The Best Airtable Alternative Is a Real Database
When you've outgrown the spreadsheet-database, the answer isn't another spreadsheet-database. It's proper infrastructure.
Most "Airtable alternative" articles compare Airtable to Notion, Google Sheets, or Baserow. If your problem is that Airtable is too expensive or too limited as a collaboration tool, those might help.
But if your problem is that you're using Airtable as a production database and hitting its fundamental limits, swapping one spreadsheet-database for another won't solve anything. You need a real backend.
What "Real Backend" Actually Means
A real backend is custom software that handles your application's data storage, business logic, and API layer. It replaces Airtable's role as the data store while giving you everything Airtable can't: millions of records, sub-millisecond queries, ACID transactions, and complete security control.
PostgreSQL Database
Handles millions of records with proper indexing. Free and open-source. Used by Netflix, Spotify, and Instagram.
REST or GraphQL API
Custom endpoints built for your specific data access patterns. No rate limits, no batch restrictions.
Real Security
Row-level security, field-level encryption, audit logging. Meet any compliance requirement.
Real Performance
Indexed queries return in milliseconds, not seconds. Handle thousands of concurrent users.
You Don't Lose the Good Parts of Airtable
One fear teams have about leaving Airtable is losing the visual interface and collaboration features. You don't have to. A custom backend powers your application, but you can build an admin interface that's as user-friendly as Airtable — with the data living in a real database underneath.
Many of our clients end up with admin dashboards that are actually easier to use than their Airtable setup, because we design them for their specific workflows instead of forcing data into a generic spreadsheet grid.
The Migration Is Simpler Than You Think
Your Airtable data exports cleanly to CSV. The structure — tables, fields, linked records — maps directly to database tables, columns, and foreign keys. The data model translation is usually straightforward.
The real work is building the API layer and any application logic that currently lives in Airtable automations or Zapier integrations. This is where custom software adds the most value: replacing fragile automation chains with reliable, tested code.
Cost Comparison
A 15-person team on Airtable Pro pays $8,100/year ($45/user/mo). That gets you 100,000 records per base and 5 API requests per second.
A PostgreSQL database on a modest cloud server costs $50-100/month ($600-1,200/year), handles millions of records, and has no API rate limits. The custom backend development is a one-time cost of $15,000-40,000.
Break-even is typically 2-3 years, but you own the infrastructure forever and never hit a row limit again.
Airtable vs Custom Software
| Feature | Airtable | Custom Software |
|---|---|---|
| Record limit | 100,000 per base | Millions (limited by disk) |
| API rate limit | 5 requests/second | Thousands of requests/second |
| Transactions | Not supported | Full ACID transactions |
| Query capabilities | Basic filters and sorts | Full SQL (JOINs, subqueries, CTEs) |
| Data integrity | No referential integrity | Foreign keys, constraints, cascades |
| Security | Base-level access only | Row-level, field-level, audit logs |
| Pricing (15 users) | $8,100/year | $600-1,200/year (hosting only) |
| Data residency | Airtable's infrastructure | Any cloud region you choose |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still have a spreadsheet-like interface?
What about Airtable automations?
Is PostgreSQL hard to manage?
How long does the migration take?
Need a Real Backend?
Book a free consultation. We'll review your Airtable setup and show you what a proper database infrastructure would look like.