Head to head
Knack vs Airtable (2026)
Airtable takes the overall rating, but this pairing is decided on axes rather than totals: Knack leads 2 of the ten, Airtable leads 8.
Knack
A database-first tool that has aged better than its interface suggests
3.3out of 5
Unfashionable and quietly dependable. Knack has been building database applications for fifteen years and it shows in both directions: the data modelling and role handling are solid and it stayed up through every one of our tests, but the interfaces look like 2016 and the AI assistance is the weakest in this cohort at 2.8. There is no free tier, which is unusual here. Good fit for a charity or association replacing a spreadsheet. Poor fit for anything a customer sees.
- Price from
- 39 EUR
- Best for
- Membership registers, applications and case management for organisations without engineers
- Ratings
- 24
Airtable
A database everyone already has, now trying to be an app platform
3.8out of 5
Buy it as a database, use the app features as a bonus. Airtable is the most reliable data layer in this index at 4.5 with a first-class API at 4.5, and Interfaces are now good enough that many teams never need a separate tool. It is not an app builder in the sense the rest of this list is: no public pages worth having, record limits that force plan upgrades, and per-user pricing that adds up. As the backend under Softr or Glide, it is close to unbeatable.
- Price from
- 20 EUR
- Best for
- Teams that need shared operational data first and an interface over it second
- Ratings
- 88
What each one looks like
Axis by axis
The leader on each axis is set in bold. The weight column is what that axis contributes to the overall rating, so a win on reliability counts for more than five times a win on code ownership.
| Axis | Weight | Knack | Airtable | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16% | 4.2 | 4.5 | Airtable |
| Integrations | 16% | 3.5 | 4.6 | Airtable |
| SEO and GEO | 13% | 2.6 | 2.4 | Knack |
| Design quality | 12% | 2.9 | 3.8 | Airtable |
| Agent performance | 10% | 2.8 | 3.5 | Airtable |
| Speed | 9% | 3.4 | 4.0 | Airtable |
| Value | 9% | 3.3 | 3.2 | Knack |
| Scalability | 7% | 3.3 | 3.5 | Airtable |
| API and MCP access | 5% | 3.6 | 4.5 | Airtable |
| Code ownership | 3% | 2.1 | 2.3 | Airtable |
| Overall, weighted | 100% | 3.3 | 3.8 | Airtable |
Axis definitions and the full weighting are on how we review. Both tools last verified 14 August 2026.
Where the capabilities differ
| Capability | Knack | Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Full-stack backend | Yes | Partial, data and automations |
| Database included | Yes, own store | Yes, this is the product |
| Auth included | Yes, with roles | Yes, for collaborators, not end users |
| Code export | No, data export only | No, data export only |
| GitHub sync | No | No |
| One-click deploy | Yes | Yes, Interfaces publish instantly |
| Custom domain | Yes, paid plans | No |
| Mobile or native output | Responsive web only | Native mobile client |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Best in class |
| Public API or MCP server | Yes, REST API | Yes, mature REST API and MCP server |
| Self-hosting the output | No | No |
Shaded rows are the ones where the two differ.
What each one costs
Knack
Free trial only, paid plans from about 39 EUR per month
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Starter | 39 EUR |
| Pro | 79 EUR |
| Corporate | 179 EUR |
Airtable
Free tier with record limits, paid plans from about 20 EUR per user per month
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | Free |
| Team | 20 EUR |
| Business | 45 EUR |
Which one should you choose
Pick Knack if your project looks like membership registers, applications and case management for organisations without engineers. Its strongest axes in this pairing are seo and geo, value. Avoid it for anything design-led, customer-facing, or expected to look current.
Pick Airtable if your project looks like teams that need shared operational data first and an interface over it second. Its strongest axes here are reliability, integrations, design quality. Avoid it for building an actual product, or anything with public pages.
And the dissenting notes, which we publish rather than average away: on Knack, One panellist rated the design axis higher, arguing the theming options are better than the defaults suggest. The score reflects what a buyer gets without design work. On Airtable, Two panellists thought Airtable should not be in an app builder index at all. It stays because Interfaces are marketed as app building and buyers evaluate it that way.
Frequently asked
- Is Knack better than Airtable?
- On our weighted overall rating, Airtable scores higher: 3.3 for Knack against 3.8 for Airtable. Axis by axis it is closer than that sounds. Knack leads 2 of the ten axes, Airtable leads 8, and 0 are tied. The right choice depends on which axes you weight, not on which total is larger.
- Which is cheaper, Knack or Airtable?
- Knack starts at 39 EUR and Airtable starts at 20 EUR. Compare the pricing models rather than the entry price: Knack bills as free trial only, paid plans from about 39 eur per month and Airtable bills as free tier with record limits, paid plans from about 20 eur per user per month.
- Can I move a project from Knack to Airtable?
- Only as far as code export allows. On the code ownership axis Knack scores 2.1 and Airtable scores 2.3 out of five, which reflects how much of the running application you can take with you and whether it still works once moved.
- Which one is better for search visibility?
- On the SEO and GEO axis, which we weight at 13 percent, Knack scores 2.6 and Airtable scores 2.4. That axis covers server rendered content, per route titles and canonicals, and whether the output is legible without JavaScript.