Smartsheet vs Airtable: Task Tracking & Workflow Tools Compared
In-depth comparison of Smartsheet and Airtable task tracking tools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
If you’re managing projects or workflows today, picking the right tool isn’t just a matter of features.
It’s about control vs confusion. Busywork vs focus. Overwhelm vs execution.
Both Smartsheet and Airtable promise to organize your work, boost collaboration, and bring clarity to complex projects. But if you’ve ever used either for more than a couple weeks, you already know: the devil’s in the details.
- Smartsheet feels like a spreadsheet on steroids — powerful but can get heavy and complex.
- Airtable looks sleek and modern, but sometimes feels like too much choice without clear direction.
👉 So, which one is actually better for managing your projects and workflows in 2025?
In this post, I’ll break it down:
✅ Real-world pros and cons
✅ User experience beyond just feature lists
✅ Where each tool struggles as your projects grow
✅ And which tool suits your team best
💡 BONUS: There’s a new contender quietly making waves — Focuzed.io — built for async-first teams and knowledge workers who want focus, not noise.
- Energy-based work planning
- Focus Bar for deep work sessions
- Integrates seamlessly with your existing apps
- Zero bloat — just streamlined execution
But more on that after we dive into Smartsheet vs Airtable.
Quick Feature Face-Off: Smartsheet vs Airtable
Feature | Smartsheet | Airtable |
Core Focus | Spreadsheet-style project management | Flexible database + spreadsheet hybrid |
Best Use Case | Complex project tracking, enterprise workflows | Creative projects, content calendars, lightweight CRM |
Collaboration | Real-time collaboration, approvals, comments | Real-time collaboration, rich field types, comments |
Customization | Extensive formula & automation support | Highly customizable views & fields, integrations |
Learning Curve | Moderate to steep | Moderate, more visual & intuitive |
Automation | Robust, rule-based workflows, alerts | Easy automation with triggers and actions |
Mobile Experience | Functional, task updates on the go | Clean, user-friendly, visually rich |
Pricing | Paid plans from $7/user/month | Free + paid plans from $10/user/month |
What Smartsheet Brings to the Table
Smartsheet is like your trusted spreadsheet on steroids. It’s familiar if you’ve ever managed projects in Excel but want something way more powerful and collaborative.
You build sheets that look like spreadsheets but come packed with project management superpowers — automated workflows, reminders, resource management, and approval processes. It’s built for serious, complex workflows that need tight control and visibility.
What Smartsheet Does Well
- Spreadsheet familiarity: If you’re comfortable in Excel, Smartsheet feels natural.
- Powerful automation: Set rules to automatically assign tasks, send alerts, or update statuses.
- Enterprise-ready: Supports detailed reporting, permissions, and audit trails.
- Collaboration & approvals: Great for teams needing formal review processes.
Where Smartsheet Can Struggle
- Steeper learning curve: If you’re not used to spreadsheets, it can feel daunting.
- Less visually engaging: The interface isn’t as colorful or flexible as Airtable’s.
- Overkill for small teams: Might be too complex for simple project tracking.
Airtable’s Take: Flexible, Visual, and Creative
If you want your work organized and visually appealing, Airtable shines. It combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with the power of a database, letting you add rich media, link records, and create multiple views (grid, calendar, kanban, gallery).
It’s especially popular for content teams, creatives, and startups who want to track projects, manage assets, or even build simple CRMs — all without drowning in spreadsheets.
What Airtable Excels At
- Highly visual and intuitive: Drag and drop, rich fields (attachments, checkboxes, barcodes).
- Customizable views: Switch between calendar, kanban, gallery, and grid effortlessly.
- Easy integrations: Connect with Slack, Zapier, and many more tools.
- Good for small to mid-sized teams: Simple yet powerful.
Where Airtable Can Fall Short
- Pricing can add up: The free tier is generous but paid plans rise quickly.
- Automation limits: Great for basic automation, but complex workflows may require external tools.
- Spreadsheet purists might feel limited: It’s not as formula-heavy as Smartsheet.
Smartsheet vs Airtable: How They Work Day-to-Day
Project Views: Gantt vs Gallery
This is where the two tools immediately diverge.
- Smartsheet comes with grid (spreadsheet), Gantt, calendar, card (Kanban), and timeline views. The Gantt and timeline capabilities are deeply integrated with dependencies, critical path tracking, and resource management — perfect for teams running complex programs with strict deadlines.
- Airtable offers grid, Kanban, calendar, gallery, and timeline views. Its Interface Designer (available in Pro and Enterprise plans) lets you build custom dashboards for different roles — so a designer sees tasks differently than a PM. But you won’t find traditional Gantt-style resource or dependency management here unless you build it manually or use extensions.
Automation & Workflows
Smartsheet is built for complex, rule-based automation. You can trigger alerts, request approvals, move rows, assign tasks, and more — all based on logic across multiple sheets. It even has conditional workflows that rival tools like Monday.com and ClickUp.
Airtable also has automation — you can create trigger-action sequences (like “When record updated → Send email”), but it’s more beginner-friendly and less robust for multi-step processes. Power users often extend it with Zapier, Make, or custom scripts.
Forms & Data Collection
Both tools support form creation — but the experience differs.
Smartsheet forms are native, easy to embed, and support logic-based fields, attachments, and secure access. They're great for collecting structured data from internal or external sources (think: client onboarding, bug reports, vendor requests).
Airtable forms feel snappier and more visual, but unless you're on a Pro plan, you're missing out on advanced features like pre-filled fields or redirecting after submission.
Collaboration & Communication
Both tools support real-time updates, @mentions, comments, and activity logs — but they differ in depth.
Smartsheet excels in cross-team collaboration, especially when you need approvals, task ownership, or audit trails. Think enterprise-level visibility and compliance.
Airtable keeps it lighter and more intuitive. It's great for creative teams or agencies that need to collaborate around assets, statuses, or deliverables — not necessarily structured task hierarchies.
Permissions & Access Control
Smartsheet provides granular permissions. You can control who sees what — even down to cell-level locks or time-based access. Their enterprise plans include audit logs, SSO, and robust sharing settings.
Airtable permissions are base-level, with some field-level control on higher plans. You can create limited views and interfaces, but you won’t get the same depth of enterprise control.
Reporting & Dashboards
Smartsheet offers native dashboards, chart widgets, and cross-sheet reporting that make it easy to roll up data for stakeholders. It feels like a built-in executive reporting layer.
Airtable’s Interface Designer gives you visual dashboards, but cross-table analytics are limited unless you manually link everything or use third-party tools.
AI Capabilities
Smartsheet recently introduced AI-powered summaries and a formula assistant — helping users create calculations without deep Excel knowledge.
Airtable has stepped further in with AI fields, powered by OpenAI — useful for auto-summarizing records, writing content drafts, or even auto-generating task descriptions.
Mobile & External Access
Smartsheet’s mobile app is fully functional, supporting approvals, task updates, and offline access.
Airtable’s mobile experience is more visual — great for quick previews and record updates — but it can feel cramped with dense data.
Both offer ways to share externally, but Smartsheet provides more control over permissions for external users.
Integrations & Ecosystem
Smartsheet integrates with 100+ tools — including Jira, Salesforce, MS Teams, Outlook, and more. It also supports Data Shuttle, Bridge, and Control Center — useful for syncing data across systems at scale.
Airtable has fewer native integrations but thrives in its ecosystem through Zapier, Make, OpenAI, and Softr. Its API is solid, and many nocode builders support Airtable as a backend.
Pricing
Smartsheet starts at $7/user/month but scales rapidly depending on usage. Airtable’s free tier is generous, and paid plans start at $10/user/month, offering more flexibility to smaller teams. For enterprise-grade use, both get pricey — but Smartsheet offers more enterprise-level features at those tiers.
So, Which Should You Choose?
- Choose Smartsheet if your team needs rigorous project tracking in a familiar spreadsheet-style environment, especially in enterprise or highly structured contexts.
- Choose Airtable if you want a more modern, flexible platform that can evolve into a lightweight app builder — but be ready to invest time in setup and maintenance.
But here’s the catch:
Both tools focus on managing work — not on helping you focus on doing the work that actually moves the needle.
Why Focuzed.io Is the Better Alternative in 2025
Meet Focuzed.io, a fresh approach that doesn’t just help you track tasks or build workflows — it helps you work smarter by aligning your work with your energy and attention.
What Makes Focuzed Different?
- Energy-based scheduling: Connect your Oura, Apple Watch, or Whoop to plan work when your brain is sharpest.
- No bloat, no overwhelm: Designed to keep your mental load light and your execution clear.
- Seamless sync: Works alongside Airtable, Smartsheet, Asana, Linear, and others to surface what matters most.
- Focus Bar & deep work tools: Time blocking, Pomodoro timers, and a clean interface to minimize distractions.
Unlike Smartsheet or Airtable, Focuzed isn’t just about tracking your work. It’s about doing your best work — sustainably, without burnout, without noise.
Final Thoughts
Smartsheet and Airtable remain powerful players, but they’re spreadsheets and databases trying to be workflow apps — with all the complexity that comes with it.
If your team wants clarity, simplicity, and focus in a world drowning in tools and distractions, Focuzed.io offers a refreshing alternative.
Ready to break free from the overwhelm and actually get stuff done?
Explore Focuzed.io today and discover how working with your energy — not against it — changes everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which is better, Smartsheet or Airtable?
Smartsheet is better for structured, enterprise-grade project management, while Airtable wins on flexibility, speed, and ease of use.
2. What are the disadvantages of Smartsheet?
Smartsheet has a steeper learning curve, limited real-time collaboration, and feels outdated compared to modern tools.
3. What is better than Smartsheet?
Tools like Airtable, ClickUp, or Focuzed.io offer more flexibility, better UI, and features built for today’s fast-moving teams.
4. Why is Airtable better than Google Sheets?
Airtable offers visual views, automations, and relational databases — making it far more powerful for workflows than Google Sheets.
5. Is there a tool that helps you focus instead of just manage tasks?
Yes — Focuzed.io is built for deep work, using your energy levels to prioritize tasks and eliminate distractions.
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