Airtable alternatives: a data-backed comparison

Explore how Asana alternatives are performing with data on average spend, ideal use cases, pros, and cons to decide which tool is right for your team.

Best Airtable alternatives in 2025

Trello logo

Trello

Best for: Small teams and individuals who prefer visual task management and straightforward workflows.

Relative cost:
The cost is about 68% lower than average
Adoption trend:
Trello has seen 7% adoption growth in the last quarter
Pros:
  • Highly intuitive interface
  • Easy to set up and use
  • Excellent for simple project visualization
  • Flexible card organization
Cons:
  • Limited advanced project management features
  • Can become cluttered with larger projects
  • Basic functionality compared to competitors
Monday logo

Monday

Best for: Teams that need powerful yet intuitive work management tools to coordinate projects across teams without the complexity of enterprise software.

Relative cost:
The cost is about 31% lower than average
Adoption trend:
Monday has seen 11% adoption growth in the last quarter
Pros:
  • Intuitive, visual interface requires minimal training time
  • Strong mobile app functionality for on-the-go monitoring
  • Excellent dashboard visualization for metrics
  • High user satisfaction ratings for ease of use
Cons:
  • Limited functionality in free version
  • Limited customization options for complex processes
  • Less robust time tracking capabilities for billable hour management
  • Limited number of native integrations
ClickUp logo

ClickUp

Best for: Teams heavily reliant on multiple tools and requiring extensive integrations.

Relative cost:
The cost is about 10% lower than average
Adoption trend:
ClickUp has seen 15% adoption growth in the last quarter
Pros:
  • Comprehensive feature set
  • Regular platform updates
  • Powerful automation options
  • Competitive pricing
Cons:
  • Steeper learning curve for new users
  • Feature-rich environment can be overwhelming
Need more insights before you decide?

Criteria for evaluating Airtable alternatives

The data on the platforms' spending patterns above is drawn from Ramp's analysis of anonymized transactions across more than 30,000 businesses. These insights can help benchmark your expected usage and understand market adoption trends. Here's how you can take your analysis further:

Project capacity and functionality

When selecting an Airtable alternative, evaluate task limits, storage capacity, and project management capabilities. Look for solutions that offer sufficient capacity for your needs—ideally supporting 100,000+ tasks and at least 100GB storage for growing teams. Consider whether the platform supports dependencies between tasks, custom fields, and calculations essential for project management.

Automation capabilities

Assess each alternative's ability to automate repetitive tasks and workflows. Determine if the platform offers conditional logic, scheduled triggers, and integration-based automations. Check automation run limits on different pricing tiers, as some platforms restrict monthly automation runs on lower-priced plans, which can become problematic for automation-heavy project workflows.

Integration ecosystem

Evaluate the platform's ability to connect with your existing tech stack, particularly other project management and productivity systems. Look for pre-built integrations with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and other collaboration services. For platforms without native integrations, check for API accessibility and compatibility with integration platforms. The ability to import/export data in various formats (CSV, JSON) is also essential for project data portability.

Security and compliance features

Prioritize platforms offering role-based access control (RBAC), audit logs, data encryption (both in transit and at rest), and compliance certifications relevant to your industry. Enterprise features like SSO (Single Sign-On) and advanced permissions may be necessary for larger organizations managing sensitive projects.

Pricing structure and scalability

Analyze the total cost of ownership, including per-user fees, storage costs, and premium feature add-ons. Compare task limits and storage caps across pricing tiers to ensure the platform can grow with your needs. Look for alternatives with transparent pricing and reasonable upgrade paths that don't penalize growth with exponential cost increases.

How to choose the right alternative

Audit your current workflows and pain points

Identify what's working and what's not with your current Airtable setup before evaluating alternatives.

  • Catalog all existing projects, tasks, and automations
  • List integration points with other tools and systems
  • Document primary use cases and critical requirements
  • Identify specific limitations or frustrations with Airtable

Prioritize your must-have features

Create a hierarchy of features that are essential versus those that are merely nice-to-have.

  • Determine non-negotiable project management capabilities (task tracking, dependencies, etc.)
  • Identify mission-critical automations that must be preserved
  • List essential integrations with other business systems
  • Establish security and compliance requirements

Evaluate pricing against your growth projections

Compare total cost of ownership against your expected growth to avoid future pricing surprises.

  • Calculate current Airtable spend versus alternative solutions
  • Project costs based on expected user growth over 1-3 years
  • Consider any implementation or migration costs
  • Evaluate upgrade paths and pricing tier jumps

Test with a pilot project

Implement a small-scale test to validate the alternative's effectiveness before full migration.

  • Select a non-critical project to recreate in the new system
  • Involve key stakeholders in the evaluation process
  • Test integration capabilities with existing systems
  • Measure performance and user satisfaction

Plan your migration strategy

Create a phased approach to minimize disruption when transitioning from Airtable.

  • Develop a data migration plan with clear milestones
  • Create training materials for team members
  • Establish parallel systems temporarily if necessary
  • Set clear timelines with contingency plans

Time is money. Save both.