12 best Airtable alternatives for managing your projects in 2023

monday work management: Best overall

monday work management is project management software available on a flexible yet feature-rich platform. Compared to Airtable project management tools, monday work management gives users greater flexibility in configuring different visualizations and project views.

For more information, read the full monday work management review.

Pricing

monday.com offers five plans to choose from:

• Free: A free plan that supports up to two users, 1,000 items and 500 MB of storage.
• Basic: $9 per seat per month, billed annually, or $12 per seat billed monthly. Organizations can have unlimited items, boards and free viewers.
• Standard: $12 per seat per month, billed annually, or $14 per seat billed monthly. Organizations can access timeline, Gantt and calendar views as well as automations and integrations.
• Pro: $19 per seat per month, billed annually, or $24 per seat billed monthly. Organizations gain access to the chart view, time tracking features and more.
• Enterprise: Enterprise pricing is customized to business needs. This plan provides premium support and enterprise security, among other benefits.

monday.com’s standout features

• Ability to visually display project data through a variety of views, including Gantt, kanban, chart and dashboard views.
• WorkForms feature for customizable data collection.
• Log of all changes made by users for better project tracking and visibility.
• 250+ prebuilt workflow automations.
• Extensive integrations available for developer tools, CRM and more.

Pros

• Many view options for charts, tables and dashboards.
• Integrates with numerous apps.
• Built-in time tracking.
• Customizable templates.
• Powerful communication tools.

Cons

• Limited features in lower pricing tiers; some great features are only available in higher pricing tiers.
• Difficult to track time and expenses.
• Some find the user interface cluttered.

Smartsheet: Best for performance tracking

Smartsheet is highly rated cloud-based project management software that can meet the needs of teams of various sizes, focus areas and technical skill levels. The tool makes it easy to organize, visualize and communicate clearly about ongoing projects. Like Airtable, Smartsheet displays project data through a spreadsheet-like interface.

For more information, read the full Smartsheet review.

Pricing

• Free: No charge for one user and up to two editors.
• Pro: $7 per user per month, billed annually, or $9 per user billed monthly. Organizations can access basic collaboration and project management functions. This plan has a maximum of 10 editing users but allows unlimited viewers.
• Business: $25 per user per month, billed annually, or $32 per user billed monthly. Organizations can add unlimited editors.
• Enterprise: Custom plans and pricing available for Enterprise companies.
• Advance: Custom plans and pricing available for additional data and process management, admin and intelligent workflow features.

Smartsheet’s standout features

• Data visualization through grid, Gantt, card and calendar views.
• Smartsheet’s WorkApps is a code-free tool for building web and mobile apps.
• Activity log for tracking project changes and updates.
• Prebuilt project and automation templates.

Pros

• Dynamic views.
• Automated workflows.
• Intuitive user interface.
• Ability to export to various formats.
• Streamlined collaborative work, connection and content sharing.

Cons

• Can be difficult to use for beginners.
• Mobile version lacks auto-save.

Wrike: Best for professional services agencies

Wrike is a leading project management software vendor. The product offers high-level project planning and management as well as seamless collaboration across teams. Wrike offers project management features targeted at IT project teams, marketing teams, creative teams and service delivery teams. The platform can serve businesses of all sizes, with features and specialized offerings tailored to the needs of enterprise clients.

For more information, read the full Wrike review.

Pricing

• Free: $0. Users can sign up for the free plan to use basic task management functions on desktop or mobile at no cost.
• Team: $9.80 per user per month, billed annually. Organizations can add shareable dashboards, interactive Gantt charts and integrations. 20 free collaborators and 2 GB of storage per user are available.
• Business: $24.80 per user per month, billed annually. Organizations can access advanced customization features.
• Enterprise: Pricing is customized. Businesses that want enhanced reporting and security tools can inquire about the Enterprise package.
• Pinnacle: Pricing is customized. Includes advanced reporting capabilities, locked spaces and 15 GB storage per user.

Wrike’s standout features

• Intuitive displays with table, list, board, Gantt, timelog and analytics dashboard views.
• Project templates available for IT, project management, marketing and other teams.
• 400+ integration options with a wide range of apps and tools.
• Premium security and data privacy features for enterprise users.

Pros

• Numerous third-party integrations.
• Strong customer service.
• Robust customization for marketing and creative teams.
• Free version offers unlimited projects.

Cons

• Too few filtering options.
• Difficult onboarding.
• Steep learning curve.
• Limited UI customization.

Asana: Best for complex projects

Asana is another project management software solution that has been adopted by many organizations. Its main emphasis is on task management. Asana has a very clean and simple interface that works well on desktop and in mobile app format. As opposed to Airtable’s spreadsheet-style layout, Asana has a more classic to-do list layout. Users most commonly view their task lists in a to-do list format, where tasks can be checked off, or a calendar layout.

For more information, read the full Asana review.

Pricing

Asana has four different pricing tiers:

• Basic: The free plan supports unlimited projects and tasks for up to 15 users.
• Premium: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $13.49 per user billed monthly. Organizations can add unlimited users and gain access to Workflow Builder.
• Business: $24.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $30.49 per user billed monthly. Organizations can add advanced reporting, a portfolio view, advanced workflows and personalized support.
• Enterprise: Pricing information is available upon request, with customizable plans for enterprise companies.

Asana’s standout features

• Extensive communication and collaboration tools, including messaging tools, shared calendars and the ability to comment within specific tasks.
• Integrations with business intelligence programs like Tableau.
• Subtasks can be assigned to different users with staggered deadlines.

Pros

• Versatile communication channels.
• Integrates well with third-party apps and software.
• Great platform for team collaboration and real-time communications.
• User-friendly dashboards and UX.
• Strong security measures.

Cons

• Can’t assign multiple people to one task.
• Time tracking is only available for Asana Business and Enterprise customers.
• Limited export and import options.

Zoho Projects: Best for value

Zoho Projects is a well-rounded project management tool for task management, process automation and team collaboration. It is part of Zoho’s extensive software product catalog, making it an especially good choice for organizations that already use a Zoho product or are looking for multiple easy-to-integrate business tools.

The software offers a variety of data visualization options, including a traditional spreadsheet, simple list, kanban board and Gantt chart views. Users can also automate mapped workflows with the Blueprint tool.

For more information, read the full Zoho Projects review.

Pricing

Zoho Projects is an affordable option with three pricing levels:

• Free: $0 for up to three users and two projects.
• Premium: $4 per user per month, billed annually, or $5 per user billed monthly. This plan is available for up to 50 users, with 20 project templates and unlimited projects, and includes 100 GB of storage space.
• Enterprise: $9 per user per month, billed annually, or $10 per user billed monthly. It includes unlimited projects and users, 120 GB of storage space and 30 project templates.

Zoho Projects’ standout features

• Project tracking in spreadsheet, list and kanban views.
• Integrations with other Zoho products, as well as with Google and Microsoft products.
• Project baseline feature to help compare expected vs. real progress on tasks.
• Ability to track and analyze time spent on each task.

Pros

• Affordable pricing.
• Robust billing and time tracking.
• Versatile reporting features and tools.
• Ability to build company-specific wiki pages via Intranet.

Cons

• Steep learning curve.
• Best workflow automation features are reserved for Enterprise users.

Trello: Best for kanban boards

Trello is a kanban collaboration and workspace solution that enables individuals and teams to manage projects from start to finish. It allows users to track work progress — from to-do, doing and done — using either lists or cards in Trello Workspaces. Users can drag and drop the cards to reflect the current stage and status of tasks. Our analysis of Airtable and Trello provides a side-by-side comparison of both tools.

​​For more information, read the full Trello review.

Pricing

• Free: No charge for up to 10 boards per workspace and unlimited team members.
• Standard: $5 per user per month, billed annually, or $6 per user billed monthly.
• Premium: $10 per user per month, billed annually, or $12.50 per user billed monthly.
• Enterprise: $7.38 to $17.50 per user per month, billed annually, depending on user count. This plan requires a minimum of 50 users.

Trello’s standout features

• Automation through the Butler app.
• Users can view team projects via board, timeline, table, calendar, dashboard, map and workspace views.
• Integrates with over 180 third-party services, including Time Doctor, Roblox and Ybug.
• Users can add Trello’s featured Power-Ups, including Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Teams and more.

Pros

• Easy to learn and use.
• Feature-rich free plan.
• Flexible and customizable.

Cons

• Reliant on Power-Ups.
• Not suitable for complex projects.

ProofHub: Best for collaboration and communication

ProofHub is a simple project management and collaboration software solution for teams of all sizes. The tool allows users to plan, organize, collaborate and communicate with their teams in one centralized place. ProofHub offers features like task management, time tracking, Gantt charts, milestones, file sharing, team collaboration, kanban boards, discussion boards and more.

ProofHub is best for teams looking for a hassle-free way to collaborate and report on their projects. Plus, with its reporting features, teams can easily generate reports on project progress and share them with stakeholders.

​​For more information, read the full ProofHub review.

Pricing

ProofHub offers two flat pricing plans for unlimited users. The vendor also offers a 14-day free trial.

• Essential: $45 per month, billed annually, or $50 billed monthly.
• Ultimate Control: $89 per month, billed annually, or $99 billed monthly.

ProofHub’s standout features

• Multiple view options, including table, calendar, boards and Gantt.
• Multiple language support options, including English, French, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, Turkish and Russian.
• Team collaboration via one-on-one chat, group chat, discussions, @mentions and more.
• Project progress reports.
• Integration with third-party services like Slack, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, QuickBooks, FreshBooks and FreshBooks Classic, and Google Calendar and iCal.
• Managers can set custom roles to grant team members different access levels.

Pros

• No per-user fee.
• Effective mobile app for Android and iOS.
• Quick and easy setup.
• Time tracking and resource planning capabilities are included.

Cons

• Essential plan is limited to 40 projects.
• Limited storage.
• Limited integrations.

nTask: Best for affordability

nTask is a work and project management solution for individuals and small businesses. It enables users to collaborate, plan, analyze and manage their tasks. It features a to-do list, issue tracking, meeting management, kanban boards, risk management, Gantt charts and timesheets. With nTask, teams can easily create tasks, assign them to team members, track their progress and collaborate in real-time. Users can also create projects and break them down into smaller tasks, assigning them to team members and tracking their progress.

Pricing

nTask offers a 7-day free trial.

• Basic: Free for up to five people.
• Premium: $3 per user per month, billed annually, or $4 per user billed monthly.
• Business: $8 per user per month, billed annually, or $12 per user billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Custom quotes.

nTask’s standout features

• Integrates with over 1,000 apps, including Slack, Harvest, Salesforce and more.
• Budget tracking.
• Timesheet management.
• Issue-tracking capability.
• Workflow management.

Pros

• List, grid, kanban, Gantt and calendar views are all available.
• Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android.
• Resource allocation.

Cons

• Limited customization.
• Free plan is limited to five users.

Notion: Best for creators and creative teams

Notion is an all-in-one productivity tool that allows you to create, organize and share notes, tasks and projects in a centralized location. One of Notion’s key strengths is its versatility. You can use it as a simple note-taking app or as a work or project management tool. It allows you to integrate with other apps and services, such as Jira, GitHub, Zoom, Figma, Box, Google Drive, Trello, GitLab, OneDrive and Slack to further streamline your workflow.

​​For more information, read the full Notion review.

Pricing

Users can add Notion AI to any paid plan for $8 per member per month, billed annually or $10 per member per month, billed monthly.

• Free: No charge for up to 10 guests.
• Plus: $8 per user per month, billed annually, or $10 per user billed monthly.
• Business: $15 per user per month, billed annually, or $18 per user billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing.

Notion’s standout features

• Note-taking.
• Task management features enable teams to create to-do lists, assign tasks to team members, and set due dates and reminders.
• Knowledge management allows the team to create wikis, knowledge bases and documentation pages.

Pro

• Excellent note-taking capabilities.
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android.
• Workspace analytics.

Cons

• Free plan lacks priority support.
• Not suitable for complex projects.

Teamwork: Best for freelancers and contractors

Teamwork describes itself as a platform for managing clients’ work. The project management software helps teams manage tasks, projects and workflows, making it easy for them to work collaboratively and stay organized. Teamwork allows professional services teams, creative teams and agencies to create and assign tasks, set due dates and priorities, and track progress in real-time.

Managers can also create sub-tasks, tags and dependencies to break down projects into smaller tasks, assigning them to team members and tracking their progress. Time tracking and reporting tools are available to help users monitor how much time is spent on tasks and projects, as well as to generate reports that can be shared with clients or stakeholders.

For more information, read the full Teamwork review.

Pricing

• Free Forever: No charge for up to five users.
• Starter: $5.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $8.99 per user billed monthly.
• Deliver: $9.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $13.99 per user billed monthly.
• Grow: $19.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $25.99 per user billed monthly.
• Scale: Pricing information is available upon request.

Teamwork’s standout features

• Resource management capability.
• Time tracking capability.
• Google Chrome extension and Gmail add-on enable users to use the tool from their browser and create tasks through the Gmail app.
• Integrations with over 350 tools, including Slack, Plecto and Stripe.

Pros

• Strong time tracking capability.
• Mobile app for iOS and Android.
• Provides deep visibility into team performance.
• Up to 30-day free trial.
• Supports billing and invoicing.
• Generous free plan.

Cons

• Expensive for small teams.
• Support is limited, only available Monday through Friday.

Jira: Best for Agile teams and developers

Jira is project management and issue-tracking software developed by Atlassian. It is used by software development teams to plan, track and manage their projects and tasks. Jira offers a variety of features, such as Agile project management, customizable workflows, issue tracking, project planning and reporting. Agile teams can use Jira to manage their sprints, backlogs and releases, while software development teams can use it to track and manage bugs, issues and code changes.

Jira support is available in the following languages: Russian, Chinese, German, Czech, Dutch,  Korean (South Korean), Finnish, French, Polish, Norwegian, Hungarian, Italian, Danish, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, English (UK or U.S.), Portuguese (Brazilian) and Swedish.

For more information, read the full Jira review.

Pricing

With Jira, users can take advantage of a 7-day free trial to test-run and determine if it’s the best fit for them. Those interested in the Data Center plan can try it for 30 days.

• Free: $0 for up to 10 users.
• Standard: $79-0 per year for one to 10 users, or $7.75 per user billed monthly. Rates per-user get lower for larger teams.
• Premium: $1,525 per year for one to 10 users, or $15.25 per user billed monthly. Rates per-user get lower for larger teams.
• Enterprise: Custom quotes.
• Data Center: Starts at $42,000 for 500 users; rates depend on the number of users.

Jira’s standout features

• Issue management and bug tracking.
• Role assignments.
• Integrations with over 3,000 third-party services.
• Agile project management capability.
• Support for Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.

Pros

• Strong community support.
• Highly customizable.
• File storage capability.
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Cons

• Steep learning curve for non-technical users.
• The UI could be improved.

Confluence: Best for knowledge base management

Also developed by Atlassian, Confluence is a team collaboration and knowledge management software solution. It provides a platform for teams to create, share and collaborate on content, such as documents, notes, meeting minutes and project plans. It is designed to be a central hub for team communication and knowledge sharing.

Confluence is highly customizable, allowing teams to create their own spaces and pages, set up permissions and workflows, and integrate with other tools and services. It also supports real-time editing and commenting, version control, and search functions, making it easy to find and update information.

For more information, read the full Confluence review.

Pricing

• Free: $0 for up to 10 users.
• Standard: $580 per year for one to 10 users, or $5.75 per user billed monthly. Rates per-user get lower for larger teams.
• Premium: $1,100 per year for one to 10 users, or $11 per user billed monthly. Rates per-user get lower for larger teams.
• Enterprise: Custom quotes.
• Data Center: $27,000 per year for up to 500 users. More expensive plans are available for up to 40,000+ users.

Confluence’s standout features

• Page versioning.
• Content creation and real-time editing.
• Task management.
• Unlimited spaces and pages.

Pros

• Affordable.
• Customizable email notifications.
• Mobile apps for Android and iOS.

Cons

• Search capability could be improved.
• Document clustering could be improved.