Airtable Vs Notion: Which One is a Better Option?

No-code has truly changed the face of entrepreneurship forever. It has given birth to game-changing tools that cheaply and effectively implement databases, especially for on-looking entrepreneurs, project managers, and creators alike.

Two of which are Airtable and Notion, respectively. Before Airtable’s 2015 release, such exclusive databases were the only domain for programmers and "sysadmins ."If they can afford it, they can get their hands on Oracle or SQL servers. 

Therefore, nowadays, anyone can easily create CRMs, invoice systems and product management roadmaps using no-code tools. Among all no-code tools, Airtable and Notion are popular ones. They have cool features that make building apps easy. Also, Airtable and Notion integrations allow users to integrate third-party services into their apps. However, when it comes to Airtable vs Notion, which one to choose becomes an important question. Therefore, in this blog, we will compare and contrast the two most popular no-code tools: Airtable vs Notion.

Airtable

What is Airtable Used For?

Airtable, by default, allows you to store and display data in the form of simple spreadsheets. You can add columns or fields, then input data in each row. 

Compared to traditional spreadsheets, Airtable is a database that allows customizable types for each area. Aside from your simple text inputs, Airtable also has fields of dates, attachments, single selects, and many more.

Unique Features

Airtable stands out among the crowd of no-code tools because of these two distinct features:

• Views – This feature offers flexibility. Airtable views allow the look and feel of data transformation to match your workflow. Create project management board views or calendar views for tracking deadlines using the same data for all.
• Linked Records – Airtable has three main components such as tables, fields, and records. This allows the creation of multiple sheets. It uniquely enables the linking of records across all your tables. Airtable’s Linked records similarly resemble a database to a spreadsheet.

Airtable: Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Points:

• Extremely powerful in organising almost anything
• Features a massive array of tools used for information organisation, such as checklists and tables 
• Creates multiple base-typed views and shares personal work with colleagues through numerous users or groups.
• Comes with an API that is rich in letting the integration of an assortment of third-party services possible
• Powerful database capabilities that allow building amazing database-focused applications

Weak Points:

• A compelling database application, yet comes with some complexity
• Multiple features and functionalities confuse users and stop them from getting started without being guided
• Learn the basics before being enabled to do anything with data organisation, filtering, sorting, and calculation

Also Read: Google Sheets VS Airtable: A Game of Sheets and Tables

Notion

What is Notion Used For?

Quoting Notion's rhetoric, they are a “single space where you can think, write, and plan.” All-in-one in a workspace, Notion allows thought capturing, project management, task addition, and total collaboration.

Unique Features

Notion is one of the no-code frontrunners because of its two vital differentiating features:

• Blocks – ideal for writing, defaults to a blank text editor; however, each line is termed as a “block” – many options that can be a line of text, a heading, an image, or a tweet, among others. Also, you can arrange these blocks in multiple ways. Additionally, dragging and dropping blocks can create highly customizable layouts suitable for your needs.
• Databases – Notion’s compelling database-like structure dominates the no-code scene. Using a different organisational structure, Notion treats each document like a database record, capable of having its own database. Although it can be hard to grasp at first, demos are available for self-learning.

Notion: Strengths and Weaknesses

Strong Points:

• Offers a sleek and user-friendly interface that creates an enjoyable experience for all
• Provides all required tools in one place, including task lists, notes, checklists, and many other organisational features
• Provides APIs for integrating third-party services, enabling the embedding of such content directly on a given Notion page
• Allows extreme flexibility and versatility, configuring it to do pretty much anything
• Provides endless possibilities to create processes like project and task management, web page hosting, database management, Kanban boards and Gantt charts and different calendars
• Essentially, a bunch of customizable building blocks you can configure to suit any need

Weak Points:

• Makes things a bit confusing, especially for beginners with their many features
• Becomes quite daunting for newbies to get started, as it’s a blank canvas in essence with endless customizability
• Expects you to learn the basics before you can have an excellent application, extending or adapting to your ever-changing needs
• Offers a ton of pre-made templates to help you jump-start or inspire you

Airtable Vs Notion: Features

It can be a tad challenging even to start comparing Airtable and Notion since they are not direct competitors, to begin with, at all. However, a fair comparison of their features should start stirring the proverbial pot of differences, emphasising the no-code tool that’s suitable for your particular niche.

• Data, Data, Data

After picking on Airtable for quite a bit, we now praise one of its strengths. Managing data sets becomes ideal with its database-like backends, including customer data, to-do lists, etc., and gets the job done. Formatting data through columns and rows becomes very easy with Airtable.

Notion’s "database block," on the other hand, resembles quite the same features as Airtable. Database blocks create mini-Airtables within a Notion doc, but technically not the same. 

Airtable has the thing for data management, while Notion incorporates it into their many. Airtable databases lead in speed, but Notion handles more. 

In addition, both also allow the setting of primary fields to any field type, but Notion has primary areas restricted to only text. In the end, Airtable takes this item with a clean sweep.

• Knowledge Management

Notion is a clear leader in terms of knowledge management and is pioneering in the combination of ‘docs and database.' This is the reason why Notion’s design standards are also copied across the SaaS realm. 

Although Airtable’s “long text” field allows for multiple paragraphs, it's pretty incomparable to Notion’s free docs. Notion gives customizable individual pages and organizable docs. This flexible trait fits perfectly both for personal and company wikis. 

On the contrary, Airtable has better-structured data procurement.

• Utilising Templates 

No code tools like Airtable and Notion give users a hard time since they often don’t know where to start, even if they’re flexible. This dilemma comes down to both tools offering pre-built templates suitable for specific case usage. 

Such templates allow users to build apps like a habit tracker, a blogging site, and content calendars faster without building them from scratch. Both tools provide a multitude of templates, ranging from categories like Engineering and Marketing down to Real Estate, to name a few. 

Particular templates vary across specific tools, but overall, template offerings are on equal footing. With that said, we give a tie for this item.

• It's All in the View

You can sort, filter, and group data in your database using Airtable and Notion. Features like this make data identification easier, most importantly, anytime. The feature of creating “views” in Airtable and Notion allows you to make more transformative changes. Views enable work using the same data through different means. 

Notion’s almost identical view options to those of Airtable, like grids, calendars, galleries, Kanbans, and Gantt, still come a bit shorter than expected. Airtable’s Form view leaves Notion in its dust, generally making switching between views easier with Airtable. 

Given the similarities between Airtable and Notion in their viewing options, it all boils down to one’s preference. Airtable takes advantage of this category, but only by a bare minimum.

• Everything’s Automated

Functioning as the nucleus of most companies, Airtable and Notion allow the flow of vital information in and out, often helpful in creating automation-based workflows. 

Recently, Airtable built automation directly into their product to better facilitate this behaviour. Create and manage Slack messages or Twitter posts automatically using a sidebar with data changes based on your spreadsheets. 

Similarly, Notion achieves results with others, but functionality is loyal to its natives. With a lot of room for improvement, Airtable takes advantage of automated functions over Notion by default.

• Airtable & Notion Integrations

As we are talking about Airtable vs Notion, integration is an important point to discuss. It allows you to integrate third-party services in your app or website. Well, Airtable does have integrations, but Notion doesn’t have it because it does not have the feature of API.

Although both no-code tools have built a lot of features already, they cannot make everything. Insert APIs. Since its conception, Airtable has prioritised APIs, becoming the best spreadsheet and database tool. 

Their APIs are some of the most detailed documentation available, like code snippets pre-filled specifically to your given base.

Meanwhile, launched in 2021, the API for Notion is still in its infancy. And with API and documentation improvements, it still has a lot of hard work to gain even more. This fact gives Airtable a considerable vantage point.

• Level Up with Apps

Airtable has a marketplace for apps rich in power-ups developed by Airtable and hosts 3rd party apps. 

Pivot tables, lead enrichment, QR code creation, and many more become possible using these so-called apps. This ability extends Airtable’s core functionality quite effectively.

Notion still has a lot of development to do with the app marketplace for their products. Even though expected to make one in the future, Notion has yet to move. Airtable takes advantage in terms of apps.

• Growing Community

Communities in no code make or break a product’s success. With a lot of sharing and building experience in the no-code scene, these sensations top the innovations, unlike any other. 

Airtable has a strong and growing community following, while the “Notioneers” of Notion is a passionate community.

Airtable’s Community

• Revolves around fairly traditional forums that users utilise in Q&A
• Filled with dozens of freelance Upwork and LinkedIn users who are deemed as “Airtable experts”
• Well connected with remarkable communities outside the exclusive communities ,such as BuiltOnAi,r which have Airtable enthusiasts who meet and swap creative ideas
• Happy and thriving community of users, unlike most other platforms/products

Notion’s Community

• Labelled as "devoted" critical factors to their community’s explosive growth
• Location-based groups in more than 40 countries that bring fans united personally
• Local groups exist across every major social media platform
• Abundantly found on Twitter, their experts become fashionable in coming up with avatars true to Notion’s patented style
• Allows users to launch a whole lot of template packs on ProductHunt

Based on the overall community essence, Notion leads on this particular item.

Must Read: 15 Best No-Code Low-Code YouTube Channels | DrapCode

Competitive Advantages

Airtable Over Notion

• Gives a more refined database overall experience
• Provides bases that are quick and handle more data compared to the database block Notion has
• Makes easy switching between views, with a Form view exclusive to it
• Allows setting primary keys to any desired field types, creating a seamless linking of records across tables
• Provide better extensions, and the whole process of integrating other tools to Airtable is simple and easy
• Offers beautiful API docs, best for developers.
• Allows users to easily manage data, especially if they are working with rows of data
• Focuses on the database that makes everything better, every time, data can stand alone

Note: Better when used in cases that stem from its views and automation

Notion Over Airtable

• Comes with database blocks that make the creation “mini-Airtable” within a doc possible
• Provides a database-doc hybrid that allows data input in the context of the company’s wiki
• Permits “Notion maximalists” to customise Notion for handling any case of usage
• Allows users to compensate for anything sacrificed in the specialisation through centralising and limiting tool sprawl
• Provides a top-tier community of users eager to share techniques and extensive templates for any use case possible
• Offers a very approachable option for newbies and small groups through its community
• Comes with non-database features that suit every user, making them quite distinct
• Provides the feature of knowledge management that makes creating and managing content very easy and doable

The Million-Dollar Verdict

After discussing the topic, Airtable Vs Notion, it’s time to encounter the million-dollar verdict on which one to choose between the two. 

Well, biases will come and go every once in a while in the attempt to compare these two no-code tools, Airtable and Notion. Their template galleries lean towards showcasing both pros and cons of these tools. 

Airtable has more inclination towards structured data and applications that are used for tracking campaigns, producing schedules, managing inventories or managing financial aspects like invoices and payments.

Meanwhile, Notion covers these applications without any other integrations or forms. However, it has expanded extensively, reaching processes such as journal creation, corporate wikis development, personal web pages conception, and knowledge management utilisation.

Airtable gives a cutting edge in coming up with "enterprise" answers using their APIs and integrations. Like websites updated with real-time, live data, Airtable has this idea for their thing nowadays. While Notion gives out a more consumer-focused approach, you can still eliminate the need for a lot of apps for daily productivity. 

Whether it’s a use-case basis or not, both Airtable and Notion are remarkably powerful in giving users the level-up they need for objectives, both for personal and professional intentions. Everything now is for you to decide and explore.