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Most business owners usually avoid using databases because they require SQL scripting skills and are quite challenging to manage. Instead, they prefer storing their data on spreadsheets but which can only hold data up to a certain limit.
If your technical team has to deal with a considerable volume of data, then spreadsheets are insufficient for this job. However, if you want to save your data in an appropriate database without burdening your technical team, that’s where Airtable comes right in. Moreover, Airtable pricing plans of all versions can suit almost all businesses’ budgets.
With minimal code, this user-friendly platform allows you to create and store the databases in a tabular format without much effort. In this detailed guide, you will learn about Airtable pricing, its main features, major components, and most importantly –the right way to use it. Let’s dive into it!
| Airtable Plan | Pricing | Suitable For | Key Features |
| Free | Free | Beginners | ·1,200 records/base ·2GB attachments/base ·5 editors |
| Plus | ·$12 billed monthly ·$10 billed annually | Small businesses and solopreneurs | ·5,000 records/base ·5GB attachments ·1-year snapshot history |
| Pro | ·$20 billed monthly ·$24 billed annually | Advanced Airtable users, companies, and teams | ·50,000 records/base ·20GB attachments ·Ten apps/base |
| Enterprise | Custom (starting at $10K per year, min 20 users) | Large Enterprises | ·25,000 records/base ·1000GB attachments ·3-year snapshot history |
What is Airtable?
Airtable is a modified spreadsheet form and a management tool that allows you to add numbers, formulas, and figures. In Airtable, you can also add checkboxes, images, Airtable fields, and PDFs that you can’t do in spreadsheets. Using media organizational features or an extra dash of productivity, you can add more context to your simple data entries.
Not only this, but Airtable can capture entries into the database and craft an Airtable form. Once signed in to the platform, Airtable users can do the following with their Airtable account:
- They may create a workspace by storing all the files related to one project in an Airtable base.
- They can use Airtable to create unique spreadsheet templates.
- Using Airtable API, they can further extend the functionality of this tool.
- They can also view their data in a grid view, Kanban board, or calendar view.
Airtable Plans
Asana offers 4 different pricing plans in 2022:
- Airtable Free
- Airtable Plus: $12 /seat/mo ($10 with annual billing)
- Airtable Pro: $24 /seat/mo ($20 with annual billing)
- Airtable Enterprise: custom pricing, starting at $10K per year with 20 minimum users
1) Airtable Free
The entry-level free Airtable plan is designed for new users to take advantage of Airtable without paying a cent. And when they feel like they are ready to uplevel their database, they need to switch to the Plus or higher plans. It’s designed for small teams or anyone who intends to give Airtable a try.
Unlike many other online tools that offer a few-days limited free trial, Airtable makes core features of this database free for an unlimited time.
Features Include:
- It includes unlimited bases
- 2GB attachments/base
- Allows up to 5 editors or creators
- Unlimited read-only/commentator users
- Includes one sync integration
- Allows 1200 records/base
- Only one app/base
Suitable for:
Beginners who have a very small team with a smaller volume of databases to handle can use it.
Pricing:
Free –this free pricing plan won’t halt your creation of unlimited databases and access to share them with countless users.
Drawbacks:
The free plan doesn’t go well for the asset management of any organization or business.
2) Airtable Plus Plan
With more than 5000 records, this Plus plan has upgraded the storage memory to 5GB. The people running a small organization or a business can shift their database from spreadsheets to Plus plan directly. The Airtable Plus pricing plan is quite budget-friendly when compared to competitors.
Features Include:
- It allows 5000 records/base
- Three sync integrations
- Three apps/base
- Includes 5GB attachments
- Automatic table synchronization
- Custom branded forms
- 1-year Snapshot history
Suitable for:
Small businesses and solopreneurs
Pricing:
The Airtable Plus Plan will cost you $10/month/seat if billed annually. However, billed monthly will cost you $12/month/seat.
3) Airtable Pro Plan
Airtable’s most value-packed and popular Pro plan offers some advanced features that can create a significant difference. For people who want to take full advantage of Airtable, the Pro plan has all for them.
Features Include:
- It includes 50,000 records/base
- 20GB of attachments
- Ten apps/base
- Timeline and Gantt Views
- Seven sync integrations –Jira Cloud
- 1-year revision history
- Offer personal and locked views
- Permissions to edit field and table
- Advanced customization options
Suitable for:
This Pro plan is best for advanced Airtable users, companies, and teams who want to create workflows and applications for running their most important processes across their organization.
Pricing:
The Airtable Pro Plan will cost you $20/seat/month if billed annually and $24/seat/month if billed monthly.
4) Airtable Enterprise Plan
Airtable Enterprise plan includes everything you can expect from professional and admin services provided by the Airtable team –“it’s a league of its own.” Larger companies who have to create and store a considerable bulk of databases must go for the Enterprise plan with its advanced features.
Features Include:
- Access to unlimited apps
- 1000GB of attachments
- 250,000 records/base
- Unlimited workspaces for each organization
- On-prem integrations –Jira and Salesforce
- Professional services –Included and Add-on
- SAML-based sign-on
- Three-year snapshot history
- Ongoing Success Program
Suitable for:
It’s an ideal option for large enterprises with advanced customization, control, scale, support, and security needs.
Pricing:
The pricing depends upon the customization you need in this plan, starting from $10k per year with 20 seats minimum.
Main Features of Airtable –How does it work?
The power of Airtable is a result of a number of unique, special features! Let’s go through them!
Linking Between Tables
When related records are present on different tables, Airtable’s “linking between tables” feature allows you to link the related records. Because these records have a connection, you don’t need to place the entire project data on one table. You must prefer categorizing the data by splitting the parameters into smaller tables, ultimately linking the related ones.
Airtable Integration
The Application Programming Interface (API) of Airtable allows users to connect or exchange data with other applications and websites. Recently, Airtable has been using Zapir, a “task management service” for linking up to 450 websites and software programs.
Airtable Forms
Organizations and businesses usually need data collection from the public. The Airtable Form is the feature that allows them to integrate this form into the user’s base so that any information entered by users will automatically appear in the base. You can also organize the fields required in this software.
Snapshot
With the Snapshot feature, Airtable users have access to back up/save their data for maintaining records in the future. This cloud-based software allows you to access the Snapshot list when you need to reference a previous base version. Moreover, there’s also an option for manual Snapshot of bases!
Automations and Apps
Through this feature, you can customize trigger action workflows within your base. Automations help users to save time to automate repetitive tasks.
Public Views
The “Public Views Tool” allows the Airtable users to display their bases’ data to the public. Even if the audience doesn’t have an Airtable account, they will still get access to see the records when you activate this feature on your bases. Many businesses and organizations use this tool to display customer reviews to their leads.
Components of Airtable
The five main building blocks of Airtable include:
1. Bases
A single database on Airtable is called a base where you add all the data for your project. Your base might be named “New Car Shopping” or “Employ Directory,” but ours is called “Editorial Calendar and Resources.” Keep in mind that a single base is for one project only.
You have to craft a base from scratch and choose a perfect template from the huge templates library of Airbtable. A template already comes with sample data that you can use by modifying it with your own. For example, templates are available for “Employ Directory,” “Project Tracker,” and “Personal CRM.”
2. Tables
Data regarding one particular item type is added to a table. Each base may have one or many tables at a time. Each table contains a list of items belonging to a particular category. It’s quite similar to many worksheets present in a spreadsheet. For example, in an “Employee Directory Base,” each table contains specific information like department, name, birthdate, etc.
3. Fields
Fields are the columns present in a table. They are equivalent to columns in the spreadsheet; fields in a table are customizable and add consistency to your data. Furthermore, each field holds a particular name that can accommodate many types of content, including checkboxes, attachments, phone numbers, and many more.
4. Records
The records in an Airtable are basically equivalents of cells and rows present in a spreadsheet. Each item accounts for one record. Each employee is a different record in the table of employees. Moreover, records listed in one table may have relationships with records listed in another table through a link. These association links among tables help you use the data from another table.
For example, when we talk about the “Employee Directory Table,” these association links will help you to link employees to their departments. You can see the department’s name on the same card with each employee’s name.
5. Views
Creating multiple views for all the tables in a base, despite having an option of viewing all records at once, is the best way to reshape your data. This component allows you to see the same underlying data through different lenses.
You can use Views for particular fields or records and manage the information in that view by applying other configurations. Airtable allows you to create up to a thousand Views per single table.
6. Workspace
Airtable allows a group of users, workspace collaborators, to share a collection of bases among themselves — this feature is known as workspace. It gives you an access to create as many workspaces as you want for free with its own set of bases and collaborators.
You can add that person as a collaborator whom you permit to see all the data available at that workplace. You can simply invite your collaborator by managing permission levels you get upon clicking “share” option.
How Can You Use Airtable?
Before you try to shift your business database on the Airtable, you must know how to use this tool properly. Here’s a complete step-by-step guide!
Step 1 – Create an Airtable Account
Airtable demands users to create an account before they get started. For this, you have to visit Airtable’s official website homepage and click “sign up for free” to start the process. You must fill in “Business Name, Company Email, and Password.” After this, you will get a confirmation email from Airtable.
Open the link given in the email and complete the setup. Airtable will activate your account. You cannot complete the sign-up process on your mobile; use a laptop instead.
After signing up, you have to log in to your account; you’ll see various colorful icons arranged into distinct groups. These groups are workplaces, and the icons are actually bases.
Step 2 – Create Your Base
You have to visit your workspace and select the option of “Add a Base”. After selecting this option, you will see a dropdown menu with the following options:
- Use an Airtable Template
- Import a Spreadsheet
- Build the Base from the Scratch
Let’s discuss these individual options separately!
How to Use an Airtable Template?
If you’re a beginner, it’s always worth making your base using an Airtable template. This software has countless templates to satisfy individuals’ specific purposes, including Product Catalogs, Event Planning, and Media Calendars.
When you select the option of “start with a template”, you will be redirected to the templates gallery automatically. You can search for your desired templates or simply visit the gallery to find the suitable template for your base.
How to Import a Spreadsheet?
To import your spreadsheet document into the database, you must first convert it into a CSV file (Comma Separated Value). You can do this simply by opening the spreadsheet application and exporting the data as a CSV file.
Click the “Import the Spreadsheet” option and select the CSV file to upload it. After importing it, Airtable will convert your CSV file into a Base. Moreover, if creating a CSV file is not feasible, you can directly copy-paste tables from your spreadsheet.
How to Build a Base from a Scratch?
Creating a new base on your own isn’t a bad idea despite having the option to use Airtable templates. You simply have to click the option of “Add a Base”, and a new empty base will be formed immediately. This empty base will have default fields and a few empty records.
After successfully creating a base, you will see a customization menu allowing you to edit the base’s name, color, and icon. You can start inputting the data from scratch or directly importing it from your computer.
Airtable Alternatives
When Airtable seems to be an ideal substitute for Microsoft excel, it still falls short when used as a project management software. Certain other features, including task management, workflow automation, communication, and built-in reports, which aren’t present in Airtable, lead us to look for its alternative!
Some of the alternatives are:
Google Sheets
Google Sheets is free online spreadsheet software that can be used by anyone having a Google account. It’s a well-known program with many shareable features that make it a reasonable alternative to Airtable.
Features
- Real-time online actions accessed worldwide
- A cloud-based substitute to Microsoft Excel
- Automatically saves the work
- “Explore” feature allows additional functionalities
- Integration with other Google apps, including Drawings, Form, and Finance
Trello
Trello is a “web-based and Kanban-style project management tool” that allows you a high level of collaboration and task management. Some of the main features of Trello include:
Features
- Automated Repetitive Actions
- Free preset templates suitable for sales, marketing, design, and more
- Multiple “Power-up App Add-ons”
- Task cards with subtasks, assignees, attachments, and due dates
- Multiple views, including Dashboard, Timeline, Board, or Map View
Asana
Asana is another project management software that helps teams to coordinate, delegate responsibilities, and meet deadlines. With a streamlined interface and many integrations, you can organize your work, prioritize, and keep track of success. Some of the features include:
Features
- Multiple views for visualizing tasks such as timeline, calendar, Kanban board
- 50+ project templates
- Reporting features
- Integration with Microsoft Teams and Basecamp
- Intuitive and simpler user interface
ClickUp
ClickUp is an “all-in-one project management software” suitable for everyone, from a large enterprise to a solopreneur. It comes with tons of collaboration and task management features that Airtable lacks. Its features include:
Features
- A powerful built-in Table View, Board View, Activity View, List View, and many more
- “ClickUp Goals” feature to set goals
- “ClickUp Chat View” feature for storing comments
- Dashboards for velocity charts
- Workflow automation templates
Jira
Jira is an “Agile Project Management and Issue Tracking Software” for development teams. Initially, it was a powerful bug-tracking tool that later evolved into a successful management tool.
Features
- Customizable Kanban and Scrum Board
- Customizable Dashboards
- Agile Views
- More than 3000 integrations
- Roadmap feature for large-scale project management