Software · head to head
Salesforce vs Airtable
The short version
- Only Airtable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Salesforce sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually; Airtable hitting a plan limit blocks adding records or attachments entirely until you upgrade, rather than degrading gracefully
- They diverge on capability: Salesforce covers Contact management, Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Salesforce and Airtable actually diverge.
| Attribute | Salesforce | Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $25/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Api | Web, iOS, Android, Desktop |
| Founded | 1999 | 2012 |
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 Salesforce
- Contact management
- Opportunity management
- Lead management
- Reports & dashboards
- Email integration
- Workflow automation
- Mobile access
- AppExchange
Only in Airtable
- Spreadsheet-database hybrid
- Custom views
- Automation
- Forms
- Integrations
- Mobile apps
- Real-time collaboration
- API access
Both cover
- Slack
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Salesforce
- Sales managementnot Airtable
- Customer servicenot Airtable
- Marketing automationnot Airtable
- Lead generationnot Airtable
- Analytics & reportingnot Airtable
Airtable
- Structured team databases with grid, calendar and kanban viewsnot Salesforce
- Lightweight internal tools built on shared recordsnot Salesforce
- Automations between Airtable and other systemsnot Salesforce
- Sharing read-only views with collaborators, who are not chargednot Salesforce
- Collecting submissions through forms without paying for a seatnot Salesforce
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Salesforce
- Sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
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
Salesforce
$25/month- Essentials$25/month
- Account & contact management
- Opportunity tracking
- Lead management
- Professional$80/month
- Everything in Essentials
- Complete CRM
- Lead scoring
- Enterprise$165/month
- Everything in Professional
- Workflow automation
- Advanced analytics
- Unlimited$330/month
- Everything in Enterprise
- Unlimited customizations
- 24/7 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 Salesforce if
- You need contact management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want opportunity management.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Salesforce or Airtable better?
- Neither clearly leads. Salesforce starts at $25/month and Airtable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Salesforce or Airtable?
- Airtable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Salesforce and Free for Airtable.
- Does Salesforce or Airtable run on more platforms?
- Salesforce runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. 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. Salesforce starts at $25/month.
- What is Salesforce best used for?
- Salesforce is most often used for sales management, customer service, marketing automation, lead generation. Of those, sales management and customer service are not what Airtable is typically brought in for.
- What can Salesforce do that Airtable cannot?
- Salesforce covers Contact management, Opportunity management, Lead management, Reports & dashboards. Airtable covers Spreadsheet-database hybrid, Custom views, Automation, Forms. Both handle Slack, SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA.
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.
Source