1. Looks Like Excel, Acts Like a Database
Many beginners open Airtable and think it's just a pretty Excel. That's the biggest misconception.
- Excel is 2D; cells hold data.
- Airtable is 3D; cells hold objects.
You can put an image, a PDF, or a row from another table into a cell. It brings the power of Relational Databases to non-coders.
2. Core Features Breakdown
1. Linked Records
This is the killer feature.
- Create a "Customers" table and an "Orders" table.
- In "Orders", link directly to "Customers". Click a name, and a card pops up with all their details.
- It's not just a sheet; it's a mini CRM system.
2. Interface Designer
Data is messy in the backend. How do you show it to your boss?
- Drag & Drop: Use Interface Designer to turn your database into a beautiful frontend dashboard.
- Tailored Views: Give sales a Kanban board and managers a list view. Same data, different lens.
3. Automations
No need for Zapier; logic is built-in.
- Trigger: Status changes to "Signed".
- Action: Send welcome email & notify Slack.
- It happens silently in the background, saving hours of manual work.
4. Airtable AI (New in 2025)
GPT powers at the field level.
- Auto-Tagging: Analyze thousands of feedback rows and tag them "Complaint/Feature Request".
- Summarization: Turn long meeting notes into 3 bullet points automatically.
3. Airtable vs. Notion vs. Excel
| Feature | Airtable | Notion | Excel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logic | Structured DB | Doc + DB | Spreadsheet |
| Math | Good (Rollups) | Okay | Best (Finance) |
| Automation | Native & Robust | Weak | VBA/Macro |
| Best For | Workflows, CRM, Inventory | Wiki, Docs, Notes | Finance, Data Analysis |
4. Pros and Cons
| Feature | Pros | Cons | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | True database features | Record limits (1k Free) | Archive old data |
| UX | Modern, clean | Mobile app is just okay | Use desktop for building |
| Dev | Best-in-class API | Steeper learning curve | Learn "Relations" first |
| Price | Free plan is capable | Paid is per-seat (Pricey) | Stick to free for small teams |
5. Conclusion
Airtable is the flagbearer of the No-Code movement.
It empowers non-techies to build systems. You don't need IT to build an internal tool; you can build it yourself in an afternoon.
If your work involves managing Structured Data (Clients, Inventory, Projects), Airtable is the professional choice over Excel and Notion.
Airtable 是免费的吗？
有免费版。免费计划允许无限个 Base（数据库），但每个 Base 最多 1,000 条记录（Rows）和 1GB 附件空间。对于个人整理信息或小团队起步足够，但如果业务数据量大，需要升级到 Team 计划（约 $20/月/人）。
Airtable 和 Excel/Google Sheets 有什么本质区别？
Excel 是“电子表格”，擅长数字计算和财务模型；Airtable 是“关系型数据库”，擅长管理结构化数据。Airtable 支持图片附件、下拉菜单、关联其他表格（Linked Records），并且可以生成看板、日历等多种视图，更像是一个不用写代码的 App。
Airtable AI 能做什么？
Airtable AI 可以集成在字段中。它可以：1. 自动为长文本生成摘要；2. 根据内容自动打标签（分类）；3. 自动翻译多语言内容；4. 根据简短指令生成完整的邮件草稿。它大大减少了手动处理数据的时间。