Smartsheet
From ~$9 per user/mo
Airtable
Free / from ~$20 per seat/mo
Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-style work platform strong at project management and enterprise scale. Airtable is a flexible database-spreadsheet hybrid with rich fields, views, and apps. Smartsheet wins on familiar grids and PM at scale; Airtable wins on flexible relational data.
Pick Smartsheet if you want a familiar spreadsheet feel plus strong project management, Gantt charts, and enterprise governance.
Pick Airtable if you want a flexible relational database with rich fields, multiple views, and the ability to build apps.
Smartsheet and Airtable both look like spreadsheets at first glance but go far beyond cells, yet they emphasize different strengths. Smartsheet keeps a familiar grid feel and layers on project management — Gantt charts, automations, reporting, and the governance enterprises need to run programs at scale. Airtable is a flexible relational database dressed as a spreadsheet, with rich field types (attachments, links, selects), multiple views, and an app-building layer that suits custom workflows.
On price, Smartsheet starts around $9 per user per month, while Airtable has a free tier and paid plans from around $20 per seat. The choice is mostly familiar grids and project management at scale (Smartsheet) versus flexible relational databases and apps (Airtable).
We compare spreadsheet feel, databases, project management, pricing, and scale.
| Quick facts | Smartsheet | Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Core feel | Spreadsheet + PM | Database-spreadsheet hybrid |
| Starting price | From ~$9/user/mo | Free / from ~$20/seat/mo |
| Project management (Gantt) | Best-in-class | Good |
| Relational data & fields | Good | Best-in-class |
| Best for | Grids + PM at scale | Flexible relational data |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | S Smartsheet | A Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Familiar spreadsheet grid | Best-in-class | Strong |
| Gantt charts & project views | Best-in-class | Good |
| Rich field types | Good | Best-in-class |
| Relational links between tables | Limited | Best-in-class |
| Automations | Strong | Strong |
| App / interface building | Limited | Best-in-class |
| Enterprise governance & scale | Best-in-class | Strong |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-26.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Smartsheet is great for grid-based project management at scale, but it is less flexible as a relational database than Airtable.
Airtable is more flexible and app-like, but its per-seat pricing climbs and its project management is lighter than Smartsheet's.
For program and project management Smartsheet wins; for custom relational workflows Airtable wins.
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