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Databases · head to head

Airtable vs Qdrant

Airtable logo

Airtable

Databases

Create apps that perfectly fit your team's needs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Qdrant logo

Qdrant

Databases

High-performance vector database for similarity search and embedding-based retrieval

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airtable hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully; Qdrant free tier extremely limited (0.5 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 4GB disk); suitable only for experiments
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airtable and Qdrant actually diverge.

Attributes where Airtable and Qdrant differ
AttributeAirtableQdrant
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, DesktopCloud (AWS, GCP, Azure), Kubernetes, Self-hosted, Edge (beta), Serverless (coming)
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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 Qdrant

Nothing recorded that Airtable does not also cover.

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 Qdrant
  • Lightweight internal tools built on shared recordsnot Qdrant
  • Automations between Airtable and other systemsnot Qdrant
  • Sharing read-only views with collaborators, who are not chargednot Qdrant
  • Collecting submissions through forms without paying for a seatnot Qdrant

Qdrant

  • Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) backends for LLM applicationsnot Airtable
  • Semantic search across large document corporanot Airtable
  • Multimodal retrieval (text, images, video) for recommendation systemsnot Airtable
  • Similarity-based product or content recommendationsnot Airtable
  • Real-time vector indexing for streaming embedding datanot 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

Qdrant

  • Free tier extremely limited (0.5 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 4GB disk); suitable only for experiments
  • Standard and Premium pricing usage-based; specific costs not published; requires calculator or quote
  • Requires understanding of embeddings and vector search concepts; not suitable for SQL-only teams
  • Early-stage serverless offering (coming soon) suggests maturity gaps in that deployment model

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$45/month per editor annual
    • 125,000 records per base
    • Advanced permissions
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise Scale$undefined/custom
    • 500,000+ records per base
    • Custom SLA
    • Dedicated support

Qdrant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Single-node cluster
    • 0.5 vCPU
    • 1GB RAM
  • Standard$undefined/usage-based
    • Dedicated resources
    • Flexible scaling
    • High availability
  • Premium$undefined/minimum spend
    • SSO and SAML
    • Private VPC links
    • 99.9% uptime SLA

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.
Airtable review

Choose Qdrant if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure), Kubernetes, Self-hosted, Edge (beta), Serverless (coming).
Qdrant review

Questions people ask

Is Airtable or Qdrant better?
Neither clearly leads. Airtable starts at Free and Qdrant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airtable or Qdrant?
Airtable starts at Free and Qdrant at Free.
Does Airtable or Qdrant run on more platforms?
Airtable runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop. Qdrant runs on Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure), Kubernetes, Self-hosted, Edge (beta), Serverless (coming).
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 Qdrant is typically brought in for.
What can Airtable do that Qdrant cannot?
Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms.

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
Qdrant: Can I use Qdrant for free?

Yes, Qdrant offers a free tier that provides a single node cluster with 0.5 vCPU, 1GB RAM, and 4GB disk space. It includes free cloud inference with selected models and is described as free forever for testing and prototypes.

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
Qdrant: How is Qdrant Cloud billing calculated?

Billing is calculated based on actual resource usage during each billing period. You are charged hourly for compute (vCPU), memory (GB), storage (GB), backups, and any paid inference tokens used.

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
Qdrant: What happens if I scale beyond the free tier?

The Standard Tier uses the same usage-based billing model as the free tier but adds features like dedicated resources with flexible scaling, highly available setups with backup and disaster recovery, and a 99.5% uptime SLA.

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
Qdrant: What SLA does Qdrant offer?

The Standard Tier provides 99.5% uptime SLA. The Premium Tier, which requires a minimum spend for enterprises, offers 99.9% uptime SLA along with single sign-on and private VPC links.

Source
Qdrant: Are there dedicated cloud infrastructure options?

Yes, Qdrant offers Hybrid Cloud (runs on your infrastructure) and Private Cloud (complete isolation) options, both with custom pricing that requires contacting the sales team.

Source
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