The best Airtable alternatives in 2026

Why Look for Airtable Alternatives in 2026

Airtable is a relational database that non-developers can use, with automations and, from Team, custom interfaces. Its pricing is built around per-base limits, and that is where most teams start comparing.

• Record limits per base. Free allows 1,000 records per base, Team 50,000 and Business 125,000. A growing base can force an upgrade even if headcount stays flat.
• Attachment limits per base. 1GB on Free, 20GB on Team, 100GB on Business.
• Automation runs are metered. 100 runs a month on Free, 25,000 on Team, 100,000 on Business and 500,000 on Enterprise Scale. Failed runs count too.
• The jump to Business is steep. Team is $20 per seat per month billed annually ($24 monthly). Business, which adds two-way sync and unlimited API calls, is $45 annually ($54 monthly). Business also requires a private email domain, so Gmail or Yahoo addresses will not work.
• API calls are capped below Business. 1,000 a month on Free and 100,000 on Team.

Airtable does get one thing right: only editors are billed, and read-only users are free. This guide compares it with Smartsheet, Notion, monday.com, ClickUp, SmartSuite and Baserow, focusing on record limits, automation limits and self-hosting.

Airtable review

Airtable sits between a spreadsheet and a custom internal app. Its plans set limits per base, so your largest base often decides your plan.

Key features

• Relational database bases with per-plan record and attachment limits
• Interface Designer for custom interfaces with grid, kanban, calendar, timeline and gallery elements (Team and up)
• Automations with monthly run quotas (100 Free, 25,000 Team, 100,000 Business, 500,000 Enterprise Scale)
• Two-way sync (Business)

Pricing

• Free: $0. 1,000 records and 1GB of attachments per base, 100 automation runs a month, 75 automations per base, 1,000 API calls a month, up to 5 Editors or Creators, 50 Commenters, unlimited read-only users, 2 weeks of revision history, 500 AI credits per editor per month.
• Team: $20 per collaborator per month billed annually, or $24 billed monthly. 50,000 records and 20GB per base, 25,000 automation runs a month, 100 automations per base, 100,000 API calls a month, 1 year of history, Interface Designer, 15,000 AI credits per billable collaborator per month.
• Business: $45 per collaborator per month billed annually, or $54 billed monthly. 125,000 records and 100GB per base, 100,000 automation runs a month, 150 automations per base, unlimited API calls, two-way sync, 1 year of history, 20,000 AI credits per paid user per month. Requires a private email domain.
• Enterprise Scale: contact sales. 500,000 automation runs a month and 25,000 AI credits per paid user per month. Record and storage limits are not published.

Only users with edit rights are billed. Read-only users are free, and on Business commenters are free as well. Your first workspace gets a 14-day Team trial.

Pros

• Read-only collaborators are free; only editors are billed
• Interface Designer builds custom app-like views on Team and up
• High automation quotas: 25,000 runs a month on Team
• Unlimited API calls and two-way sync on Business

Cons

• Free plan caps bases at 1,000 records and 1GB of attachments
• Business costs $45 per seat per month annual ($54 monthly)
• Record limits per base (50,000 Team, 125,000 Business) can force upgrades

Who should use it

Teams that need a relational database with custom interfaces for colleagues. Team fits if your biggest base stays under 50,000 records.

Who should skip it

Teams with very large tables, since 125,000 records per base is the highest published limit. Teams that want to self-host should start with Baserow. Small teams on a tight budget who need more than 1,000 records, since the next step is $20 per seat.

Smartsheet review

Smartsheet looks like a spreadsheet but is built for project plans. It has no free plan.

Key features

• Spreadsheet-style sheets with Gantt, table, board and calendar views on all plans
• Unlimited sheets, forms and reports on all plans
• Timeline view and workload tracking (Business and up)
• Portfolios, scenario planning and SAML SSO (Enterprise)

Pricing

• Pro: $9 per member per month billed yearly, or $12 billed monthly. 1 to 10 members, unlimited contributors, no guests. 20GB storage, 30MB maximum attachment, 250 automations a month. Only for new customers.
• Business: $19 per member per month billed yearly, or $24 billed monthly. 3 or more members, unlimited guests and contributors, 1TB storage, 250MB attachments, unlimited automations, timeline view and workload tracking.
• Enterprise: custom, 10 or more members. Unlimited storage, SAML SSO, portfolios and scenario planning.
• Advanced Work Management: custom. Adds Control Center, Dynamic View, Data Shuttle, DataMesh and premium support.

There is no free plan, but there is a 30-day free trial with no credit card.

Pros

• Gantt view included on every plan
• Unlimited sheets, forms and reports on all plans
• Unlimited automations and free guests on Business
• 30-day trial with no credit card

Cons

• No free plan
• Pro is capped at 10 members and 250 automations a month
• Timeline view and workload tracking require Business

Who should use it

Teams that use Airtable mostly for project plans. Business suits heavy automation, since automations are unlimited.

Who should skip it

Teams using Airtable as a relational database or app builder. Smartsheet's plans center on sheets, Gantt plans and reports.

Notion review

Notion is a docs and wiki tool with databases built in. Relations and rollups let you link and summarize records across databases, next to your documents.

Key features

• Databases with table, board, list, calendar, gallery and chart views, plus filter, sort and group
• Database relations and rollups to link and summarize items across databases
• Subtasks, dependencies and custom properties on all plans
• Custom forms and custom database automations (Plus and up); basic forms and button automations on Free

Pricing

• Free: $0. Unlimited pages and blocks for individuals, a limited block trial for workspaces with 2 or more members, 5MB uploads, 10 guests, 7-day page history, 1 chart, basic forms and button automations.
• Plus: $10 per member per month billed annually. Unlimited blocks, unlimited uploads (about 5GB per file), unlimited guests, 30-day history, unlimited charts, custom forms and custom database automations.
• Business: $20 per member per month billed annually. Adds Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, Enterprise Search (beta), private teamspaces, granular database permissions and 90-day history.
• Enterprise: custom. Unlimited page history and zero data retention with LLM providers.

Custom Agents cost $10 per 1,000 monthly Notion credits after a free try. Monthly billing costs more (Notion says yearly saves up to 20%), but we could not confirm the monthly prices.

Pros

• Free plan is unlimited for individuals
• Databases with relations, rollups and many views on every plan
• Custom database automations and forms from Plus ($10 per member annual)
• Business includes Notion AI agent, meeting notes and enterprise search

Cons

• Free plan limits blocks for teams of 2 or more and keeps only 7 days of history
• Granular database permissions only on Business and up
• Full AI features require Business at $20 per member per month annual

Who should use it

Teams whose databases are tied to documents, such as content calendars or specs. Plus is half the price of Airtable Team.

Who should skip it

Teams that need Airtable-style interfaces, published record limits or automation quotas they can plan around. We found no published record or automation run limits for Notion.

monday.com review

monday.com organizes work as boards of items. Items are unlimited, even on Free; automations and integrations run on monthly action quotas instead.

Key features

• Boards with unlimited items, even on the Free plan
• Gantt/timeline and calendar views (Standard and up)
• Automations and integrations with monthly action quotas (250 on Standard, 25,000 on Pro)
• Guest access (Standard and up); private boards and docs and time tracking (Pro)

Pricing

• Free: $0 forever. Up to 2 seats, 3 boards, 3 Docs, unlimited items and unlimited free viewers.
• Basic: $9 per seat per month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly. 1,000 AI credits a month.
• Standard: $12 per seat per month billed annually, or $14 monthly. 250 automation and 250 integration actions a month, guest access, Gantt and timeline, 2,000 AI credits.
• Pro: $19 per seat per month billed annually, or $24 monthly. 25,000 automation and 25,000 integration actions a month, private boards, time tracking, 3,000 AI credits.
• Enterprise: custom. 250,000 automation and integration actions a month.

Paid plans start from 3 users, sold through a team-size selector. Above 40 users you request a quote. Yearly billing saves 18%, and there is a 14-day Pro trial.

Pros

• Unlimited items and free viewers even on the Free plan
• Gantt/timeline views and guest access from Standard ($12 per seat annual)
• Pro raises automation and integration quotas to 25,000 actions a month
• 14-day Pro trial

Cons

• Paid plans require at least 3 seats
• Standard's 250 automation actions a month is low for busy teams

Who should use it

Teams that hit Airtable's record limits on tracking-style data and want a board tool with no item cap. Pro suits teams that automate heavily.

Who should skip it

Teams that need Airtable's relational depth and custom interfaces, and teams of 1 or 2 who want a paid plan.

ClickUp review

ClickUp is a task and docs workspace with custom fields and built-in AI. If you use Airtable mainly as a task tracker, its unlimited tasks are attractive. Its pricing page appears to be mid-change, so check it before buying.

Key features

• Tasks, docs, Kanban boards, calendar view, sprints and time tracking on Free Forever
• Unlimited Gantt charts, custom fields and task types, and unlimited forms (Core and up)
• Automations with monthly quotas: 1,000 Core, 10,000 Business, 1 million Enterprise and MAX

Pricing

• Free Forever: $0. 60MB storage, unlimited tasks, unlimited free members, 1 form, 500 AI credits per workspace as a trial.
• Core: $9 per user per month billed yearly. Unlimited storage, unlimited Gantt charts, 1,000 automations a month, 1,000 AI credits per user per month (pooled).
• Business: $17 per user per month billed yearly. 10,000 automations a month, advanced dashboards, resource management, timesheets, 1,500 AI credits per user per month (pooled).
• Enterprise: custom. 1 million automations a month, SSO, SCIM, SAML and HIPAA, 3,000 AI credits per user per month.
• MAX: $100 per user per month billed yearly. Everything in Enterprise plus 10,000 AI credits per user per month.

Extra AI credits are $10 per 10,000. The page says yearly billing saves up to 33%; we list only yearly prices because the monthly figures are not clearly labeled. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Pros

• Free plan allows unlimited free members
• Unlimited storage and Gantt charts from Core
• AI credits included on every paid plan
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

• Free plan storage is only 60MB
• Core caps automations at 1,000 a month
• MAX costs $100 per user per month billed yearly

Who should use it

Teams that use Airtable mainly to track tasks and want docs and time tracking alongside.

Who should skip it

Teams that use Airtable as a true database or app backend. ClickUp is built around tasks, not linked tables.

SmartSuite review

SmartSuite is an Airtable-style work management platform. Work is organized into Solutions, with many views, automations, forms and dashboards. Like Airtable, it bills only for editors. Unlike Airtable, it has no free plan.

Key features

• Grid, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Map, Chart and Card views
• Automations with run history, plus Forms and Dashboards
• SmartDocs collaborative documents
• REST API, webhooks and an MCP server
• AI Field Agents and AI Solution Builder

Pricing

• Team: $15 per seat per month billed annually, or $20 monthly. Minimum 3 billable users. 5,000 records and 50GB per Solution, 25,000 automation runs plus API calls a month, 30-day recycle bin, 1-year activity history.
• Professional: $32 annually or $36 monthly. Minimum 5 users. 100,000 records and 100GB per Solution, 100,000 automation runs plus API calls a month, 45-day recycle bin, 2-year history. Adds folders, Gmail and Outlook integrations, advanced permissions and 2FA.
• Enterprise: custom. 400,000 records and 500GB per Solution, 500,000 automation runs plus API calls a month, 60-day recycle bin, 3-year history. Adds SAML SSO, SCIM, audit logs, IP restrictions, DLP, EU data residency and HIPAA BAA.
• Signature: custom per-solution pricing.

Solutions are unlimited on every plan. Only users with edit permissions are billed; read-only users, commenters and form submitters are free. There is a 14-day Professional trial with no credit card, for up to 50 invited co-workers.

Pros

• Wide range of views including Gantt, Map and Timeline
• Read-only users, commenters and form submitters are free
• Unlimited Solutions on every plan
• Professional raises limits to 100,000 records per Solution

Cons

• No free plan, and the Team plan needs at least 3 paid seats
• Team plan caps records at 5,000 per Solution
• SSO and audit logs require Enterprise

Who should use it

Operations teams that like Airtable's model and want more views. Professional (100,000 records per Solution) and Enterprise (400,000) go well past Airtable Business's 125,000 per base.

Who should skip it

Small teams that need a free plan, and anyone with more than 5,000 records who was hoping Team would be enough. Note that Airtable Team allows 50,000 records per base at $20, while SmartSuite Team allows 5,000 per Solution at $15.

Baserow review

Baserow is an open-source no-code database. Use its cloud plans, or host it yourself free with no row, storage, webhook or API limits.

Key features

• Grid, Form and Gallery views on Free, with more views on paid plans
• Self-hosting with no row, storage or API limits
• Automations with monthly credit allowances per plan
• REST API and webhooks
• Application builder with up to 500 external app users

Pricing

Cloud plans:

• Free: $0. 3,000 rows and 2GB storage per workspace, 2,000 automation credits per workspace per month, 14-day row history.
• Premium: $10 per user per month billed yearly, or $12 monthly. 50,000 rows, 20GB, 100,000 automation credits a month, 90-day row history.
• Advanced: $18 per user per month yearly, or $22 monthly. 250,000 rows, 100GB, 500,000 automation credits a month, 180-day history. Adds field-level permissions, audit logging and SSO.
• Enterprise: contact sales. Baserow's comparison table lists 1,000,000 rows, 1,000GB and 2,000,000 automation credits a month, but its user docs say Enterprise is only for self-hosted installs, so confirm with sales.

Databases are unlimited on all plans. You are billed per active (non-viewer) user. Self-hosting is free with the MIT-licensed core and no row, storage, webhook or API limits; Premium, Advanced and Enterprise features need a paid per-user license key. The cloud API allows at most 10 concurrent requests.

Pros

• MIT-licensed core can be self-hosted free with no row or API limits
• Viewers are not billed; only active editors count
• Paid cloud plans from $10 per user per month yearly
• Automation credits included on every plan, even Free

Cons

• Cloud Free plan is capped at 3,000 rows
• Role-based permissions and SSO need Advanced or Enterprise
• Paid features on self-hosted still require a per-user license

Who should use it

Teams that need to keep data on their own servers, or that have outgrown Airtable's record limits and have someone who can run a server. On cloud, Premium costs half of Airtable Team and also allows 50,000 rows, though Baserow counts rows per workspace and Airtable counts records per base.

Who should skip it

Teams with no one to run a server who need a large free tier (cloud Free stops at 3,000 rows). Note Baserow has only 4 reviews on G2.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Ease of use

SmartSuite and Baserow work much like Airtable, so Airtable users will feel at home. Smartsheet suits spreadsheet users. monday.com and ClickUp are task and board tools first: easier for tracking, less suited to linked data. Notion is the most freeform, so you design everything yourself.

Record limits

Notion and Smartsheet do not publish row or record limits in the facts we checked. Notion's Free plan limits blocks for teams of 2 or more without giving a number, and Plus removes that limit.

Watch the unit: Airtable counts per base, SmartSuite per Solution and Baserow per workspace. A Baserow workspace with several databases shares one row allowance.

Automation limits

• Airtable: 100 runs a month on Free, 25,000 on Team, 100,000 on Business, 500,000 on Enterprise Scale. Failed runs count.
• Smartsheet: 250 a month on Pro, unlimited on Business.
• Notion: basic button automations on Free, custom database automations on Plus. No run count is published.
• monday.com: none listed on Basic, 250 actions on Standard, 25,000 on Pro, 250,000 on Enterprise.
• ClickUp: 1,000 on Core, 10,000 on Business, 1 million on Enterprise and MAX.
• SmartSuite: 25,000 runs plus API calls on Team, 100,000 on Professional, 500,000 on Enterprise. API calls share the same allowance.
• Baserow: 2,000 credits on Free, 100,000 on Premium, 500,000 on Advanced.

Smartsheet Business is the one plan here that lists unlimited automations. For heavy automation on a database tool, Airtable Team (25,000 runs at $20) and Baserow Premium (100,000 credits at $10) are the strongest entry points.

Self-hosting

Self-hosting is where Baserow stands apart. Its core is MIT-licensed and free to run on your own servers, with no row, storage, webhook or API limits. Paid features (Premium, Advanced and Enterprise) still need a per-user license key. If you need to run the software yourself, Baserow is the tool in this list to evaluate.

Pricing value: 10 editors and 20 viewers

Yearly cost for 10 editors and 20 view-only users, at annual prices.

• Airtable Team: read-only users are free, so 10 x $20 x 12 = $2,400. Business: 10 x $45 x 12 = $5,400.
• SmartSuite Team: read-only users are free, so 10 x $15 x 12 = $1,800, but only 5,000 records per Solution. Professional: 10 x $32 x 12 = $3,840.
• Baserow Premium (cloud): viewers are not billed, so 10 x $10 x 12 = $1,200. Advanced: 10 x $18 x 12 = $2,160. Self-hosted core: $0 in license fees.
• Smartsheet Pro: 10 members x $9 x 12 = $1,080, with unlimited contributors but no guests and 250 automations a month. Business: 10 x $19 x 12 = $2,280.
• ClickUp Core: 10 x $9 x 12 = $1,080 for the editors. How ClickUp bills view-only users is not covered in the pricing we checked.
• monday.com Standard: 10 x $12 x 12 = $1,440. Free viewers are listed on the Free plan; check how viewers are handled on paid plans.
• Notion Plus: 10 x $10 x 12 = $1,200, with unlimited guests on Plus. Check whether your 20 viewers can be guests.

Among database tools, Baserow Premium costs half of Airtable Team with the same 50,000 figure (rows per workspace vs records per base). SmartSuite Team is cheaper than Airtable Team, but its record limit is a tenth as high.

Integrations and API

Airtable gives 1,000 API calls a month on Free, 100,000 on Team and unlimited on Business, plus two-way sync on Business. SmartSuite has a REST API, webhooks and an MCP server, with API calls counted in the same monthly allowance as automation runs. Baserow has a REST API and webhooks, with a 10-concurrent-request cap on cloud and no API limits when self-hosted. monday.com counts integrations as monthly actions (250 on Standard, 25,000 on Pro).

How to Choose: Decision Framework

Questions to ask

1. How big is your largest table, and how fast is it growing? Compare it with each tool's limit and unit: per base, per Solution or per workspace.
2. How many automation runs do you use a month? Check Airtable's run history, then compare with the quotas above.
3. How many people edit, and how many only view? Airtable, SmartSuite and Baserow bill only editors.
4. Do you need custom interfaces? Airtable Interface Designer (Team and up) and Baserow's application builder are the closest fits.
5. Must the data stay on your servers? If yes, evaluate Baserow self-hosted.
6. Is it really a project plan? If so, Smartsheet or monday.com may suit you better than a database tool.

Red flags

• Record limits measured per workspace when you have many databases (Baserow cloud).
• Entry plans with low record caps (SmartSuite Team at 5,000).
• Seat minimums: SmartSuite needs 3 on Team and 5 on Professional; monday.com 3; Smartsheet Business 3.
• Email domain rules: Airtable Business needs a private domain.
• API calls sharing a quota with automations (SmartSuite).

What to test in a trial

• Import a copy of your largest Airtable base and check the record count against the plan limit.
• Rebuild your three most-used automations and watch the run counter for a week.
• Rebuild one interface or form your non-editors use.
• Test the API or integration your other systems rely on.

Trials: Airtable (14-day Team), Smartsheet (30 days), SmartSuite (14-day Professional), monday.com (14-day Pro). Notion, ClickUp and Baserow have free plans.

The Verdict: Final Recommendations

1. Airtable: stay if your bases fit the limits

Airtable is still the most complete option for relational data with custom interfaces. Check that your largest base fits 50,000 records before choosing Team over Business.

2. Smartsheet: best for spreadsheet-style project plans

Pick Smartsheet if your Airtable bases are mostly project plans. Choose Business if you automate a lot, since it has no automation cap.

3. Notion: best when data and docs belong together

Choose Notion if your databases are trackers that live next to documents. Start on Plus, since free team workspaces have a block limit.

4. monday.com: best for tracking without an item cap

Pick monday.com if record limits are your main pain and your data is tracking work. Start the 14-day Pro trial and check how many automation actions you use.

5. ClickUp: best if Airtable is really your task list

Move to ClickUp if you mainly track tasks. Start on Free Forever, then move to Core for unlimited storage.

6. SmartSuite: best Airtable-style platform for ops teams

Choose SmartSuite if you want the Airtable model with more views. Budget for Professional, since Team's 5,000-record cap is low.

7. Baserow: best for self-hosting and low cost

Pick Baserow if you need your own servers or the cheapest paid database plan. Test self-hosting with your largest base before you commit.

Conclusion

Airtable's limits are clear, which makes it easy to see when you will outgrow a plan. If the problem is record counts, Baserow self-hosted removes them and monday.com has no item cap. If the problem is price, Baserow Premium and SmartSuite Team cost less than Airtable Team, with very different record limits. If your bases are really project plans or task lists, Smartsheet, ClickUp or Notion may suit you better. Import your largest base into your top two choices before you switch.