Airtable and Notion are two highly rated project management software solutions. Both are designed to make it easier for your team to plan projects, delegate tasks, get things done and meet your goals. However, while the two are similar, they’re not without their differences. So to help make your decision easier, we’ve compared Airtable vs. Notion in a head-to-head test based on the key features that matter most to businesses.
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Notion vs. Airtable: At a Glance
It’s important to note at the outset that while Airtable and Notion are both productivity software, they function differently and serve different purposes. For this reason, it can be hard to compare the two in a normal apples-to-apples kind of way, and the assessment will ultimately depend largely on what you need the software to do and how you plan to use the software with your team.
Before making a decision about which software is best for you, we recommend that you have a clear understanding of your needs and objectives. Airtable is best for managing structured data, such as production schedules, invoices and inventory. Notion, on the other hand, excels at document organization, such as knowledge management, journals, personal web pages and wiki-style documents.
Airtable
Starting price
Free; $20 per user per month for premium plans
Standout features
Comprehensive collaborative features including time tracking, invoicing and billing
Integrations available
Seven built-in integrations, and users can use additional programs to integrate with over 1,000 software tools
Free; $20 per user per month for premium plans
Comprehensive collaborative features including time tracking, invoicing and billing
Seven built-in integrations, and users can use additional programs to integrate with over 1,000 software tools
In many ways, Airtable is a lot like a superpowered spreadsheet, but because users can link records across tables, it functions more as a database than a spreadsheet. For this reason, Airtable can function as a CRM in addition to a project management tool.
Airtable offers a free version with unlimited bases and 1G of file space, but to increase storage to 20G, Airtable Team is available for $20 per month per user (if billed annually). Airtable Business is $45 per month per user (if billed annually) and increases storage to 100G and also adds a number of advanced features. The Enterprise option is negotiated with customers on a case-by-case basis.
- Broad range of features, including invoicing and budgeting capabilities
- Includes time tracking
- Includes invoicing and billing
- Users can link records across tables
- Offers more views (e.g., Kanban)
- Steeper learning curve
- No telephone support with Free, Plus or Pro versions
Notion
Starting price
Free; $8 per month per user for premium plans
Standout features
Affordable and customizable with tons of prebuilt templates
Integrations available
Connects with other software via API
Free; $8 per month per user for premium plans
Affordable and customizable with tons of prebuilt templates
Connects with other software via API
If Airtable is like a spreadsheet, Notion is like a blank page. It is a multi-purpose platform where users can record notes, tasks and ideas. Users find it similar to Evernote. Each blank text field is a “block” that can then be formatted and moved around to create a custom layout for projects and tasks.
If you want to collaborate with a team, you’ll most likely want the Plus version ($8 per month per user, if billed annually), but even the Team version of Notion is cheaper than the starting paid plan for Airtable ($20 per month per user, if billed annually). If you plan to use Notion for personal tasks—such as a workout routine or a bullet journal—the free Personal version may be sufficient. With the free version, you can create timelines, Kanban boards and journals.
- More affordable than Airtable
- Great for knowledge management
- Lots of templates to get you started
- Robust community of supporters
- Slower databases
- No time tracking
- No invoicing or billing
How Airtable and Notion Stack Up
| Airtable | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
|
Rating
|
 |
|
|
Starting Price For Premium Plans (Billed Annually)
|
$20 per user per month
|
$8 per user per month
|
|
Free Plan
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Strength
|
Data management
|
Knowledge management
|
|
Integrations
|
Seven built-in integrations, plus an app marketplace
|
Over 20 integrations
|
|
Ease of Use
|
Steep learning curve, but users say that it’s worth it
|
Involves a learning curve
|
|
Available Views
|
Kanban boards, lists, Gantt charts, timelines and calendars
|
Boards, lists, calendar, timelines, tables and galleries
|
|
Customizable Views
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Custom Reports
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Invoicing and Budgeting
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Time Tracking
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Desktop Application
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
As mentioned at the outset, when it comes to answering the question of which is best, you’ll first need to answer the question: “What do I want to do with the software?” Notion is cheaper, but its databases are slower and less robust. It also lacks an app marketplace, though it can be connected with other software using application programming interface (API). Airtable, on the other hand, is slightly more expensive but it has strong database speed and size.
Bottom Line
Both Airtable and Notion are well-respected, popular productivity software options. If you have a clear understanding of how you plan to use the tool, you can decide which one will best help meet your needs. If you want to organize data and manage databases, Airtable will be a better choice. If you want to organize documents and manage information, Notion is the better option.
Further reading: Explore more Airtable Competitors or read about Notion pricing plans.
