Airtable excels as a relational database with powerful automation and real-time collaboration, while Notion is a more affordable all-in-one workspace combining documents, databases, and wikis in a single interface. Airtable costs 2-3x more but offers superior data manipulation; Notion is better for general knowledge management.
Airtable vs Notion — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based relational database platform with advanced automation and API capabilities.
All-in-one workspace for notes, databases, wikis, and team collaboration
Primary Use Case. Base Pricing (Monthly). Maximum Records (Free Plan). Automation Complexity. Document/Wiki Capabilities. API Rate Limits (Requests/Sec). Learning Curve
Choose Airtable if you need robust database management, complex workflows, API integrations, or real-time data analysis with powerful automation capabilities. Choose Notion if you want an affordable, easy-to-use all-in-one solution for team documentation, project tracking, and knowledge management without advanced technical requirements.
Airtable: Free (limited) | Notion: $10 per user
Airtable: $20-$50 per base | Notion: $18 per user
Airtable: Advanced (Automations + Scripting) | Notion: Basic (via integrations only)
Airtable: Generous with tiers | Notion: Limited tier system
Airtable: 5+ million | Notion: 10+ million
Airtable: Basic (attachments, linked records) | Notion: Full editor (formatting, blocks, collaboration)
Airtable: 500+ native | Notion: 600+ via Zapier
Starting Price Per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Airtable: Free ($0) or Team Plan ($20/user) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 1,000 records per base | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 50,000 records per base | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Grid, Gallery, Calendar, Form, Kanban, Timeline, Map (7+) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Extensive with Zapier + native automations | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Moderate - requires data modeling knowledge | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Unlimited custom fields, formulas, and rollups | Notion: N/A
Airtable: $540 annually ($45/month) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: $20 (annual billing) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 30 requests/second (enterprise) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: $0 (5 editors, 1,000 records) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Unlimited on paid plans | Notion: N/A
Airtable: No (third-party integration required) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 6+ (Grid, Kanban, Gallery, Calendar, Timeline, Form) | Notion: Table, Board, Timeline, Calendar, Gallery, List
Airtable: Comments and mentions only | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 1,000+ via Zapier and native | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Advanced automations, scripting, and workflows | Notion: N/A
Airtable: $0 free tier or $6-$20 paid tier | Notion: N/A
Airtable: $720-$2,400 annually ($6-$20 per user) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Instant (< 1 second) | Notion: Unlimited
Airtable: 0.5-1 week for intermediate use | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Unlimited (100,000+ tested) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 500+ no-code automations | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 6,000+ via Zapier + 50+ native | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Yes (linked records, many-to-many) | Notion: Advanced, with rollups and filters
Airtable: Unlimited with relationships | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Visual workflow builder (no code) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 15-20 (basic setup) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 500+ | Notion: 10000+ community templates
Airtable: No, third-party only | Notion: Yes, basic timeline view only
Airtable: $20/month | Notion: $10 (Plus tier)
Airtable: 8,000+ integrations | Notion: 200+ native + 2000+ via Zapier
Airtable: Advanced (linked records, complex queries, rollups) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: AI Assistant on Team+ plans only ($30+/month) | Notion: Notion AI included in Pro/Team plans
Airtable: Limited (gallery view only) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Unlimited with complex conditions | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 2 GB per attachment | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Advanced linked records, lookups, rollups, and junctions | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Advanced visual automation builder with multi-step workflows | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 6 (grid, calendar, kanban, gallery, form, timeline) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Basic (timeline view only) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 7 (moderate - requires database thinking) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: Native linked records with rollups and lookups | Notion: N/A
Airtable: REST API + Metadata API + JavaScript SDK | Notion: Public API with Zapier/webhook support
Airtable: Automations, Scripting, Extensions | Notion: Database automations, API integrations, Zapier/Make support
Airtable: 25+ (including linked records, lookups, rollups, formulas) | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 5 (Grid, Calendar, Kanban, Gallery, Timeline) | Notion: 3 (Table, Board, Gallery)
Airtable: Limited (attachments only) | Notion: Full rich-text editor with synced blocks
Airtable: Comprehensive REST + GraphQL APIs with extensive examples | Notion: N/A
Airtable: 1,200 records | Notion: Unlimited pages (feature-limited)
Airtable: 25+ (conditionals, multi-step) | Notion: 8 (basic actions only)
Airtable: Unlimited linked records + lookups + rollups | Notion: Linked databases with basic relations
Airtable: 100+ simultaneous | Notion: 50+ simultaneous
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Notion's cloud servers
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Free / $8-15 per user
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Customizable approach
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Moderate support
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Real-time co-editing, permissions, comments, activity tracking
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full (relational databases, rollups, formulas)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Cloud-hosted (Notion controls servers)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Yes (built-in AI assistant)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: High availability (no published SLA)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 9/10 (blocks, databases, relations)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 5/10 (basic automations only)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 2-50 users (flexible scale)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 7-14 days (custom setup required)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $20 (Business tier)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $24+ (Enterprise, custom)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited task/project features
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 9/10 - Highly customizable
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 8/10 - Steep learning curve
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 9/10 - Native docs & databases
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Basic (manual linking only)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Comprehensive (wiki, docs, databases, linked records)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: No (requires manual setup with databases)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Very High (fully customizable databases and properties)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10 (free plan with guests)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Not available (must track manually)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $8/month (Team tier)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Excellent for non-technical users - intuitive linked properties
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited native two-way sync capability
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Built-in AI assistant with limited agent connections
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Steep learning curve with flexible drag-and-drop
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Exceptional - optimized for feature roadmaps and linked data
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 100+ templates and integrations
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited with role-based permissions
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Flexible block-based editor with databases
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Teams, project managers, content creators
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Views API, Markdown support, automatic retries (2026)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited blocks and pages
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full relational database support
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited offline capabilities
Airtable: N/A | Notion: REST API and official SDK
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Comments, mentions, real-time editing, threads
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Free (or $10/month for AI)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited offline; web-first platform
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $0 (free tier exists)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Basic linked mentions; manual linking required
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 400+ (official integrations)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 100+ million across all sectors
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Free (Plus $10/user)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Moderate (2-3 seconds with complex databases)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1000+ through Zapier and native
Airtable: N/A | Notion: All-in-one workspace & documentation
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 3-7 days depending on customization
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Native iOS/Android, good but slower
Airtable: N/A | Notion: SSO, AI features, advanced permissions, audit logs
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 30-60 (database learning curve)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 8 (iOS/Android, full sync)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: PDF/CSV (some lock-in)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10+ million active users
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 3 requests per second (~180/min)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited (manual + integrations)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 50,000+ community templates
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Cloud-based SaaS
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Proprietary blocks
Airtable: N/A | Notion: CSV / Markdown export
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Cloud (built-in)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited (limited API)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Notion AI (bundled in Business/Enterprise; trial on Free/Plus)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Free (10 guests)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Plus $10/user/mo
Free Tier Monthly Recording/Creation Limit
Airtable: N/A | Notion: AI-powered search, Q&A, writing assistance (add-on)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Centralized knowledge/PM workspace
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $100 (10 users @ $10)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10 (Unlimited plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Read-only offline (web); requires app for editing
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full relational databases with 10+ view types
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 5-10 hours for proficiency
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10/month (Plus plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 3 (full page, bookmark, simple)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Native relational databases with rollups, filters, sorts
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Basic (AI blocks limited to Pro/Team plans)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 0 (no native integration)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 500+ via Zapier, native integrations, and API
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1000+ community and official templates
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited (requires sync after reconnect)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 30 minutes (learning curve for full features)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited workspace content; 5GB file attachments
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Yes - relations, filters, sorts, multiple views
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full offline mode (desktop app)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 60+ (steep learning curve)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Basic (simple triggers and actions)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Yes - unlimited pages and sharing
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Yes (native relations, rollups, and rollup filters)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 6 (Table, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery, Board, List)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10,000 (performance degrades noticeably after 5,000)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1,500+ (Zapier, Slack, webhooks, and native integrations)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Comments, mentions, reminders only
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $120/year (Plus plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 6 platforms (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Advanced relational databases with filtering and sorting
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full real-time collaboration with comments and permissions
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Partial offline (web requires internet, mobile has limited offline mode)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Proprietary Notion format (limited standard export)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 30-60 minutes to understand core features
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Robust public API with extensive integration ecosystem
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (Plus plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Not FedRAMP authorized
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $0 (limited to 1M blocks/month)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (team plan dependent)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1-to-1, Many-to-1, Many-to-Many
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 12+ (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery, etc.)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 6+ (complex feature set requires training)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 8+ (PDF, HTML, Markdown, CSV, etc.)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Yes - unlimited blocks and databases
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 75+ million registered users (as of 2024)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $120 per year (Plus plan, no AI)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited in Team plan
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (per subscription)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: No (third-party integrations only)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: No (web-based only)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Linear page-based structure
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (paid plans)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full relational databases with filters, sorts, relations
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full offline capability with sync
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited blocks + 10 GB files
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10 (unlimited access)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 50+ integrated features
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited (requires extension)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $0 (Pro: $120/year)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 20+ workspace templates
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Timeline view available; no dependency or critical path analysis
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Manual tracking only; no native capacity features
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10,000 rows (performance degrades)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited cross-database visibility
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $12 (Notion Team plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1-2 seconds (1000-2000ms)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10+ (stable with minor lag)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: No native email; third-party only
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 100+ REST API endpoints
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Read-only offline
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1000+ community templates + Zapier/Make
Airtable: N/A | Notion: iOS + Android official apps
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 800+ official templates
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Notion API + CSV/Markdown exports
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $14 (Pro plan, annual)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $32 (Team plan, annual)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 12 basic automation triggers
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 30 hours for proficiency
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Basic calendar view (limited critical path analysis)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited custom fields, relations, formulas, rollups, and linked databases
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 500+ via Zapier, 50+ native
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10 (billed annually)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: ~10,000+ templates
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited with cursor presence
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Optimized up to 10,000 items per view
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10.00 (or free)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 15+ (Table, Kanban, Calendar, Gallery, Timeline, etc.)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $120/month (Pro plan, capped usage)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $120/month (unlimited members, Pro)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 0 native (requires third-party integration)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full rich-text editor with embeds
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited offline; requires internet for most features
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10-14 days for average user
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Sync requires active internet connection
Starting Price per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10/user (free tier available)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited users, unlimited workspaces
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Third-party only (Zapier)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Advanced (rollups, lookups, formulas)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 3 requests/second (180/min)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1.4s (typical page/database view)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 300+ integrations via Zapier/native
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $0 (Unlimited free tier)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: No (requires integration)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 5 views (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 30+ automation options
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 10+ types (includes relations, rollups, formulas, templates)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 2-4 hours to start productive work
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Limited (basic role options, no granular permissions)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $150/month (15 members × $10)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $500/month (50 members × $10)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 1 (comments only)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 8 (relational, formulas, rollups, filters, sorts, synced blocks, templates)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited free tier
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 40% of desktop features
Base Monthly Cost Per User (Annual Billing)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10.00 (Team plan)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Not native - timeline view available via database relations
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Manual tracking via database properties
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full support with many-to-many relations and rollups
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Basic - templates and button automations, limited conditional logic
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 150+ integrations via Zapier, Make, and native connectors
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10 (Personal Pro with AI)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 30-60 minutes to configure workspace
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Advanced with filtering, sorting, and relations
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Unlimited simultaneous editors
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $10 (Plus plan, free tier available with limits)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: $120/year ($600 over 5 years)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 2000-4000ms (dependent on internet)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Full (one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups, formulas)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 200+ (primarily cosmetic and integration)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: Manual creation (no AI)
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 20+ interface languages
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 0 without AI add-on
Airtable: N/A | Notion: 0% (no AI acceleration)
How to choose between Airtable and Notion
Airtable vs Notion — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Airtable vs Notion. Contains 409 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Airtable vs Notion — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Airtable vs Notion.
Which is better for CRM and sales management?
Airtable is superior for CRM due to its powerful relational database capabilities, allowing you to link deals to accounts, contacts, and activities with advanced filtering and automation. Notion can work for basic CRM but lacks the query complexity and automation power needed for sophisticated sales workflows.
Can I use Notion instead of Airtable to save money?
It depends on your needs. Notion is 50% cheaper ($10 vs $20/user) and better for general project management and knowledge bases. However, if you need complex data relationships, heavy automation, or frequent API calls, Airtable's superior capabilities justify the premium cost. Notion's API is severely rate-limited (3 req/sec vs Airtable's 30 req/sec).
Which has better integrations with other tools?
Airtable has significantly better integration capabilities due to its 30 requests/second API rate limit compared to Notion's 3 requests/second. Airtable supports Zapier, Make (Integromat), and native webhooks for real-time syncing. Notion has growing integrations but is bottlenecked by its lower API rate limits for high-volume workflows.
Notion's free plan offers unlimited pages and blocks, but with feature limitations: no synced databases, limited relations, and basic automation. Airtable's free plan is more limited in records (1,200) but has more powerful data manipulation in that smaller space. For pure storage, Notion wins; for data complexity, Airtable wins.
Which platform has a shorter learning curve?
Notion is significantly easier to learn for non-technical users, with a drag-and-drop interface that feels like Google Docs. Airtable requires understanding relational database concepts like linked records, lookups, and rollups, which can take 1-2 weeks of practice to master.
How to Choose Between Airtable and Notion
Primary Use Case: Airtable has Relational database with advanced automation, while Notion has All-in-one workspace (docs, databases, wikis).
Base Pricing (Monthly): Airtable has $20 per user, while Notion has $10 per user.
Maximum Records (Free Plan): Airtable has 1,200 records, while Notion has 100 blocks/page limited.
Automation Complexity: Airtable has Advanced: 25+ action types, conditional logic, while Notion has Basic: limited triggers and actions.
Document/Wiki Capabilities: Airtable has Limited to linked records and attachments, while Notion has Native rich text, database relations, synced blocks.
Consider: API Rate Limits (Requests/Sec)
API Rate Limits (Requests/Sec): Airtable has 30 requests/second, while Notion has 3 requests/second.
Learning Curve: Airtable has Moderate: SQL-like concepts required, while Notion has Low: intuitive drag-and-drop interface.