Airtable vs Smartsheet: Which is better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of pricing, features, and use cases to help you decide between Airtable and Smartsheet.
Airtable
Spreadsheet-database hybrid for building custom workflows
From $20/mo
Free plan available
Smartsheet
Enterprise work management platform built on a spreadsheet
From $9/mo
No free plan
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Airtable | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $20/mo | $9/mo ✓ Cheaper |
| Free plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Pricing model | freemium | paid |
| G2 rating | 4.6/5 ↑ | 4.4/5 |
| Capterra rating | 4.7/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Founded | 2012 | 2005 |
Airtable: pros & cons
Pros
- ✓Extremely flexible
- ✓Great for custom workflows
- ✓Strong automation
- ✓Visual and intuitive
Cons
- ✗Gets expensive at scale
- ✗Record limits on free plan
- ✗Performance with large datasets
- ✗Learning curve for databases
Smartsheet: pros & cons
Pros
- ✓Familiar spreadsheet interface
- ✓Powerful Gantt views
- ✓Strong enterprise features
- ✓Good for operations teams
Cons
- ✗Looks and feels dated
- ✗No free plan
- ✗Less intuitive than monday.com
- ✗Expensive at scale