Airtable and Notion are two of the best project management tools on the market. Which one is right for you?

That depends on your goals. Whatever your online goals might be, however, it’s important to learn your way around a versatile tool that can help you manage projects and create to-do lists from data, not feelings.

Airtable and Notion are both examples of relational databases, meaning that you can connect data across different pages for better data management. Both Airtable databases and Notion pages do this beautifully, but the right tool for you depends on what you want to accomplish.

The tools are both kickass, honestly. Here’s an overview of what to consider.

Why Care About Project Management Software?

In today's digital age, productivity is very much about organizing information. We think we have our task management under control, but often there are sticking points — tracking down a file in Google Docs, helping with team collaboration, and so on — that result in mental friction. Add all this friction up, and it becomes a challenge to get anything done.

We need to simplify. Airtable and Notion both help with this beautifully, and their project management features are some of the best in the biz.

Airtable Vs. Notion: User Interface

One of the first things to consider when choosing between Notion and Airtable is the user interface (UI).

Notion prides itself on its simplicity, offering a clean and minimalistic design. The UI is intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate and create organized spaces for information. Seriously, y’all, you could eat off this interface – it is so freaking clean.

In contrast, Airtable has a more complex UI, resembling a spreadsheet with cells and rows. While this can be overwhelming initially, it provides a robust framework for data organization and customization.

Notes and Documents, or Databases and Spreadsheets?

Notion excels in providing a comprehensive platform for note-taking, knowledge management, and collaboration. It allows users to create rich documents, complete with headings, bullet points, images, and more. Notion's flexible block-based system enables users to create unique layouts tailored to their specific needs. It seamlessly integrates with other productivity tools, facilitating seamless workflows.

Meanwhile, Airtable is a powerful database-driven platform that excels in organizing structured data. It offers the familiarity of spreadsheets while providing the ability to link records across tables, creating powerful relationships. Airtable's customizable fields, formulas, and advanced filtering capabilities make it ideal for managing projects, tracking inventory, or organizing event planning.

Notion Vs. Airtable: How to Choose Your ‘Source of Truth’

Which is the better note-taking tool? Probably Notion.

Which tool is better for task management? Draw.

Which tool is better for doing work from my phone? Notion.

Which tool is better for a content calendar? Airtable. You can integrate with multiple other apps in ways that Notion cannot to give you a powerful, dynamic editorial calendar. My program Camp Wordsmith® goes into this in rigorous detail.

Which tool is cheaper? Tricky question. Notion is about half the price of Airtable per user seat. But both plans let you do a LOT with the free plan. Only large companies usually need to dabble with an enterprise plan.

Which tool is better for small teams? Both tools work well for small teams, so I’d say it depends on if more of your work will be creating documents and personal writing, or if the ability to manage data and customer feedback well is the higher priority.

Which tool does Nick use? Airtable, all damn day. Once you get past the learning curve, Airtable is unmatched in my opinion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Notion a Competitor to Airtable?

Yes. In recent years, Notion has introduced the databases Airtable is well-known for. Notion is cleaner than Airtable, but has fewer native automation features and integration opportunities.

Is Airtable Similar to Monday?

Airtable can deliver all the same features as Monday.com, but also has powerful automation features. Airtable is popular with enterprises and companies for its robust knowledge management features.

Is Airtable Better than Trello?

Like Trello, Asana, and other project management tools. Airtable lets you organize tasks and projects. But an Airtable base can also be used for more data-heavy tasks, such as inventory management or customer data analysis.

Is Airtable Better than Google Sheets?

Way better. Airtable lets you group tasks more easily, and its relational database status lets you connect data across different tables more deeply than the pivot tables common in Google Sheets or an Excel spreadsheet.

Does Airtable Integrate with Notion?

Airtable does integrate with Notion. If you want to embed an Airtable database or view into Notion, and keep Notion as your primary project management tool, it’s easy to do.

What's the Main Difference Between Notion and Airtable?

Notion leans more heavily on smooth UX, and operates like a souped-up notes app that can help with organizing information. Airtable offers more data-driven systems and linked records functionality that is more robust.

What Other Tools Should I Have Besides Notion or Airtable?

My full tech stack that summarizes all my own tools is here. Think about how you can connect your project management software to (1) team communications, (2) billing and payment software, and (3) your email service provider.

How Do I Import Data from Airtable to Notion?

The easiest way to do this is to embed an Airtable view into Notion as a block. Notion’s building blocks make multimedia note-taking easy, and you can have unlimited blocks in a page.

Can Airtable Replace Google Workspace?

It can. Airtable has forms and spreadsheets. Since I’m a writer, I still use Google Docs as I manage databases, and just import the links for easy access. Remember that Airtable lets you have unlimited bases.

Both Airtable and Notion Are Great Project Management Tools

As you compare Airtable vs. Notion feature by feature, it’ll become clear which tool is right for you. The only way to go wrong is to take no action at all; dig in today so you can reduce mental friction and keep building toward your fabulous online goals. ◆

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