Airtable vs Smartsheet: Full Comparison

Airtable and Smartsheet sit in a category that is hard to define precisely. They are not spreadsheets, not databases, and not project management tools — yet they borrow from all three. Airtable brings a modern, colorful interface built on a relational database model. Smartsheet sticks closer to spreadsheet conventions while layering on project management, automations, and enterprise governance.

Both tools have matured considerably. Airtable has pushed toward becoming an app-building platform. Smartsheet has deepened its enterprise features and acquired companies to fill gaps in its portfolio. This comparison helps you understand which tool aligns with your team's actual workflow needs.

Core Philosophy

Airtable was designed to make databases accessible to non-technical users. Every base in Airtable is a relational database with linked records, rollups, lookups, and multiple views. The interface is visual, with color-coded fields, gallery views for images, and a Kanban board for status tracking. It feels consumer-grade in the best sense.

Smartsheet, by contrast, was built for operational rigor. Its roots are in project management and process tracking, which shows in features like Gantt charts, resource management, critical path analysis, and detailed permission controls. Smartsheet speaks the language of PMOs and operations teams.

Feature Comparison

Pricing

Smartsheet is significantly cheaper per user. Airtable's pricing has been a common complaint, particularly for teams that grow beyond the free tier. The jump from free to $20/user/month is steep, and the 1,000-record limit on the free plan constrains serious use.

However, pricing is only part of the equation. Airtable's relational model can reduce the number of separate sheets you need, whereas Smartsheet users often create many sheets that reference each other, which introduces its own complexity.

User Interface and Ease of Use

Airtable's interface is polished and intuitive. Color-coded field types, drag-and-drop everything, and a clean layout make it approachable for users who have never worked with databases. The learning curve exists — understanding linked records and rollups takes time — but most people can create a functional base within an hour.

Smartsheet's interface resembles a traditional spreadsheet, which is both a strength and a weakness. Users familiar with Excel or Google Sheets feel at home immediately. But the interface looks dated compared to Airtable, and navigating between sheets, reports, and dashboards requires more clicks.

Data Model and Structure

This is the most important difference. Airtable uses a relational database under the hood. You can link records between tables, create rollup and lookup fields that aggregate data across relationships, and build complex data structures without duplicating information. This makes Airtable excellent for scenarios like CRM tracking, content calendars, inventory management, or any use case where entities relate to each other.

Smartsheet uses a hierarchical row structure. Rows can be indented to create parent-child relationships, which works well for work breakdown structures and task hierarchies. But there is no true relational linking between sheets. Cross-sheet references exist but are more limited than Airtable's linked records.

Project Management

Smartsheet was purpose-built for project management. Its Gantt charts support dependencies, milestones, and critical path highlighting. Resource management lets you track team capacity and allocation. Baseline functionality allows you to compare planned timelines against actuals. These are features that project managers expect, and Smartsheet delivers them natively.

Airtable can be configured for project management using its timeline view and status fields. It works well for lightweight tracking and is flexible enough to customize. But it lacks native dependency management, critical path analysis, and resource allocation. For serious project management, you would need to layer on additional tools or extensions.

Automations

Both platforms offer automation capabilities. Airtable's automations trigger based on record events (created, updated, enters a view) and can perform actions like sending emails, updating records, or calling webhooks. The automation builder is visual and straightforward.

Smartsheet's automations cover similar ground with alert notifications, approval requests, update requests, and record actions. Smartsheet also supports conditional paths in automations, which allows for branching logic. For teams that need approval workflows or multi-step processes, Smartsheet's automation feature set is more mature.

Reporting and Dashboards

Smartsheet's reporting is a standout feature. You can create cross-sheet reports that pull data from multiple sheets into a single view, apply filters, and surface information across projects. Dashboards combine charts, metrics, and sheet data into a visual overview. This is particularly valuable for managers and executives who need visibility across teams.

Airtable's Interface Designer allows you to build custom interfaces for different audiences. These can include charts, filtered lists, and form inputs. Extensions add additional charting and pivot table capabilities. The approach is flexible but requires more setup compared to Smartsheet's reporting.

Enterprise and Governance

Smartsheet has invested heavily in enterprise governance. Admin controls, audit logs, content governance policies, and single sign-on are well-implemented. For organizations that need to manage hundreds of users and ensure data governance, Smartsheet provides the tooling.

Airtable's enterprise features have improved but still trail Smartsheet in depth. Admin controls, SSO, and SCIM provisioning are available, but the governance and audit capabilities are less comprehensive.