Airtable vs. Notion Comparability – 2023

Airtable and Notion are two fashionable instruments that can be utilized for productiveness and, to an extent, mission administration. Each supply customers a free plan with a restricted vary of options and paid plans focused at bigger groups with extra advanced wants. Though these instruments share similarities, there are additionally a variety of variations. On this comparability, we’ll break down each’s strengths and weaknesses so you may assess which is best to your wants. 

Airtable is as a lot a database as it’s a mission administration device. Though it may be used for managing workflows or assigning duties, it’s actually designed for centralizing knowledge in order that groups can simply entry it for issues like constructing apps, monitoring tasks, or creating automation like triggered emails. What provides Airtable an edge is its integration and automation options, that are each user-friendly and extremely intuitive for updating knowledge or simplifying duties. You will get began with Airtable totally free on their fundamental plan. 

Notion is actually a note-taking device that customers can use to handle tasks and workflows in a staff. In comparison with most mission administration software program, Notion is very customizable, with an enormous vary of templates and constructing blocks, together with galleries, calendars, and lists. Notion shines relating to flexibility and element, making it doable for customers and groups to create detailed firm wikis with any structure they select. You will get began with Notion totally free.

Airtable and Notion In comparison with the Greatest Undertaking Administration Software program

Under you’ll discover our Golden Eggs, the prime mission administration instruments we selected as our favourite based mostly on analysis and evaluations. Neither Airtable nor Notion made the listing, however they’re highly effective instruments it is best to contemplate to your wants. 

Monday.com is a superb device for preserving issues easy and onboarding new staff members, making it our favourite alternative for folks new to mission administration. You will get began in the present day totally free. 

ClickUp is the most suitable choice for distant employees and groups, with wonderful collaboration and highly effective customization options. Join free in the present day. 

Smartsheet is ideal for individuals who like utilizing spreadsheets and want one thing with database options. Get began with their free plan now. 

Airtable In comparison with Notion

Let’s begin by breaking down what every device does and its greatest options. Each Airtable and Notion are far more than simply mission administration (PM) software program, so let’s check out what makes each price utilizing. 

Airtable Highlights

Airtable has so many options and instruments that it could actually perform as a whole system for mission administration and staff collaboration. The important thing function of Airtable is its database, which is nice for accumulating and managing knowledge like buyer particulars, due dates, and job assignments. Airtable databases will be created or up to date by importing knowledge from different platforms, which is right when onboarding shoppers or rapidly updating massive quantities of information. 

Airtable additionally contains a formidable vary of native integration and automation options, that are greatest used inside groups to streamline operations and make updating databases simple and coordinated. This automation contains issues like triggered emails and types. The integrations embody Salesforce and Google Workspace, which assist groups lower your expenses on Zapier and associate with shoppers already utilizing different software program. 

Airtable additionally contains focused PM options, with options particularly designed for advertising and marketing, product, operation, and HR groups. From options like reporting and managing deliverables to accumulating buyer suggestions and syncing knowledge from calendars or different instruments, Airtable has options for any staff or business. 

Notion Highlights

Notion is a superb device, particularly for people and groups. Notion gives virtually unequalled freedom for people or small groups to customise it to their wants and a easy interface that cuts out the noise and helps with prioritization. For larger groups, Notions’ wiki sections make it easy to maintain firm data centralized, and it presents a straightforward answer for issues like onboarding new hires or sharing consumer mission notes. 

For PM, Notion contains roadmap constructing blocks that assist groups plan tasks from begin to end by importing knowledge, managing calendars, or assigning duties. It’s also possible to combine with different instruments like Jira and Github utilizing a synced database with out leaving Notion, so you may keep in a single device for a complete mission with out shedding knowledge from different software program. This additionally makes it simpler for customers to collaborate with shoppers utilizing their very own instruments or databases. 

Airtable vs. Notion: Execs and Cons

Whereas neither Airtable nor Notion began as mission administration software program, they’ve grown into key opponents in that area. They’re so versatile that many customers don’t want to make use of different PM-specific software program. Nevertheless, each have advantages and downsides, so let’s break down the professionals and cons of every so you may assess whether or not both is true to your wants. 

The place Airtable Shines

Interface: The core of Airtable is its database, with every particular person database referred to as a “base” with varied interfaces. The customizable interface is extremely refined and intuitive. Each base has templates and built-in options, together with due dates or job assignments. It’s also possible to change every base into completely different views, reminiscent of Kanban, timeline, and grid, and will be shade coded. There’s additionally a search function that makes it simple to navigate databases, which could not be one thing you’d discover with different database instruments and even most mission administration instruments. 

Automation: Certainly one of Airtable’s greatest strengths is its automation options, the place customers can set off actions internally and externally, saving groups time and lowering the necessity for different instruments. Groups are all the time stored updated as a result of when a change is made in any base, the opposite synced bases are robotically up to date, too. Customers can add automation to inform staff members through Slack or e-mail when there are modifications. Automation will also be exterior, reminiscent of triggering social media posts with updates, actions, or particular dates. 

Integration: Airtable contains native integrations to instruments like Google Workspace, Slack, and WordPress, so customers don’t must depend on third-party instruments like Zapier. Many of those are native integrations, so that you don’t must do any coding to set them up, making it simple to maneuver work from different platforms into Airtable or deliver shoppers into the workflow.  

Reporting: Airtable has a reasonably refined reporting and monitoring system, the place you may see an in depth log of what modifications are being made and by who. It’s additionally simple to drag and analyze knowledge straight out of your dashboard with reporting extensions like bar charts, pivot tables, and base schemas. This offers customers a transparent concept of what’s working in a mission and onerous knowledge to point out to shoppers throughout a mission’s lifetime. 

Import Options: Airtable helps you to import, export, and migrate knowledge within the platform, so you may centralize all of your databases and replace current data with the information you have already got. Airtable has over 25 built-in sources you may export from, together with contacts, Google Sheets, CSV, and Trello. It’s very intuitive when importing knowledge, and you may then edit or customise area names or properties. 

The place Airtable Wants Enchancment

Customization: It is a little bit nitpicky as a result of in comparison with the vast majority of mission administration software program, Airtable does have a variety of customization choices, and when in comparison with different database instruments like Google Sheets or Excel, it’s a mile forward. Nevertheless, once you take a look at Airtable versus Notion, there’s no competitors–most of Airtable’s modules and extensions are fastened, as are most of its templates, whereas Notion presents customers full freedom and adaptability. 

Word-Taking: As a result of Airtable is, at its essence, a database that you need to use for mission administration, there isn’t a variety of room for note-taking. Though you may change from grid views to Kanban views, you wouldn’t essentially need to add tons of notes to an Excel spreadsheet, and it’s the identical with Airtable. In case you have plenty of mission content material or an organization wiki, Airtable will probably be so much much less intuitive than Notion. 

Studying Curve: Most software program has a little bit of a studying curve. Nevertheless, as a result of Airtable has a database mannequin, it may be difficult for brand spanking new or exterior customers to navigate. There’s a lot data and knowledge that even with Kanban or gallery views, discovering particular duties and knowledge can get messy or finicky. There’s additionally some studying curve in customizing the device and determining all of the filters and views to get precisely what you want. However in the event you’re a fan of spreadsheets and have a variety of knowledge, Airtable can definitely assist retailer and arrange it.

The place Notion Shines

Flexibility: With out query, the principle power of Notion is its customization options and its flexibility. Customers can actually create something, particularly inside content material, together with galleries, lists, graphs, photos, and even movies. This makes it versatile for inside and consumer work as a result of customers can do issues like share information or embed movies simply, which isn’t one thing you are able to do with most different PM software program. 

Function Makes use of: Due to the excessive degree of customization and the vary of choices included with Notion, like movies, file sharing, wikis, tables, and graphs, many individuals discover that Notion replaces a substantial variety of different enterprise instruments. Contemplating the value level, having one centralized place for databases, staff communication, roadmaps, video sharing, and budgeting is spectacular. 

Content material Creation: As a platform that began as a note-taking app, it’s to be anticipated that relating to creating, organizing, and sharing content material, Notion is arguably the perfect mission administration software program on the market. Groups can create inside wikis which might be very difficult and in-depth whereas nonetheless being simple to learn and navigate. You possibly can simply add notes, lists, information, and feedback to any mission stage. It’s a lot simpler so as to add lengthy items of content material in Notion than in different PM instruments, so for giant groups making an attempt to onboard or create firm wikis, Notion is a transparent alternative. 

Collaboration: As a result of Notion is so customizable and versatile, sharing content material in numerous types and collaborating with groups is extremely simple. Customers can add feedback anyplace inside a mission or database, and staff members are notified each time they’re talked about in a remark. It’s also possible to share information, together with paperwork, photos, graphs, reviews, and movies, which isn’t all the time an possibility in different instruments.  

Dashboard Views: Notion presents groups various kinds of views, together with Kanban and calendars. Not solely are these views nice for teams engaged on completely different sorts of tasks, however they’re as extremely customizable as Notion’s listing of content material blocks and extra customizable than different mission administration software program. 

The place Notion Wants Enchancment

Customization: Though we’ve acknowledged that the pliability and customization of Notion is a main power, it’s additionally an space that may very well be improved, particularly for mission administration. As a result of there’s a lot you are able to do and alter in Notion, it may be a bit more durable for groups to stand up and working or construction tasks than Airtable. Regardless that there are templates, Notion’s give attention to giving customers full flexibility can decelerate new groups who simply need to launch a mission and bounce straight right into a structured dashboard. Plus, some customers could expertise determination paralysis with so many choices.

Aim Monitoring: Notion doesn’t have an important vary of goal-tracking options, so for groups that want workflows to maintain them accountable, Notion will not be nearly as good of an possibility as Airtable. As a result of Notion is so centered on letting customers create their very own content material, it could actually generally lack the accountability options that preserve mission success measurable. 

The Final Phrase on Airtable In comparison with Notion

Contemplating each Airtable and Notion supply feature-rich free plans and had been initially designed to unravel different productiveness points, they’re spectacular as mission administration instruments, and we might fortunately suggest both one. 

Nonetheless, in the event you’re searching for a device that helps you handle knowledge after which use that to gas or arrange tasks, or if automation is necessary to you, Airtable might be the higher alternative. If flexibility and utilizing completely different content material types are essential, or you already know you’ll add an organization wiki, you gained’t discover a higher device than Notion.

Airtable and Notion are nice picks for mission administration, however there are additionally loads of others to select from. We’ve written an in depth evaluate of our favourite picks based mostly on hours of analysis and testing. We broke down the instruments by who we expect each is greatest suited to, and detailed our standards for selecting each in our full evaluate on the perfect mission administration software program.