Airtable vs Smartsheet
Airtable and Smartsheet are both databases & spreadsheets tools. Airtable is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Smartsheet is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Smartsheet costs less, from $12/mo versus $24/mo for Airtable. Only Airtable has a free plan.
Spreadsheet-database hybrid with apps
Spreadsheet-style work management for enterprises
| Pricing | Freemium · $24 | Paid · $12 |
| Starting price | $24/mo | $12/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2012 | US · 2005 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Airtable if
Operations, marketing and content teams that outgrew spreadsheets but do not want a developer-built system.
- Approachable for spreadsheet users yet relational
- Interfaces turn data into usable apps without code
- Rich field types and views
Look elsewhere if: Very large datasets, budget-sensitive teams (Baserow, NocoDB, Grist), or engineering data that belongs in a real database.
Choose Smartsheet if
Enterprises and PMOs.
- Familiar spreadsheet feel
- Enterprise features
- Strong Gantt
Look elsewhere if: Startups wanting modern tools (Airtable, Notion).
Airtable vs Smartsheet pricing
Airtable
- Free$01,000 records/base, 5 editors, 1 GB
- Team$24/seat/mo$20 billed annually; 50,000 records/base, 20 GB
- Business$54/seat/mo$45 billed annually; 125,000 records, SAML SSO
- Enterprise ScaleCustom500,000 records, enterprise API
Smartsheet
- Pro$12/member/mo$9 billed yearly; 1-10 members, unlimited contributors
- Business$24/member/mo$19 billed yearly; 3+ members, 1 TB storage
- EnterpriseCustom10+ members, SAML SSO, portfolios
- Advanced Work ManagementCustomControl Center, Dynamic View, Data Shuttle
Airtable · Key features
- Relational tables with 25+ field types, lookups and rollups
- Grid, kanban, calendar, gallery, Gantt, timeline and form views
- Interface Designer for dashboards and internal apps
- Automations with triggers, scripts and AI steps
- Sync between bases and external sources (Salesforce, Jira, Google Sheets)
- REST API, webhooks and extensions marketplace
Cons
- Record limits per base can block growth
- Per-seat pricing is high for large teams of light users
- Free plan shrank significantly
Smartsheet · Key features
- Grid, Gantt, card, calendar views
- Automated workflows and approvals
- Forms and dashboards
- Resource management
- Portfolio management
- Enterprise governance
Cons
- Dated UI
- Costs rise at enterprise
- Less flexible than Airtable
Airtable vs Smartsheet: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Airtable or Smartsheet?
Smartsheet starts at $12/mo and Airtable at $24/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Airtable and Smartsheet have a free plan?
Airtable has a free plan. Smartsheet has no free plan.