About Airtable
Airtable is a cloud-based software platform that combines the features of a spreadsheet with a database. It allows users to create and share tables that can be used to organize, track, and collaborate on various types of data. Airtable's flexible and customizable interface makes it popular among individuals and teams working in a variety of fields, from project management and marketing to event planning and creative production.
Airtable was founded in 2012 by Howie Liu, Andrew Ofstad, and Emmett Nicholas, who had previously worked together at a cloud-storage company called Inboxed. The idea for Airtable came about when Liu was working on a project that required him to organize data in a flexible and intuitive way. He found that existing tools, such as spreadsheets and databases, were either too rigid or too complicated for his needs. This led him to develop Airtable, which combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the power of a database.
Initially, Airtable was targeted at individual users and small teams. However, as the platform gained popularity, it began to attract larger organizations and enterprises. Today, Airtable is used by companies such as Netflix, IBM, and Tesla, as well as by nonprofits, schools, and individual users around the world.
Airtable has received several rounds of funding, including a $100 million investment in 2018 that valued the company at $1.1 billion. As of 2021, Airtable has over 250 employees and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Airtable Features
Airtable is a powerful and flexible platform that combines the features of a spreadsheet with a database. Here are some of the key features of Airtable:
- Tables: Airtable allows you to create tables to organize your data, much like a spreadsheet. You can add columns for various types of data, such as text, numbers, dates, attachments, and more.
- Views: Airtable offers a variety of views, such as grid view, calendar view, kanban view, and gallery view. Each view displays your data in a different way, allowing you to visualize and interact with it in the most useful way.
- Collaboration: Airtable allows you to share your tables with others, giving them view or edit access. You can also comment on individual cells or records, making it easy to collaborate with others in real-time.
- Automation: Airtable offers automation features that can save you time and effort. For example, you can create automated workflows that trigger actions based on certain events or conditions.
- Mobile app: With Airtable's mobile app, you can conveniently access and edit your tables while on-the-go. Furthermore, the app offers offline access functionality, enabling you to work without an internet connection.
- Integrations: Airtable can be integrated with several other tools, including Google Drive, Slack, and Zapier, among others. With these integrations, you can seamlessly connect your data with various other aspects of your workflow, enabling you to automate tasks and processes across multiple platforms.
- Customization: Airtable allows you to customize your tables with your own branding, colors, and logos. You can also use custom fields and formulas to create powerful and unique workflows that fit your specific needs.
Overall, Airtable is a versatile platform that can be used for a wide range of tasks, from simple to complex. Its flexibility, ease of use, and collaboration features make it a popular choice for individuals and teams across many different industries.
Airtable Pricing
Airtable offers four pricing plans: Free, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. Each plan is designed for specific team sizes and usage needs. Here is a breakdown of each plan:
- Free: This plan is well-suited for individuals or tiny teams who are new to Airtable. It provides unlimited bases, up to five creators or editors, unlimited read-only and commenter users, an Interface Designer, one extension per base, one sync integration, 1,200 records per base, and 2GB of attachments per base.
- Plus: The Plus plan is aimed at teams who want to build integrated apps to manage their workflows. It encompasses all features of the Free plan and offers 3 extensions per base, 3 sync integrations, 5000 records per base, 5GB of attachments per base, custom branded forms, 6-month revision and snapshot history, and automatic table syncing. The Plus plan is priced at $10 per seat/month billed annually or $12 billed monthly.
- Pro: This plan is suitable for teams and departments who need to build connected apps to power their most important processes. It includes everything in Plus, plus 10 extensions per base, 7 sync integrations including Jira Cloud, 50,000 records per base, 20GB of attachments per base, Gantt & Timeline Views, granular interface permissions, 1-year revision & snapshot history, personal & locked views, and field & table editing permissions. The Pro plan costs $20 per seat/month billed annually or $24 billed monthly.
- Enterprise: This plan is designed for departments and organizations who need a secure, scalable, and customizable connected apps platform to stay aligned and move work forward. It includes everything in Pro, plus unlimited workspaces per organization, unlimited extensions, Salesforce & Jira on-prem sync integrations, 250,000 records per base, 1,000GB of attachments per base, advanced interface controls, 3-year revision & snapshot history, SAML-based single sign-on, enterprise-wide admin panel, ongoing success program, and included professional services. The Enterprise plan requires you to contact sales for pricing.
Overall, Airtable pricing is competitive and offers great value for teams looking to streamline their workflows and increase productivity. Teams can choose the plan that best suits their needs and scale up or down as their needs change over time.
Can a virtual assistant use Airtable to assist a business?
Airtable can be a useful tool for outsourcing and virtual assistants, as it allows for easy organization, collaboration, and customization of data. Here are some tasks that virtual assistants can do using Airtable:
- Managing and organizing client data: Virtual assistants can use Airtable to create tables to manage client information, such as contact details, project notes, and task assignments. They can also use views, such as the kanban view, to visually manage client projects.
- Project management: Airtable's features, such as task assignment, deadline tracking, and project status updates, can help virtual assistants manage projects for their clients.
- Social media management: Virtual assistants can use Airtable to organize and schedule social media posts, track engagement metrics, and manage content creation and curation.
- Email management: Airtable can be used to track and manage email campaigns, monitor responses, and organize email templates and drafts.
- Expense tracking: Virtual assistants can use Airtable to track client expenses, such as receipts, invoices, and reimbursements.
Overall, Airtable can be a valuable tool for virtual assistants and outsourcing, allowing for easy management, collaboration, and customization of data for a variety of tasks.
