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Databases · head to head

Airtable vs Earthly

Airtable logo

Airtable

Databases

Create apps that perfectly fit your team's needs

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit AirtableFull review
Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit EarthlyFull review

The short version

  • Airtable is a cloud collaboration platform.
  • Earthly is free; Airtable starts at $20/user/mo.
  • Only Airtable lists spreadsheet-database hybrid; only Earthly lists policy as code.
  • Where Airtable falls short: hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully.
  • Where Earthly falls short: pricing model not published; requires sales contact.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airtable and Earthly actually diverge.

Attributes where Airtable and Earthly differ
AttributeAirtableEarthly
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOSWeb, API
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools
Founded20122020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Airtable.

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 Airtable

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

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

What people use each for

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

Airtable

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

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Airtable
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Airtable
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Airtable
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Airtable

Where each one falls short

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

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

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Airtable

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited bases
    • 1,000 records per base
    • Up to 5 editors
  • Team$20/user/mo
    • 50,000 records per base
    • Unlimited automations
    • API access
  • Business$45/user/mo
    • 125,000 records per base
    • Advanced permissions
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise ScaleOn request
    • 500,000+ records per base
    • Custom SLA
    • Dedicated support

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Airtable if

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

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Questions people ask

Is Airtable or Earthly better?
Neither clearly leads. Airtable starts at Free and Earthly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airtable or Earthly?
Airtable starts at Free and Earthly at Free.
Does Airtable or Earthly run on more platforms?
Airtable runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Earthly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Airtable for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Airtable best used for?
Airtable is most often used for structured team databases with grid, calendar and kanban views, lightweight internal tools built on shared records, automations between airtable and other systems, sharing read-only views with collaborators, who are not charged. Of those, structured team databases with grid, calendar and kanban views and lightweight internal tools built on shared records are not what Earthly is typically brought in for.
What can Airtable do that Earthly cannot?
Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms. Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

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
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

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
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

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
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

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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