Airtable Alternatives: Choosing the Right Tool for Your Team’s Needs

There's nothing quite like an organized workflow to keep you on your toes and constantly improving. It's all about satisfying task completion, intuitive UI, and streamlining otherwise time-consuming processes.

There are many options you can choose from to effectively manage your team and keep up with those tight deadlines. Project management tools are the best way to do so – if you know how to pick the perfect one for your business.

In this article, we'll have a look at some Airtable alternatives to consider if you want your company's productivity to excel. As it turns out, the most popular solutions aren't always as good as they’re made out to be.

Let's look at the best team management tools to help you get ahead in the game.

Why consider Airtable alternatives?

Airtable is a popular organization platform that combines database characteristics and spreadsheet features. It has a nice design, mimicking the well-known Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. On top of that, the software offers features useful for business, such as real-time data access and management, collaboration options, and workflow management.

Image source: TechRepublic

While it has many benefits, users are looking for Airtable alternatives. Why? Some drawbacks of this system include the following:

• Limited features for effective task management
• No practical options to communicate between team members
• Limited automation tools
• Lack of reporting features
• Expensive pricing plans
• The data management tool is not efficient with large volumes
• Limited APIs, only with table data and five requests per second
• Not optimized for scaling

If your company's on a success roll, chances are you've outgrown this software’s capabilities.

Here are a couple of aspects you should consider when looking for an alternative to Airtable.

Airtable alternatives: what to look for in project management tools

Image source: Pexels

Features

The key features to look for in project management software include the following:

1. Task tracking – with this feature, tasks become much more manageable. It includes delegating and tracking assignments, setting deadlines, and monitoring progress. Eight out of ten businesses track tasks in their team to improve productivity and reduce idleness among employees. You don’t want to fall behind in this trend.
   
   
2. Collaboration and communication – 96% of industry leaders agree that communication is the backbone of a business and essential for delivering expected results. The best Airtable alternatives should facilitate communication between team members and leaders. Collaboration features make teamwork simple and fun. Your chosen software should enable you to share files and documents, provide feedback, exchange comments and opinions, and assign tasks to one or multiple employees.
   
   
3. Reporting and analytics – enable project managers to track tasks and team progress, analyze data, and generate performance reports. Good project management software allows for monitoring multiple projects’ progress and identifying areas for improvement. The global business analytics market is expected to reach $122.5 billion by 2027, showing just how essential data is in any company.
   
   
4. Time tracking and resource allocation – with this tool, project managers can precisely track the time spent on particular tasks and allocate resources more effectively.
   
   
5. Customization – users should be able to customize the dashboard to suit their specific needs, workflows, processes, and even simply their visual preferences.

Integration options

You should also ensure that you can integrate the project management tool with other tools and platforms you already use for better coordination of all activities and ease of use. These can include email, calendars, chat apps, and document management systems.

Another vital feature to look for is API access, which allows developers to build custom integrations between the project management tool and other software applications.

Pricing

Most project management tools operate on a subscription model with a monthly or yearly fee for access to the software.

Many Airtable alternatives offer different pricing tiers based on the number of users and the level of functionality required.

You shouldn’t always opt for the cheapest option since more expensive plans usually mean more advanced features. However, there's no need to overspend – project management software doesn't have to be costly.

Look for a project management tool with a free trial or demo period. It helps you save some cash while allowing you to test the software and see how it works before committing to a full-time subscription.

7 Airtable alternatives to consider – best task management tools

Image source: Forbes

1. workstreams.ai

Features

This Airtable alternative offers many features, even in the basic free plan. The top characteristics include the following:

• Organized discussions and separate threads for all tasks
• Time allocation with estimations of how long each activity should take, backed by previous data
• In-app calendar to help with daily, weekly, and monthly organization
• Effortless task creation, also from Slack or Microsoft Teams
• File attachments for better resource management
• Custom fields to organize workflow for anything from hiring new employees to successfully driving more sales
• Restricted access for deciding who has ownership and editing rights for each task or step
• Archiving options and identifying frozen tasks to spot forgotten projects easily
• Performance indicators and an outcome-oriented system to boost productivity

Integrations

You can easily integrate workstreams.ai with Slack or Microsoft Teams to create and delegate tasks directly from the chat.

Another practical option is importing your Trello boards to workstreams.ai. Any changes made on one platform instantly reflect on the other.

Webhook integration lets you easily set up real-time connections between apps and programs. These are simple APIs even beginner programmers can use.

workstreams.ai also offers calendar integrations to connect your Gmail and Outlook to the worsktreams.ai calendar.

Pricing

The workstreams.ai Free plan is completely free. Teams of up to 3 members will have access to the entire suite of workstreams.ai features. Create unlimited projects without providing your credit card details.

When you're ready to add more members, you can upgrade to their Pro plan. Prices start from $7.99 per user/month, billed annually. Quarterly billing means a slightly higher price of $8.99 per month, and the monthly plan is $9.99.

There's also an Enterprise plan for companies who would like to customize the pricing to fit their requirements.

2. Smartsheet

Image source: Pinterest

Features

This project management solution includes different features for each tier. Let's take a look at the most popular Business plan options:

• User types with different access and editing options
• Advanced formulas for manipulating data, performing calculations, and spotting trends
• Activity log displaying who makes changes to documents and when
• File sharing for easy information access
• Publishing sheets, reporting features, dashboards, and forms, even for people without Smartsheet access
• Drag-and-drop document builder to generate PDFs from spreadsheet data

While the above features are enough for basic task management, Smartsheet may not be the best tool for more advanced projects like marketing campaigns, requiring you to use one of the Smartsheet competitors. It needs more advanced reporting, time-tracking, and collaborative options.

Integrations

You can integrate this project management tool with Microsoft 365, Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, Box, and Dropbox.

The Business plan has extended integration options which include: Brandfolder, Adobe Creative Cloud, Tableau, PowerBI, and many more.

Pricing

Smartsheet also has a free version, but it's much more limited than the workstreams.ai option. It allows only one user and two editors, two sheets, 500 MB attachment storage, and 100 automations monthly.

The Pro plan is $7 per user/month, billed annually. It allows a maximum of ten users, all of whom must have a paid license and unlimited viewers. The monthly pricing for this option is $9.

The Business plan is $25 per user/month (billed yearly) or $32 when billed monthly. There is a minimum of three members and unlimited editors.

There is also an Enterprise plan for users with the biggest needs and expectations, with individual pricing to match customer preferences.

3. Trello

Image source: Uplabs

Features

Trello is a practical and collaborative way to manage projects. Here are some of its main characteristics:

• Highly customizable personalized view options – kanban boards, timeline, table, calendar, dashboard, map, workspace
• Advanced workflow automation without the need to navigate coding – this is possible with the built-in automation Butler
• Possibility to add power-ups – including add-ons and integration with various platforms
• Advanced checklists and color coding for better organization
• Thread comments for in-app communication
• Collaboration features, with high-level views and even ready-to-use collaboration board templates

Trello is an excellent general project management tool, but if you own a large company and need a more scalable or agile tool, it's best to consider other options.

Integrations

Trello is a task management program that features tens of integration options. The most popular ones include Slack, Dropbox, Telegram, Google Workspace, Clockify, Jira Cloud, and many more.

Pricing

This Airtable alternative is available with an entirely free plan. It should suit individuals and small teams. There are also three paid plans to choose from, depending on your company's needs:

1. Standard – $5 per user/month when billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
2. Premium – $10 per user/month billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly)
3. Enterprise, which starts at $17.50 (for 50 users). For bigger teams, the price per user drops. Businesses with 5000 users pay only $7.38 per user/month.

The Premium plan is available for a 14-day free trial for entrepreneurs wanting to test its options.

4. Notion

Image source: Software Advice

Features

Notion is practical for making simple to-do lists and more advanced planning. You'll find it easy to customize everything with just a few clicks. These are just some key features that this program has to offer:

• Practical options for knowledge management – centralized information with easy access for all employees
• Linking to other pages, people, or dates
• Syncing blocks and content in different places for easy collaboration and up-to-date information
• Loads of configuration, filtering, and sorting options for easy data access
• Progress bars, deadlines, and dependencies viewing
• Analytics and data visualizations for spotting trends and viewing results

Some downsides to this project management tool are no plugin options and limited data management capabilities. For example, you can’t filter to see only tasks assigned to you or add the access levels.

Integrations

You can connect this task management tool to Slack, GitHub, Jira, Figma, Google Drive, Asana, Trello, Zapier, and more. The Notion API also features blocks for developers for custom integration and organization options.

Pricing

Notion is popular even outside of business. The free version is enough for personal use. It's a collaborative space where users can invite up to ten guests and display basic analytics and 7-day page history.

The paid plan is available at different price points, customizable for various needs:

1. Plus – starting at $8 per user/month
2. Business – from $15 per user/month with a free trial available
3. Enterprise plan – custom pricing with a free trial also available

5. ClickUp

Image source: G2

Features

ClickUp is a hybrid Airtable alternative packed with features for small businesses and large enterprises:

• Goals and target setting for motivating group members
• Comments (with notifications) which you can turn into tasks; there's also a convenient chat view to see them in one place
• Metric dashboards for analyzing data (although they aren't exportable)
• Customization options with ClickApps (add-ons)
• Time tracking tool for better organization
• Dynamic and intuitive interface with little to no learning curve, even for new employees and non-technical teams

Integrations

There are many integration options to choose from, which help to manage tasks effectively in various programs. The most used ones are Google Drive, Time Doctor, Evernote, Zoom, Slack, Zapier, and more.

Pricing

This task management tool is available in five tiers, each for more complex needs. Their prices are as follows:

1. Free plan – best for personal use
2. Unlimited – $5 per member/month for small teams
3. Business – $12 per user/month for mid-sized businesses
4. Business Plus – $19 per user/month for large companies
5. Enterprise – custom pricing for the most advanced needs and big teams

See also: ClickUp alternative options for your team

6. Asana

Image source: TechRepublic

Features

Asana is a project management tool with features such as:

• Different views, such as kanban boards, lists, Gantt charts, and calendars, for smooth project management
• Reporting features to track progress
• Workload management, goal tracking, and personal progress management systems to help reduce burnout within teams
• Options to easily import data from your drive, Dropbox, Box, or Google
• Likes, approvals, comments, conversations, and file sharing for communication and collaboration

Unfortunately, every solution comes with its drawbacks. Asana has limited exporting project file options and you cannot assign multiple people to the same task.

Integrations

This Airtable alternative is simple, intuitive, and easy to use. It can connect with Basecamp, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Tableau, and many more BI, CRM, and enterprise software.

Pricing

You can enjoy all the basic functions of Asana with their free plan, which is best for personal task lists and to-do lists.

If you're looking for something more, there are two paid plans to choose from: Premium (starting at $10.99 per member/month) and Business (from $24.99 per member/month).

There's also the Asana Enterprise option for large companies with advanced admin features and security options.

See also: Asana alternatives

7. Basecamp

Image source: Software Advice

Features

The last Airtable alternative from our list is Basecamp. It's focused on minimal design, which can be an asset, but it's more of a drawback for many large teams since it doesn’t allow more advanced organization options.

The main features of this project management tool are:

• Hill charts, which serve as a unique method to visualize progress; there are also Gantt charts, calendar views, and more for intuitive project tracking
• Group chats and real-time messages for in-app communication
• Simple reporting features and results analytics
• Practical search options for easy access to any information
• Task history to track edits made by users
• Project prioritization options for clear task importance information

Integrations

You can integrate Basecamp with other communication and team management software, such as Zapier, Zoho Projects, Clockify, etc. However, you must use a third-party integration tool like Unito or Zoho Flow to sync with Google Drive, Slack, Trello, and many other popular programs.

Pricing

Basecamp doesn't come with a free plan. However, there is a cost-free 30-day trial.

Other than that, it's $89/month annually ($99 monthly) for up to 10 users. The Business plan starts at $179 per month annually ($99 monthly) with the same amount of users but unlimited clients. The Unlimited option is $179 per month billed annually or $199 paid monthly.

See also: Basecamp alternatives

Airtable alternatives – comparison table

Conclusion

It's time to stop using the outdated Microsoft Office or Google Sheets to create projects, track progress, and delegate tasks. There are many more efficient, modern project management tools to choose from.

If you're looking for the best Airtable alternative for your company, workstreams.ai is the way to go. It's a workflow management system that lets you easily and effectively organize your work, keeping everything neat and organized. It checks all the boxes, with many productivity-boosting features and attractive pricing.

Start improving your company’s results for free or sign up for a Pro trial to explore even more possibilities.

FAQs

• Who are Airtable’s competitors?
  Airtable's main competitors are all the programs described in this article: workstreams.ai, Smartsheet, Trello, Notion, ClickUp, Asana, and Basecamp. Some other tools are Zoho Projects, Jira, Pipefy, or to some extent – even Microsoft Excel (online or offline) and Google Sheets.
• Is Trello better than Airtable?
  Trello is better for small companies with few team members and simple projects. Airtable has the additional features of a spreadsheet, acting as a Microsoft Excel online version with task management options. Trello has a more pleasant, simple user interface. Overall, the choice depends on what type of content you're working with.
• Is Asana better than Airtable?
  Asana is easier to use and has more integration options. Airtable offers more reporting features and productivity tools. Their pricing is quite similar. Overall, we believe that the best Airtable alternative is workstreams.ai, which lets you focus on work without compromising anything.