Airtable Wins
Winner
VS
Score Comparison
Criteria
Airtable
Smartsheet
Overall Score
8.2
7.8
Ease of Use
8.0
7.5
Features
8.5
8.5
Collaboration
8.5
7.5
Pricing/Value
7.5
7.5
Integrations
9.0
8.5
Pricing & Features
Specification
Airtable
Smartsheet
Starting Price
Free / $20/mo
Free / $9/mo
Free Tier
Pricing Model
Freemium
Freemium
Making Your Decision
When to Choose Airtable
Teams wanting to build custom project tracking systems with a flexible database
Airtable is a powerful platform that can be molded into virtually any PM system you can imagine, perfect for teams with unique workflows who want to build rather than adapt.
Strengths
- Powerful database with spreadsheet simplicity
- Extremely flexible for custom workflows
- Beautiful interface builder for custom apps
- Strong automation and scripting capabilities
Limitations
- Higher price point than traditional PM tools
- Requires setup work to build PM workflows
- Record limits on lower tiers
When to Choose Smartsheet
Excel power users who need spreadsheet-style project management with Gantt charts
Smartsheet bridges the gap between spreadsheets and project management, making it ideal for organizations that rely heavily on Excel but need more PM structure.
Strengths
- Familiar spreadsheet interface for Excel users
- Powerful Gantt charts and dependencies
- Strong automation and workflow capabilities
- Excellent for data-heavy project tracking
Limitations
- Interface feels dated compared to modern PM tools
- Collaboration features less intuitive than competitors
- Steep learning curve for non-spreadsheet users
