With ClickUp and Airtable leading the project management market, each offering unique features and capabilities, making the right decision can be tricky.
In this in-depth comparison, I’ll break down the key features, pricing, and user feedback for each platform to help you make an informed decision.
➡️ I’ll also introduce you to a third option that covers both tools’ weaknesses with its all-in-one project management capabilities: SmartSuite (that’s us).
TL;DR
✅ ClickUp is ideal for customizing your project management workspaces and collaborating with your team through visual planning tools, but it can turn overwhelming with too many options available. The platform also has limited automation features.
✅ Airtable shines with its database flexibility and customization, but new users find the platform complex to use. Good for teams looking for highly customizable workflows and database management.
✅ SmartSuite offers the best value with comprehensive features at lower price points, built-in team communication, and an intuitive interface. Our platform is ideal for teams of all sizes wanting an all-in-one solution at an affordable price.
Airtable vs. ClickUp vs. SmartSuite: Features
TL;DR
- ClickUp offers a good variety of features for various use cases and industries. However, the software is not the ‘’everything app’’ that they are trying to portray themselves with as they lack advanced automation capabilities.
- Airtable offers best-in-class workflow automation, AI and task management capabilities, but the tool lacks advanced reporting and collaboration features.
- SmartSuite offers an all-in-one project management solution for teams to plan, manage, and track projects, resources, and stakeholders.
Let’s go over the 3 tools’ features, starting with SmartSuite: 👇
SmartSuite Features
SmartSuite offers a comprehensive project management tool that lets you manage all your projects on a centralized platform with built-in automation and a communication centre.
But we are not trying to add to the noise of other project management tools like Airtable and ClickUp.
Our solution aims to create one unified no-code platform that runs the entire operation, from project management to process automation to real-time collaboration.
Comprehensive Project Management
SmartSuite’s project management feature helps teams of all sizes plan, track, and manage simple to complex projects.
To simplify the process, you get numerous built-in intuitive features to execute your tasks perfectly.
Here’s what SmartSuite has in store for you.
- Smart task management: You can turn any item field into a task—a checklist item, comments, or sub-item. With this flexibility, you can easily build a solid task list and assign it to the right person with a due date and priority status.
- Project phases and milestones: Having milestones ensures your project stays on track and moves towards the objective. With SmartSuite, you can set them, monitor them through your reporting dashboard, and flag issues.
- Files and project deliverables: With SmartSuite, you can manage and organize all your documents. You can also attach project-related files, share feedback with your team, and manage version history, all within your work context.
SmartSuite supports formats like PDF, GIF, CSV, PNG, and MP4. The tool also integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and Microsoft OneDrive, making adding files to your workflows easy.
Also, you can add images directly in SmartSuite by connecting your social media and Unsplash accounts.
- Native time tracking: You can monitor and evaluate task and project completion times. Built-in tracking helps group time entries see estimates and segment billable and non-billable entries.
💡 Interested in how other team leaders are using SmartSuite? You can check out our video walkthrough:
Native Team Collaboration
SmartSuite outperforms ClickUp and Airtable with its built-in communication and collaboration features.
You can connect with peers in group chats or 1:1 conversations for quick feedback and to keep stakeholders updated.
SmartSuite has a members’ directory that provides a holistic view of the project team by examining each teammate’s details, such as availability status, job profile, and other relevant information.
Like the other two tools, you can use comments and @mentions to share updates, nudge teammates, or add new people to the conversation.
Comprehensive Project Reporting
Unlike Airtable, SmartSuite offers a dynamic project analytics tool with configurable charts and graphs.
The reporting dashboard helps you track project performance, understand resource allocation, and identify slow-moving projects.
Based on these findings, you can quickly develop plans to overcome roadblocks and get the project back on track.
Your team can visualize reporting in Grid, Card, Kanban, Timeline, Map, Calendar, or Dashboard views. Add as many as needed to build a visual storyboard for your project’s progress.
To share reports with stakeholders or clients, you can make the report public and share the necessary access. SmartSuite also supports printing or exporting PDF, Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV format.
Advanced Workflow Automation
SmartSuite's no-code automation builder is one of the most intuitive, giving a neck-to-neck competition in automation to Airtable and ClickUp.
You can assemble automation at the task and project and automate repetitive tasks based on triggers like changing dates, sending notification emails, or updating statuses.
There are six pre-defined triggers and 15+ actions, with options to build custom ones.
SmartSuite is the right choice if you:
✅ Need a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop customization.
✅ Need a platform that can adapt to various business processes.
✅ Want to centralize team communication and collaboration.
✅ Are looking for an affordable and feature-packed software.
SmartSuite isn’t the best option if you:
❌ Are looking for a well-established platform with a long track record like ClickUp, as SmartSuite is relatively new.
❌ Need extensive third-party integrations, as SmartSuite offers fewer native integrations than Airtable and ClickUp.
💡 Interested in how SmartSuite compares to Airtable? Check out our SmartSuite vs. Airtable detailed comparison guide.
Airtable’s Features
Task Properties With A Side Comment View
Airtable helps you add subtasks, attach files, and function fields to automate input in various fields.
Each task then opens up in a two-column window, enabling you to see comments from your co-workers.
Automated Workflows
You and your team can create triggers on every field level, such as sending emails when a status changes.
You can then integrate it with Microsoft & Google Suite, Jira, Salesforce, and Twilio.
💡 Along with no-code workflows, Airtable supports JavaScript to extend logic capabilities.
Interface Designer
Airtable lets you build a custom interface without coding knowledge, similar to other platforms on the market.
From designing the layout to deciding the key elements, you get full control over how the interface looks and feels.
Your admin team can adjust the permission access (editor, commenter, or read-only) depending on the guests’ involvement in the project.
You can build custom views for different departments in your organization, which is something I found to be ideal for larger companies.
Different departments of your organization can access customized lists, Gantt charts, Kanbard boards, and calendar views.
Airtable AI
In response to competition from ClickUp and Monday, Airtable has also launched their AI-powered capabilities on their project management solution that lets you:
- Generate AI content, including launching briefs and creating blog posts, FAQs, and supportive articles.
- Automatically categorize information, such as tagging tasks.
- Routing work in progress to the best person in your organization.
- Translating content for better internal and external communication.
Airtable is the ideal choice if you:
✅ Are looking for a highly flexible and customizable platform for diverse project management needs.
✅ Require real-time collaboration features for seamless teamwork.
✅ Would benefit from centralized data management to keep all project information in one place.
Airtable isn't the best option if you:
❌ Need advanced project management features like budgeting and critical path analysis.
❌ Are working with a tight budget and can't afford premium features, which is why some customers have been searching for Airtable alternatives.
❌ Rely heavily on mobile functionality for project management on the go.
➡️ You can check out our honest Airtable review, where we dive deeper into the platform’s capabilities, pros, and cons.
ClickUp’s Features
Team Collaboration
ClickUp offers a neck-to-neck competition with other project management tools regarding team collaboration and communication features.
It helps you loop in stakeholders through comments and @mentions, talk with the team in-app, and assign tasks to multiple team members.
Additionally, it offers native docs and whiteboard features, centralizing knowledge management. You can brainstorm with your team, map out project priorities, or create detailed proposals to share with clients.
Advanced Reporting Dashboards
ClickUp offers customizable dashboards to visualize project performance and give real-time insights.
Dashboards act like a focal point, enabling you to centralize different spaces to get a holistic view easily and quickly.
You can customize dashboards with 40+ cards, including charts, calendars, embeds, priority, chats, sprints, and custom.
Flexible Work Views
ClickUp has 10 views to help you focus on your priorities in the way you want.
- Timeline view: Let users see project schedules and deadlines at a glance
- List view: The most straightforward way to show tasks in a vertical list format
- Board view: Organizes tasks into columns, similar to a Kanban board
- Gantt chart view: Shows tasks as horizontal bars on a timeline, depicting schedules, dependencies, and progress
- Workload view: Visualizes team members' workloads, helping managers balance task distribution
- Calendar view: Showcase tasks, deadlines, and events on a traditional calendar interface
- Table view: Presents task data in a spreadsheet-like format
- Map view: Plots location-based tasks on a map
- Activity view: Shows a chronological feed of recent actions and updates
- Box view: Organizes tasks into customizable boxes or containers
The best part is that views aren’t limited to task levels. Your team can create views at the folder level, space, or even for the entire workspace.
Built-In Time Tracking
ClickUp has a native time tracking field to set time estimates for each task that your team is working on, which I find to be particularly useful for service businesses that need to bill their clients for time spent on tasks.
The platform also lets you sync time tracking through integration with time-tracking apps like Toggl to improve your team’s productivity.
ClickUp Chat
ClickUp’s chat helps you create and manage work while messaging by turning messages into tasks with one click.
The platform’s AI functionality helps you turn conversations into tasks and docs.
ClickUp will also give your team suggested answers, summarize threads and discussions, and automatically create tasks.
ClickUp is the ideal choice if you:
✅ Are looking for a highly customizable project management tool.
✅ Require multiple view options like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and timelines
✅ Need integrated project management, time tracking, collaboration, and reporting features.
ClickUp isn’t the best option if you:
❌ Would rather have a simpler, more intuitive interface without a steep learning curve.
❌ Require best-in-class data security and protection of your team’s documents and uploads.
❌ Need a tool that natively integrates with more platforms from the ones you’re using.
➡️ Learn more about ClickUp with our in-depth ClickUp review, where I go over the platform’s features, integrations, and pricing structure in more detail, including user testimonials.
If you’re an existing customer of ClickUp, you can look at our guide on how to switch from ClickUp to SmartSuite!
Integrations: Airtable vs. ClickUp vs. SmartSuite
SmartSuite Integrations
SmartSuite integrates with major platforms, from communication to social media.
Our tool offers five connectors, including Zapier, Ply, Integrately, Relay, and Make, to connect with 1,000s of apps to transfer data.
Some of the notable integrations include:
- Salesforce.
- Slack.
- Twilio.
- Jira Cloud.
- HubSpot.
- Intercom.
Airtable Integrations
Airtable has numerous native and third-party integrations to expand its functionalities. Some of its major native integrations are Jira, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Box.
The software also supports third-party platforms like Notion, Slack, Shopify, and Hubspot. Like the other two tools, it also offers connectors such as Zapier.
Some other popular integrations are:
- Gmail.
- Typeform.
- ChatGPT.
- Stripe.
- Mailchimp.
ClickUp’s Integrations
ClickUp offers 45 native integrations and public API to build custom integrations.
As the platform tries to be ‘’the everything app’’, they have fewer integrations as they prefer to build features inside of their platform.
ClickUp also connects with Zapier to let you connect with over 1,000 apps, which comes at an additional cost for a Zapier subscription.
Some of ClickUp’s native integrations include:
- Tableau Web connector.
- Microsoft teams.
- GitHub.
- Slack.
- Discord.
- Hubspot.
Winner: ClickUp.
ClickUp, out of these 3 project management tools, offers the best range of integrations with various productivity apps, while SmartSuite and Airtable have to rely on third-party connectors like Zapier.
Pricing: Airtable vs. ClickUp vs. SmartSuite
SmartSuite Pricing
Similar to Airtable and ClickUp, SmartSuite offers a forever-free plan, which is among the most generous on the market.
The free plan gives you 100 automated triggers, team collaboration tools, 7+ task views (Dashboard, table, boards, cards, list, calendar, and grid), time tracking, and more.
We offer four paid plans, each with a 14-day free trial.
- Team: Starts at $10/user/month when billed annually, including 8+ dashboard views, 5000 automation runs, time tracking, and collaborative SmartDocs.
- Professional: Starts at $25/user/month when billed annually, including two-factor authentication, Gmail & Outlook integrations, and unlimited editors.
- Enterprise: Starts at $35/user/month when billed annually, including audit logs, data loss prevention, and 50,000 API calls monthly.
- Signature: Customized plan tailored to your organization’s needs and team size.
Airtable Pricing
Airtable offers a free plan with unlimited task creation, 5 spaces, and guest invites with full access.
You can start using Airtable with its free plan, which comes with a single workspace with all basic dashboard views and 100 automation runs/month.
Airtable offers three pricing plans:
- Team: Starts at $20 per user/month with a 14-day free trial with access to 25,000 automation/month, custom branded forms, and Gantt charts.
- Business: Starts at $45 per user/month, including multi-source syncing and dynamic filtering.
- Enterprise Scale: Includes admin reports, enterprise-level integrations, and premium support. Contact sales for a quote.
➡️ You can learn more about Airtable’s pricing structure and figure out if it’s worth the cost with our in-depth Airtable pricing guide.
ClickUp Pricing
ClickUp has a free plan that includes unlimited task creation, access to 100 MB storage, and collaborative docs.
The app offers three paid plans with a 14-day free trial:
- Unlimited: Starts at $7 per user/month, which includes access to unlimited custom views, timesheets, guest access, and 100 mind map creations.
- Business: Starts at $12 per user/month and adds private docs, sprint reporting, and all dashboard views.
- Enterprise: Custom price that adds white labelling, enterprise-grade security, and AI features.
➡️ You can learn more about what you’ll get in each paid tier in our comprehensive ClickUp pricing guide.
According to 3rd-party data from Vendr, ClickUp’s Enterprise plan can go up to $30/month/seat, and the average contract value is $24,256 a year from the 13 deals the site has handled for ClickUp.
Winner: SmartSuite
SmartSuite wins with its generous free plan and lower entry point for business-grade paid plans. The price-to-feature ratio is well distributed across tiers compared to the other two tools.
Lastly, our software offers flexible per-user pricing, not locking you in unused seats.
What are Customers Saying about ClickUp, Airtable, and SmartSuite?
TL;DR:
- ClickUp’s users recommend it for customizability and adaptability – but warn that there is a learning curve in the beginning.
- Airtable users recommend it for its customization options and adaptability but are not satisfied with the platform’s pricing model and steep learning curve.
- SmartSuite customers like its intuitive interface, built-in communication features, customization options, and value for money when compared to alternatives. Despite this, some users are not happy with SmartSuite’s range of integrations.
SmartSuite Reviews
G2 Rating: 4.8/5.
What users love:
- Intuitive interface and quick setup.
- Built-in communication features.
- Flexible customization options.
- Value for money compared to competitors.
Common complaints:
- Limited integration options compared to established competitors.
- Some advanced features are still in development.
- Newer platform with a smaller user community.
Airtable Reviews
G2 Rating: 4.6/5.
What users love:
- Flexibility tool to build and manage databases.
- Advanced automated workflows.
- Low-cost project management tools with essential features.
Common complaints:
- Steep learning curve.
- Flexibility can increase adoption time.
- Limited customization for interface designer features.
ClickUp Reviews
G2 rating: 4.7/5.
What users love:
- Custom dashboard creation.
- Integration with connective platforms like Zapier.
- Built-in team communication (ClickUp Chat), time tracking, and document creation.
Common complaints:
- An extensive range of features comes with a huge learning curve, especially for project management novices.
- Slow loading speed for dashboard spaces, especially when multiple people are working.
- Feature usage limitations often push users to jump to higher-tier plans.
ClickUp, Airtable, or SmartSuite: Summary
Get Started with SmartSuite For Free Today
➡️ If you are looking for a highly customizable project management tool that has multiple view options like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and timelines with integrated time tracking, reporting and collaboration for your consulting team – ClickUp can be the best option for your business.
➡️ On the other hand, if you’re looking for database capabilities to handle your remote team as well as more customization options than ClickUp, Airtable might be the better choice.
But with such flexibility comes a higher learning curve and a hefty price tag.
Airtable also lacks critical project management features, such as collaboration features and reporting, while ClickUp does not offer as good automations as other alternatives on the market.
SmartSuite’s platform helps you tackle this by offering just the right customization, native collaboration capabilities and a library of 200+ project management templates to get your projects up and running.
Here’s what's in it for your team when you try SmartSuite:
- Access to a generous free plan with features including multi-board views (Kanban, Chart, Map, Timeline, Card, and Calendar), 100 automation/month, and 40+ field types, including formula and linked record fields.
- No-code automation builder to set up to 500,000 trigger/action workflows.
- Built-in productivity tools, including time tracking, status tracking, and checklists.
- Team collaboration and planning tools such as whiteboards and SmartSuite docs (unlike Asana, which does not have them).
- Resource management across projects and teams.
- 40+ field types, including the option to add your custom fields.
Sign up for a free plan to test the water, or get a 14-day free trial to explore all its amazing features.
Or, if you’d like to talk to our team of experts, schedule a demo.
Read More
- Airtable vs. Monday: Check out our in-depth comparison guide between Airtable and Monday.
- ClickUp vs. Asana: Learn more about Asana and how it compares to ClickUp and SmartSuite.
- ClickUp vs. Monday: Find out more about Monday and how it’s different than ClickUp and SmartSuite.
- ClickUp Alternatives: Find the best alternatives to ClickUp on the market in 2025.
- The 10 Best Project Management Software For Engineers: We break down the top 10 project management solutions built with engineers in mind in 2025.
- Top 10 Teamwork Alternatives and Competitors In 2025: Learn why some companies are looking to switch from Teamwork and its best alternatives on the market.
- 10 Best Healthcare Project Management Tools in 2025: Find out the best healthcare project management solutions on the market.
- 10 Best Project Management Software for Construction in 2025: A useful guide if you operate in the construction industry and you’re looking for a project management app.
- 10 Best Enterprise Project Management Software: Find more about the best Enterprise-grade project management solutions on the market.
- 10 Best Project Management Tools For Remote Teams In 2025: Learn more about the best project management tools for remote teams in 2025.
- 10 Best Project Management Tools For Consultants In 2025: Find out the best project management solutions for consultants.
