Airtable vs. Smartsheet

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Airtable
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Airtable is a web-based application builder that combines spreadsheet usability with relational database architecture. The platform enables users to construct custom operational applications, configure automated workflows, and design tailored interfaces without traditional software development.
$24
per month per user
Smartsheet
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Smartsheet is an online project management and collaboration tool. It includes automated alerts, instantaneous updating and sharing across team members, resource management, nested tasks organized in a hierarchy, a Gantt chart view, exportable and automated reports, and integration with email.
$12
per month per user (up to 10 users)
Pricing
AirtableSmartsheet
Editions & Modules
Team
$24
per month per user
Business
$54
per month per user
Enterprise
Custom Pricing
Pro
$12
per month per user (up to 10 users)
Business
$24
per month per user (3 user minimum)
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Advanced Work Management
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AirtableSmartsheet
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsA discount is offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AirtableSmartsheet
Considered Both Products
Airtable
Chose Airtable
Asana is a great piece of software but it ultimately had too many features and offerings. Our main focus was having a 'smartsheet' that easily allowed for collaboration at a very affordable price. Airtable was the best fit for what we were looking for at the time. If we ever …
Chose Airtable
Airtable is the best for structuring, automating and interacting with data, but only for internal use. For public-facing needs, other apps are required for their support of custom domains and styling.
Chose Airtable
Airtable is far more sophisticated than Sheets or Excel in terms of its functions. The interface is also much easier on the eyes. People are less familiar with it and there is a bit of a learning curve, but overall, Airtable empowers us to do more and to better understand our …
Chose Airtable
Airtable is more presentable and fluid both in terms of project management and scheduling :)
Chose Airtable
I think it's way more robust than google sheets.
Chose Airtable
Airtable is the most user-friendly and adaptive. It's UX/UI is the most aesthetically pleasing (which matters a lot if its what you're staring at every day), and the customizability of having different views and perspectives of the same record is extremely helpful.

It's also a …
Chose Airtable
It is not comparable because we use it as a bridge those tools and our platform. So, in our use case, Airtable works more as a connector between the different tools we use and as a complement to eliminate repeated tasks trough automation. We are also exploring the possibility …
Chose Airtable
AirTable does a great job at Project Management. You can easily create tasks and set up reminders, including automated reminder emails, when deadlines draw near. You can group the tasks and can also group tasks in a variety of ways (not started, pending, completed or …
Chose Airtable
Airtable was a really good fit for this specific use case as it provided a huge number of collaboration features in an intuitive and pleasant-to-use interface. The free tier worked initially with our work, and the upgrade pathway was fair and made sense for us.
Chose Airtable
There's a saying that spreadsheets were never meant to be databases, and Airtable provides the missing piece for nontechnical users who need to hear that saying. It's more performant and provides more custom view options, for example, than Excel or Google Sheets.

Retool …
Chose Airtable
Salesforce Lightning Platform, Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Adobe Marketo Engage
Chose Airtable
Airtable is as powerful, if not more than these competitors. It has a simple interface like Asana or Trello but has robust data functions and tracking of Jira or ShotGrid (now called Flow). While I haven't found it as profoundly integrated as Jira, Airtable feels much more …
Chose Airtable
While a very capable tool, Smartsheet ultimately didn't provide the ease of use we required for our scenario. Monday was a great tool that felt very similar to Airtable, except its mobile app actually lead to some mismatched information and difficult use in time-sensitive …
Chose Airtable
Most comparable to Monday.com. Great, easy-to-use tool.
Chose Airtable
I have tried Trello, Monday.com, Meister Task, and even Google Sheets. They are all great and solid applications. Some even have really nice user interfaces. However, none of them have met my primary need of being able to view my current projects and associated deadlines at a …
Chose Airtable
Airtable is:
  • More customizable.
  • Simpler to use than Excel or Sheets—you don't need to write formulas
Chose Airtable
Airtable is a great collaboration tool, Its kanban boards facilitate me to add a texture to my projects. There is so much to talk
Chose Airtable
Airtable is so far the best project management tool I've used so far—it is way more visually appealing to the eye and offers the most customizations.
Chose Airtable
Airtable exceeds all competitors I’ve seen. The feature set is full and only growing. The UI is intuitive for non-tech employees. Any competitors that match Airtable are really operating in a different space. Airtable is the industry leader in this category. Period.
Chose Airtable
We have tried to use smart-sheet before but it is nowhere as good as Airtable. The user interface with Airtable is much better and it also has much more functionality.
Chose Airtable
The only similar thing that I have used is Google Sheets, and Airtable is much better than this as it provides way more abilities and creation of automation.
Smartsheet
Chose Smartsheet
I use both. Excel for more data/spreadsheet focused tasks and Smartsheet for our event planning and project management. Smartsheet allows for collaboration, has project management features like task tracking and the Gantt chart, and even has some handy automation features …
Chose Smartsheet
I tried Miro for a while and it just didn't have the features Smartsheet does. If I'm going to pay for a "supercharged Excel," I expect to really do a ton more than Excel!
Chose Smartsheet
It allows team collaboration.
Project monitoring is very easy.
Dashboards are very good for the project reporting.
Chose Smartsheet
Asana and monday.com are typical project management tools where resources can be tracked based on the tasks, etc. Smartsheet does exactly the same but additionally allows people outside of PM to automate their data collaboration with other employees. The solutions that …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is user friendly with easy to use templates as compared to Microsoft project. Other thing is collaboration which cannot be achieved in Microsoft project. Smartsheet has different types of pricing for different types of users but Microsoft project only offers …
Chose Smartsheet
Jira is better on user interface and task tracking. However the dashboard isn't as versatile as on Smartsheet. That being said, it takes maintenance to keep the Smartsheet dashboard updated regularly (not automated).
Chose Smartsheet
Definitely a lot more intuitive and a lot less clunky and confusing. When I have to introduce Smartsheet to other team members who have experience with MS project they are overwhelmed with how easy it is and feel a lot more engaged when developing their own workbooks
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet enable users to build the more custom solutions that can include workflows, reports, dashboards, sheet data, reminders, etc. It allows to create the most complete reports and have available thousand of already built solutions on the Solution Center. Also, has the …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a dedicated project management tool that is built on spread sheet principles. When compared to Microsoft's own offering, Smartsheet came out on top in some areas like dedicated project management features vs having to build custom features to Microsoft 365. …
Chose Smartsheet
Jira and Redmine are much more robust and technologically advanced project management solutions. I enjoy using either when managing a very large project. However, I prefer to use Smartsheet for my smaller to medium sized projects. As for Google Drive - I would say that Google …
Chose Smartsheet
It has been my favorite alternative; I can control Smartsheet from my mobile device since, as a manager, it allows me to visualize the files made through it, with the convenience of any time and space.
Chose Smartsheet
Price and ease of collaboration was the deciding factor and since we made this decision quite awhile ago, Microsoft Project's collaboration features were not there yet, making Smartsheet the clear winner. Many of our Project Manager were comfortable working with Microsoft …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet makes it simple to plan and budget on projects, streamline business workflows and improve overall customer service. The pricing plans are affordable and businesses that implement Smartsheet enjoy tremendous long-term value. Employee work performance is boosted and …
Chose Smartsheet
I believe Smartsheet is much easier to use than Asana. There is a better way to collaborate with colleagues and track your progress on projects. There is a better structure on how to set up your system. It has better filters to see what you have accomplished vs what is open and …
Chose Smartsheet
Functionality is far superior and very easy to use.
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is an exceptionally robust and ,offer unique hybrid solution to manage projects and automate workflows that is based on accurate data. It offers better time-saving functions that speeds up delivery of projects on schedule and using the allocated resources.
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet has been a positive success; it has been easy to use and quite intuitive. It allowed us to foster collaboration between colleagues.
Chose Smartsheet
Works more efficiently than MPP as updates can happen in real time in the cloud and be collaborated on with other team members.
Chose Smartsheet
Before utilizing Smartsheet we utilized a combination of Quip and an in-house developed task management tool. Even though we did not utilize Smartsheet for all of our project management needs it did provide a useful structure for planning a schedule for routine tasks and …
Chose Smartsheet
Other software's are more geared towards the construction process while Smartsheet is more geared to generic Project Management, no specific to the construction industry. We are using Smartsheet to communicate with our client and not to manage construction so from that …
Chose Smartsheet
I prefer the more traditional usability of Smartsheet. It's like Microsoft Project or Excel, but far easier for my organization to access. We don't currently have it set up as our resource manager or integrate it with our timesheets (our problem, not Smartsheet), and I think …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is much easier to collaborate on than Microsoft or Primavera in terms of scheduling software, but lacks the customizability of its competitors. You can also much easier link projects together when master scheduling which is a huge advantage compared to Microsoft …
Chose Smartsheet
We use Basecamp for our day-to-day in-house operations, but need a more "rigid" structure (spreadsheet) for managing projects with clients. Everything is in one place in Smartsheet and clients are able to find and use it easily.
Chose Smartsheet
All the products seemed to perform the project and task management function adequately. The following factors were the keys to our selection:
  1. Ease of use - so similar to Excel everyone can figure it out.
  2. Flexible architecture lends itself to many different use cases beyond …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a must to companies that are in need of automating key business processes that will save them time and eliminate productivity killers. This software enables teams identify bottlenecks early on tasks and projects that are due so that they are able plan on a course …
Features
AirtableSmartsheet
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Airtable
7.8
Ratings
1% above category average
Smartsheet
9.1
Ratings
17% above category average
Task Management8.90 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Resource Management8.00 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Gantt Charts8.40 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Scheduling7.40 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Workflow Automation8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Team Collaboration7.90 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology8.30 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology8.50 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Document Management7.50 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Email integration7.10 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Mobile Access5.90 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking7.80 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Change request and Case Management8.20 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management7.10 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Airtable
-
Ratings
Smartsheet
7.9
Ratings
2% above category average
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Project & financial reporting00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Integration with accounting software00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AirtableSmartsheet
Small Businesses
Stackby
Stackby
Score 8.9 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
InEight
InEight
Score 8.2 out of 10
InEight
InEight
Score 8.2 out of 10
Enterprises
InEight
InEight
Score 8.2 out of 10
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InEight
Score 8.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AirtableSmartsheet
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(0 ratings)
9.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AirtableSmartsheet
Likelihood to Recommend
Airtable is well suited for cross-functional teams who all have an interest in data site - it's democratizing who owns data. Especially if there will be a need to add input on a cell-level basis view comment functionality with the expectation of @mentioned parties respond. Airtable is less suited for teams who need to run functions, jobs, and macros across a data set; they're best suited for Excel.
Read full review
The Smartsheet platform is extremely similar to Microsoft Excel, so if you are familiar with Excel, you will pick Smartsheet up quickly. Even if you aren't Smartsheet has a relatively simple user interface, meaning just about anyone can learn it. One thing to note is that the interface is that some may consider the interface so simple that they feel the need to look for more robust platforms. If you have a small to medium project that needs to be manages in a central hub, Smartsheet would be a great fit. If you have a very large project, I might consider looking into more advanced platforms.
Read full review
Pros
  • I can create tables, create and customize fields
  • Airtable has capabilities commonly found in spreadsheet applications, but also has some of the features found in databases.
  • The ability to filter fields. I set up a filter on the status field, so when a project is marked, complete, on hold, or canceled, that record is hidden from my current projects table view. If it is marked complete, the record is moved to the completed projects table view. In this way I can easily access a record of past projects
  • Being able to duplicate tables and create alternate views
  • Collapse and expand records. When I collapse the rows, I can easily scan current projects, next steps, project status, and due dates. When I expand the row, or field, I can see more detailed information about that field or record very easily. I can also expand or open the entire record. This is is helpful, when I am entering a lot of information to multiple fields in that record.
Read full review
  • The easy to use dashboard has enabled us get comprehensive view of projects across the entire business.
  • It has streamlined internal communication with ease of sharing information across different teams.
  • Smartsheet automates our workflows, enhances collaboration and ensures there are no data silos.
  • I like that it saves time for us and ensures we spend less time switching between apps.
Read full review
Cons
  • Airtable does not integrate with collaboration services with which it is possible to review live changes within each spreadsheet (in the case of keeping them closed).
  • Does not automate analysis traffic.
  • It does not include any section where it is possible to communicate with the other editors.
Read full review
  • Smartsheet set up is similar to Excel, yet when you upload an Excel file, things like conditional formatting are lost. Smartsheet has its own conditional formatting, and you have to reinstate the rules. It would be great if those would apply automatically once a file is uploaded
  • Some Smartsheet management and access rules can take some tweaking to work properly. This may be a case of offering more info to admins so they can apply these better and with more efficiency
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Likelihood to Renew
We love Airtable for how we use it and we know there are probably tons of other ways we can implement it for other departments. We just haven't gotten there yet (due to bandwith) Customer Support is also super helpful and overall ease of use is fantastic
Read full review
Smartsheet has made my work life easier. Reduced my email significantly. Smartsheet and SaneBox have got me leaving the office with 0... Yes 0 emails in my inbox. My inbox would reach 150-250 email per day. Smartsheet brought that number down significantly and SaneBox took it the rest of the way. Do yourself a favor and check out SaneBox, too.
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Usability
Airtable is a simple and intuitive tool. However, when you first set it up, you need someone who is curious and able to design a system that works for your organisation's use case. This takes some time, but it can be intuitive once it's set up.
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Smartsheet is very easy to learn. However, while I have been able to pick it easily, Microsoft Excel and Project super users that I have trained on Smartsheet get bogged down in the differences and can find it frustrating. Explaining the differences ahead of time and why Smartsheet is being chosen instead of a different software seems to counteract those reactions
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Reliability and Availability
I have rarely experience downtime, compared to other tools, and given how much time we spend on the tool. Even if there were to be, their updates on it are very timely, and our support team are able to provide any questions regarding
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No answers on this topic
Performance
I never had any issues with load time, even with the integrations that we use today (google sheets) However, I'm curious if adding additional layers of integrations would slow down performance. We do carry quite a bit of data in Airtable, but, again, no impact on overall performance
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Airtable has great support. They have a variety of support features to answer any questions. They have great self teaching instructions for templates and product tours. They also have support for teams and project management. They also have a fantastic customer help line. They are able and willing to answer customer questions and never have customers waiting long
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They're a smaller company but they've always given great service when we rarely need to reach out. Pretty good online content but a bigger user base would help to produce more content in a self-sufficient community much as we see with Salesforce. To be fair we haven't needed their direct customer support very often. The sales guys are nice and not too pushy!
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In-Person Training
This training was done in-house, but the Airtable team provided resources and how to guides to ensure that we covered all components of the system
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Recorded trainings were provided by the Airtable team. Great as an evergreen resources to new team members and for anyone that wants to refresh their Airtable knowledge
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Training all users was an important part of the implementation, which did take considerable time and effort. At first glance without training, the content calendar can be overwhelming because of the amount of data. The features within Airtable seem to be endless but our team was able to identify the most important to be successful.
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Work with the Smartsheet support team to get the best overall. If no one in your organization has used Smartsheet before, the support team will get things started. We had a couple of people who had used this product before and it was a great help in getting our framework together how we wanted to use it.
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Alternatives Considered
Airtable is the most user-friendly and adaptive. It's UX/UI is the most aesthetically pleasing (which matters a lot if its what you're staring at every day), and the customizability of having different views and perspectives of the same record is extremely helpful. It's also a great cloud-based storage place for marketing materials, as it goes beyond simple storage - you can group together, make notes, connect, and comment on assets.
Read full review
Smartsheet is a dedicated project management tool that is built on spread sheet principles. When compared to Microsoft's own offering, Smartsheet came out on top in some areas like dedicated project management features vs having to build custom features to Microsoft 365. However when you compare them on price, Microsoft 365 definitely has more value than Smartsheet.
Read full review
Scalability
There are TONS of opportunity to scale, but I think it's a matter if you have the time and resources to do so because the initial setup can be fairly time consuming and prioritized dedication
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • It gives us a real-time experience of working.
  • Through this platform, I always have the idea bout which of my team member is working on which particular part of the project, I can easily track their progress, and also I can easily correct them where it is required by adding sticky notes, by sending the attachments and URLs.
  • Quality services.
Read full review
  • Our positive ROI has decreased the overall cost in project management as it reduced the amount of MS project licenses we needed.
  • We have also seen a positive ROI on using the cloud storage and it automatically supports proper version control.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Airtable Screenshots

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