With Notion and Airtable leading the work management market, each offering unique features and capabilities, making the right decision is not easy at all.
In this detailed 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 combines both platforms’ strengths in its all-in-one work management capabilities: SmartSuite (that’s us).
TL;DR
✅ Notion offers an intuitive task management software that is ideal for individuals and smaller teams. You can create Wikis, collaborate in Docs with your team, and use an AI assistant to help you find information. Despite this, the platform comes with a learning curve, and some enterprise users are not satisfied with its range of project management features.
✅ Airtable has gained popularity with its database flexibility and customization options, but new customers find the platform complex to use and with limited collaboration capabilities. 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. Notion vs. SmartSuite: Features
TL;DR
- Notion is an adaptable workspace that combines note-taking, databases, and task management into a single platform. The platform’s strength lies in its flexibility, enabling you to create custom workspaces that fit your needs.
- 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 an all-in-one 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 work management tools like Airtable and Notion.
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 Notion 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’s members’ directory 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.
SmartDoc
SmartSuite’s SmartDoc is a collaborative document creation and editing software part of Smartsuite’s work management platform.
Similar to Notion, it is a user-friendly tool for creating business proposals, project charters, checklists, meeting notes, and more.
The tool is packed with text formatting options, helping you build appealing documents.
Embed Rich Media Files
Add all media files in a single document to facilitate information consumption and reduce unnecessary redirects.
You can add media files by inserting them or through our drag-and-drop functionality.
SmartDoc supports various media formats, including videos, GIFs, images, or embedded links for PDFs or Excel files.
Collaborate With Your Team In Real-Time
You can invite your co-workers, managers, or stakeholders to review your documents, share feedback, or discuss changes.
Every edit made is visible in real-time, along with the collaborator's name, giving you transparency in all the edits made.
In SmartDoc collaborative mode, multiple collaborators can work simultaneously. Whether you are working with two colleagues or a team, everyone can contribute simultaneously.
Edits by all team members are highlighted with different colors, making it easier to see who made what edits.
Convert Plain Text Into Appealing Documents
You can convert plain text into beautiful, appealing documents by adding rich-text formatting options.
SmartDoc offers 30+ built-in formatting options to bring life to your documents. Some of the most notable ones are:
- Say more with less using emojis.
- Make sentences stand out with quote blocks.
- Highlight a best practice or pro tip with callouts.
- Create a hierarchical structure by adding headings.
- Enlist key items using bulleted, numbered, or checklists.
Advanced Workflow Automation
SmartSuite's no-code automation builder is one of the most intuitive, giving a neck-and-neck competition in automation to Airtable and Notion.
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 Notion, as SmartSuite is relatively new.
❌ Need extensive third-party integrations, as SmartSuite offers fewer native integrations than Airtable and Notion.
💡 If you’re interested in how SmartSuite compares to Airtable in more detail, you can check out our SmartSuite vs. Airtable detailed comparison guide.
Airtable’s Features
Task Properties With A Side Comment View
Airtable lets 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 and your team to see comments from one another.
Automated Workflows
You and your team can create triggers on every field level, such as sending emails when a status changes.
It is then possible to 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, Kanban boards, and calendar views.
Airtable AI
In response to competition from tools like 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.
Notion’s Features
Customizable Projects
Notion offers powerful, customizable projects (databases) that can be used to create task lists, CRM systems, and more.
The platform offers multiple ways to visualize the projects, similar to Airtable and SmartSuite, including:
- Timeline views.
- Table views.
- Charts that can be customized for progress tracking.
I also found that you can create custom labels, status tags, and priority markers to tailor project management to your needs.
Notion Docs
Notion offers a Docs functionality that combines note-taking, content embedding, and collaboration tools to help your team create content and add action items.
But Notion’s Docs is not just about adding text and images. With it, you and your team can add:
- Code snippets.
- Charts.
- Table of contents.
- Embed videos.
- Add 50+ other content types from the tool’s blocks.
This makes Notion’s Docs ideal for different project management use cases, such as IT project management.
Notion Wikis
Notion lets you create knowledge bases that can help your team organize and share information effectively.
You can use Notion’s Wiki for various purposes, including:
- Onboarding of new employees, which is a project management functionality that HR teams will love.
- Creating brand guidelines.
- Producing a one-stop shop for all necessary company information for all employees in your team.
Notion AI
Notion offers an AI-powered assistant that is billed separately, which will help you:
- Find answers from Notion, Slack, Google Drive, and other productivity apps.
- Generate, create, and edit documents in your organizational style.
- Analyze information from your PDFs and images.
- A chat functionality where you can use GPT-4 and Claude.
Notion is the ideal choice if you:
✅ Are looking for a flexible and customizable work management solution to fit your workflow.
✅ Need a platform that combines multiple tools (notes, tasks, and wikis).
✅ Are looking for a generous free plan for personal use.
Notion isn’t the best option if you:
❌ Require advanced automated triggers and actions.
❌ Need built-in forms to collect work requests.
❌ Don’t want to spend much time setting up the workspace.
Integrations: Airtable vs. Notion 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.
Notion’s Integrations
Notion offers a comprehensive range of 130+ integrations with various productivity tools, including Jira, Slack, GitHub, Asana, and Google Calendar, to centralize your workflows.
You and your team can also set up automated workflows with tools like Zapier, Make, and Tray for efficient information flow.
Notion also offers custom integrations. Your development team can use Notion’s API to create integrations with your tech stack.
Winner: Notion.
Notions offers 132 native integrations with various productivity apps, while SmartSuite and Airtable have to rely on third-party connectors like Zapier and Make.
Pricing: Airtable vs. Notion vs. SmartSuite
SmartSuite Pricing
Similar to Airtable and Notion, 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.
Our platform offers 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.
Notion Pricing
Notion offers a generous free plan with access to 10 guest invites, subtasks, and unlimited pages. Notion doesn’t offer any free trial for its three pricing plans.
- Plus: Starts at $12 per user/month, including unlimited file uploads, 100 guest invites, custom automation, and a Notion calendar.
- Business: Starts at $18 per user/month, including database export as PDF, 250 guest invites, and SAML Single Sign-On (SSO).
- Enterprise: Dedicated Customer Success Manager, audit logs, workspace analytics. Contact sales for a quote.
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 Notion, Airtable, and SmartSuite?
TL;DR:
- Notion’s users appreciate its customization options, intuitive interface and AI assistant capabilities, but some customers note that the platform comes with a learning curve and lacks some critical project management features that large organizations are used to having.
- 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.
Notion Reviews
G2 rating: 4.7/5.
What users love:
- Notion’s UI is described as intuitive.
- The AI Copilot is useful and allows professionals to save time.
- It has a good range of customization options.
Common complaints:
- With the customization options come the learning curve.
- The AI functionalities are not as easy to understand as other features.
- The platform lacks crucial project management features for business professionals.
Notion, Airtable, or SmartSuite: Summary
Get Started with SmartSuite For Free Today
➡️ If you are looking for an intuitive work management platform with a good range of integrations with AI assistant capabilities for your solo needs or small team – Notion might be the right option for you.
➡️ On the other hand, if you’re looking for more database capabilities to handle your remote team as well as more workspace customization options than Notion, Airtable might be the better choice.
But with such flexibility comes a higher learning curve and a hefty price tag.
Airtable and Notion also lack critical project management features, such as collaboration features and reporting.
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.
- The 10 Best Project Management Software For Engineers: We break down the top 10 project management solutions built with engineers in mind in 2025.
- 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.
