Choosing the right tool for managing data, projects, or workflows often leads to a comparison between Google Sheets and Airtable. While both offer spreadsheet-style interfaces, real-time collaboration, and customization, their underlying functionalities differ significantly. Google Sheets serves as a traditional spreadsheet, while Airtable is a hybrid, combining database and spreadsheet features for advanced data organization and visualization.
The core distinction lies in their adaptability: Google Sheets excels in traditional spreadsheet tasks, while Airtable molds to fit specific workflows. This makes Airtable a strong contender for businesses requiring structured project management, while Google Sheets remains a popular choice for users who need a straightforward and accessible spreadsheet.
This guide provides a detailed comparison of Airtable and Google Sheets, examining aspects like design, integrations, and pricing to help determine the best tool for individual needs.
Airtable and Google Sheets: A Quick Comparison
Comparing Google Sheets and Airtable side-by-side can be beneficial in deciding which one suits you best. The table below offers a direct comparison.
| Criteria | Airtable | Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Visuals and Design | Colorful, dynamic, supports multiple data and dashboard views. | Clean, simple, and straightforward. |
| Use Cases | Customer relationship management, project management, product management, e-commerce and inventory management, sales, marketing. | Data storage, management, and visualization, common spreadsheet applications such as budgeting and inventory management. |
| Collaborative Features | Commenting, advanced data fields, personal views, mobile apps (iOS and Android). | Commenting, live editing, change tracking, limited offline usage, seamless integration with other Google apps. |
| No-Code | Yes | Yes |
| Ease of Use and Complexity | Relatively easy to learn, but mastering it can be more challenging. | Relatively easy to use, easier than Microsoft Excel, abundant tutorials and courses available. |
| Integrations | Extensive built-in integrations with apps like Slack, Typeform, Asana, and Trello, robust API for third-party app development, AI add-on available. | Many apps available in the marketplace, third-party integrations available, integration with Gemini AI for task automation. |
| Price | Free tier available, Team plan at $20 per seat per month (billed annually) or $24 (monthly), Business plan at $45 per seat per month (billed annually) or $54 (monthly), Enterprise pricing available. | Free, with additional Google features available through a Google Workspace subscription. |
Airtable versus Google Sheets: A Detailed Comparison
What is Google Sheets?
Rating: 4.7/5
Google Sheets is a widely used, web-based alternative to Microsoft Excel. Launched in 2006, it aims to provide an accessible online spreadsheet tool. Google Sheets enables users to create and manipulate spreadsheets directly within a browser or mobile device, without requiring any special software.
Google Sheets offers various integrations, both native and through third-party services like Zapier, facilitating connections with numerous other applications. Competing tools include Airtable, Smartsheet, and Microsoft Excel.
Pros and Cons of Google Sheets
The following pros and cons may help in deciding whether to use Google Sheets.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 100% free, with additional features (like more Google Drive storage) available with a Google Workspace subscription. | Limited compared to dedicated apps. |
| Handles spreadsheets easily. | Limited scalability and functionality. |
| Can do most of what Microsoft Excel can do. | Limited charts and tables. |
| Offers formulas and formatting. | Conditional formatting can be clunky. |
| Third-party apps and integrations are available for additional functionality. | Can be buggy. |
| Offers collaborative features. | May slow down or lag at times. |
| Seamlessly integrates with other Google apps. | Gemini AI still not perfect. |
| Gemini AI is now available. |
What is Airtable?
Rating: 4.7/5
Airtable, founded in 2012 and publicly launched in 2015, presents a visually enhanced version of a spreadsheet application. While it features rows and columns similar to spreadsheets, the similarities end there.
Airtable differs from traditional spreadsheets in the following ways:
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It allows explicit column type setting for inputs like plain text, dates, single selects, and attachments.
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As a spreadsheet and database hybrid, it enables linking records across different spreadsheets (referred to as “tables”).
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Linked records facilitate establishing connections between different datasets.
Airtable’s competitors include Rows, Google Sheets, and Coda.
Pros and Cons of Airtable
Consider the following pros and cons when evaluating Airtable.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Has a limited free tier. | The free tier is more limited than Google Sheets. |
| The database-spreadsheet hybrid provides more functionality. | Automation can be slightly clunky. |
| Versatile and flexible for various use cases. | Graphs and charts could be more configurable. |
| Includes collaborative tools. | Can be expensive for small businesses. |
| Allows organized and aesthetic data visualization. | Could use more training or certifications. |
| Create multiple views of the same data. | |
| Connect multiple tables. | |
| Change dashboard view according to preference. | |
| AI add-on available for summaries, translation, etc. |
Visuals and Design
Airtable’s interface appears more engaging, featuring colorful, intuitive, and dynamic elements. Customization is possible depending on preferences. Airtable allows users to switch between grids, galleries, calendars, timelines, forms, Kanban, and Gantt charts for dashboard displays.
Google Sheets features a simple, straightforward interface, typical of Google products. While not visually exciting, it provides a clean and user-friendly experience.
Use Cases
Google Sheets is valuable in various scenarios, including data management, visualization, and analysis. It is useful for data storage, with formulas enabling users to perform budgeting, inventory management, and other tasks. Skilled users can create mini-applications within Sheets, where data input triggers functions and formulas to produce results.
Airtable is versatile due to its database-spreadsheet hybrid nature, accommodating large datasets and enabling users to manipulate and display data in multiple ways, along with connecting datasets and tables. With integrations and third-party apps, its functionality expands to customer relationship management (CRM), project management, inventory management, e-commerce, product management, marketing, sales, and more.
Collaborative Features
Both Airtable and Google Sheets offer collaboration features, facilitated by their cloud-based and web-based nature, which allows real-time updates. Teams can collaborate regardless of location.
Airtable includes commenting, personal views, advanced data fields, and audit trail access for tracking changes. It functions solely online, and also offers the ability to communicate via app.
Google Sheets provides similar features and offers limited offline capabilities, syncing changes once reconnected to the internet.
No-Code
Both Google Sheets and Airtable are no-code platforms, suitable for users without coding experience.
Ease of Use and Complexity
Google Sheets is more user-friendly than Microsoft Excel, especially for spreadsheet novices. It’s easy to find free tutorials and paid courses online to learn its interface and formulas.
Airtable is user-friendly enough for most users to get started without difficulty, but it can be challenging to master. Some users may find it difficult to fully grasp its functionality without hands-on experience. The free tier is recommended for those unsure about using Airtable.
Integrations
Airtable has more built-in integrations with tools like Trello, Mailchimp, Asana, Slack, and Typeform. Using Zapier, users can integrate Airtable with over a thousand other applications.
Airtable also offers a robust API, enabling third-party apps and tools to further expand its functionality. Tools like Softr allow users to transform basic databases into web apps.
Google Sheets has fewer integrations but offers third-party apps and built-in integrations with tools like Typeform and Slack.
Price
Google Sheets is free to use on the web and mobile. Additional Google Drive storage and access to more Google Apps are available through a Google Workspace subscription, with plans starting at $6 per user per month.
Airtable offers a limited free tier. Subscriptions provide access to more features and functions. Two tiers are available between the free plan and enterprise: Plus and Pro.
Plus pricing is $20 per seat per month when billed annually, or $24 per seat monthly. Pro pricing is $45 per seat per month when billed annually, or $54 per seat monthly. Enterprise pricing requires contacting Airtable for a quotation.
Connecting Airtable to Google Sheets
It is possible to connect Airtable to Google Sheets, most effectively using a third-party integration service.
Step 1: Consider using Zapier integration.
Step 2: This integration facilitates automatic information transfer between the apps.
Step 3: No coding is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Airtable Better than Google Sheets?
The answer depends on the specific use case. Google Sheets is suitable for traditional spreadsheet tasks. Airtable is better for a database/spreadsheet hybrid with more integrations and use cases, and lends itself to various purposes, including CRM, project management, inventory management, and event planning.
Is Airtable Free?
Like Google Sheets, Airtable offers a free tier that can be used indefinitely. Paid plans are available starting at $10 per seat for more advanced features.
Can You Use Google Sheets Like Airtable?
Yes, you can. Both tools are distinct but share similarities, including being no-code, offering similar interfaces, using web-based platforms, and supporting many of the same use cases, although Airtable is more flexible overall.
Ultimately, Google Sheets suits general spreadsheet tasks, data analysis, and collaboration, particularly for Google Workspace users, whereas Airtable, with its database functionality and advanced integrations, better fits businesses needing structured project management or CRM, but might pose cost and learning curve challenges.