, let’s say you’re using Airtable to manage vendor management workflow for an event. This would entail designing the database to include fields for:
- Vendors’ contact details
- Links to their websites
- Inputting key information, such as lead times, product availabilities, and prices
- Uploading order confirmations
- Uploading invoices
- Important notes and comments about the vendor
The option to invite collaborators to this database is also critical so individual users can easily update data in real-time. Having all these features in a single platform means users can clearly follow the progression of a particular project and keep everyone in the team up-to-date on their tasks and next steps.
How Much is Airtable
Airtable’s interface is very flexible and is ideal for numerous industries. While it has been marketed to larger corporations, most users who have had hands-on experience with the platform say that it is just as useful for smaller businesses.
This is reflected in Airtable’s pricing, which follows a monthly subscription model. This subscription cost increases depending on the number of features and ‘seats’ you choose to purchase, making it highly scalable depending on your organization’s needs.
Airtable’s features are grouped into four levels, and the price per seat rises accordingly. A breakdown of each level can be found below:
Free
- Designed for very small teams or individuals
- Up to 5 editors and unlimited ‘read-only’ users
- 1200 records per base
- 2GB of attachments
Plus
$10 per seat – Billed annually
$12 per seat – Billed monthly
- For small to medium-sized organizations
- Eliminates information silos within a team by connecting applications
- More advanced collaboration features
- 5,000 records per base
- 5GB of attachments
Pro
$20 per seat – Billed annually
$24 per seat – Billed monthly
- For medium to large organizations who need to streamline and collaborate on top-priority data
- More advanced features
- 50,000 records per base
- 20 GB of attachments
Enterprise
- Price is customized to your organization’s needs
- Enterprise-wide admin panel
- For organizations who need a scalable product to keep up with workloads
- Unlimited workspaces per organization
- 250,000 records per base
- 1,000 GB of attachments
How Airtable Works
Airtable was built to be as customizable as possible, giving users the ability to display their data in a way that meets their specific needs—whether that means a simple presentation or a more complex one.
Getting started is simple.
You start with an empty Airtable, which is essentially your ‘base.’ From here, you just fill it with your data. You can either use a template and bring in data from another source or construct a database from scratch. Whatever the case, you can leverage Airtable’s features to tailor the platform to meet your needs. For example, you can use the Interface Design feature to visually present data in a way that makes the most sense to you and your team.
Familiarizing and understanding all of Airtable’s features and capabilities may require some effort, but the payoff is worth it. Taking the time to learn the platform will ensure users have full control over their data and workflow management.
Features
Access to Airtable’s numerous features will depend on your subscription and, subsequently, the scalability of your projects. However, all subscription options should include:
- Unlimited bases
- Sync integrations
- The ability to add attachments
- Revision and snapshot history reporting
- Field and editing permissions
- Extension add-ons (e.g., data visualization or reporting extensions)
Airtable also provides:
Customizable Views
With a click of a button, this feature gives users the flexibility to switch between different data views. Users can view project timelines via the Timeline View, and easily switch to managing team tasks on the collaborative Kanban View. Other viewing options are also available ensuring that you can customize your viewing experience so you can maximize the platform.
The Timeline View
The Kanban View
Automations
Airtable Automations lets users streamline their work processes and boost team efficiency by providing customization options for notifications and creating multi-step workflows. The feature is helpful in terms of tracking project timelines and helping eliminate manual, repetitive tasks. Additionally, it can also minimize the risk of user error.
Syncing
Airtable’s ability to synchronize data means users have a central repository of information that is updated in real-time across all users and departments. It’s a useful tool that promotes seamless collaboration and data integrations, allowing everyone to enjoy a comprehensive understanding of project status or workflows at the speed of need.
Reporting
To enhance your project’s reporting capabilities, Airtable’s powerful reporting tools and extensions let users create highly customized reports that visualize your data in a simple understandable way. You can choose from a variety of charts, graphs, and tables to ensure that information is presented in a way that is easy to understand.
Integrations
Airtable offers robust integration that lets you connect the platform to a wide range of software; ensuring that all the project management tools that you use operate seamlessly. Airtable’s integrations mean multiple applications can be streamlined to automatically sync data, share information between different platforms, and automate tasks so workflows can be further improved.
Templates
Airtable’s templates can be used to effectively organize every aspect of your project’s workflows. Their pre-designed databases can be used as a great starting point for your projects. Conveniently, Airtable templates are also organized into several categories and industries, which helps you save time and effort from creating a new one from scratch. As always, these pre-populated grids are highly customizable.
Airtable Pros and Cons
Pros
- Facilitates easy collaboration between teams with company-wide visibility of plans, calendars, and workflows.
- Both Google and non-Google users can take advantage of all the features and integrations to support workflow management and collaboration
- Highly customizable bases and effective reporting features
Cons
- The platform’s user interface can be complicated for beginners
- Requires a significant learning curve
Airtable Alternatives
A great way to decide whether Airtable is the right software for you is to compare it to other options in the workflow management space.
Eliminate the hassle of comparing options by choosing from your top choices below. With the ability to review features and relevant information in one place, you can utilize our comprehensive product reviews to gather the necessary data you need to make well-informed decisions.
ClickUp
An all-in-one project management application, Clickup is designed to be used across any industry. From solo users to larger organizations, Clickup focuses on task management to help teams streamline their workflow.
ClickUp offers numerous workflow features and data views, including a built-in Table View to ensure your team always has access to a condensed, actionable snapshot of your projects.
Notion
Designed for smaller teams or individuals, Notion is an all-in-one SaaS note-taking app and database for streamlined project management. Some features include:
- A web clipper so you can easily save images and sites
- A real-time messenger feature
- Allows for category and page hierarchy organization
Hive
With a focus on automation tools, Hive aims to simplify overly complicated work processes through email and task automation. Boasting a user-friendly dashboard, Hive aims to help teams of all sizes automate time-consuming work tasks to give time back to a project’s creation and growth.
A Final Findstack Opinion
Overall, Airtable is a highly comprehensive and customizable workflow management application.
Airtable’s app offers flexibility by allowing you to switch views and integrate reporting extensions, ensuring your data is suitable for various applications. Additionally, its extensive list of integrations enables you to consolidate all your preferred tools and their data in one convenient location.
It’s important to keep in mind, however, that these features are only useful for those willing to take the time to learn them. Airtable’s interface can be quite overwhelming for new users so our advice is to scale to higher subscription packages only after you’ve taken the time to learn the app’s features and familiarize yourself with them.
The interface is user-friendly and easy to start using.
The procedure of creating email automation is a bit challenging in the beginning.
Digital record makes information sharing easier. Also, prevent wrong info because of human writing.
The user interface is very flexible and intuitive.
I don't like not being able to create links across databases easily, it's usually a workaround.
It is helping us with keeping materials stock, engineering documentation, and system deployments.
AirTable does all of the things that I want a spreadsheet to do - allows me to easily input, rearrange, and export information. I especially like multi-select fields!
The only thing I would add is the ability to comment on cells and review comments, similar to what you might see on Google Sheets. This may be available in an add-on or extension, however!
AirTable is currently helping me organize the vendors for a Holiday Market, so I greatly appreciate the functionality to make a form view, group by various different cells, and attach pictures.
I love the clean interface, the well thought-out templates, and collaboration tools built-in. Everything is thought of and I just need to take advantage of it.
Probably just that I don't use all of the features.
AirTable solves organization for me, as well as having others contribute to tables as I see fit.I'm much more productive than with using other software I've tried for these tasks.
Regardless of what your team does, Airtable is flexible where it can adjust to your needs. The addition of extensions and automations make it an even stronger tool, but I recommend the free version to many teams inside and outside my organization.
The downsides are that you can't edit files that are attached and the gantt features are a bit weak, but these problems can be remedied with functions or external file systems.
I use Airtable for project management of multi-year projects. I track budgets, timelines, tasks, and needs, all while keeping everything visible to my large team.
Being web-based, it's available to all my staff on whatever device they are using. We love the barcode scanning capability to keep track of IT Assets and their serial numbers. API access also allows for automation through email triggers and services like Zapier.
I've noticed that the iOS app isn't able to use the full camera features - like macro mode - which would be really useful for scanning tiny barcodes from product boxes!
We use Airtable as our IT Asset register to track what assets we have, where they are and who is using them. Since multiple users can be editing the register at the same time, this allows us to be more productive.
There is no real learning curve. It's so simple to start using and even the tech challenged can jump right in and benefit from the functionality.
They are constantly adding new features (which is good), but it can be challenging to keep up and find time to learn the new features outside of the basic functionality.
I no longer have to write complicated code to tie worksheets together - Airtable does it automatically. I can track data, and all the linking relationships easily saving me a lot of time.
When I first started using Air Table, I was looking for an easy way to add images to the data I was collecting. I had been previously been using a spreadsheet program that didn't handle images well. I gave Air Table a shot and it's changed the way I work in so many ways! I can not only add images but also link data in different tables allowing me to see connections in a completely different way. I love that they have a free plan, but honestly once you start using it you'll find more and more uses.
One of the frustrations I have is when I share a table with someone it's way too easy to accidentally set them us as a creator and get charged for an extra using on the account. They should add a pop up that asks if you want to add a new user and that it will incur additional charges.
I use Air Table for many different purposes. It's great at handling images and document attachments. I also like that the app lets me use it on the go. I've actually used it at events, adding records, taking pics, and including notes. It works great!
I love that I can manage all my business into Airtable: projects. CRM, Accounting... I use a lot of automation and share multiple bases and interfaces with my team and clients. It makes my life easier.
I look forward to sharing the interfaces in view mode with a link.
Wasting of time and manual error
Flexibility and continuos update. Many views to accomplish everything.
Sometimes a bit slowly in loading pages with large databases.
Managing databases for different purposes. I create my CRM and project management tool.
The automation capability allows you to build tiny apps with minimal effort
It's still not quite as easy to open and edit as a Google Sheets is
Business automation of internal processes. It is easy to edit and update these as workflows change.
As someone who manages multiple blogs and support platforms, airtable allows me to keep all the information in one easy place
There are some technical features that I haven't yet worked out
Content and data management
Expandability and adaptability - Airtable can be adapted to whatever database needs you can think of to throw at it — it's so flexible.
Honestly, not a lot. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about Airtable.
I use Airtable for many things - as a CRM, as a record of my invoices, as a way of keeping tabs on projects and podcasts. So many things.
Tables, relations, automations helped us make a full CRM system for managing our business. The dashboards on top were a great addition that give us instant insights on our KPI’s. All with a user experience that is intuitive and just makes sense.
Performance sometimes gets degraded due to intensive memory usage through the browser. May be a specific application for airtable can help resolve that.
CRM tables and tools. And real time dashboards accessible from anywhere is really great.
Every user can create their own view and sort, group, and filter however they see fit. They can create as many views as they want to make their life easier and more organized.
It would be helpful if one could connect bases together. For instance, if I have a labor pool I'd put those people in one base. And in my other bases, I'd pull from that labor pool base and it would keep track of who is assigned where.
Keeps me organized, with an easy-to-use interface.
If you are someone with a creative mind, you'll love Airtable. It can follow almost every change and twist in your thought process - unlike most other project management tools that constrain you with their rigid interfaces and data structure.
I would love if Airtable allowed creating interfaces that I could share with individuals to only have access to their own set of data. Unfortunately, at the moment, it is not possible - giving (editable) access to a certain interface or set of data doesn't restrict them from accessing the rest of your data in the database. This is the biggest limitation of this software that prompts me to look for other solutions.
Perfect database and interface creation tool for Citizen Developers like myself. Like Excel on steroids - data sheets with awesome added functionality, very convenient and nice-looking.
The color coding, sorting, and ease. I can share with people.
Not much. I wish I could use my credits throughout all my databases.
I track everything in airtable, even my tax stuff.
Airtable is a rare tool where its flexibility is matched by reliability. There are so many different ways to use Airtable, and each is incredibly effective. I use Airtable for any project I can to track progress, catalog content, and so much more.
To be honest, any small issues I've had with Airtable have been resolved in recent updates. I used to be weary about share functionality and users accidentally being added to a paid plan, but Airtable now allows admins to lock this permission. Additionally I was disappointed with the inability to share interfaces with non-users, but that is much easier now as well.
Airtable provides my team with a home base. Unlike navigating a complex organization of Drive folders, Airtable bases and tables allow data, content, and tasks to live in one central area.
I love the ease and potential for customization! As a small business, I need to track data and the large software companies and expensive. With Airtable I'm able to accomplish the same tasks and keep it within my budget. Highly recommend!
There is so much that airtable is capable of doing that it can be overwhelming. I also have not invested the time to learn about the potential, though. Luckily I had a customer who referred me and was able to offer assistance. Though overall I haven't had much to dislike. I need to use it more and more to keep learning.
Airtable is solving my issue of finished goods and lot number tracking. Now I konw exactly where my orders and coming in from and the exact lot numbers I've shipped out. It's helped my business record keeping immensly!
Being able to personalize views, lock fields and design dashboards.
They are rolling updates out so fast that it has effected our architecture. Using the current product vs. what existed 18 months ago, I would've built my base differently.
Collaboration, gathering information from team members, sharing and communicating information, reducing manual processes, increased use of automations.
