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Databases · head to head

Airtable vs Sigma Computing

Airtable logo

Airtable

Databases

Create apps that perfectly fit your team's needs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigma Computing logo

Sigma Computing

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet-style analytics that queries a cloud data warehouse directly with no extract layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Sigma Computing every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • They diverge on capability: Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airtable and Sigma Computing actually diverge.

Attributes where Airtable and Sigma Computing differ
AttributeAirtableSigma Computing
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, DesktopWeb
CategoryDatabasesSpreadsheets
Founded2012Unknown

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 Sigma Computing

  • Spreadsheet interface over SQL
  • No extract layer
  • Input tables and write-back
  • Workbooks
  • Embedded analytics
  • Version control and dbt awareness

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

Sigma Computing

  • A finance or operations team that lives in spreadsheets and needs warehouse-scale data without exporting CSVsnot Airtable
  • An organisation that has consolidated on Snowflake or Databricks and wants one governed access layer rather than several desktop toolsnot Airtable
  • Planning and scenario work where users need to type assumptions back into governed tables rather than into a local filenot Airtable
  • Embedding customer-facing analytics into a product where each tenant must only see their own rowsnot 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

Sigma Computing

  • Every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • It cannot work without a supported cloud data warehouse, so an organisation running analytics on an on-premises database or a plain application database has nothing to connect to.
  • Pricing is not published and seats are differentiated by capability, so budgeting requires a sales cycle and a headcount forecast before you can compare it with a tool you could simply buy.
  • Performance is only as good as the warehouse behind it, which means slow or badly modelled tables surface as a slow interface and the fix is a data engineering project, not a Sigma setting.
  • Statistical and scientific visualisation is limited compared with dedicated tools, so anything beyond standard business charting has to be done elsewhere and brought back in.

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

Sigma Computing

On request
  • Sigma Computing$undefined/year
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Seat types are differentiated by whether a user views, explores or authors
    • Warehouse compute is billed separately by your cloud data warehouse vendor

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 Sigma Computing if

  • You need spreadsheet interface over sql.
  • You also want no extract layer.
Sigma Computing review

Questions people ask

Is Airtable or Sigma Computing better?
Neither clearly leads. Airtable starts at Free and Sigma Computing at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airtable or Sigma Computing?
Airtable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airtable and On request for Sigma Computing.
Does Airtable or Sigma Computing run on more platforms?
Airtable runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop. Sigma Computing runs on Web.
Can I use Airtable for free?
Yes. Airtable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sigma Computing starts at On request.
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 Sigma Computing is typically brought in for.
What can Airtable do that Sigma Computing cannot?
Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms. Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL, No extract layer, Input tables and write-back, Workbooks.

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
Sigma Computing: Does Sigma store a copy of my data?

No. Queries are executed on your warehouse and results are returned for display, which is why there is no extract refresh to manage.

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
Sigma Computing: What does it actually cost?

The vendor does not publish prices. Expect an annual contract priced by seat type, plus a warehouse compute increase you should model separately.

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
Sigma Computing: Can business users break the warehouse?

They can run expensive queries. Warehouse sizing, query limits and materialised tables are the controls, and they need configuring before a wide rollout.

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
Sigma Computing: Is it a replacement for a modelling layer like dbt?

No. Sigma works best on top of modelled tables and is usually deployed alongside dbt rather than instead of it.

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