Airtable vs Coda: Which One Fits Your Solo Dev Stack?
Free tier limits, real costs for 1-10 users, and honest "not for" warnings. The Solo Dev decision guide for Airtable vs Coda.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Airtable edges ahead with a 4.4/5 rating. However, the best choice depends on your team size, budget, and workflow needs. Read on for the full breakdown.
💰 Cost by Team Size
| Team Size | Airtable | Coda |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (1 user) | $0/mo | $0/mo |
| Small (5 users) | $100/mo | $50/mo |
| Growing (10 users) | $200/mo | $100/mo |
| Free Tier | ✅ 1,000 records per base, 1 GB attachments, 100 automations/mo. | ✅ Unlimited docs, 50 objects per doc section, limited automations. |
Pricing Plans
| Plan | Airtable | Coda |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Team | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Business | $45/mo | $30/mo |
| Enterprise Scale | Custom | Custom |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Airtable | Coda |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of Use | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Automations | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Collaboration | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Pricing | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
Pros & Cons
Airtable
✅ Pros
- Incredibly flexible — build anything from CRM to inventory
- Beautiful grid, kanban, calendar, gallery views
- Powerful automation engine
- Thousands of pre-built templates
❌ Cons
- Free tier: only 1,000 records per base
- Per-user pricing gets very expensive for teams
- Can become slow with large datasets
Coda
✅ Pros
- Build powerful internal tools within docs
- Advanced formulas and automation engine
- Doc Maker pricing model (viewers are free!)
- Pack ecosystem for custom integrations
❌ Cons
- Steeper learning curve than Notion
- Can feel overwhelming for simple use cases
- Mobile experience is subpar
Who Should Use What?
✅ Choose Airtable if...
- You are a content calendars and crms
- You are a operations teams with custom workflows
🚫 Skip if...
- Large datasets (100K+ rows)
- Budget-sensitive Teams
✅ Choose Coda if...
- You are a power users building internal tools
- You are a teams needing doc-embedded automations
🚫 Skip if...
- Simple note-taking needs
- Users wanting intuitive UX
🏆 Our Verdict
Both Airtable (4.4/5) and Coda (4.3/5) are excellent tools in their category. Airtable takes a slight edge overall, but the best choice ultimately depends on your team's specific needs, budget, and existing tool ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Airtable better than Coda?
It depends on your needs. Airtable excels in some areas while Coda has its own strengths. Read our full comparison above to see which tool fits your specific requirements.
How does Airtable pricing compare to Coda?
Airtable starts at Free / $20/mo, while Coda starts at Free / $10/mo. Both offer different value propositions — check our pricing comparison section for a detailed breakdown.
Can I migrate from Airtable to Coda?
Yes, most B2B tools offer data import/export features. Coda typically provides migration guides and sometimes even dedicated support for switching from Airtable.
Which is easier to use, Airtable or Coda?
Ease of use depends on your team's experience and workflow preferences. We evaluated both tools on usability — see our feature comparison scores above for details.
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