Discover folk - the CRM for people-powered businesses
Airtable runs like a database. Sales runs like a battlefield. Deals fail when contact data turns into scattered bases, broken ownership, and silent follow ups.
Airtable can mimic a CRM with views, linked records, and automations. It stays effective for lightweight pipelines. Then growth hits: duplicates spread, activity history lives outside the base, and reporting becomes fragile.
A dedicated CRM keeps relationship context clean, protects pipeline discipline, and reduces admin. Airtable stays the flexible execution layer for workflows, while the CRM owns contacts, timelines, and revenue logic!
What is Airtable?
Airtable is a cloud platform that combines a spreadsheet style interface with a relational database structure. Data lives in bases. Tables store records. Fields define the data types. Linked records connect tables, so one update can cascade across related datasets.
It also adds workflow layers on top of the database, so teams can collect data, clean it, and ship processes without code.
Main capabilities include:
✔️ Relational tables with linked records and lookups
✔️ Multiple views, including grid, kanban, calendar, and timeline
✔️ Forms for structured data intake
✔️ Interfaces for role based apps on top of tables
✔️ Automations and integrations to trigger workflows
✔️ Permissions and sharing controls by base and workspace
Airtable fits teams that need flexible data models and fast iteration. RevOps, sales ops, and operations teams often use it to replace scattered spreadsheets, run onboarding and handoffs, track accounts, and coordinate cross functional workflows.
Is Airtable a CRM?
❌ No. Airtable can function as a CRM, but it is not a CRM by design. It becomes a CRM when a base tracks contacts, companies, deals, and stages, then automations enforce ownership and follow ups.
That setup works for lightweight sales workflows:
- Small pipelines
- Few users
- Clear naming conventions
- Strong discipline on data entry
Limits show up as sales complexity grows. Airtable does not natively focus on relationship context. Email, meetings, calls, and LinkedIn activity usually sit outside the base. Data quality also depends on manual consistency, so duplicates and field drift appear fast across multiple views and teams.
Airtable works well as a flexible operating layer. A dedicated CRM handles relationship records, activity timelines, pipeline rules, and forecasting logic with fewer failure points.
Why Airtable Users Need a CRM?
Airtable is excellent for modeling workflows. Sales needs more than workflows. It needs a system that protects relationship context as people, pipelines, and volume change.
A dedicated CRM becomes necessary when these patterns appear:
- Multiple tables track the same accounts, so duplicates spread and fields drift
- Pipeline stages look consistent, but activity history lives in inboxes and calendars
- Follow ups rely on reminders and manual checks, so deals stall quietly
- Ownership changes, but context stays trapped in comments or scattered records
- Reporting breaks because the same deal exists in several views or bases
- Compliance and permissions require stricter controls than ad hoc sharing
7 Best CRMs for Airtable Users in 2026!
1. folk CRM
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
folk is an AI driven CRM built for teams that run sales in fast cycles and avoid CRM admin. Contact data stays clean through enrichment and AI fields, while email and calendar sync keep a readable activity timeline on every record. Airtable stays the flexible layer for custom workflows, ops tracking, and handoffs. folk keeps relationship context stable across contacts, companies, and deals, so pipelines stay consistent even as volume grows.
Pros
- Contact enrichment and AI fields reduce manual cleanup
- Email and calendar sync keep activity history usable
- Fast pipeline management for small and mid size teams
- Works well next to Airtable based workflows and processes
Cons
- Not designed for heavy enterprise governance stacks
Pricing
- Standard: $17.5/member/month (billed yearly)
- Premium: $35/member/month (billed yearly)
- Custom: from $70/member/month (billed yearly)
2. Attio
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
Attio is a modern CRM that feels close to Airtable’s mental model: flexible data, custom objects, and views that adapt to different teams. It suits workflows that start as structured tables, then evolve into relationship management. Airtable can keep running ops tracking and custom processes. Attio can own contacts, companies, and pipeline structure when a dedicated CRM layer becomes necessary.
Pros
- Flexible data model for custom relationship tracking
- Strong enrichment and structured records for cleaner data
- Fits teams that want CRM structure without heavy enterprise overhead
- Works well alongside Airtable bases for ops workflows
Cons
- Can feel overkill for very simple pipelines
- Some teams hit complexity once multiple objects and permissions expand
- Costs rise fast on paid tiers
Pricing
- Free: $0 (up to 3 seats)
- Plus: $36/user/month (billed monthly)
- Pro: $86/user/month (billed monthly)
- Enterprise: Custom (billed annually)
3. Close
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
Close is a sales focused CRM built for high velocity outreach. Calling, email, and SMS sit inside the same workspace, so reps move from list to conversation without tool switching. Airtable keeps running ops workflows, custom tracking, and handoffs. Close owns pipeline execution, activity history, and follow up discipline when outreach volume rises.
Pros
- Built in calling, email, and SMS reduce tool sprawl
- Strong sequences and dialer workflows for outbound teams
- Fast pipeline execution with tight activity tracking
- Works well when Airtable handles ops, while Close handles sales motion
Cons
- No free plan
- Best fit centers on outreach, not long lifecycle account management
- Cost increases quickly as seats scale
Pricing
- Solo: $19/user/month (billed monthly)
- Essentials: $49/user/month (billed monthly)
- Growth: $109/user/month (billed monthly)
- Scale: $149/user/month (billed monthly)
4. Zendesk Sell
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
Zendesk Sell fits Airtable setups that need a structured sales layer without rebuilding the whole operating system. Airtable stays the flexible database and workflow canvas. Zendesk Sell adds a real CRM spine: lead and deal tracking, repeatable pipeline stages, activity visibility, and tighter sales execution. It also fits teams already running Zendesk for support, since sales and service context can live in the same ecosystem.
Pros
- Strong pipeline structure for teams that outgrow Airtable-only deal tracking
- Built-in visibility on sales activity helps prevent follow-up gaps
- Works well when Zendesk support tooling already runs customer conversations
- Faster rollout than heavier enterprise CRMs for standard sales motions
Cons
- Relationship and enrichment depth stays lighter than contact-first CRMs
- Automation and reporting strength depends on plan level
- Best fit centers on sales execution, not complex multi-object CRM modeling
Pricing
- Sell Team: $19/user/month (billed annually)
- Sell Growth: $55/user/month (billed annually)
- Sell Professional: $115/user/month (billed annually)
- Sell Enterprise: $169/user/month (billed annually)
- And more plans.
5. Streak
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
Streak is a Gmail native CRM. Pipelines, records, and relationship context live inside the inbox, so sales work happens where conversations already sit. For Airtable users, this setup reduces context switching: Airtable stays the database and workflow layer for custom ops processes, while Streak keeps deal flow tied to real email threads.
Pros
- CRM runs inside Gmail, so adoption stays high for inbox first teams
- Shared pipelines keep deal stages visible across a team
- Email history stays attached to records without extra logging
- Fits lightweight pipelines that still need clean execution
Cons
- Best fit for Gmail centric teams, not mixed email stacks
- Reporting and automations stay more limited than full suite CRMs
- Complex account structures can feel constrained inside inbox UX
Pricing
- Pro: $59/user/month (billed monthly)
- Pro+: $89/user/month (billed monthly)
- Enterprise: $159/user/month (billed monthly)
6. Capsule CRM
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
Capsule CRM fits Airtable users that want a lightweight, structured CRM layer without losing flexibility. Airtable can keep handling custom workflows, ops tracking, and internal processes. Capsule owns contacts, companies, deals, and pipelines in a cleaner CRM setup, so relationship data stays consistent while Airtable stays the operating layer.
Pros
- Lightweight CRM structure that stays easy to adopt
- Clear pipelines and activity tracking for day to day execution
- Good fit for small and mid size teams that outgrow Airtable only tracking
- Integrates well with broader stacks, while Airtable runs custom workflows
Cons
- Not built for heavy enterprise governance and complex objects
- Advanced automation depth stays lower than large suite CRMs
- Reporting remains simpler than enterprise platforms
Pricing
- Free: $0 (max 2 users)
- Starter: $18/user/month (billed annually)
- Growth: $36/user/month (billed annually)
- Advanced: $54/user/month (billed annually)
- Ultimate: $72/user/month (billed annually)
7. Zoho CRM
Rating
⭐⭐⭐ (G2)
Overview
Zoho CRM fits Airtable setups that hit spreadsheet limits on pipeline hygiene, permissions, automation, and reporting. Core objects stay structured across leads, contacts, accounts, and deals. Workflow rules, webforms, and assignment logic reduce manual triage. Higher tiers add deeper governance and Zia AI. Airtable remains the flexible data layer for custom tables, ops tracking, or niche workflows, while Zoho CRM runs revenue process, attribution-ready fields, and forecast discipline.
Pros
- Strong customization for modules, fields, layouts, and process rules
- Solid automation for routing, follow ups, and pipeline consistency
- Broad ecosystem across Zoho apps and third party integrations
Cons
- UI density slows adoption for teams that prefer minimalist CRMs
- Best features sit in higher tiers
- Admin effort rises as customization increases
Pricing
- Free $0 per user per month, up to 3 users
- Standard: $20 billed monthly
- Professional: $35 billed monthly
- Enterprise: $50 billed monthly
- Ultimate: $65 billed monthly
7 Best CRMs for Airtable Users: The Final Recap
Conclusion
Airtable excels at flexible data and custom workflows. CRM work fails when relationship context stays outside the system, follow ups depend on manual discipline, and contact data drifts across bases.
For teams that want clean contact data with minimal admin, folk CRM fits best. Enrichment and AI fields reduce cleanup. Email and calendar sync keep activity history usable. Airtable stays the operating layer for custom processes, while folk keeps contacts, companies, and deals stable.
Attio fits Airtable native teams that want a flexible CRM data model. Close fits outbound heavy teams. Zendesk Sell fits sales teams already tied to Zendesk. Streak fits Gmail first workflows. Capsule fits teams that want a lightweight CRM spine. Zoho fits teams that need customization depth, plus automation, at a controlled cost.
Best setup stays simple: Airtable runs workflows. The CRM runs relationships.
Discover folk CRM
Like the sales assistant your team never had
