Airtable Review 2023: Is Airtable Project Management Good?

Project management is the process of planning, monitoring, and executing a task or set of tasks. In this Airtable review, we will take an in-depth look at the tool, its features, pros and cons, and help you decide whether it's the right choice for your business.

Project management tools help you track and organize your project so you can stay on top of deadlines and details. These tools are also meant to make communication among team members easier.

There are many different project management apps avaialble, but Airtable is one of the most popular. Keep reading to find out why!

Airtable review 2023: Is Airtable any good?

Let’s answer the most important question straight away - is this tool any good? Airtable might be the best and simplest database app you’ll ever use, making it easy to stay on top of tasks and communication. This Airtable review will give you more details and help you understand why.

Airtable is a cloud-based project management software that focuses on data organization and collaboration. Businesses of all sizes use it for a variety of project management needs, such as content calendar creation, task assignment, and file sharing. Airtable is also compatible with multiple devices and services, making it a very versatile tool.

Some of the best Airtable features include its user-friendly interface, customizability, compatibility with multiple devices and services, and affordable pricing.

However, if you’re interested in seeing what else is there on the market, make sure to check out our top software tool for project management list.

Airtable pricing plans

First of all, how much does Airtable cost? Let’s first review Airtable prices:

How much does Airtable cost for nonprofits?

Airtable team strives to make their product as accessible as possible for certain organizations, including nonprofits and educational organizations. That is Airtable offers 50% off the monthly cost of Plus or Pro licenses to qualifying organizations.

Are there any Airtable coupon codes or promo discount vouchers?

We did the research, and unfortunately, it seems that, at this time, there are no available coupon codes or promo discount vouchers. 

Airtable free vs paid: what’s the difference?

Airtable features differ for each plan tier.

For example, the free version is limited to 1,200 records per base (database), while the paid plans have limits of 5,000 (Plus) and 50,000 (Pro). There is also a difference in views. The Free and Plus plan offer grid, kanban, gallery and calendar view. The Pro and Enterprise plans also include Gantt chart view, timeline view, and personal and locked views.

The paid plans also include some advanced features such as expanded color and formatting options, password and domain restricted shares, field and table editing permissions, and early access to new features.

Airtable overview: what is Airtable software & what is Airtable used for?

Airtable is a relational database tool that allows people to collaborate online easily. Before you give up on this app after seeing the word “database,” you need to know that Airtable is easy to use and very flexible. You can use it to keep track of and organize your inventory, plan an event, and do a lot more.

Why is it called database project management software? Well, mostly because the tool utilizes a spreadsheet to organize data in the system. Okay, but what about Airtable uses?

You’re probably familiar with how online spreadsheets (e.g., Google Sheets) work. You create a document and invite people to view or edit it. The sheet can be very simple, such as a list of names and companies. Or, it can be quite complex, such as a financial accounting system that is connected to other sheets. 

How does Airtable work? Well, very similar to those spreadsheets. However, there are some major differences. First, Airtable is used for managing databases instead of sheets. More importantly, Airtable is much more user-friendly, so you don’t have to know how to use Excel formulas to make things work. And, if you’re interested in comparing Airtable vs Excel, we’ve got an article on that as well!

How can this be helpful for project management? Let’s say you have a new project for your company - you want to publish articles regularly on the company’s website. What you can do is create a database that will list the topics of all articles you would like to publish on your website. Basically, you’ll be using this database as sort of an advanced content calendar.

Then, you can include multiple fields in this database, such as the author of the article, the deadline, the keywords that should be used, etc. Then, you can invite editors and writers to your database and assign them tasks. Once they complete each task, they can tick a checkbox in each record to indicate that they’re done.

What gives Airtable an upper hand over other database management systems is that it looks like an app that anyone could learn to use. It uses simple language, friendly color schemes, and helpful icons. It's also extraordinarily customizable, making it truly one of the best project management apps out there.

What adds to Airtable’s functionality is the fact that this tool is compatible with multiple devices. You can use it on Windows and Mac computers and laptops but also access your data on the go via any Android or iOS mobile device. Also, Airtable can integrate with services such as Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Drive.

Airtable features list

The main features of Airtable are:

• Interface Designer

• Views

• Automations

• Sync

• Reporting
   

1. Interface Designer

Interface Designer is a new beta feature that allows users to build a visual and interactive interface that is excellent for task management, as they give every team member the information they need to take action.

In addition, this feature allows you to customize the look and feel of your Airtable workspace. You can change the colors, fonts, and layout of your workspace to match your company’s branding or your personal preferences.

Creating interfaces is very simple, as it can be done from Airtable bases with a no-code editor. The user interface can be designed and modified with a drag-and-drop editor which is known for its ease of use. In addition, interfaces can be customized for any workflow to match the way your teams work.
 

2. Views

Views is a feature that allows you to create different ways of looking at your data. With this feature, users can visualize how different aspects of their project fit together and track resources, events, projects, and more on a timeline customized to their needs.

There are four types of views in Airtable that are available in all plans: grid view, kanban view, calendar view, and gallery view.

Grid view is the default view in Airtable and is excellent for data entry and organization. In this view, every record is displayed as a row, and every field is displayed as a column.

Kanban view allows users to see which tasks are in progress, which are done, and which are yet to be started. It is excellent for tracking the progress of tasks, stakeholders, and other deliverables in a drag-and-drop, modifiable UI.

The calendar view is perfect for seeing deadlines approaching, as it displays records as events on a calendar. The calendar view connects data with key days and displays them to all team members so everyone can stay on top of deadlines.

Gallery view is excellent for visual data, such as images and videos. Users can showcase designs and creative more effectively and in a comprehensive, organized format.
 

3. Automations

Automations is a feature that allows users to automate repetitive tasks so they can focus on more important things. With automation, users can save time by setting up rules that will automatically do things like send reminders, update records, create tasks, and more.

Automations are very versatile, as they can be customized to fit any workflow. They can be simple or complex, and they can be set up to run on a schedule or in real time. In addition, automations can be turned on or off at any time, so users have complete control over them.

Last but not least, you can integrate Airtable with your favorite tools like Google Workspace, Slack, Facebook, and Twitter to automate your processes across different platforms.
 

4. Sync

The Sync feature is very powerful as it allows organizations to enhance collaboration among different teams that use Airtable, thanks to the shared view of table data.

Airtable allows users to pull in data from other platforms as well. For example, Sync supports integrations with tools such as Salesforce, Google Calendar, Box, and Jira. Airtable will automatically sync all this data to one single database.

In addition, Airtable allows you to consolidate data sources. Users can easily pull data from multiple sources into an aggregate view to analyze data from several simultaneously.
 

5. Reporting

Whether you're "no-code" or you know how to code, Airtable’s reporting feature will allow you to show what you want to who needs to see it. Thanks to Airtable’s reporting feature, users can generate reports with just a few clicks. 

This tool comes with out-of-the-box extensions that allow users to create charts, graphs, and top-line metrics for reporting purposes. Reports can be customized to show the data that is most important to users. In addition, reports can be exported to CSV or JSON format so they can be easily shared with others.

Airtable also offers a wide range of pre-made templates that users can use to get started with their reporting. These templates are great for users who are not sure where to start or what data to include in their reports. Users who know how to code can build their own reporting systems instead by using scripting, extensions SDK or by developing on Airtable’s robust APIs.

Airtable pros and cons

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of Airtable:
 

Airtable advantages

Overall, Airtable is a great tool for project management, and here are all the advantages of using this tool:

• User-friendly interface

• Excellent for data entry and organization

• Great for visual data

• Automations are very versatile

• The Sync feature is very powerful

• Reporting is easy to use and customize
   

Airtable disadvantages

Wondering what Airtable limitations are? Here are the disadvantages of this tool:

• Not as many features as some of the other project management tools on the market

• More expensive plans come with more features

• The per-seat can end up being quite costly

Airtable complaints & praise (from real Airtable customer reviews)

When it comes to reviews of Airtable, the majority of users had only great things to say about this tool. What they most commonly point out is Airtable functionality and various use cases. Some use it as a project management tool, others as CRM, and some even mentioned that they turned Airtable into a knowledge base or a job search tracker.

What many users love about Airtable is that it has powerful functions, such as Excel or Google Sheets, except that Airtable is much easier to use.

When it comes to negative Airtable reviews, some users mentioned that the tool tends to lag from time to time. Others pointed out that the Airtable mobile app has a far inferior interface than the desktop version.

Regarding the tool’s functionality and ease of use, several users pointed out that Airtable has a steep learning curve compared to other project management tools such as Asana.

If you’re looking for a tool that’s easier to use but resembles Airtable in many ways, consider using Smartsheet. These two have many similarities but also differences, which you can explore in our Smartsheet vs Airtable comparison.

Review of Airtable customer support

When it comes to Airtable’s customer support, users can solve their problems via:

• Email/Help Desk

• FAQs and Forum

• Knowledge base

• Chat

The majority of users are very satisfied with the customer support and they mentioned they received proper assistance within hours of sending an email. But, there were a few negative reviews stating that it takes days to get a response from an Airtable representative.

Also, Airtable lacks phone support and a 24/7 live representative, which was a dealbreaker for some users.

Is Airtable worth it? Our conclusion

Airtable is a great tool for project management, and it’s especially useful for those who need to track and manage large amounts of data. 

Why use Airtable? The tool comes with a user-friendly interface, great automation features, and powerful reporting capabilities. Additionally, the Sync feature is very handy for users who need to share their data with others. All in all, this tool will help you stay on top of your tasks, deadlines, and projects.

Is Airtable worth it? Well, we believe that the free version is excellent for individual use or for smaller organizations. The paid versions are an excellent choice for companies. However, the tool can be quite expensive, especially for larger teams, and it lacks some features that are found in other project management tools. Additionally, the mobile app leaves something to be desired.

Overall, we think Airtable is a great tool for project management and data tracking. In general, this tool is so good that it can compete with leading project management tools. For example, the race between Airtable vs Monday was a very tight one!

However, it’s not the right tool for everyone. If you need a more feature-rich tool or if you’re on a tight budget, you may want to look at Airtable alternatives.
 

Our final Airtable rating

4/5

Airtable FAQs

Is Airtable secure?

Airtable takes security very seriously and employs various measures to ensure the protection of user data, including encryption, access controls, and regular security audits. However, no system is completely impervious to security threats, so users should also protect their data, such as using strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication.

Why use Airtable vs Excel?

Airtable offers more flexibility and collaboration options than Excel, making it a better choice for teams or projects that require frequent updates and sharing of data. It also provides a user-friendly interface, customizable templates, and integration with other tools, making it more efficient for organizing and analyzing data. 

Does Airtable use SQL?

While Airtable's data structure shares similarities with SQL databases, it does not use SQL. Instead, Airtable provides its own API and query language, which allows for integration with other tools. Users can also export data in CSV or JSON formats for use in SQL databases or other systems.