Airtable vs Smartsheet

Airtable

• Teams that want to shape a database into their own project tracker
• Operations and marketing teams building internal apps without code
• Nonprofits and educators, who can get 50% off the Team plan

Smartsheet

• Teams that are comfortable working in spreadsheets
• Project offices that need Gantt charts, reports and dashboards
• Enterprises standardizing portfolio reporting across many projects

Airtable

• The Free plan is capped at 1,000 records per base and 5 editors.
• Record limits apply per base on paid plans too: 50,000 on Team and 125,000 on Business.
• Timeline and Gantt views and extensions are not part of the Free plan.
• Two-way sync and the admin panel need the Business plan at $45 per seat / month.

Smartsheet

• There is no free plan; a paid plan is needed once the 30-day trial ends.
• Pro is limited to 10 Members and is only available to new customers; Business requires at least 3 Members.
• Pro is capped at 250 automations a month and 20 GB of storage.
• The API is offered from the Business plan, and SAML single sign-on needs Enterprise.

Airtable

Relational bases

Data lives in bases of linked tables. Record limits per base rise from 1,000 on Free to 50,000 on Team and 125,000 on Business.

Eight view types

A table can be shown as a grid, form, calendar, gallery, kanban, timeline, list or Gantt view. Timeline and Gantt views need the Team plan.

Interfaces

Custom interfaces can be built from base data, giving each team a tailored app on top of the same records.

Automations and sync

Automations handle repetitive steps inside a base. Two-way sync with outside tools is included from the Business plan.

Omni and field agents

Omni builds apps from a plain-language description and field agents run AI across records. Both draw on monthly AI credits: 500 per editor on Free and 15,000 per seat on Team.

Portals

Portals let guest users from outside the organization collaborate on selected data.

Smartsheet

Sheets with multiple views

Work is stored in spreadsheet-like sheets that can be switched between grid, Gantt, card and calendar views. Timeline view starts on the Business plan.

Reports and dashboards

Reports pull together and filter rows from sheets, and dashboards summarize the results for stakeholders.

Forms

Forms gather structured input such as requests, field reports and feedback. Forms are unlimited on the Pro plan and above.

Automated workflows

Workflows can be built from templates or from scratch for tasks such as reminders. Pro allows 250 automations a month; Business and above are unlimited.

Resource management

Shows who is assigned to what, so managers can even out workloads and plan for upcoming demand. Workload tracking is listed from the Business plan.

AI tools

Smart Assist and Smart Columns help with formulas and data analysis, and Business adds connections to external AI tools through MCP.

Airtable

• Free$0

  1,000 records and 1 GB of attachments per base, up to 5 editors and 2 weeks of revision history.

• Team$20

  per seat / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)

  50,000 records and 20 GB of attachments per base, Gantt and timeline views, extensions and 15,000 AI credits per seat a month.

• Business$45

  per seat / month, billed annually ($54 billed monthly)

  125,000 records and 100 GB of attachments per base, two-way sync, an admin panel and 20,000 AI credits per seat a month.

• Enterprise ScaleCustom

  Sold through sales, with pricing based on the organization's needs and 25,000 AI credits per paid user a month.

Smartsheet

• Pro$9

  per Member / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)

  1 to 10 Members with unlimited free Contributors. Gantt, table, board and calendar views, 250 automations a month and 20 GB of storage.

• Business$19

  per Member / month, billed yearly ($24 billed monthly)

  3 or more Members. Adds timeline view, workload tracking, unlimited automations, proofing, admin controls and 1 TB of storage.

• EnterpriseCustom

  10 or more Members. Adds SAML single sign-on, portfolios, scenario planning, directory integrations and unlimited attachment storage.

• Advanced Work ManagementCustom

  Everything in Enterprise, plus Control Center, Dynamic View, Data Shuttle, DataMesh, connectors and premium support.

Airtable

• Annual discount

  Lower per-seat price with annual billing

  Team is $20 per seat / month billed annually against $24 monthly, and Business is $45 against $54, about 17% less in both cases.

• Nonprofit

  50% off the Team plan for nonprofits

  Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits, or accredited equivalents outside the US, can apply for 50% off Team seats. Airtable AI is excluded from the discount.

• Education

  50% off Team for educators, free for students

  Employees of accredited educational institutions can get 50% off Team, and students get 6 to 24 months of free access depending on graduation date.

Smartsheet

• Annual discount

  Lower per-Member price with yearly billing

  Pro is $9 per Member / month billed yearly against $12 monthly (25% less), and Business is $19 against $24 (about 21% less).