Airtable Reviews

by Just Going For A Walk

There are lots of capabilities, views and layouts in particular that are available on the desktop web browser version that aren’t available on the iOS version. Not having these views really hobbles Airtable . It is the only app I know of that limits the features of the mobile app so extensively. And it’s obvious it’s a feature, not a bug, because it’s been that way for several years as best I can tell. And it doesn’t work at all on my iOS Chrome browser, for that matter. They’ve put work into that. It’s a shame because what this app offers is incredible. But someone has decided to specifically not to make several of those incredible features available for iOS, severely limiting the appeal of the whole system. I’ve looked at using this app for several projects, but when I try using it in my iPad or iPhone, it’s so limited, it’s not worth using.

by Blackpotus

On the surface, Airtable encompasses everything that one could want without delving into Microsoft Access and building databases. However, that’s where it stops. As others have mentioned, there is no offline support, the views become ungrouped if you built a base on the desktop first, and if you have paid for the yearly service, you will not get your money’s worth by using the iOS app because things like linking bases or even tabs within your base are not available. After speaking with customer support, they mentioned that the grouping feature is in the works (no ETA), offline support in the works (no ETA) and parity between desktop and iOS in the works, again, no ETA. Basically, the features that would make this a KILLER app, may or may not arrive.

On a different note, if you are using the desktop version, using anything but Google Chrome (my experience) does not group, sort or in any way resemble what you have intended it to be. Airtable is very ambitious but doesn’t get even remotely close to realizing it’s purpose and intent.

by Erc Eld

I’ll keep it short: Airtable lives distinctly in the old era of semi-functional iPad apps before it had many of the productivity features and system resources as it has today.

The biggest pain points for me when using this app for iPad are these:
- there is no support for drag and drop, a feature that has been available on iPad for 5 years now and is present on the web version (which doesn’t work well on ipad). It’s a must for productivity, especially when you deal with images a lot, so it’s frustrating to see it excluded from the iPad app for no apparent reason.
- Airtable likes to exit all the way back to the first screen if you’re doing something else for too long. A lot of apps are able to show me what I was doing before I closed it/it was flushed from memory, so it’s a real head-scratcher that an app that forces all web sessions to share the same view cannot automatically show me the same view in Airtable on a reliable basis.

Before there were a lot of productivity apps and features for ipad, these issues were pretty much a given for every app. since 2017, the iPad has steadily gained more and more native productivity features, and this app seems to be missing most/all of them. Bummer.

by Ashlynhu

I’m very pleased with this app as a whole. It has robust features that can be customized to track everything, templates from both this app & the community and an easy to use interface. I have used this app for organizing inventory, tracking bills, habits tracking and even to plan my own wedding.

HOWEVER, the iOS app needs further development.
(1) Users can only work in 1/5 of the view formats on mobile — Grid views. Users should be able to work on forms, galleries, etc. Otherwise it cuts a huge portion of the features that make this app so valuable.
(2) There is not a way to edit a formula for a field on mobile. Similarly, you can not view a formula fields equation. Seeing what your field is calculating is essential to working in Grid View, the only available view to mobile
(3) You can not add multiple attachments to a field. Rather, you have to manually add them one by one. You also can not add additional options for select fields, limit fields to a view, etc. All of these features are available on the web.

If those three major items are fixed, Airtable would be as perfect as this app on the web is.

by Simply Claire

As an organizational freak myself, I love the customization and abilities Airtable has to offer. I’ve recommended it to everyone, and even set it up for my husband to use on his phone. It’s a great app for organizing everything, which is exactly what I need.

The thing I’d recommend to be fixed is the ability to add/select multiple attachments at once. This is my biggest con with Airtable . I add numerous photos to my this app records sometimes and it’d be way easier to be able to select MULTIPLE photos at once to add as attachments, rather than uploading one at a time. Also the ability for the photos to be uploaded with their original date of photo taken rather than the date of when the photo was added to the this app.
Secondly, the ability to move items from one table to another. Instead of having to make a copy of all those items onto another table, the ability to move single items into another table. Some items I create are no longer relevant to that table and the choice to move it to a different table within the spread would be helpful. That would genuinely make Airtable perfect overall.

by Cmsteahly

I work on a video production team, and we use this app as our project bible. We can work on complex projects without having to worry about who’s completed what or what still needs done. It’s all there in this app. this app is an incredibly powerful tool. I also use it to inventory my personal music collection. Love it!

FEATURE REQUEST: Please add support for Gallery view on iOS and iPadOS. A number of the projects on which I work include the approval of images for use in various projects. Gallery view is a must for these types of projects, so I can easily view the images. I currently have to use another program for image-approval projects. I would much rather use this app for everything. Plus, if Gallery view was enabled on iOS and iPadOS, I would undoubtedly upload more images to this app, decreasing my free storage and requiring me to upgrade my account - which I would be happily do, by the way 😉

UPDATE: Gallery support has been added! Thank you so much! It works beautifully! This is so helpful! I’ve updated my review to a much-deserved five stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

by Colin 2016

I have looked and tried many solutions to address a need for a personal filing system that strikes the balance of managing documents and information about those documents in a really flexible way that is easy to set up as a regular person. Really impressed with this app. I was so impressed that after I built out my ministry filing system in this app I felt guilty that I was able to do it successfully without even having to buy the monthly subscription, that I bought the monthly subscription just to see what else I could do with the product because I was so appreciative that for free I could have a product that literally solved all my needs. Both the mobile and desktop experiences are solid. Product is reliable. It just works.

by Bdylan4771

Airtable has some great features and should do what I want it to do, but support has been very frustrating. I have the pro (paid) version of the service. I have not had my issues resolved for 2 weeks. There has been no support at all. The support page is terrible. The contact us page just goes to the community instead of actually having contact info. The community has no good information for my problem. When I try to post a new topic I have to select a category. I don’t feel any of the categories are correct and fear that they are not going to the correct support staff.

by MaddieTheReviewer

I have searched and searched for an app to organize things like I want to. This is an app that I have dreamed of for literal years.

As an aspiring author, the templates were incredibly helpful and gave me a place to begin with the organization process. I was able to expand with the incredible helpful, well... help! Everything was so clear, and what seemed to be difficult and impossible became so simple and easy!! I’ve had Airtable for a couple of hours and already know so many things I could do with it. I also love that a lot of good features are included with the free, which doesn’t limit me (someone who doesn’t have a job) to mediocre features. Every available feature on the free version is fantastic—something I can’t say about other apps.

Overall, if I could rate an app 6 stars, this would be the one I would do that for.

by InfoBill

I’m still learning some of the features of this data base program, but for now, I’m just keeping an inventory of my various emergency kits, and camping equipment. It is doing an excellent job of keeping track of what’s in each kit, and letting me know what additional items I need, and when to replace expiring food items.

The program appears to have capabilities way beyond what I’ll be using, but I’m sure if I need to do anything more complicated, the program will be up to the challenge. I would recommend this data base app to anyone who needs to keep track of anything in an uncomplicated, but efficient way.

by 1brentsd

I found Airtable when it became compatible with Siri shortcuts. I was struggling to connect it with my shortcut and reached out to the developers for some assistance. Airtable itself is great. It is everything you could hope. Totally user friendly. Simple and streamlined, and also capable of handling very complex and intricate applications as well. It is also cross platform so it can be truly accessible. Back to my story: I was met promptly with loads of help. And when I responded with some well deserved praises, I was given some swag with a very sincere hand written thank you. I say this not so that everyone reaches out or get frustrated if you don’t get the response I did, but to point out how important this company is to the people who created this. And it was done so knowing that the user is what will help catapult the company forward by doing exactly what they have done, create an amazing product and ensuring it runs very smooth. Sucheta, you rock. And thanks for your help. Best wishes!

by MacMamaPro

Ive been using this app for several yrs now. I understand its a small company and has a small team of folks working but on the developing side for the paid plans I need/ would like to be able to streamline my work.

Ex. I create a table, first column I want it be names. 2nd table I create, I want it to be accounts and I want to be able to link the Names (1st table) to those accounts in 2nd table. The problem is the 1st COLUMN are always locked and cannot be changed. Why is that? I have to create some random identifier for 1st column then link starting on the 2nd column. Thats silly to me when Im trying to streamline the story throughout the tables. It throws me completely off and frustrates me that I can link anything to that 1st column on any of the tables.

Please give an explanation as to why that 1st column is LOCKED and CANNOT BE CHANGED 🤦🏽‍♀️. Whats the purpose of this.

Ive paid my yearly plan faithfully for the past 3yrs, coming up on my 4th year and Im considering to switch because of 1st column locked madness.

by BaddTrucker

I own a small flatbed trucking business and wanted a database accessible to drivers which lists past loads and the places we pick up from and deliver to.

We were able to create three lists and link them as needed. For example, a driver can look up a past load and our list will show details of that load such as special handling instructions. That list then has linked fields which show the pick up and delivery locations. When the driver clicks on one of those it has detailed directions, times which are available to load/unload, and even photos. This has been very helpful and this app made it very easy to do.

by Nineasaur

Lots of customization options without being fiddly. Simple, intuitive, exactly what I wanted from a spreadsheet app.

I’m using it to keep track of sales for my small business. I keep text fillable columns for customer name, address and notes; checkbox columns for project completion, paid, and mailed; and a price column which automatically calculates my total sales. I also have my checkbox columns set to keep track of percentage checked (so if anything is unchecked, the total will be listed as under 100% — I don’t have to scroll all the way through to check if I’ve finished everything). All of this was so easy and intuitive to set up. For my purposes, Airtable is pretty much perfect.

by Ktkruszka

I cannot say enough about this kinda-database app! I first got it for a specific use (a pre-made database for this app for a specific use), but then decided to spread my wings & create my own database to record all the books I own. It was sooooo incredibly easy! Now, I'm a techie and know how very picky database programs are. This one is a breeze to use, maneuver columns, sort... And you get access to your stuff via their website too!!! BONUS!!! Plus, they have many pre-made free database "templates" per se that you can add to your account and start using immediately. And did I mention the FB group that you can ask any question or post a tip? I can keep on going! This really is a fabulous app, people!!!

by Ekat_clan

I started this app to fill one specific need, but as time went on, I realized that it fills almost every niche I was trying to find an app/program for.

I’m odd with organization. In the past, I’ve had to use multiple notes apps for some things because I just want separate databases and portals for certain things. But now, if it’s something I can squeeze to work with this app (which is a lot), I don’t have to worry about that due to the sheer amount of layers it has with databases. Airtable has actually made me stop in my tracks because sometimes I don’t even know how I want to go about using it. That’s how open it is.

I use this app databases for everything from what albums I’ve listed to to keeping track of passwords and identities. It fills the purpose of multiple apps, and I’m not using anything else for those purposes any time soon.

by Rbatey

I’ve used FileMaker Pro for years but it is overkill for most of the needs I have. I wanted a database app that was easy to use and accessible on all my devices, not just desktop. this app let’s me keep track of anything I’ve been able to think of for my photography business, from collections of vintage cameras to exposure information for individual rolls of film. While shopping online or out at estate sales I can find out in seconds whether I own a particular camera, lens, filter, anything. I’ve started cataloging all my books, then planning to catalog my vinyl record collection. I’m not a power user though, so far the free version does everything I need.

by IReviewedU

Because Airtable is currently lacking View and Group features from the desktop version, I cannot give it the 5-star it otherwise deserves. It drastically reduces my productivity when I am unable to use saved views to quickly access the information I actually need. The grouping and filters I have on saved views on this app for desktop make my information very accessible and even beautiful to look at. For example, I have almost 10 hidden fields that are necessary for my purposes, and none of them are automatically hidden on my iPad, making information confusing and diluted. I am disappointed so far in the mobile this app app. At best, it is good for limited data entry on the go.

by SoundShop

TL;DR: A really great app that would be just about perfect if it had dark mode.

I’ve been using this app for a variety of purposes and have loved it for the last few years. It’s amazing being able to define entire custom databases and interact with them in such intuitive and powerful ways. Plus the provided API access is great.

But...please please please provide a dark mode! Every other app I use on a daily basis has dark mode. It’s not like it would take that much effort even for one designer and one dev to make it happen – maybe a few days, max? Whenever I open up this app at night I have to literally turn my phone sideways to not get blasted by the white light, even on the screen’s lowest setting.

by Chrischiffmanaged

List Lovers, unite! Mind Mappers, rejoice! Project Planners, sleep tight! The mental organizational tool of your dreams has arrived.

Upon first viewing, the tool seems complicated. And, under the hood [code-wise] it very well could be. However, once you realize the simplicity of the too, and understand that there are really only a handful of major tricks it’s pulling, your brain will smile with how many ways in which you can organize and plan for anything at all.

CRM management and upkeep [who you met in NY, and the details they shared when you two were tipsy that you will likely forget tomorrow], planning a camping trip [and all the things you’ll need to take, the map of the secret spot, and towns along the way], blog post ideas, pics, editing status and posting status calendar, heck, I made a “Stuff Checked Out” catalog of who has borrowed what - shows checklist of things involved, pics of said stuff/thing, who is was “checked out to,” and status of “borrowed/returned” — this is seriously the nerdiest thing and I can’t believe it finally exists.

Think: adorable spreadsheets. That’s really all this is. And it’s powerful and glorious all at the same time. ...and, free for small users.

Bravo! And thank you from my mentally sound heart.

by Modern Music Productions

this app (on Mac OS, Web and PC) is one of the best and most well developed pieces of software on the market! I’ll bet you could find at least a half dozen uses for it no matter what your personal or professional needs are!! One of the best features of this app (along side being able to filter, sort and group information) is the ability to format the layout of your information into five different “views.” These “views” are extremely powerful and allow you to quickly access and manipulate data for practically any application, implementing virtually limitless workflows.

However, the iOS app is terrible! The layout is extremely inefficient for screen real estate on a phone or tablet. The fact that you can only access 1 of the 5 “views” makes the mobile app almost useless. The features that you can use are very cumbersome and ‘pagey’ to navigate —making actions take a long time.

Please support this app, but please also rate Airtable as Airtable and not the overall service. The AT team needs feedback like this to improve their mobile app(s).

by Lhoisrael

This is a good app but I can’t make the switch from Notion for two huge reasons: (1) mobile functionality is incredibly limited (for example, some views are not available on mobile); and (2) there is no desktop app!! How can there be no desktop app if you want to be a big player in modular planning??! Smaller issues with Airtable include the lack of visual customization (Airtable ’s design is very childlike aesthetically, and doesn’t promote the feeling of “big grown up doing big grown up work”) and the inability to insert calculations! If your entire model is spreadsheet-based, how could you NOT include calculations? (At least on mobile)

Airtable is a great start and I wish so much that I could switch over, but there are just too many limitations

by Sonofsonofa

This is a good new product, and it is a positive to see it getting better. I haven’t designed databases in a while, and this program has a very easy learning curve. I got it because their Page Designer (currently still in Beta) gives me what I need from it not just input, but output. The pricing is a bit steep imo - instead of a straight $20/user, they should make it something like $30 for one, $45 for two, then $10 for each additional for small businesses. $240 per user per year is too much for small businesses to grow with - we will be incented to switch for pricing before long.

by Jamesrich3

Wow- words can’t describe how great Airtable is! I can organize all aspects of my life with complete freedom to customize any feature within this app. I am still learning how to get the most out of Airtable, which I think will take a bit of time if I want to utilize it to its fullest potential. That being said- this app is intuitive and extremely easy to use. It also provides a sufficient amount of how-to videos and examples with template bases. I would like to see an increase in the base templates, but I’m sure more will be released as Airtable becomes more popular.

I highly recommend this app!