Airtable and Notion are two game-changing tools for entrepreneurs, project managers and creators looking to implement databases cheaply and effectively. Prior to Airtable's release in 2015, databases were the exclusive domain of programmers and 'sysadmins' who could afford solutions like Oracle or SQL servers. Starting from the Airtable home screen, select the option to 'Add a base', then 'Import data', choose 'Microsoft Excel', and finally select 'Choose an Excel file'. Now you can select a file from your local device or other attachment sources. Airtable content on DEV.
If you spend a good amount of time on the computer, you probably interact with databases several times a day—if not several times per hour. Databases power everything from banking software to scientific research to government records, as well as the websites you use every day, like Amazon, YouTube, Netflix, and Wikipedia. In fact, if you found this page through an Internet search engine, your search was powered by a (very, very large) database. But databases aren't just for massive websites that serve millions of users per day—they can also be used by small businesses, or by a small group of people.
The reason why databases are so common, for use cases big and small, is because they make accessing information using a computer much, much easier. If you work with information on a daily basis—and most of us do!—it's worth understanding what databases are. And once you understand what databases are, you might even want to build your own databases, which will work just the way you need them to.
What is a database?
To really explain why databases are important, it's important to first define what a database actually is:
A database is a logically organized collection of information, designed in such a way that the information within can be accessed for later use by a computer program.
Here's another way to think about databases: a computer is a device that allows you to manipulate information, whether that information takes the form of words, numbers, pictures, or videos. However, a computer needs to store the information before that information can be referenced or changed, and it also needs to ensure that you can find the right information at the right time. Databases are how computers solve these two problems.
By definition, the data within a database needs to be arranged according to a consistent, logical set of underlying principles. The term data model describes the logical structure of a database, which determines the rules for how the information within can be organized and manipulated. There are many different types of databases, which are usually classified according to their underlying data models. For example, the most popular data model, the relational data model, organizes information into related two-dimensional tables, whereas the graph data model organizes information into nodes (points) and edges (the lines connecting those points).
Different data models have different benefits and drawbacks depending on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're trying to create a database with a high degree of data integrity that can scale flexibly, a relational database will likely work best; if you need a database that can handle massive quantities of data, a graph database could be a good option.
The implementation of a data model in a particular database is called a database schema. You can think of a schema as a blueprint for a specific database, describing details about how you want the database to be implemented—like required data types or other constraints. The schema of a database is what distinguishes it from a list or a spreadsheet: with a schema, you can rest assured that the data inside your database will be organized according to a certain set of rules, because it must be.
No matter how your database is organized, you still need some way to interact with the database in order to perform your desired actions. A database management system (commonly abbreviated to DBMS) is the software that makes it possible for end users to create, modify, and manage databases, as well as define, store, manipulate, and retrieve the data inside those databases. Some examples of database management systems include MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle, FileMaker, and Airtable. As with data models, the right DBMS for you will depend on your goals, technical capabilities, and available resources.
What are the benefits of a database?
Even knowing what databases are, and knowing what crucial services rely on databases, you still may be wondering: 'Why bother with a database?' What makes a database better than a list of information? When is a database more useful than a spreadsheet? Different kinds of databases offer different benefits, but there are shared features of all databases that make them incredibly valuable for managing data:
Databases are scalable
Database systems are capable of storing and handling truly massive quantities of information, which is why websites like Google that have to deal with terabytes (and even petabytes) of data every day need databases in order to function.
You might not be dealing with terabytes of data on a day-to-day basis—yet!—but the fact that databases are capable of handling large amounts of data means that a well-designed database can last you for many years as you accumulate more data over time. Your business is only going to grow, and investing in a database that can grow with you will save you from future headaches.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: scalability
Imagine that you're running an online clothing brand, and you want to keep records of every order that gets made, from request to fulfillment. If you have a small-scale operation and you're only fulfilling one or two orders every day, it might seem simple enough to start by keeping track of order information in a spreadsheet.
However, if the volume of orders increases—maybe your brand gets more popular, you start offering more types of clothes, you have to bring more people on staff, or you open physical store locations—the sheer quantity of information will start to strain your spreadsheet, and you might experience sluggishness or even freezing. Performance issues in your spreadsheet will only compound over time if your business keeps thriving for multiple years. In contrast, databases have far greater storage capacity and are designed to work long-term.
You could try and address the problem by storing your order information in multiple spreadsheets—but this makes it harder to find the information that you need, and creates issues with data redundancy.
Databases can handle multiple users
Databases become an even more powerful tool when you need to collaborate with other people: unlike spreadsheets or lists, databases are designed from the ground up to support multiple people working together and taking action on a shared set of information. Database management systems also have built-in mechanisms to ensure that data stays consistent even if multiple people are accessing the same data—so you won't have situations where one person tries to make a change that conflicts with a different change that someone else tried to make at the same time.
Furthermore, most database management systems also give you options to control who can access what information, as well as who can change what information.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: handling multiple users
Returning to our clothing brand example—as your company grows, you find that you need to bring more staff on to scale up production. If you're managing your business on traditional spreadsheets, only one person can access and make changes to a file at any given time, making it hard for all employees to stay on the same page. The situation gets even worse if different employees work from different versions of the same spreadsheet, which become increasingly dissimilar over time.
Newer cloud-based spreadsheet programs can avoid some of the issues related to versioning and conflicting changes, but they also usually lack the granular access controls that most database management systems offer.
Databases are reliable
Errors in your data can be extremely costly, and in worst-case scenarios can even make your data useless. Fortunately, the fact that databases have a defined structure, as well as access controls, make it much easier to prevent human error.
Databases also have built-in mechanisms to safeguard against data loss, and to restore data if you need to roll back changes.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: reliability
Since a spreadsheet has no schema in the way that a database does, there are fewer rules regarding where and how users can input data—which means that, over time, human errors are likely to accumulate in your spreadsheet, especially if you have many humans trying to use the same spreadsheet. It's very easy to accidentally mistype a product code, or type the right information but into the wrong cell.
No matter how good you might be at your job, mistakes can and do happen. Fortunately, with a database, any new data or changes to existing data have to abide by certain rules, so you can prevent mistakes from happening in the first place.
Databases avoid redundancy
The purpose of a database is to make information easily accessible for later use. One way in which a well-designed database can make this happen is by ensuring that each piece of data only exists in one location at a time. If you wanted to find out the answer to a specific question, such as 'What is this person's phone number?' or 'What is the retail cost associated with this particular product code?' wouldn't it save you time if you knew that you only had to look in one place to find a definitive answer?
This becomes even more critical if your workflow is one in which you need to update data on a regular basis. With a database, you can update information in one place and rest assured that any other places in which that data is referenced will be automatically updated as well—rather than scouring your files manually to try and find instances of the old, outdated data.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: redundancy
Suppose that every order you put into our online store's spreadsheet of orders also has the customer's contact information associated with it. What if you wanted to mail all your VIP customers special swag?
One way that you could try and do this is by making a separate spreadsheet devoted specifically to collecting customer contact information. If you do this, however, you'll have the same customer contact information living in multiple places. If a customer changes their shipping address, that means you'll need to manually update that information in multiple places—leaving your business open to potential errors if you forget to do this manual work, or if you accidentally copy and paste the wrong information. You might even end up sending an order to the wrong location! Redundancy costs you valuable time by creating unnecessary busywork, but perhaps more importantly, it also leaves you vulnerable to mistakes.
Databases are powerful
Since databases are designed to make it easy to retrieve data, they also make it possible to process that data in powerful and interesting ways. Essentially, you can ask—or 'query'—your database in order to try and answer specific questions, like 'How much of this kind of product was sold in this specific timeframe?' or 'How does paid search advertising compare to partner referrals when it comes to acquiring new customers?'
When you query a database to try and answer a specific question, you can store the results of that query as a view, which, in the database world, is a defined subset of the database you can reference later. By narrowing the scope of available information, views help people who are working with the database to more easily find the relevant data that they need in order to accomplish their work. Additionally, most databases allow you to control access to these views with granular permissions, which means you can ensure that only the right people can see your data.
Historically, many databases have required that you learn specific kinds of computer languages in order to query your database. For example, one of the most widely known languages is SQL (an acronym for 'Structured Query Language'), which is used for many relational database management systems. However, these days, there are several database systems—including Airtable—that come with more intuitive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) built in, allowing even the least experienced beginners to start using databases effectively right away.
At their core, the purpose of databases is to make working with information easier. Most people spend their work (and lives) in situations where managing information effectively is of the utmost importance. A cattle rancher, for example, needs to be able to manage information related to their herd, like each cow's weight and vaccination history. The head of editorial at a major media company needs to be able to see and manage all the assets coming through their video production pipeline. A band needs to be able to plan out their touring schedule. A wedding planner needs to be able to juggle timelines and price points from multiple vendors.
Although you probably interact with databases every day, the idea of knowing how to make and use databases of your own might still seem pretty daunting. The good news is that you don't actually need to have any prior experience with computer programming in order to understand the basics of databases and start reaping their benefits.
If you're interested in seeing hundreds of examples of how people use databases for everything from marketing and video production, to nonprofit management and product planning, to UX research and sales, check out Airtable's extensive gallery of free database templates.
Airtable is an awesome database tool. And I bet you also find it easy-to-use and convenient. Who doesn't love Airtable? But a few features are missing for some use cases. Let's review the use cases it works well for and explore Airtable alternatives for when it doesn't fulfill your needs.
What is Airtable?
- Short and simple answer: Airtable is a database-spreadsheet hybrid.
- Detailed answer: Airtable is a lightweight cloud-based relational database with a spreadsheet interface.
How To Use Airtable?
People adopt Airtable for different use cases. Depending on whether you intend to store, to view or to analyze your data, it might or might not be the best tool for you. In that case, you could use one of the alternatives I'll share with you.
Airtable database
Let's review four main use cases you might have when considering Airtable. You could think of it to:
- Google Sheets if you want to collaborate on the data and avoid keeping track of document versions through email back and forth.
- Excel if you're serious about getting to know your data. If you're a spreadsheet pro and like to dig in the data to help you get your head into the numbers or build dashboards.
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- SQL Server
- SQLite
- Either you know how to write SQL queries or you're not afraid to learn.
- Or you can use BaseDash to edit your database through a spreadsheet interface.
Some people say there's a steep learning curve using Airtable. I don't agree. It depends on one thing: whether you understand what a relational data model is. And maybe what field types are. Everyone knows how to use a spreadsheet, right? So if you get how a relational database works, you'll get onboard in no time. No learning curve. Much easier than having to use SQL scripts with a classic database. And if you don't, then it will depend on your ability to grasp new concepts quickly.
Con
If you need to analyze your data and make calculations on top of your data, Airtable will probably be too weak though. You can still export your data to Google Sheets or Excel. The only problem is about linked record fields and multiples results for one unique identifier. They aren't well handled in those spreadsheets. The beauty of the relational database is lost. If you want to understand why, you can read our explanation in the article Move Airtable Data to Google Sheets.
Bottom line: I believe Airtable is one of the most convenient ways to store your data as an early startup or when starting any project.
Airtable As A Database
You can use Airtable for project management 😃
Pro
Airtable is both powerful and flexible when it comes to managing all the information you generate from your most diverse projects. For instance, our team has used it to track bugs reported by our users, to manage our hiring funnel, to store our leads and to create a lightweight CRM. It's convenient to manage it all in the same place. In each of your use cases, you can represent the reality of your project with custom tables. Because we can define fields in a way that makes sense for your specific needs. And as in any project management tool, you can attribute assignees, priorities, dates, comments, notifications and deadlines to your tasks. When collaborating on a project, I also find it useful to be able to create different ways of looking at the information. They call it a 'view'. You can even enable locked views to prevent collaborators from altering your view's configuration.
Con
If you want to understand your data in depth, you'll need to export your Airtable data into another tool to analyze it. Airtable combines the features of a database with the convenience of a spreadsheet interface. But it's weak to explore your data and build dashboards. You can't dig in the data to help you get your head into the numbers and build dashboards. If you need to try and test different things or run small scale analyses, you might want to have a look at the solutions presented in this article to Move Airtable Data to Google Sheets.
Bottom line: I think that Airtable might be the most flexible solution for project management. Keep in mind that you'll need another tool if you need to analyze your data.
You can use Airtable to manage your project roadmap 😐
Pro
You can choose between several views to see the same content from different perspectives: grid, calendar, kanban, gallery or form. So that you can work on the same data with your teammates, each one with his/her own work style. You can also get inspiration from templates as a starting point for building your own custom table.
Con
Airtable isn't convenient to collaborate on documents. You might end up using additional tools to complete this missing part, ending up creating some friction in the process. You'll prefer to use Airtable to share views rather than work with other people on the data. Choose a project management tool with a great UI, you'll save yourself some useless pain.
Bottom line: I recommend Airtable if you want to let others view your data but not if you want to collaborate on it as with a project management tool.
You can use Airtable to analyze your data and make calculations 🥴
Pro
Airtable is a database masquerading as a spreadsheet. So part of its magic lies in the linked record fields and multiples results for one unique identifier. Beware if you try to export Airtable to Google Sheets since these specificities get lost in translation. Airtable also knows how to characterize data properly and I specifically appreciate the rich field types. They include texts, attachments, checkboxes, photos, barcodes and long notes to name a few.
Con
Airtable is disappointing if you intend to use it as a spreadsheet, with advanced formulas. I find it weak to explore my data and build dashboards. They have that concept of 'blocks' with the premium plan that are kinda like internal mini-apps. But they're nowhere as powerful as a proper spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets, they definitely can't compete there.
Bottom line: I'd suggest you avoid Airtable if you want to dig deep into your data. It only works for the most basic analysis needs.
Airtable Alternatives
It makes sense to consider alternatives depending on your own use case. I'll share interesting alternatives you might want to consider, depending on your use case for Airtable.
If you use Airtable to store your data
If you need a lightweight option to keep a small amount of data neatly
Airtable For Desktop
If you're looking for a proper relational database
SQL is your friend:
Then, they're two options to access your SQL data:
If you use Airtable for project management
If you have basic tables you want to combine with your knowledge base
Airtable Windows App
Notion also has database tables similar to Airtable so you might like it for that. Not as complex as Airtable though. But if your needs are basic, it's great to be able to combine notes, wikis, and tables into the same app.
If you want to replace all your apps with just one
ClickUp features help solve some of the collaboration issues lacking in Airtable's functionality. And the UI customization is quite extreme. But I find that some basic functions of project management need some improvement in terms of flow.
If you're looking for a combination of tables and documents
Coda combines database tables with text, charts, buttons, automations, and integrations in a document surface. What I personally like about Coda is that your doc can start small (e.g. a bulleted list). No need to think ahead a final architecture. You can build it organically.
If you use Airtable to manage your project roadmap
If you're into a slick design and UX to manage your project roadmap
Asana's design is great. Which is also a strong asset of Airtable so you might appreciate it. Great UX and beautiful at the same time. Since it's a tool built for project management, it has all the features you'll expect. No need for work arounds and hacks.
If you want bare project management
Trello is made for project management specifically so you'll find what you need there. I'm not a big fan of the design but that's totally personal. You should have a look for yourself.
If you use Airtable to analyze your data seriously
If you need to collaborate
Download Airtable
Google Sheets is the go-to spreadsheet when collaborating with other people on data with complex calculations. Lots of add-ons allow you to connect your spreadsheet with external apps. Depending on who built it, they can be more or less well executed though.
If you need flexibility and the power of complex formulas
Databases are scalable
Database systems are capable of storing and handling truly massive quantities of information, which is why websites like Google that have to deal with terabytes (and even petabytes) of data every day need databases in order to function.
You might not be dealing with terabytes of data on a day-to-day basis—yet!—but the fact that databases are capable of handling large amounts of data means that a well-designed database can last you for many years as you accumulate more data over time. Your business is only going to grow, and investing in a database that can grow with you will save you from future headaches.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: scalability
Imagine that you're running an online clothing brand, and you want to keep records of every order that gets made, from request to fulfillment. If you have a small-scale operation and you're only fulfilling one or two orders every day, it might seem simple enough to start by keeping track of order information in a spreadsheet.
However, if the volume of orders increases—maybe your brand gets more popular, you start offering more types of clothes, you have to bring more people on staff, or you open physical store locations—the sheer quantity of information will start to strain your spreadsheet, and you might experience sluggishness or even freezing. Performance issues in your spreadsheet will only compound over time if your business keeps thriving for multiple years. In contrast, databases have far greater storage capacity and are designed to work long-term.
You could try and address the problem by storing your order information in multiple spreadsheets—but this makes it harder to find the information that you need, and creates issues with data redundancy.
Databases can handle multiple users
Databases become an even more powerful tool when you need to collaborate with other people: unlike spreadsheets or lists, databases are designed from the ground up to support multiple people working together and taking action on a shared set of information. Database management systems also have built-in mechanisms to ensure that data stays consistent even if multiple people are accessing the same data—so you won't have situations where one person tries to make a change that conflicts with a different change that someone else tried to make at the same time.
Furthermore, most database management systems also give you options to control who can access what information, as well as who can change what information.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: handling multiple users
Returning to our clothing brand example—as your company grows, you find that you need to bring more staff on to scale up production. If you're managing your business on traditional spreadsheets, only one person can access and make changes to a file at any given time, making it hard for all employees to stay on the same page. The situation gets even worse if different employees work from different versions of the same spreadsheet, which become increasingly dissimilar over time.
Newer cloud-based spreadsheet programs can avoid some of the issues related to versioning and conflicting changes, but they also usually lack the granular access controls that most database management systems offer.
Databases are reliable
Errors in your data can be extremely costly, and in worst-case scenarios can even make your data useless. Fortunately, the fact that databases have a defined structure, as well as access controls, make it much easier to prevent human error.
Databases also have built-in mechanisms to safeguard against data loss, and to restore data if you need to roll back changes.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: reliability
Since a spreadsheet has no schema in the way that a database does, there are fewer rules regarding where and how users can input data—which means that, over time, human errors are likely to accumulate in your spreadsheet, especially if you have many humans trying to use the same spreadsheet. It's very easy to accidentally mistype a product code, or type the right information but into the wrong cell.
No matter how good you might be at your job, mistakes can and do happen. Fortunately, with a database, any new data or changes to existing data have to abide by certain rules, so you can prevent mistakes from happening in the first place.
Databases avoid redundancy
The purpose of a database is to make information easily accessible for later use. One way in which a well-designed database can make this happen is by ensuring that each piece of data only exists in one location at a time. If you wanted to find out the answer to a specific question, such as 'What is this person's phone number?' or 'What is the retail cost associated with this particular product code?' wouldn't it save you time if you knew that you only had to look in one place to find a definitive answer?
This becomes even more critical if your workflow is one in which you need to update data on a regular basis. With a database, you can update information in one place and rest assured that any other places in which that data is referenced will be automatically updated as well—rather than scouring your files manually to try and find instances of the old, outdated data.
Databases vs. spreadsheets: redundancy
Suppose that every order you put into our online store's spreadsheet of orders also has the customer's contact information associated with it. What if you wanted to mail all your VIP customers special swag?
One way that you could try and do this is by making a separate spreadsheet devoted specifically to collecting customer contact information. If you do this, however, you'll have the same customer contact information living in multiple places. If a customer changes their shipping address, that means you'll need to manually update that information in multiple places—leaving your business open to potential errors if you forget to do this manual work, or if you accidentally copy and paste the wrong information. You might even end up sending an order to the wrong location! Redundancy costs you valuable time by creating unnecessary busywork, but perhaps more importantly, it also leaves you vulnerable to mistakes.
Databases are powerful
Since databases are designed to make it easy to retrieve data, they also make it possible to process that data in powerful and interesting ways. Essentially, you can ask—or 'query'—your database in order to try and answer specific questions, like 'How much of this kind of product was sold in this specific timeframe?' or 'How does paid search advertising compare to partner referrals when it comes to acquiring new customers?'
When you query a database to try and answer a specific question, you can store the results of that query as a view, which, in the database world, is a defined subset of the database you can reference later. By narrowing the scope of available information, views help people who are working with the database to more easily find the relevant data that they need in order to accomplish their work. Additionally, most databases allow you to control access to these views with granular permissions, which means you can ensure that only the right people can see your data.
Historically, many databases have required that you learn specific kinds of computer languages in order to query your database. For example, one of the most widely known languages is SQL (an acronym for 'Structured Query Language'), which is used for many relational database management systems. However, these days, there are several database systems—including Airtable—that come with more intuitive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) built in, allowing even the least experienced beginners to start using databases effectively right away.
At their core, the purpose of databases is to make working with information easier. Most people spend their work (and lives) in situations where managing information effectively is of the utmost importance. A cattle rancher, for example, needs to be able to manage information related to their herd, like each cow's weight and vaccination history. The head of editorial at a major media company needs to be able to see and manage all the assets coming through their video production pipeline. A band needs to be able to plan out their touring schedule. A wedding planner needs to be able to juggle timelines and price points from multiple vendors.
Although you probably interact with databases every day, the idea of knowing how to make and use databases of your own might still seem pretty daunting. The good news is that you don't actually need to have any prior experience with computer programming in order to understand the basics of databases and start reaping their benefits.
If you're interested in seeing hundreds of examples of how people use databases for everything from marketing and video production, to nonprofit management and product planning, to UX research and sales, check out Airtable's extensive gallery of free database templates.
Airtable is an awesome database tool. And I bet you also find it easy-to-use and convenient. Who doesn't love Airtable? But a few features are missing for some use cases. Let's review the use cases it works well for and explore Airtable alternatives for when it doesn't fulfill your needs.
What is Airtable?
- Short and simple answer: Airtable is a database-spreadsheet hybrid.
- Detailed answer: Airtable is a lightweight cloud-based relational database with a spreadsheet interface.
How To Use Airtable?
People adopt Airtable for different use cases. Depending on whether you intend to store, to view or to analyze your data, it might or might not be the best tool for you. In that case, you could use one of the alternatives I'll share with you.
Airtable database
Let's review four main use cases you might have when considering Airtable. You could think of it to:
- Google Sheets if you want to collaborate on the data and avoid keeping track of document versions through email back and forth.
- Excel if you're serious about getting to know your data. If you're a spreadsheet pro and like to dig in the data to help you get your head into the numbers or build dashboards.
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- SQL Server
- SQLite
- Either you know how to write SQL queries or you're not afraid to learn.
- Or you can use BaseDash to edit your database through a spreadsheet interface.
Some people say there's a steep learning curve using Airtable. I don't agree. It depends on one thing: whether you understand what a relational data model is. And maybe what field types are. Everyone knows how to use a spreadsheet, right? So if you get how a relational database works, you'll get onboard in no time. No learning curve. Much easier than having to use SQL scripts with a classic database. And if you don't, then it will depend on your ability to grasp new concepts quickly.
Con
If you need to analyze your data and make calculations on top of your data, Airtable will probably be too weak though. You can still export your data to Google Sheets or Excel. The only problem is about linked record fields and multiples results for one unique identifier. They aren't well handled in those spreadsheets. The beauty of the relational database is lost. If you want to understand why, you can read our explanation in the article Move Airtable Data to Google Sheets.
Bottom line: I believe Airtable is one of the most convenient ways to store your data as an early startup or when starting any project.
Airtable As A Database
You can use Airtable for project management 😃
Pro
Airtable is both powerful and flexible when it comes to managing all the information you generate from your most diverse projects. For instance, our team has used it to track bugs reported by our users, to manage our hiring funnel, to store our leads and to create a lightweight CRM. It's convenient to manage it all in the same place. In each of your use cases, you can represent the reality of your project with custom tables. Because we can define fields in a way that makes sense for your specific needs. And as in any project management tool, you can attribute assignees, priorities, dates, comments, notifications and deadlines to your tasks. When collaborating on a project, I also find it useful to be able to create different ways of looking at the information. They call it a 'view'. You can even enable locked views to prevent collaborators from altering your view's configuration.
Con
If you want to understand your data in depth, you'll need to export your Airtable data into another tool to analyze it. Airtable combines the features of a database with the convenience of a spreadsheet interface. But it's weak to explore your data and build dashboards. You can't dig in the data to help you get your head into the numbers and build dashboards. If you need to try and test different things or run small scale analyses, you might want to have a look at the solutions presented in this article to Move Airtable Data to Google Sheets.
Bottom line: I think that Airtable might be the most flexible solution for project management. Keep in mind that you'll need another tool if you need to analyze your data.
You can use Airtable to manage your project roadmap 😐
Pro
You can choose between several views to see the same content from different perspectives: grid, calendar, kanban, gallery or form. So that you can work on the same data with your teammates, each one with his/her own work style. You can also get inspiration from templates as a starting point for building your own custom table.
Con
Airtable isn't convenient to collaborate on documents. You might end up using additional tools to complete this missing part, ending up creating some friction in the process. You'll prefer to use Airtable to share views rather than work with other people on the data. Choose a project management tool with a great UI, you'll save yourself some useless pain.
Bottom line: I recommend Airtable if you want to let others view your data but not if you want to collaborate on it as with a project management tool.
You can use Airtable to analyze your data and make calculations 🥴
Pro
Airtable is a database masquerading as a spreadsheet. So part of its magic lies in the linked record fields and multiples results for one unique identifier. Beware if you try to export Airtable to Google Sheets since these specificities get lost in translation. Airtable also knows how to characterize data properly and I specifically appreciate the rich field types. They include texts, attachments, checkboxes, photos, barcodes and long notes to name a few.
Con
Airtable is disappointing if you intend to use it as a spreadsheet, with advanced formulas. I find it weak to explore my data and build dashboards. They have that concept of 'blocks' with the premium plan that are kinda like internal mini-apps. But they're nowhere as powerful as a proper spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets, they definitely can't compete there.
Bottom line: I'd suggest you avoid Airtable if you want to dig deep into your data. It only works for the most basic analysis needs.
Airtable Alternatives
It makes sense to consider alternatives depending on your own use case. I'll share interesting alternatives you might want to consider, depending on your use case for Airtable.
If you use Airtable to store your data
If you need a lightweight option to keep a small amount of data neatly
Airtable For Desktop
If you're looking for a proper relational database
SQL is your friend:
Then, they're two options to access your SQL data:
If you use Airtable for project management
If you have basic tables you want to combine with your knowledge base
Airtable Windows App
Notion also has database tables similar to Airtable so you might like it for that. Not as complex as Airtable though. But if your needs are basic, it's great to be able to combine notes, wikis, and tables into the same app.
If you want to replace all your apps with just one
ClickUp features help solve some of the collaboration issues lacking in Airtable's functionality. And the UI customization is quite extreme. But I find that some basic functions of project management need some improvement in terms of flow.
If you're looking for a combination of tables and documents
Coda combines database tables with text, charts, buttons, automations, and integrations in a document surface. What I personally like about Coda is that your doc can start small (e.g. a bulleted list). No need to think ahead a final architecture. You can build it organically.
If you use Airtable to manage your project roadmap
If you're into a slick design and UX to manage your project roadmap
Asana's design is great. Which is also a strong asset of Airtable so you might appreciate it. Great UX and beautiful at the same time. Since it's a tool built for project management, it has all the features you'll expect. No need for work arounds and hacks.
If you want bare project management
Trello is made for project management specifically so you'll find what you need there. I'm not a big fan of the design but that's totally personal. You should have a look for yourself.
If you use Airtable to analyze your data seriously
If you need to collaborate
Download Airtable
Google Sheets is the go-to spreadsheet when collaborating with other people on data with complex calculations. Lots of add-ons allow you to connect your spreadsheet with external apps. Depending on who built it, they can be more or less well executed though.
If you need flexibility and the power of complex formulas
Excel is an awesome spreadsheet if you need to know your data inside out, try and test different things, and run some small scale analysis. But you should consider it only if you work by yourself or don't need frequent versioning of your table.
If you're looking for the power of a BI tool with the flexibility of a spreadsheet
Actiondesk is your best option if you need to access, explore and transform your data. You get all your live data in one place. As easy and flexible as a spreadsheet. As powerful as a BI tool. It's a full fledged spreadsheet software. And it's natively connected to external apps like Airtable, Stripe, Hubspot, SQL, etc. So you get live access to your data inside the spreadsheet. There's no need for an add-on. You can explore your data, combine it from different sources, and build dashboards. The best part is that the data is automatically refreshed. So your dashboards always show live data. No need to update them. See examples of how you can access any data from your Airtable bases and analyze it using a spreadsheet interface.
If you like to be different from the crowd
We all use Google Sheets or Excel by default. It turns out there are many other spreadsheet softwares that can be great depending on our needs and use cases. I reviewed the 26 most popular spreadsheets in this article if you wanna check Apple Numbers, Quip, Smartsheet, dashdash and plenty other solutions: Best Spreadsheet Software: #1 Pick for 2020.
Summary of Best Alternatives to Airtable
So, all in all, I think Airtable is great to store data and for project management. But not as much if you need to collaborate on your project roadmap. And I recommend avoiding it if you need to analyze your data with complex calculations. As a light database alternative, you can use Google Sheets or Excel. And go for SQL for a proper relational database. As for project management, you can go for Notion, ClickUp or Coda. And for your project roadmap, rather look at Asana or Trello. And to analyze your data seriously, choose either Google Sheets, Excel or Actiondesk.
