Airtable (Post #1)

It seems one of the most relevant problems we face today, be it while running a business, managing clients, or simply keeping track of our lives, is staying organized.  The sheer amount of information there is to juggle each day is enough to drive the cluttered mind crazy.  Airtable is a web application that attempts to solve that problem and keep businesses and the people who run them organized and productive.  It isn’t the first application of its kind and surely won’t be the last, but Airtable took off in 2016, recognized for it’s beautiful UI/UX and relative ease of use.  The application was first released in 2012 but has seen major updates to its platform as recently as 2016.

Airtable is essentially a cloud collaboration platform with a main goal of improving productivity in the workplace (or at home, for the causal user).  Upon first look it seems to run like a Microsoft Excel/Microsoft Access hybrid, as it has the style of a basic spreadsheet while embedding the features of a database within that structure.  The selling point of the technology is that any given “Airtable” can be accessed by those who have permission to use it.  In that way, it is similar to Microsoft Outlook or Google Drive, except it combines all of the services that are separated in those popular services.  In Outlook, for example, Mail, Calendar, People, Tasks, Excel, and many more features are separated and can be accessed individually.  In Airtable, all of these features are combined into one single application, which allows for easier access to these apps.  A problem can also arise from this combination, however, as the application is inherently more complex.  

The features of Airtable are extremely accessible for the average user or business.  There are four levels of pricing, with the most basic (and most limiting) option being completely free.  There are also Plus and Pro versions that are priced at $12 and $24 per month respectively, and an Enterprise option that is variably priced.  These versions work for everyone from the average customer who just wants to stay organized, to the largest of corporations.  

On their website, Airtable lists multiple potential uses of the service.  Some of these include organizing advertising campaigns, product orders, film productions, conference planning, event marketing, medical history, and many more.  Hypothetically, though, a user can engage with Airtable in any way he or she chooses.  Airtable is used by 30,000 business and is growing fast.  Though it might be a bit off the beaten path competing with Google and Microsoft, Airtable is worth a look, even if it’s just the free version.  Besides, an attempt to stay organized is better than no attempt at all!