Airtable vs. Monday: Workflow Management Comparison
Airtable vs. monday—which one’s right for you? If you’re looking for a versatile project management tool, then these two software are the ones you’ll hear about the most.
They both offer a multitude of unique feature options that allow you to work the way you want. Airtable excels at managing complex data with various views and advanced reporting tools. Conversely, monday.com opts for visual task management, listing all its tasks on dashboards to incentivize further collaboration. In other words, both offer different approaches to solve the same problem.
Hence, Software Finder has created this comparison article where we’re going to go over their core functionalities, features, and toolsets. By the end, you should be able to make an informed decision and choose the platform that is most suitable for your organization’s needs.
- Airtable is great for projects that require complex database management
- monday.com is recommended for users who prefer a visual approach in handling projects
features | Airtable | Monday.com |
User Interface | A clean and modern user interface with options for customization | An intuitive UI that can be customized based on the customer’s needs |
Project Views | Gantt, Timeline, Kanban, Calendar, etc. | Offers multiple project views (Kanban, Calendar, Workload, etc.) |
Collaboration Tools | Permission levels, comments, sharing links, mentions, etc. | Email, messaging, comments, file sharing, and team boards |
Reporting Tools | Charts, graphs, summaries, pivot tables, and page designers | Formula columns, customizable dashboards, and chart views |
Integrations | Direct integration with software such as Google Drive, Jira, Salesforce, Asana, GitHub, Gmail, and more | Wide variety of integrations with popular software such as Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, MailChimp, and more |
Project Templates | Offers templates for specific use cases such as product roadmaps, CRM, etc. | Comes with over 200+ pre-built templates |
| Try Airtable Free | Try Monday Free |
Airtable software is a cloud-based platform used to create and share relational databases—that also utilizes several aspects found in spreadsheets, making it a spreadsheet/database hybrid. Unlike traditional spreadsheet software, Airtable can sync, store, and create links between data, allowing users to organize large batches of information. In addition, its intuitive interface, coupled with the flexibility to customize tables and views, makes it accessible to users of all technical backgrounds.
This unique combination of features means that Airtable can be used for many scenarios. From large scale projects such as managing CRMs and mapping out content schedules, to informal planning for small, personal events—Airtable can do it all.
Airtable Key Features
- Essential database management features such as tables and fields
- A ‘Sync’ feature that makes sure all data is verified and up to date
- ‘In-built Interface Designer’ that utilizes a drag-and-drop control scheme
- Multiple ‘Project Views’ such as Gantt, Timeline, Kanban and more
- ‘Custom Automations’ that iterate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows
Pros
Ease of Implementation
Airtable is very easy to implement with pre-existing workflows due to its level of flexibility and customizability. An example of this is how it handles ERP implementation: users can implement specific ERP features one by one. This is also helpful for team members as now they only need to learn one feature instead of the entire software.
Developer Tools Support
Part of what makes Airtable so versatile is that it supports developer tools, enabling users to further customize their work processes. Users can create their own custom extensions with ‘Airtable Blocks SDK’ or even build their own custom reporting tools with the help of ‘APIs’. Additionally, users can also access the ‘Developers Console’, a tool that logs all sorts of technical information, making it easier for users to troubleshoot errors.
Cons
Difficulty In Downgrading
Airtable makes it rather difficult and awkward for users to downgrade between payment plans. For instance, many users have reported that instead of letting them downgrade from a business plan to a team plan, Airtable insists on going to the free plan before going back up to the team plan. The process involves contacting customer support multiple times and as a result, can feel rather redundant.
monday.com software is a work operating system (Work OS) designed to streamline work and boost productivity. As a powerful project management tool, it has workflow automation capabilities designed to increase efficiency. Adding to this, it’s also very customizable, allowing users to customize boards, templates and automations. This level of flexibility allows teams to customize workflows according to their specific needs.
The combination of monday's various project management features and level of customizability means that it’s used by a wide audience. From operation and marketing to software development and HR, a multitude of industries make use of monday.com.
Monday Key Features
- ‘Customizable Dashboards’ that offer several views (Kanban, Calendar, Workload, etc.)
- An intuitive interface that’s easy for users to learn and use
- ‘Pre-Built’ solutions and integrations
- Automation of repetitive tasks that save time
- Collaboration tools such as task assignment, comments, and real-time updates
Pros
Customizable Workflows
The ability to customize workflows according to your every whim makes monday.com stand out from its competitors. Specifically, ‘Tailored Workflows’ help teams streamline processes, reduce errors, and enhance decision-making. This customizability also applies to many areas such as creating a sales pipeline, marketing campaigns, and HR processes.
Advanced Reporting
monday.com offers a holistic and up-to-date view of the project. It does this by automatically updating dashboards when source data is changed. When combined with the automated notifications, this feature streamlines task handoffs and eliminates the need to manually request reports from other departments.
Seamless Integrations
monday.com boasts a large number of integrations with many third-party software such as Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, GitLab, and so many more. This versatility allows monday.com to fit into almost any workflow while keeping the cost of setting it up minimal.
Cons
Limited Mobile App Functionality
While monday.com offers a mobile app, its functionality is somewhat limited. Users cannot create, edit, or even open documents in PDF and Word file formats.
Lack Of Certain Quality of Life (QoL) Features
Despite monday.com's overwhelming list of pros, it curiously lacks a few basic QoL features as found in other software. Users have to switch between views to access subitems and cannot use ‘wrap text’ for any attribute. Additionally, you cannot adjust or edit automated commands, forcing users to delete and reset automations when they want to make any changes. All these contribute to making the software a little cumbersome and unwieldly.
1. Pricing Plans
Airtable
Airtable offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. The free plan provides access to basic features and allows you to create an unlimited number of bases. For teams and organizations that require advanced features and storage, Airtable offers paid plans with increasing levels of functionality.
As of now, Airtable offers the following pricing plans:
- Free - $0/seat/month
- Team - $24/seat/month
- Business - $54/seat/month
- Enterprise - Custom Pricing
Disclaimer: Pricing is subject to change
Monday
monday.com follows a similar approach, offering a number of pricing plans that are intended for different audiences. While the free plan provides all the baseline features, the advanced pricing plans provide an increased number of automations and views, making it a formidable project management tool.
As such, monday.com offers the following pricing plans:
- Free - $0 (Up to 2 Seats)
- Basic - $12/seat/month
- Standard - $14/seat/month
- Pro - $24/seat/month
- Enterprise - Custom Pricing
Disclaimer: Pricing is subject to change
Winner: Both software offers comparable pricing plans, however monday.com appears to be the cheaper option, making it the winner for this category.
2. Workflow Automation
Airtable
Airtable makes use of ‘Airtable Automations’—a powerful rules engine that allows its users to build custom automations without the need to code. It does this by assigning actions to ‘Triggers’. A trigger acts as a condition for the automation to take place—for example, if a trigger is set to an event, such as change in task status, then the action will only happen once that event happens.
These custom automations can help users in various ways such as automating redundant tasks, reducing manual data-entry errors and improving overall efficiency by making processes faster.
Monday
In a similar manner, monday.com allows its users to create custom automations by using triggers and actions. Additionally, monday.com also makes use of ‘Recipes’, which are pre-built automations that users can utilize for their own purposes. Users also have the option to save their own custom automations as recipes, saving them time and energy in the long run.
Winner: Custom automation for both software function similarly as both utilize the same rules. However, monday’s pre-built automations may be more attractive for new users who are just getting started.
3. User Interface
Airtable
Airtable has an intuitive user interface that’s designed to make database management as painless as possible. Airtable also offers a variety of views, such as grid and Kanban, allowing users to visualize their data in different ways.
However, if teams are not satisfied with their current look, they can make use of Airtable’s ‘Interface Designer’—a feature that allows its users to create custom interfaces for databases. With this, you can change elements such as font, color, and layout to create a custom UI that suits your preferences.
Monday
Monday.com's user interface is clean and modern, albeit a little cluttered. The platform utilizes a visual board format, reminiscent of a Kanban board, making it easy for users to visualize and manage their projects. The use of color-coded cards and customizable columns allows teams to quickly identify the status of tasks and prioritize their workload.
In addition, monday.com offers a collection of views to help visualize data. Its interface is also highly customizable, allowing users to change the colors, fonts, and overall layout.
Winner: Each software provides an intuitive user interface with several customization options, so both are evenly matched for this category.
4. Collaboration and Communication Tools
Airtable
Airtable supports different options for collaboration. Users can invite other people as either workspace collaborators (unlimited access) or base collaborators (limited access). Different permission levels can also be assigned to these collaborators, giving project managers further control of the project.
In addition, Airtable also offers regular collaboration features found in other software such as comments, sharing links, mentions, etc.
Monday
monday.com uses various collaboration features to incentivize team collaboration. At its core, the platform utilizes shared boards that function as a central hub for project information. Thus, team members can view updates and track progress by monitoring the ‘status column’.
For further collaboration on current tasks, teams use centralized communication channels such as email, sync meetings, chat, comments, etc.
Winner: Both software provides various communication channels. Therefore, they are equally matched, and the choice depends on the user—whether they prefer using monday.com's central board approach or whether they’re more comfortable with Airtable’s workspace collaboration.
5. Project Templates
Airtable
Airtable offers a large number of templates, albeit for specific use cases, such as sales CRM, project management, and product roadmaps. These templates can help users get their project off the ground immediately, instead of doing everything from scratch. In addition, the templates come with pre-configured tables and views that can often help users get more ideas for handling their own projects.
Monday
monday.com offers a vast library of pre-made templates. These templates are designed for a wide range of industries and workflows, from marketing campaigns and sales pipelines to software development roadmaps and human resource onboarding. They act as pre-configured boards with relevant columns, views, and automation, saving users the time and effort of building them from scratch. Finally, these templates can also be customized as per the user’s needs.
Winner: monday.com's extensive templates for different scenarios means that it wins this category.
6. Reporting and Analytics
Airtable
Airtable utilizes reporting extensions to create dashboards of charts, graphs, and other visual metrics. The same extensions can also be used to build custom reports in various formats such as summaries, pivot tables, and page designers (for catalogues), etc. Finally, Airtable also allows its users to build their own reporting systems by using developer tools.
Monday
monday.com offers a comparable suite of reporting and analytics tools, allowing teams to gain valuable insights into their data and track project progress effectively. Users can create custom dashboards, leverage pre-built templates, and visualize data in various formats to track overall progress. Additionally, monday.com integrates with popular analysis software such as Google Analytics, providing even more flexibility for advanced reporting.
Winner: Airtable’s developer tools that allow users to build their own reporting tools give it a slight edge over monday.com in terms of reporting. However, it must be noted that users must know coding to properly make use of those tools. Otherwise, they are better off with monday.com.
7. Integrations
Airtable
Airtable offers direct integrations with many popular software from different categories such as Google Drive (cloud storage), Salesforce (CRM), Jira (project management), and many more. In addition, Airtable can instantly import data from external applications using a feature called ‘Airtable Sync’.
Monday
Like Airtable, monday.com can integrate with popular software including Gmail, Slack and Microsoft Teams. However, the number of integrations for monday far surpass those of Airtable’s. Additionally, these integrations can easily be set up with a few clicks, eliminating any disruptions in work.
Winner: The number of integrations offered by monday.com means that it wins this category.
8. Security
Airtable
Airtable utilizes standard security procedures to protect its users' personal data. Data is encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption. Users can also make use of two factor authentication and backups to secure their data. Finally, Airtable has obtained globally recognized security certifications such as SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001.
Monday
Similarly, monday.com offers all the standard security features, such as 256-bit AES data encryption and two factor authentication. It is also certified to comply with global security standards such as ISO 27001.
Winner: Both offer comparable security features and are thus evenly matched.
9. Customer Support
Airtable
Airtable primarily offers support through email and an online help center where users can make use of product documentation, FAQs, troubleshooting guides, etc. Airtable also offers an official YouTube channel that hosts a collection of videos dedicated to providing tutorials of the software.
Monday
monday.com's customer support makes use of email, live chats, and an online resource center with tutorials detailing every single feature the software has to offer. In addition, users can also go to YouTube to find tutorials created by users of monday.com.
Winner: Both software provide an adequate level of customer support. However, it is important to note that customer service can vary from user to user.
Airtable and monday.com both offer versatile solutions to project management, albeit with different approaches. Airtable is a database management tool, meaning that its core is focused around creating relational databases. Its ease of implementation, combined with its flexibility— such as allowing users to create their own reporting tools—means that it’s great for complex projects that require massive yet intricate data structures.
Meanwhile, monday.com’s core revolves around using a centralized board for task management. As such it thrives on its user-friendly interface and visual workflows, streamlining collaboration and task management for teams of all sizes. Its sheer list of integrations, templates and pre-built recipes make it a more palatable option for teams that are just looking to get started.
In the end, it all comes down to what a team’s preferences and project needs are. Projects that require large data structures and teams would find Airtable more suited to their needs. On the other hand, teams that prefer a more easygoing, visual-centric approach will find monday.com more appealing.
However, if neither Airtable nor monday.com align with your specific needs, then you might consider exploring Asana software or Jira software. These platforms offer similar project management functionalities and cater to a wide range of teams and industries.
