Comparison

Glattice vs Airtable

Airtable is a database with views, one of which is a kanban board — and that board groups by a single field. Its users have been asking for kanban swimlanes for years, which is the same request this product is an answer to. Glattice groups two ways at once and lets you exchange the axes; it gives up the formula engine, the automations and the interface builder that make Airtable a platform rather than a board.

The short version

Airtable and Glattice compared across six dimensions
DimensionAirtableGlattice
Board structureKanban view groups by one single-select field.Two axes. Any facet on the rows, any other on the columns.
Changing the questionChange the grouping field; the board is a view over a table.Swap the axes in one click; the same cards re-sort.
Public APIWell-documented REST API with API keys and rate limits.REST, 76 documented endpoints, not tier-gated.
AI agentsAI agents and an MCP surface within the Airtable platform.Remote MCP server over OAuth 2.1; agents read and write the same board.
Change historyRecord revision history.Append-only, tagged with the interface behind each change. 30 days on Free.
SeatsEvery editor is a paid seat.Viewers and billing-only members are free; you pay for people who edit.
Entry priceFree tier; paid from around $20/seat/month.Free for 5 boards per space; Pro $5/month.

Where Airtable is strong

A comparison that concedes nothing is not worth reading, so here is the honest read on where Airtable earns its place — and where the two of us are simply built for different jobs.

  • Formulas, rollups, lookups and linked records — a genuine relational model with a spreadsheet's approachability.
  • Automations and the interface builder, which turn a base into an internal app rather than a board.
  • A mature platform with native mobile apps and a large marketplace behind it.

Where Glattice is different

The board is the primary artefact, not a view over a table, so both axes are real and interchangeable and a drag sets both values at once. Beyond that, the API relationship is inverted: Airtable’s API is a way to reach your base from outside, whereas the Glattice web app is itself an API client — direct database access is banned in CI — so the surface an agent gets over MCP is by construction the same one the browser uses.

Moving from Airtable

Export a table as CSV and import it, choosing which two fields become the axes. Formulas and linked records will not survive the trip; plain fields will. Export back to JSON or CSV whenever you want, on any plan.

Keep reading

What is a 2D kanban board?Browse the templatesSee pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

If you need a database — formulas, linked records, an interface layer — Airtable, comfortably; that is what it is for. If you need a board, and you have been asking its community for kanban swimlanes, that request is what this product is an answer to.

One table at a time, via CSV export. You pick two fields to become the axes. Formulas, rollups and linked records do not transfer.

If you need a database — formulas, linked records, an interface layer — Airtable, comfortably. If you need a board and you have been asking its community for kanban swimlanes, that request is what this product is an answer to.