5 Project Management Alternatives to Airtable (2024)

Airtable is notorious for being the leading cloud-based database-spreadsheet hybrid in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) space. Its robust integration features put it in a league of its own. And because it is built as a no- to low-code product, it’s fairly easy for non-technical users to use.

The impressive versatility and visualization features of the platform makes Airtable the preferred project management software in practically every capacity you can think of, including sales, marketing, product development, and personal productivity. Even so, there are times when Airtable might not be the right fit for you.

Many Airtable alternatives have emerged throughout the years, both free and paid. In this article, we’ll discuss a few on the list and consider when they might be a better fit for you.

Airtable: A Robust Spreadsheet-Database Hybrid on the Cloud

Database software is a dime a dozen, but Airtable stands out as a cloud-based platform that brings together the best of spreadsheets and relational data management tools. With over 1,000 native integrations, Airtable makes it easy to create custom workflows in a few clicks.

Third-party integration services, scripting extensions, automation scripts, webhook triggers, and an enterprise API (Application Programming Interface) also make it possible to take advantage of other apps’ capabilities. Whether you’re generating event ID cards from a base or building a comprehensive lead management system, Airtable can do it all.

Airtable’s pricing starts from free for individual and small team use, going up to $20 and $45 monthly per user for access to many more bases, extensions, integration options. Departments and organizations can also request custom quotes for large-scale use.

As extensive as its capabilities might be, Airtable is not always the best fit. Teams looking for platforms with better time-tracking capabilities, detailed reporting, or more affordable pricing should consider alternatives that better answer their needs.

5 Project Management Airtable Alternatives in 2024

Trello: A Lightweight Kanban-based System

Trello has gained notoriety as a Kanban method-oriented platform. Teams use cards to title tasks, add deadlines, assign stakeholders, upload files, and upload related files. As these tasks progress, they are moved down different lists so it's easy to visualize the current status of a project at a glance. Projects can also be viewed as timelines, charts, calendars, and maps.

If you need to integrate other tools’ capabilities into your Trello board, you can use features such as Butler automation, native integrations, and third-party plugins known as “Power-ups.” This allows for more control without requiring too much technical know-how.

The intuitive, cloud-based system requires little-to-no ramp up, making it excellent for smaller and less complex projects. However, large-scale project teams may find Trello to be limiting. Without dependency management and similar capabilities, it can be difficult to truly gauge the status of a project.

Trello’s pricing starts free for individuals and small teams that need up to 10 boards, going up as high as $17.50 monthly per user for features like additional project views, unlimited command runs, and admin features. Larger teams can get an enterprise quote that bring costs per user down.

🔑 Key Features:

• Kanban visualization
• Drag-and-drop interface
• Options for integrating third-party tools

😍   What We Liked:

• Little-to-no ramp up
• Unlimited activity log for all tiers (including free)
• Web, desktop, and mobile apps available

😐   What We Didn’t Like:

• No advanced project management features
• Paid plugins required for basic tasks

💭   Overall Thoughts:

Trello is easy to use and highly accessible across devices. Kanban visualization makes it the platform of choice for less complex projects, and automation features save a lot of time. However, the lack of advanced features make it less suitable for large-scale projects.

Asana: An Multi-Workspace Tool for Businesses

Asana is well-known in the project management space for its range of capabilities. Teams can organize anything from complex processes to minute tasks using timelines, boards, calendars, and more.

Other features include hundreds of native app integrations, real-time reporting, strategic goal-setting, and an API for custom solutions. The fairly recent Workflow Builder tool is worth noting because it now allows Asana users to automate processes within the app and across tools, saving time and increasing accuracy in the process.

Asana’s pricing starts free for individual or small team use, offering unlimited tasks, projects, and activity logs. It goes up to $24.99 monthly per user for a wider range of customization features and the Workflow Builder tool. Larger organizations can also request an enterprise quote.

🔑 Key Features:

• Shared activity feed for centralized updates
• Highly intuitive and easy to navigate
• Workflow Builder for simplified processes

😍   What We Liked:

• Easy collaboration with comments, likes, reactions, assignments, and follows
• Native integration with most industry-leading tools
• Dynamic and extensive reporting features

😐   What We Didn’t Like:

• Limited time-tracking features
• Steep learning curve

💭   Overall Thoughts:

Asana is a comprehensive project management tool with features suitable for teams of all sizes. The built-in Workflow Builder and native integrations allow it to work well with most existing tech stacks. However, there might be such a thing as too many features. Teams that don’t need advanced capabilities might find the software unnecessarily complicated and opt for something simpler and easier to learn.

Stackby: An API Integration Powerhouse

Stackby has a user interface reminiscent of Airtable, and it shares the most features in common compared to any other platform on this list. Spreadsheet-style databases with supercharged API and automation capabilities make it suitable for both small- and large-scale projects.

With over 40 column-level API connectors and 15 powerups (plugins), Stackby is an integrations powerhouse that even non-technical users can use. It’s built to take as many menial tasks as possible off of your hands while being completely customizable.

Even with a relatively limited number of native integrations, Stackby’s API easily connects to other tools. This gives teams more control over their processes and makes it easy for them to send data from one app to another.

Stackby’s pricing starts free for 20 stacks and has three paid tiers that go up to as much as $18 monthly per user. Most teams will find the usage to be sufficient, although companies that require even more can contact sales for a custom enterprise quote.

🔑 Key Features:

• 50+ native app integrations
• Drag-and-drop workflow builder
• Robust reporting features

😍   What We Liked:

• Built-in time tracker, countdown tracker, and milestones
• Easy connectivity to different data sets
• 200+ pre-built templates for a wide range of use cases

😐   What We Didn’t Like:

• Limited native integrations
• Steep learning curve
• Insufficient number of free workspaces

💭   Overall Thoughts:

Teams needing to build highly custom workflows that require spreadsheet granularity can benefit from Stackby’s advanced features. However, they will need to consider that the platform is still relatively new and may not live up to the standard in terms of user interface and quick customer support.

Notion: A Simple, Yet Highly Personalizable Platform

Notion appears to have a simple, notepad-like interface, but its capabilities go far beyond. Teams can build dashboards that include docs, spreadsheets, roadmaps, and trackers. Personalization is a priority for Notion, and anyone from high school students to enterprise sales teams can build the systems they need.

Aside from built-in features, Notion has 200+ built-in app integrations and an API that allow you to connect with other tools in your workflows. The platform itself is incredibly nocode friendly—ideal for non-technical users.

Notion’s pricing starts free for personal use, going as high as $15 monthly per user for business use, unlimited file attachments, and tools such as analytics and bulk exports. Brands in need of more extensive security, auditing, and support can also request enterprise quotes.

🔑 Key Features:

• 200+ native app integrations
• Drag-and-drop user interface
• Web, desktop, and mobile apps

😍   What We Liked:

• Engaged and growing community
• Thousands of peer-generated templates
• Easy to share with guests and external stakeholders

😐   What We Didn’t Like:

• Difficult to switch between pages and users
• Users cannot have custom views on shared pages
• Limited spreadsheet capabilities

💭   Overall Thoughts:

If you’re looking for a less complex alternative to Airtable, Notion could be the software of choice. It’s ideal for use cases that require dashboards that are a mix of different things—wikis, lists, spreadsheets, docs, and calendars. That said, no one feature is especially advanced and larger datasets may take time to load and feel clunky. You might find other platforms to be more suitable if in-depth project management or reporting features are necessary.

Basecamp: A Platform Geared Towards Remote Teams

Basecamp is a project management software that puts real-time collaboration at the forefront of its priorities. Communication is easy with both synchronous and asynchronous options. Teams can use a combination of polled check-ins, group chats, and pings to seamlessly keep each other in the loop.

In terms of actual project management capabilities, Basecamp has a lot to offer. Users can visualize projects as Kanban cards, timelines, and even Hill charts. Individual feeds and personalized notifications also mean users can follow multiple projects at once.

Dozens of “doors”—app integrations—allow third-party tools to send or receive data from Basecamp, expanding the processes you can build.

Basecamp’s pricing is simple: they only offer two tiers. The first is priced at $15 monthly per user and is recommended for freelancers and small teams. The second is a $299 monthly rate for unlimited users and is recommended for growing businesses and larger teams. Projects, features, and integrations are unlimited, and guests can be invited to collaborate at no further charge.

🔑 Key Features:

• Synchronous and asynchronous collaboration features
• Dashboard to view project statuses in a glance
• Web, desktop, and mobile apps

😍   What We Liked:

• Transparent pricing with only two tiers
• Variety of remote collaboration options
• Personal activity feed for updates on associated projects

😐   What We Didn’t Like:

• Limited project views
• No time-tracking, budgeting, or resource management features

💭   Overall Thoughts:

Basecamp certainly has a wide range of features, and it extends all of them to users at no additional cost. The straightforward task management tools may be sufficient for individual users and small- to mid-sized businesses, especially those that work remotely. That said, the quality of these capabilities might not quite be what is needed for complex, large-scale projects.

Selecting the Best Project Management Platform for You

There are so many ways to visualize data and track projects today, and no one software can do it all. Fortunately, there is a myriad of options out there for you to choose from.

When selecting the best project management software for you, consider not only the features you need but also the pricing and support. You might also find an engaged community of users to be helpful for learning from other use cases and solving problems in your own workflows.