Figma vs Airtable: Which Should You Choose in 2026?
Choosing between Figma and Airtable? We analyzed both tools using our proprietary 100-point scoring methodology. Here's what we found.
🏆 Quick Verdict
Winner: Airtable
Airtable edges out Figma with a higher overall score.
📊 Score Comparison
Figma
Airtable
📈 Detailed Score Breakdown
| Category | Figma | Airtable | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value/Price (30pts) | 25/30 | 26/30 | Airtable |
| Competitive Moat (25pts) | 23/25 | 23/25 | Tie |
| Transparency (20pts) | 18/20 | 19/20 | Airtable |
| UI/UX (15pts) | 14/15 | 14/15 | Tie |
| Tech Maturity (10pts) | 8/10 | 9/10 | Airtable |
✅ Pros & Cons
Figma
Strengths
- Figma provides a free Starter plan suitable for personal projects and basic design needs.
- The product offers a comprehensive suite of integrated design and collaboration tools.
- Flexible tiered pricing with distinct seat types (Collab, Dev, Full) caters to various user roles and team structures.
- AI credits are included across various plans, enhancing user productivity.
- Robust enterprise-level features are available, including custom team workspaces, APIs, and SCIM seat management.
Weaknesses
- Full pricing details and specific terms for Organization and Enterprise plans are not publicly listed and require contacting sales.
- Several advanced features, such as Multi-brand design systems and In-app Library Analytics, are restricted to higher-tier plans.
- Some new products and features, like Figma Buzz and Figma Sites, are currently in Beta, which may imply evolving functionality or stability.
- A prominent cookie consent banner appears on initial page load, which can be intrusive to the user experience.
Airtable
Strengths
- Comprehensive enterprise-grade security and compliance suite
- Strong entry-level value proposition with functional free tier
- High scalability for complex data management
- Advanced AI integration across all tiers
Weaknesses
- Aggressive pricing for advanced administrative features
- Significant additional costs for external user access
- Opaque pricing for the highest tier
🏰 Competitive Moat Analysis
Figma
Figma possesses a very strong competitive moat primarily built on network effects and high switching costs. Its real-time collaborative nature makes it indispensable for design teams, fostering a shared ecosystem where moving to another tool would disrupt established workflows and require significant re-training and migration of assets. The comprehensive suite of integrated tools (Figma Design, FigJam, Dev Mode, Slides, Draw, Buzz, Sites, Make) creates a powerful, all-in-one solution that reduces the need for multiple disparate tools. The strong community and extensive template/UI kit libraries further enhance its value proposition and lock-in. Enterprise-level features like design system APIs and SCIM management solidify its position within large organizations, making it deeply embedded in their operational infrastructure.
Airtable
Airtable's moat is built on high switching costs and a powerful network effect within organizations. By combining database functionality with a low-code 'Interface Designer' and native AI (Omni), it creates a proprietary ecosystem that is difficult to migrate away from once workflows are established. The introduction of 'HyperDB' and 'App Sandbox' further solidifies its position as a professional development platform rather than just a spreadsheet tool.
🎯 Our Recommendation
Choose Figma if: Figma offers a highly collaborative and comprehensive design ecosystem with strong value across individual, small team, and enterprise segments, supported by clear pricing and a modern user experience...
Choose Airtable if: Airtable demonstrates market-leading technical maturity and a robust competitive moat through its integrated AI capabilities, extensive enterprise security features, and highly flexible app-building p...
Our Methodology
This audit uses Onyx Protocol's standardized evaluation methodology, scoring products across 5 categories: Value/Price (30pts), Competitive Moat (25pts), Transparency (20pts), UI/UX (15pts), and Technical Maturity (10pts). Each category is assessed based on publicly available information.
- This analysis is based on publicly available information at time of audit
- Pricing and features are subject to change
- Individual use cases may have different requirements
- Not a substitute for hands-on evaluation or free trial
Last updated: January 03, 2026. Scores may change as products evolve.