Simplr vs Airtable
Airtable is a powerful way to design your own database, screens and automations. Simplr is for agencies that would rather run their client work than maintain the system behind it.
01 / THE DIFFERENCE
With Airtable, someone designs and maintains your agency’s system. With Simplr, the system is the product.
Clients, jobs, scope, versions, approvals, time and invoices are already connected in Simplr. In Airtable, someone on your team designs those tables, interfaces and automations, then keeps them working.
Airtable Portals start at $120 a month for 15 portal seats on Team. Simplr’s branded portal is included on every plan, and clients are free.
Simplr enforces the approval chain, accepted scope and time approval, so the process holds when the person who built it is busy.
02 / SIDE BY SIDE
What each tool offers an agency out of the box, and what you would need to add or build.
| Feature | Simplr | Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Clients and scope | ||
| Client records and account teams | Built in: Client records with an account lead, creative director and team, and a one-client view | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Any structure you design, with linked records |
| Briefs, scope and change requests | Built in: Versioned briefs and scope the client accepts; change requests record price and workload impact | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Forms, interfaces and automations you build |
| Creative review and clients | ||
| Creative versions and approvals | Built in: Version history, pinned image comments and a creative director → account lead → client sign-off | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Approval steps built with fields, interfaces and automations |
| Client portal | Built in: Branded portal on every plan, free for clients: approve versions, send briefs, accept scope, download files | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Portals add-on from $120 a month for 15 seats on Team ($150 on Business); read-only users are free |
| Planning, time and budgets | ||
| Resource planning | Built in: Daily bookings by person against weekly availability (Plus) | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Timeline and Gantt views over tables you design |
| Time tracking and approval | Built in: Timers, manual entries and time approval (Plus) | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: No built-in time tracking; build a time log or connect a tracker |
| Project budgets | Built in: Planned hours, rate and fee per job, with planned against actual hours (Plus) | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Formulas and rollups you configure |
| Billing | ||
| Client invoices | Built in: Numbered PDF invoices from approved time, milestones or retainers, with payments recorded (Plus) | Not built in: Not built in; model invoices as records |
| Retainers | Built in: Retainer agreements invoiced monthly, quarterly or yearly (Plus) | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: Modelled with tables and automations |
| Setup and price | ||
| Setup | Built in: An agency workflow from intake to delivery from the start, adjustable per client | Partly, or with add-ons or setup: You design the base, interfaces and automations |
| Price | Essentials $20, Plus $50 per person / month, billed annually. Clients are always free. | Team $20, Business $45 per user. Portals are extra. |
Details about Airtable come from its public pricing and help pages, checked on 6 October 2026, and prices are per person per month, billed annually, in USD. Plans change, so confirm current details with Airtable. “(Plus)” marks Simplr features on the Plus plan.
03 / THE RIGHT FIT
04 / FAQ
Much of it, yes: Airtable is flexible enough to model clients, approvals and invoices. The cost is design time and maintenance. Simplr gives you that workflow as a product, so changes in your team don’t break your system.
Airtable Portals are an add-on, from $120 a month for 15 portal seats on Team, with read-only users free. Simplr’s branded portal is on every plan, and clients can approve versions, send briefs, accept scope and download files at no cost.
There is no automatic Airtable import yet. Most agencies start with their active clients and jobs, and our team helps you set them up during your walkthrough.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Bring a real brief, a client and an approval you’re chasing. We’ll walk through how it runs in Simplr.