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Software · head to head

Affinity vs Airtable

Affinity logo

Affinity

Software

Relationship intelligence platform for professionals

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Airtable logo

Airtable

Software

Create apps that perfectly fit your team's needs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Airtable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Affinity built specifically for private capital firms, so it is not a general purpose CRM; Airtable hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully
  • They diverge on capability: Affinity covers Contact management, Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Affinity and Airtable actually diverge.

Attributes where Affinity and Airtable differ
AttributeAffinityAirtable
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Desktop
Founded20132012

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Affinity

  • Contact management
  • Deal tracking
  • Intelligence engine
  • Relationship mapping
  • Integration aggregation
  • LinkedIn
  • Crunchbase
  • Cloud deployment

Only in Airtable

  • Spreadsheet-database hybrid
  • Custom views
  • Automation
  • Forms
  • Integrations
  • Mobile apps
  • Real-time collaboration
  • API access

Both cover

  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Affinity

  • Deal sourcing and pipeline management for venture capital and private equitynot Airtable
  • Automatic capture of email and meeting activity into relationship recordsnot Airtable
  • Finding warm introductions through existing relationship networksnot Airtable
  • Investor relations and fundraising trackingnot Airtable
  • Portfolio company support and reportingnot Airtable

Airtable

  • Structured team databases with grid, calendar and kanban viewsnot Affinity
  • Lightweight internal tools built on shared recordsnot Affinity
  • Automations between Airtable and other systemsnot Affinity
  • Sharing read-only views with collaborators, who are not chargednot Affinity
  • Collecting submissions through forms without paying for a seatnot Affinity

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Affinity

  • Built specifically for private capital firms, so it is not a general purpose CRM
  • Pricing is not published and requires a demo

Airtable

  • Hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully
  • Team is $20 per user per month and Business $45, both at the annual rate
  • Automation and API usage are capped by plan
  • Enterprise Scale pricing is not published

Pricing, plan by plan

Affinity

$49/month
  • Pro$49/month
    • Contact management
    • Deal tracking
    • Intelligence
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Advanced customization
    • Dedicated support

Airtable

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited bases
    • 1,000 records per base
    • Up to 5 editors
  • Team$20/month per editor annual
    • 50,000 records per base
    • Unlimited automations
    • API access
  • Business$45/month per editor annual
    • 125,000 records per base
    • Advanced permissions
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise Scale$null/custom
    • 500,000+ records per base
    • Custom SLA
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Affinity if

  • You need contact management.
  • You also want deal tracking.
Affinity review

Choose Airtable if

  • You need spreadsheet-database hybrid.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want custom views.
Airtable review

Questions people ask

Is Affinity or Airtable better?
Neither clearly leads. Affinity starts at $49/month and Airtable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affinity or Airtable?
Airtable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Affinity and Free for Airtable.
Does Affinity or Airtable run on more platforms?
Affinity runs on Web. Airtable runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop.
Can I use Airtable for free?
Yes. Airtable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Affinity starts at $49/month.
What is Affinity best used for?
Affinity is most often used for deal sourcing and pipeline management for venture capital and private equity, automatic capture of email and meeting activity into relationship records, finding warm introductions through existing relationship networks, investor relations and fundraising tracking. Of those, deal sourcing and pipeline management for venture capital and private equity and automatic capture of email and meeting activity into relationship records are not what Airtable is typically brought in for.
What can Affinity do that Airtable cannot?
Affinity covers Contact management, Deal tracking, Intelligence engine, Relationship mapping. Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms. Both handle Gmail, Outlook, SOC2, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Airtable: Is there a free Airtable plan and what does it include?

Yes, Airtable's Free plan is indefinite with unlimited bases, 1,000 records per base, up to 5 editors, 1 GB storage per base, 100 automation runs per month, and core features like Interface Designer and mobile apps.

Source
Airtable: How does Airtable handle permissions and viewers?

Airtable charges per editor only. Read-only viewers, form submitters, and people accessing share links are free on every plan, making it cost-effective for large viewing audiences.

Source
Airtable: What are Airtable's record limits?

Free plan has 1,000 records per base, Team plan has 50,000, Business plan has 125,000, and Enterprise Scale has 500,000+ records. Performance degrades past 100,000 records in a single base.

Source
Airtable: Can Airtable integrate with other tools like Slack?

Yes, Airtable integrates with Slack via Zapier or Make.com, allowing automation like sending Slack messages when records are created or updated. Airtable also has a native API for direct integrations.

Source
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Related pages

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