Migrating from Smartsheet to Airtable
The main reason teams move from Smartsheet to Airtable is roadmapping. Airtable's approach — unmatched flexibility as a hybrid spreadsheet-database — pms can build custom trackers, crms, and workflows without code — suits startup and scaleup teams that have outgrown Smartsheet's model. Here's how to migrate without losing historical context.
At a Glance
- Spreadsheet-familiar interface makes adoption easy for teams transitioning from Excel — minimal training needed for basic use
- Extremely powerful Gantt chart and dependency tracking capabilities, ideal for traditional project management and waterfall methodologies
- Robust automation engine with conditional logic, approval workflows, and automated notifications that scale across the organization
- Unmatched flexibility as a hybrid spreadsheet-database — PMs can build custom trackers, CRMs, and workflows without code
- Rich view options including Grid, Kanban, Calendar, Gallery, Gantt, and Form views all from a single data source
- Powerful automation engine with conditional triggers, integrations, and scripting for sophisticated no-code workflows
You gain with Airtable
- +roadmapping
- +backlog management
Migration Steps
Audit and export your current workspace
Before touching Airtable, document what lives in Smartsheet: projects and tasks, custom fields, automations, integrations, and team permissions. Export a full CSV backup — most tools support this from Settings → Export. Pay particular attention to any custom fields and workflow automations that your team relies on daily.
Set up your Airtable workspace
Create your Airtable workspace and replicate your project structure using tasks and projects. Airtable starts at $20/user/mo/user/mo with a free tier available — budget $11/user/mo more per user. Run with a single pilot team before migrating everyone.
Map your workflow equivalents
Find the closest Airtable equivalent for each Smartsheet feature your team relies on. projects and tasks in Smartsheet maps to tasks and projects in Airtable. Airtable supports custom fields — recreate your Smartsheet field schema here first. Gantt-style timeline views are available if your team used them in Smartsheet. Prioritise the critical path: task creation, status tracking, and assignment.
Import your data
Airtable supports CSV import for tasks and projects and has 20+ native integrations. After importing, rebuild your key automations — Airtable's automation engine can replicate most rules you had in Smartsheet. Start with your most active project rather than importing everything at once.
Onboard your team
Run a 30-minute walkthrough covering the daily workflow: how to create tasks and projects, update status, and find your board. Expect a moderate ramp — most engineers and PMs hit their stride within a week. The biggest adjustment is usually the project hierarchy.
Run Smartsheet in parallel for two weeks
Keep Smartsheet read-only while your team works primarily in Airtable. This reduces risk and lets people reference historical context — old decisions, archived tickets, past sprint data — without slowing the migration. After two weeks with no new work going into Smartsheet, archive the workspace and make Airtable the official home.
Ready to switch?
Read the full Airtable review for pricing, integrations, and team fit details.