Upgrading from spreadsheets to a database. Airtable or Knack?

In the digital age, non-profits and small teams often find themselves at a crossroads, choosing the right tool to transition from the chaos of spreadsheets to a more structured and scalable solution. This is where low-code platforms like Airtable and Knack come into play, promising a smoother path to organization without the need for extensive coding knowledge. But which one to choose? That's the conundrum I'll help you untangle.

I've been in your shoes, navigating the sea of options for ourselves and our clients since 2015. Airtable was my go-to for a long time, and its intuitive leap from spreadsheets to databases was a game-changer. It allowed us to build much more resilient automations than the wild world of spreadsheets allowed. However, as I delved deeper into the world of low-code solutions and struggled with Airtable not having a “front end” (a part of the app that limited what people could see and edit) Knack caught my attention. Its potential was clear, even if my initial expertise wasn't. Since 2019, I've built a team of Knack experts, and together we've crafted sophisticated systems that go beyond what I thought possible with Airtable.

Let's be candid: I don't use Airtable as much these days, and yes, there have been frustrations. Knack has become a staple in our toolkit—not because they pay me (they don't), but because it aligns better with our client needs. My aim here is to share an honest comparison based on my experience, not a promotion.

Low-code tools like Knack and Airtable are the garden sheds of the tech world: accessible, manageable, and seemingly simple. They promise an easy storage solution for your digital tools and data. But as your needs evolve, so does the complexity of your "garden shed." Without careful planning and design, you might end up with a hybrid structure that's more confusing than helpful.

So, how do you avoid turning your garden shed into a labyrinthine mansion? Start by clarifying your requirements. Draft a concise needs-and-wants list, keeping it as lean as possible. Then, seek expert advice to refine your needs. Their experience will help you figure out whether you’re being realistic or not. With a clearer understanding of your requirements, you'll be better positioned to choose between Airtable and Knack.

One key red flag here: I use the garden shed analogy for a reason. People start with these tools thinking they’ll be simple. Give this project the respect it deserves, you might think it’ll be simple but the more serious you treat it at the start, the better!

Now, here’s what I think about these two tools:

Airtable

Airtable shines with its quick setup and familiar spreadsheet-like interface, making it an attractive step up from Excel or Google Sheets. It has more ability to deal with business logic than spreadsheets which is a breath of fresh air if you’ve been trying to automate spreadsheets!

It boasts a large community and significant funding, suggesting robust support and continuous improvement.

However, there are some key downsides which eventually pushed us to looking for alternatives: its per-user pricing can be prohibitive, especially for non-profits used to free spreadsheets.

While it’s Interfaces feature aims to simplify front-end interactions, they fall short of what Knack offers in terms of portal functionality—a critical feature for many organizations. ie. The ability for a person to log in and only see information that is relevant to them, rather than the typical Airtable experience of being dropped in to the middle of a stackload of rows, columns, views and tables (the same problem we had with spreadsheets!).

Knack

Knack, on the other hand, offers scalable pricing without per-user fees, making it ideal for sharing information with a broad team or community.

It's extendable with JavaScript and CSS, which means, with the right expertise, you can craft an app that hardly resembles Knack’s out-of-the-box aesthetics. While it may have a steeper learning curve than Airtable, its potential to build complex, mission-critical web apps is significant. Though less flexible than Airtable, this rigidity can be an advantage—it encourages thoughtful system design from the outset and leads to a much better user experience.

The better user experience comes down to a few key things that Airtable lacks:

• Pages The “Front end” of your app . These allow you to choose who see’s what.

  • These are crucial.

  • Not because we’re worried about staff intentionally editing the wrong stuff but because the experience of only seeing info that is relevant to the user, makes the flow both simpler and less stressful but also more resilient as they can’t edit stuff they’re not supposed to.

• “Two way” forms. If you’ve played with forms by Typeform, Airtable, Ninja, Google or, basically anyone (!), you know you have to ask the user for their name and email address (and who knows how many other data points you already know). This can be quite frustrating for the user, especially if it’s a regular form they fill in for onboarding a new person, applying for leave etc. Why can’t they just log in, see their info and only fill out the unique data points…?! Well, they can in Knack! 👌

In summary, while both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, your choice should hinge on your specific needs and long-term goals. Do you value quick setup and familiarity over customizability and cost efficiency? Or do you need a robust system that grows with your organization without ballooning costs? My experience leans towards Knack for its scalability and depth, but your journey might be different.

Remember, choosing the right tool is just the beginning. Designing a system that truly serves your organization's needs is where the real work—and reward—lies.

Now that you're equipped with this insight, why not take them for a test drive? See for yourself how each platform can serve your roadmap out of spreadsheet chaos and into organized clarity!