G'day everyone. Alex here from Paper Form and today
I'm gonna be looking at two platforms, Airtable and Notion, both powerful tools
with amazing functionality and two of paper form's most popular integrations. So I'm gonna be comparatively looking at
each platform and when and why you should choose to use one instead of the other,
or if they can even be used in unison. Now I'll break down this video
into six chapters or topics. That way we can look at each
platform, get a better understanding, and then come to a conclusion. Now, I'll start off this video by
stating that both platforms are data-based centered tools notion,
which was initially a note-taking tool has made a name for itself as a
handy all in one productivity suite. You can manage products, brainstorm
new ideas, document processes, organize meetings, and manage your data. You can even create quick
and simple websites. Check out this personal portfolio. I whipped up in a matter of minutes. I will admit that I'm a
huge advocate for notion. I love this damn tool. I even planned my upcoming vacation to
Thailand using it, but I promise I won't provide a biased opinion on either. Airtable is a front runner when
it comes to data management. It allows users to create and manage
data in a user-friendly format. I would consider Airtable
as a spreadsheet on steroid. It combines the functionality of
a spreadsheet along with tools and features to better visualize, share,
collect, and manage your data. Use it as a project tracker, research
software, product catalog, event planner. That really isn't a limitation
to how you can use it. Here I used Airtable to organize
an upcoming dinner event. This includes managing the guests
event planning, dishes, and inventory. Let's complete a super quick
and easy build using the free plans offered by both. Now, to create these YouTube videos, I
follow a content plan, which is a pretty common use case for both platforms. On notion, I have the ability
to use the quick slash commands to build a database with speed. From here, I can rename my properties
and change the property types. Assign items and add other properties. Let us add a published date bomb
selecting the new item I've created, which is the video I'm currently
recording at this very moment. Airtable verse notion. You can then begin expanding on
your data items, adding notes for your research as simple to-do list. include a script and even embed a storyboard or thumb nail. Notion works in a block system. Here we can view all available
blocks, which are not just limited to database types. From here, you can create new views of
your database and filter how the data is viewed to better visualize and understand
your data, manage your projects, and document anything and everything. Or I could head to Notions Template
Gallery, where I can easily find a content calendar template
and begin my building process. From there, I can even find a template
to better organize my outfits for the week, so I'm not stressed each morning
making sure that my fit is on point. . I will note though that NOTION'S
Template Gallery is not only contributed to by the Notion Team,
but also the Notion community. So you're bound to find a
template and see how far you can actually push this platform. Airtable offers a more
basic template list. However, in saying that you have the
ability to purchase extensions for your database through Air Tables Marketplace. These extensions focus more on how you
can utilize your data import or export your data and connect with other. This particular extension allows you to
generate your daily horoscope, giving you a better visualization of which planet
you can blame your bad behavior on. But let's jump into Airtable and
build a content calendar I'll select to create a new base. Uh, that green is a bad choice. Let's quickly change this
before I vomit and we'll title this base content calendar. You'll notice a big difference
here while notions building process is like that of a text editor. Airtable is, as I stated earlier,
a spreadsheet on steroids. So let's quickly change these properties. Adding a title, the status of
a video, and production and assignee and a published date. Now notion will allow me to house my
script directly within my database. As I stated, it's basically a text editor. While with Airtable, I'll need to house
my script elsewhere, such as a Google Doc. So let us include a URL
property to link my. , we can now create new views of our base
and filter how that data is viewed. If we select automations, we will see how
powerful and connected Airtable really is. We can set up our base to directly
email or send a Slack message when an action occurs, meaning the content
team can receive live updates and. Collaboration is a breeze. We can use interfaces to visualize
and generate a front door of our base, so collaborators only need to view
the relevant information or data. we won't dive too deep into
each of these platforms. Otherwise we could spend all
day building amazing things. So now let us look at
sharing capabilities. How well can you share your databases,
workspaces, pages, whatever you build with others and your team? with Notion. You can share pages and make
them public, allowing anyone with the link to view them. And you can also share pages and
workspaces with other notion users, giving them access to either view or edit. That could be a database within
a page, a page, a process and procedure, or even a to-do list. Multiple users can edit and make changes
to the same page in real time, meaning it's incredibly easy to collaborate. You can use notion to create teams,
invite team members and allow them to collaborate and share pages and databases. With Airtable, you can share entire
bases with other users, giving them access to view or edit all information A. You can share specific views of
a base with others and filter the information that they see. Much like with notion, you can
share a link to a particular base or even a specific view of a
base to someone that doesn't need an Airtable account to see it. And like notion, you can create
teams and invite team members to collaborate on projects. Not much of a difference in regards
to the sharing capabilities is. Which brings us to
integrations and automations. How can you connect your notion
or Airtable with other platforms? Airtable is definitely ahead
of notion in this regard. With a large number of native
integrations, you can easily connect your bases to other platforms without
needing to leave the platform. When you update your Airtable bases,
you can automatically send an email via Gmail, post your business's
LinkedIn or Facebook plus much. The list of possible automations
with Airtable is bloody magnificent Notion, has indeed begun releasing
more native integrations like linking your Jira database or showing Slack
messages directly within a page. However, while you can internally
visualize information or data from another platform, the actions you
make within Notion cannot affect said. Unless that platform has made the effort
to create their very own integration with Notion using Notions, public api. In saying that though, notion
did recently acquire automate.io, so keep your eyes open. Unless you want to embed a Figma
design or a mirror thought board, you're going to have to use an
integration platform or notions API to connect and achieve other things. While Airtable already offers a sweet
list of native automations built within, meaning you don't have to
leave and spend an extra penny on an integration platform, nor get dizzy
trying to mess with that api Capabil. Of course, paper Form offers native
integrations with both platforms. When your paper form receives a new form
submission, you can automate the creation of new records within your Airtable bases,
as well as content updating database items and creating pages within your notion. Furthermore, you can easily
create a online form from a Notion database in a matter of. Now both platforms offer a
free plan that achieves a lot. However, like with any SaaS platform, if
you want to get the most out of it, you're going to need to upgrade to a paid plan. Notions pricing is definitely on
the lighter side, and this could be attributed to the stance of it being
a text editor first and foremost. Now, at the time of this recording,
notions basic plan or cheapest is at $8 per seat per month,
which is incredible value for. This includes unlimited blocks,
unlimited uploads, 100 guests, collaborative workspaces, and so
much more while air table's basic plan is $10 per seat per month. For this price, you receive unlimited
bases, 6,000 records per base, three extensions per base, five gigabytes of
attachments per base, and much, much more. Again, exceptional value for money. I can say no bad word about either
platform's, pricing structure, however. I will say this notion is an exceptional
tool, but it is a basic tool. Airtable is a damn powerhouse, and
the higher tier plan of $20 per seat per month is still an absolute still. So, which is the better tool? Well, neither it'd be like asking, is
Kelly Slater or Serena Williams better? You just can't give an answer. They are both incredible and powerful. Team productivity and
individual productivity. Airtable does an amazing job of
storing and using your data while notion starts is that of a platform
that allows you to document and elaborate on the data it contains? So neither platform trumps the other. Both platforms are Epic tools in their
own right, and if you were to ask me if you should use one of the platforms,
I'd be asking you why aren't you. . If you are a creative thinker, obsessed
with organization, need a platform to document, brainstorm ideas, or need a
simple database to collaborate with a broader team, then notion is for you. while the functionality available
with Airtable far exceeds that of notion, and there's no argument there. So if you're looking for a solution to
better organize, manage, visualize your data, along with built-in tools to see
better data reporting, better share your data and connect it with other platforms,
then Airtable is your go-to further. Using both tools together is going
to enhance such a great power. Well, that's it from me. If this has been a helpful
video, let us know. Hit the thumbs up and subscribe to the
channel for more helpful videos like this. And I'd like to note in the comments
below what other platforms do you use, whether it be for note
taking, brainstorming ideas, project collaboration, or data housing. I'm eager to know. Good luck, and I wish you all the.