Airtable or monday.com: the match of the organisation giants
In 2025, choosing a project management tool is a bit like choosing between a Mac and a PC: both do the job, but not in the same way. Airtable relies on the flexibility of a super-powered spreadsheet, while monday . com plays the visual and structured management card. We're talking about two SaaS behemoths, capable of managing your projects, your databases, your schedules... and maybe even your peace of mind.
But which one will really meet your needs? Who should you choose: Airtable or monday.com? We've put both tools through the sieve of official data and specialist analyses to compare their strengths, limitations and prices. Our aim is to help you decide without getting bogged down in hours of tutorials. Let's go!
What is Airtable?
Overview of Airtable
Halfway between a spreadsheet and a database, Airtable has found its place in teams that want to juggle information... without breaking their heads with code. It can be used to manage a sales pipeline, track a video production or even organise a music festival. Its strength? Extreme flexibility and a familiar Excel-like interface, but with visual views (Kanban, calendar, gallery, timeline) that transform your data into dynamic dashboards.
In terms of audience, Airtable appeals to SMEs and large organisations alike, as well as creative, marketing, product and events teams. Its customers include Spotify, Medium and Netflix, which speaks volumes about its ability to manage complex, large-scale collaborative projects.
Airtable's main features
- Multiple views: transform your data into a grid, Kanban, calendar, gallery or Gantt chart, depending on your needs. For example, a marketing team can plan a campaign in calendar view and monitor progress in Kanban, all on the same database.
- Relational database: link tables together to cross-reference information. Perfect for tracking customer projects while keeping the contact file and the history of exchanges just a click away.
- Built-in automation: create scenarios that are triggered automatically (send an email when a task is "completed", create a task in another tool, etc.).
- Customisable forms: collect internal or external data that can be fed directly into your Airtable database, useful for managing job applications or collecting support requests.
- Real-time collaboration: several users can edit a database simultaneously, comment on items, mention a colleague and even assign tasks.
- Airtable App s: add modules such as graphics, maps, scripts or API connectors to enhance your databases.
- Integrations: over 1,000 connectors via Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat) or natively (Slack, Google Workspace, Jira, etc.).
Airtable
Advantages and disadvantages of Airtable
Advantages
- Extremely flexible: adapts just as well to an in-house CRM as to editorial planning or inventory tracking.
- Intuitive, modern interface: spreadsheet-like familiarity with the power of a database.
- Fluid collaboration: perfect for asynchronous, real-time teamwork.
- Advanced customisation: multiple views, custom fields, automations.
- Generous free plan: up to 1,200 records per database and 5 creators, ideal for testing before investing.
Disadvantages
- Learning curve: complex automations and relationships between tables require a bit of mastery.
- Rapidly escalating costs: for advanced functions and a large number of users, the bill can get steep.
- Not a true 'turnkey' project management tool: you sometimes have to build the structure yourself (unlike Monday.com, which offers highly guided templates).
- Performance: some heavy databases can slow down, especially web versions with a lot of linked data.
What is monday.com?
Overview of monday.com
monday.com is the digital whiteboard that never sleeps. Designed as a Work OS (a work management platform, in short), it centralises the planning, management and monitoring of projects in a 100% visual interface. Its DNA: colourful, intuitive tables that speak to marketing teams, developers and HR teams alike.
Its turnkey approach appeals to companies that want to structure their processes quickly without spending hours configuring everything. The ready-to-use templates cover dozens of use cases: agile project management, sales follow-up, event planning, recruitment, etc.
Among its customers are Coca-Cola, Canva, Hulu and L'Oréal, proof that Monday.com can win over start-ups and major multinationals alike.
Key features of Monday.com
- Customisable tables and columns: manage your tasks with status columns, dates, people, priorities, files, formulas, etc.
- Multiple views: Kanban, Gantt, calendar, table, timeline. Changes in one view are reflected everywhere.
- Ready-to-use templates: dozens of templates to get you started quickly, adapted to project management, CRM, HR management, etc.
- Automations without code: create simple rules ("if status = complete, notify the person responsible") to streamline your workflow.
- Integrated collaboration: centralised comments, mentions, attachments and notifications.
- Dashboard: combine data from multiple projects on a single screen, with graphs and key indicators.
- Native integrations: over 200 connectors with Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, Jira, HubSpot, etc.
monday.com
Advantages and disadvantages of Monday.com
Advantages
- Quick to learn: thanks to the templates, you can get started in just a few minutes.
Attractive, visual interface: ideal for teams who like to see everything at a glance. - Simple, effective automation: no need to know how to code.
- Numerous integrations: CRM, marketing tools, videoconferencing, cloud storage, etc.
- Scalable: suitable for small teams and large organisations alike.
Disadvantages
- Less flexible than Airtable for managing complex databases.
- Price: invoicing per seat can quickly become burdensome for large teams.
- Certain limitations in terms of free features (automation, integration).
- Can become visually overloaded with a lot of columns and elements, which makes it difficult to read.
Airtable vs Monday.com: compare features
Choosing between Airtable and Monday.com is a bit like choosing between a Swiss Army knife and a ready-to-use DIY kit: both allow you to build, but not with the same logic. To make things clearer, we'll start with a table that compares their approaches and strengths.
| Key criteria | Airtable | Monday.com |
| Type of tool | Relational database + collaborative spreadsheet | Work OS for project management |
| Flexibility | Very high: customised creation, free structure | High but guided: predefined structure and templates |
| Customisation | Fields, views, relationships, scripts, advanced automations | Columns, views, simple automations |
| Automations | No-code + custom scripts | Simple no-code, triggers and predefined actions |
| Data management | Excellent: relationships between tables, large databases | Good: project/task-centric, less suitable for large volumes |
| Views available | Grid, Kanban, Calendar, Gallery, Gantt, Timeline | Table, Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Timeline |
| Templates | Gallery of templates (to customise) | +200 ready-to-use templates |
| Integrations | +1,000 (Zapier, Make, open API) | +200 native integrations |
| Collaboration | Comments, @mentions, real-time editing | Ditto + multi-project dashboards |
| Mobile access | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
Focus 1: Flexibility and customisation
Airtable stands out for its ability to adapt to almost anything: in-house CRM, inventory tracking, editorial management, product database, etc. You start with a virtually blank sheet of paper and build to measure.
Monday.com, on the other hand, favours a more guided approach, with templates and a pre-designed structure. Perfect if you want to get up and running quickly, less so if you want to get off the beaten track.
👉 To remember
Airtable = total freedom
Monday.com = immediate efficiency.
Focus 2: Automations
Both tools offer no-code automation. Airtable allows you to go further with customised scripts for complex workflows. Monday.com focuses on simplicity and clarity, at the cost of fewer advanced options.
👉 To remember
Airtable for sophisticated scenarios, Monday.com for quick and easy automation.
Focus 3: Data management
Airtable is first and foremost a relational database, capable of linking tables and structuring large volumes of information.
Monday.com remains a project management tool, with powerful columns and views that are less suited to large datasets.
👉 To remember
if your core business is data, Airtable has the edge.
Focus 4: Templates and use cases
Monday.com offers dozens of ready-to-use templates: agile management, marketing campaigns, HR monitoring, etc. You can get started without heavy configuration.
Airtable also has a gallery of templates, but it's mainly for inspiration: you'll often need to adapt them to fit your processes perfectly.
👉 To remember
Monday.com wins for plug & play, Airtable for customised use.
Focus 5: Collaboration and visibility
Both tools enable real-time working, comments and file centralisation. Monday.com stands out for its multi-project dashboards and its ability to provide an overview at a glance. Airtable focuses more on data clarity at a granular level.
👉 To remember
Monday.com for macro vision, Airtable for micro detail.
Airtable vs monday.com: compare prices
Projecting costs is vital before opening your wallet. Our mission here is to give you a clear picture of Airtable's and Monday.com's 2025 pricing plans, to see who offers the best value for money. All without jargon, just concrete facts.
Comparison table (2025)
| Plan / Criteria | Airtable (per user/month) | Monday.com (per user/month) |
| Free | Yes: unlimited databases, 1,000 records/base, 1 GB storage/cache, 2 weeks history. | Yes: up to 2 users, 3 tables, limited storage, 1 week history. |
| Basic plan | Team - $20 (annual) / $24 (monthly): 50,000 records, 20 GB, 1 year history. | Basic - €9 (annual) / €12 (monthly) : unlimited items, 5 GB storage, simple dashboard. |
| Intermediate / advanced plan | Business - $45 (annual) / $54 (monthly): 125,000 records, 100 GB, 2 years history, advanced permissions. | Standard - €12 (annual) / €14 (monthly) : Timeline, calendar, integrations/automations 250 actions/month. |
| Advanced professional plan | ❌ | Pro - €19 (annual) / €24 (monthly): private tables, charts, time tracking, 25,000 automations/month. |
| Enterprise / customised plan | Enterprise Scale - On quotation; large capacity, security, advanced governance. | Enterprise - On quotation; advanced features, reporting, multi-level, security, megadashboards. |
👉 Quick analysis
- In the short term, Monday.com charges less: €9 per user/year compared with $20 at Airtable for the basic package.
- Airtable costs more, but offers a robust database infrastructure for teams that need it.
- Advanced plans: Monday.com offers a plan called "Pro" at €19 with project management-oriented features, while Airtable sticks with a "Business" model at $45 that brings data power.
- Enterprise: both are made-to-measure, with prices depending on the context - number of users, security, support.
Airtable vs Monday.com: which interface is more intuitive?
The best functionality in the world is useless if the interface makes you feel like you're flying an aeroplane cockpit. Here, we take a look at the user-friendliness, ergonomics and customisation of each tool, to see which will save you time... and which could cost you it.
UX analysis
- Airtable 's interface is very similar to Excel, which is reassuring for those who are used to spreadsheets. The menus are simple and the views can be changed with a single click, but some of the advanced options are well hidden. The result: getting started is simple, but getting to grips with it requires a bit of curiosity.
- Monday.com plays the visual card: colours, icons, self-explanatory columns. The logic is quickly understood, and the predefined templates guide the user. The downside: with lots of data, the screen can quickly become overloaded.
UX / Ergonomics comparison table
| Criteria | Airtable | Monday.com |
| Getting started | Quick for those used to spreadsheets | Very fast thanks to the templates |
| Learning curve | Medium: advanced features to explore | Low to medium: you can keep it simple or go further |
| Readability | Uncluttered, but can become dense with lots of columns | Very visual, sometimes overloaded |
| Customisation | Very advanced: fields, views, scripts | Advanced, but limited to Monday.com logic |
| Mobile access | Clear, spreadsheet-friendly app | App optimised for fast tracking and updates |
| Navigation | Unobtrusive menus, powerful search | Intuitive table and dashboard navigation |
👉 To remember
- Airtable will appeal to structured minds who like to shape their working environment à la carte.
- Monday.com will appeal to those who want a plug & play tool that is ultra-visual and immediately operational.
Airtable vs Monday.com: compare integrations
A good integration is like a good cup of coffee in the morning: it makes the day go more smoothly. Here, we compare not only the number of integrations available, but also how easy they are to activate and the level of automation they allow.
Analysis
- Airtable: over 1,000 integrations via Zapier, Make and open API. Compatible with the major players (Slack, Google Workspace, Jira, Salesforce, etc.) and capable of adapting to complex scenarios. The downside is that some integrations require you to use a third-party service, which can lengthen implementation times.
- Monday.com: over 200 native integrations that can be activated directly from the interface (Zoom, Teams, HubSpot, Dropbox, Gmail...). It's designed to work quickly and without technical complexity, but with less depth for highly customised workflows.
Integration comparison table
| Criteria | Airtable | Monday.com |
| Total number | 1,000+ via Zapier, Make and open API ✅ | 200+ native integrations directly available ✅ |
| Ease of activation | Smooth activation, but often via third-party services ⚠️ | Instant activation from the interface ✅ |
| Automation options | Simple to highly complex, multi-tool workflows ✅ | Simple to intermediate workflows, focused on current needs ✅ |
| API | Very complete and documented API ✅ | API available but less flexible ⚠️ |
| Native support for integrations | Wide coverage but reliance on third-party connectors ⚠️ | High coverage with direct support ✅ |
👉 To remember
- Airtable: the best choice if you want to connect everything and create customised automation scenarios, however complex.
- Monday.com: ideal if you want to connect your main tools in just a few clicks, without going through an integrator.
When should you choose Airtable or Monday.com?
Because you don't choose a tool just for its pretty colours or its moving pictures, here are the contexts in which one or the other will really make a difference.
If... you should choose Airtable
- You manage a lot of data that needs to be structured, linked and analysed.
- You want a highly customisable tool to create your own system (CRM, product database, editorial planning, etc.).
- You need to connect numerous tools and automate complex processes.
- Your team is prepared to invest a little time in configuring the tool à la carte.
- You like the idea of starting with a "blank sheet of paper" and building exactly what you need.
If... you should choose Monday.com
- You want to get started quickly with ready-to-use templates.
- Your priority is the visual management of projects and tasks.
- You prefer a very guided tool, with less initial configuration.
- Your integration needs are common and simple (Slack, Drive, Teams, Zoom, etc.).
- You're looking for a tool that's easy to learn, so you can get the whole team involved quickly.
Things to remember about the Airtable vs Monday.com battle
After sifting through Airtable and Monday.com, the conclusion is simple: there is no universal winner, only a winner for your context. The key is to align the tool with the way you work, your data volumes and your expected speed of deployment.
| Main need | Recommended tool | Why |
| Structure and link large volumes of data | Airtable ✅ | Relational database, multiple views, advanced automation |
| Create a customised system (CRM, planning, inventory, etc.) | Airtable ✅ | Total freedom of configuration, APIs and scripts |
| Get started quickly with a ready-to-use framework | Monday.com ✅ | Ready-to-use templates, get started straight away |
| Track projects and tasks with a clear macro view | Monday.com ✅ | Visual, multi-project dashboards |
| Automate complex workflows | Airtable ✅ | Advanced scenarios via Zapier/Make and APIs |
| Automate simple workflows in-house | Monday.com ✅ | No-code automation that's easy to configure |
| Connect as many tools as possible | Airtable ✅ | 1,000+ possible integrations |
| Connect main tools quickly | Monday.com ✅ | Fast, direct native integrations |
Airtable vs Monday.com FAQs
1. Is Airtable easier than Monday.com?
Not necessarily. Airtable is easy to get to grips with for entering and viewing data, but its advanced functions require a bit of learning. Monday.com offers more guidance, which means it's often quicker to adopt.
2. Which tool is best for managing large volumes of data?
Airtable. Its relational database structure makes it possible to manage and link together large quantities of information, whereas Monday.com is optimised for project monitoring.
3. Is Monday.com suitable for small teams?
Yes. Its basic plan is affordable, it offers ready-to-use templates and it is very quick to learn, even for two or three users.
4. Can Airtable replace a CRM?
Yes, especially for customised needs. You can create your own internal CRM by linking contacts, opportunities and projects, and automating the process.
5. Which is cheaper, Airtable or Monday.com?
For basic use, Monday.com starts out cheaper (from $9/user/year) than Airtable ($20/user/year). But value for money depends on your needs.
6. What types of integration do Airtable and Monday.com offer?
Airtable: over 1,000 via API, Zapier and Make.
Monday.com: over 200 native integrations that can be activated with a single click.
7. Is it possible to collaborate in real time on both tools?
Yes, both allow simultaneous editing, comments and live notifications.
8. Which tool should I choose for rapid deployment?
Monday.com. With its ready-to-use templates, you can launch a project in less than an hour.
Article translated from French