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Airtable vs AppSheet: What are the differences?
Key Differences between Airtable and AppSheet
Introduction:
Here, we will explore the key differences between Airtable and AppSheet. Both tools are popular platforms for creating and managing data-driven applications.
Integration Capabilities: One notable difference between Airtable and AppSheet lies in their integration capabilities. Airtable offers a wide range of integrations with popular tools like Slack, Google Forms, and Dropbox. On the other hand, AppSheet provides robust integration with Google Drive, Google Sheets, and Salesforce, allowing users to seamlessly connect and sync data with these platforms.
Data Structure and Organization: When it comes to data structure and organization, both Airtable and AppSheet have distinct approaches. Airtable follows a spreadsheet-like structure, where data is stored in tables and arranged in rows and columns. AppSheet, on the other hand, uses a database-like structure, allowing users to define relationships between tables and use various data types for efficient organization.
App Development Complexity: Another crucial difference lies in the complexity of app development. Airtable provides a user-friendly interface that enables users to create simple applications with a drag-and-drop approach. While this makes it easy for beginners to build basic apps, it may lack the advanced features required for complex applications. In contrast, AppSheet offers more advanced customization options, allowing users to develop sophisticated applications that can handle complex workflows and data manipulations.
Offline Accessibility: One area where Airtable and AppSheet differ is in offline accessibility. Airtable provides limited offline functionality, which means users may face limitations when using the application without an internet connection. On the other hand, AppSheet offers comprehensive offline support, allowing users to continue working and syncing data seamlessly even when offline. This makes AppSheet a preferred choice in situations where consistent offline access is crucial.
Pricing Structure: Airtable and AppSheet also differ in terms of their pricing structures. Airtable offers a freemium model, providing basic functionality for free and charging for additional features and usage. AppSheet, however, follows a subscription-based pricing model that offers different tiers based on usage and additional features. This difference in pricing models may impact the overall cost and scalability of using these platforms for app development.
Mobile App Development: Lastly, when it comes to mobile app development, AppSheet has a stronger focus in this area compared to Airtable. AppSheet offers native app building capabilities, enabling users to create mobile applications compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Although Airtable supports mobile access, its functionality and design are primarily optimized for web-based usage.
In summary, the key differences between Airtable and AppSheet lie in their integration capabilities, data structure and organization, app development complexity, offline accessibility, pricing structure, and mobile app development focus.
I'm trying to set up an ideally "no- code" way to have a backend of 3 different tables and be able to find a value in table #3 (contains businesses & cities) by first finding a record in table #1 (7,000+ zip codes) that corresponds to a city (table #2 has the unique cities), and then finding which businesses are located in these cities ( in this specific, original zipcode lookup). And return the business and a description via an API to a front-end results page, which happens to be a WordPress page - but doesn't need to be. I've tried Airtable's API, AirPress (a finicky WordPress plugin for Airtable's API), and I've looked at Sheetsu and a similar spreadsheet as backend and a simple API. I run into the issue where they work fine when you just need to query 1 table, but when you need to use the result from that query in another query to a different table. I'm back in SQL land - where sure it could be done with SQLite - needing to probably create an intersection table or a JOIN and build an API off of that. Is there a way to accomplish what I want without going back to SQL queries and some API?
You're right that there isn't a great way to join tables with Airtable's API. The closest you can get is to use a linked record field, which acts as a pointer to another record. You still end up with the problem you mentioned of having to run another query on the second table separately.
Your best bet is to stick with an actual SQL database. Using an ORM should make your life significantly easier so you don't actually have to write raw SQL. If you still want a graphical interface to your data, BaseDash lets you view and edit SQL databases just like Airtable. A full API with join support is coming soon, so that could be your perfect solution to this problem.
Let me introduce you to integromat. It connects these services without you having to work any code. And it even has a decent database built inside it.
It makes is an easy process to develop multistep workflows with multiple services and it’s free tier is surprisingly functional.
Pros of Airtable
- Powerful and easy to use19
- Robust and dynamic8
- Quick UI Layer6
- Practical built in views4
- Robust API documentation3
- Great flexibility0
Pros of AppSheet
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