All industries · head to head
Airtable vs Freshsales

Airtable
All industries
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- Rated
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The short version
- Only Airtable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Airtable hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully; Freshsales contact scoring, sales sequences and territory management require the Pro plan at $39 per user per month, more than four times the Growth price
- They diverge on capability: Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Freshsales covers Contact management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Airtable and Freshsales actually diverge.
| Attribute | Airtable | Freshsales |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $19/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Desktop | Web, Ios, Android |
| Category | All industries | CRM & Sales |
| Founded | 2012 | 2010 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Freshsales
- Contact management
- Lead scoring
- Sales pipeline
- Activity tracking
- Email sync
- AI insights
- Workflow automation
- Shopify
Both cover
- Slack
- Gmail
- Outlook
- SOC2
- GDPR
- ISO27001
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 Freshsales
- Lightweight internal tools built on shared recordsnot Freshsales
- Automations between Airtable and other systemsnot Freshsales
- Sharing read-only views with collaborators, who are not chargednot Freshsales
- Collecting submissions through forms without paying for a seatnot Freshsales
Freshsales
- Sales CRM with built in email, phone and chatnot Airtable
- Managing deals, pipelines and sales sequencesnot 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
Freshsales
- Contact scoring, sales sequences and territory management require the Pro plan at $39 per user per month, more than four times the Growth price
- Forecasting insights, custom modules, sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only at $59 per user per month
- Every published price requires annual billing
- The Freddy AI agent is billed separately at $49 per 100 sessions
- Branded documents are a further $19 per user add on
- No contact limits are stated for any tier on the pricing page
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Freshsales
$19/month- Starter$19/month
- Contact & account management
- Pipeline management
- Growth$39/month
- Everything in Starter
- Sales automation
- Territory management
- Pro$65/month
- Everything in Growth
- Forecasting
- Advanced customization
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Freshsales if
- You need contact management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want lead scoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Airtable or Freshsales better?
- Neither clearly leads. Airtable starts at Free and Freshsales at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Airtable or Freshsales?
- Airtable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airtable and $19/month for Freshsales.
- Does Airtable or Freshsales run on more platforms?
- Airtable runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop. Freshsales runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Airtable for free?
- Yes. Airtable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshsales starts at $19/month.
- 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 Freshsales is typically brought in for.
- What can Airtable do that Freshsales cannot?
- Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms. Freshsales covers Contact management, Lead scoring, Sales pipeline, Activity tracking. Both handle Slack, Gmail, Outlook, SOC2.
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.
SourceAirtable: 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.
SourceAirtable: 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.
SourceAirtable: 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.
SourceRelated pages
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