Best Airtable Alternatives for Creative Agencies: Top Tools for Profitable Client Work in 2025
Looking for Airtable alternatives? See top tools for agencies that need better workflows, client portals, and scalable operations.
William Nzewi
If you're looking for Airtable alternatives, this article is for you. And if you've just realized that Airtable, though a great data management tool, just isn't ideal for client delivery or recurring creative workflows, do well to read to the end.
Because in this article, I'll show you 6 Airtable competitors which are better suited for creative project and client management.
But first…
If you run a creative agency, chances are you’ve used Airtable at some point. Maybe you started using it to quickly organize client projects and track deliverables.
Then as your business began handling multiple client projects (each with its own requests, feedback, revisions and billing details), you realized Airtable (primarily a data management tool) was struggling to keep up.
No doubt, Airtable is great at what it was built for, which is to organize data.
But when it comes to collaboration, managing clients and project delivery, the wheels start to come off. The truth is Airtable isn't a client-facing tool. Therefore it can't handle the client side of creative work.
For example…
Airtable is pretty much a smart spreadsheet. I mean you can build tables, then link and filter them. You can even sprinkle in some automation.
But is this enough for a creative agency?
Each of these steps involves client interaction and input. And Airtable just can't deal with that.
In Airtable, you can share views with clients, but they'll still look like spreadsheets. There’s no branded dashboard, no client login and no clear way for clients to see deliverables or progress without you setting everything up manually.
Ideally, when clients interact with your agency, they expect a professional, branded experience. Something which looks and feels like your business, with your domain, your logo and your brand colors. Airtable doesn't have this.
Airtable doesn't manage payments, subscriptions and invoices.
You have to connect it to other tools such as Stripe, QuickBooks or Zapier.
This means more work, more room for mistakes, and of course, less visibility into how each project affects your revenue.
Also, those integrations can easily fail or become too complex to maintain.
As a small team with a few projects, you might get by (temporarily) with Airtable. But as more and more clients walk through your doors, requesting more and more services, it becomes harder to cope.
As a creative agency, you need workflows which scale easily, from onboarding to request tracking to final project delivery.
So what tools can actually do this? Which Airtable alternatives can put in a better shift? Let's look at that next.
Here are 6 best Airtable alternatives for creative agencies in 2025.
🔥 The Best Client-Facing Platform for Creative Agencies
ManyRequests is an all-in-one client delivery platform built specifically for creative agencies. It takes everything you’ve been trying to build in Airtable (client intake forms, project tracking, billing, file delivery, and feedback) and puts it in one organized, branded system.
But why is ManyRequests the best Airtable alternative for agencies? Let me show you.
In ManyRequests, every feature is designed around how creative agencies actually operate. From taking requests to managing workflows (project management, collaboration, billing) and sending deliverables down to getting paid.
What you get is a platform that already understands your creative process out of the box.
ManyRequests gives every client their own login and dashboard. It’s visual and completely branded with your agency’s colors, logo and domain.
From that portal, clients can:
ManyRequests Client Portal (client view)
With everything happening in one place, you won't need back-and-forth emails (for communication) or Google Drive for storage.
ManyRequests makes this process effortless. Clients fill out a form to request new work: design, copy, video, or anything else your agency offers. The request appears instantly in your team dashboard, ready to be assigned.
You can categorize requests, set deadlines, add updates, and notify clients automatically as progress is made.
This is especially powerful for subscription-based or productized agencies, where clients submit requests regularly. Instead of managing limits manually, ManyRequests tracks request queues, completion rates, and turnaround times for you.
ManyRequests Client Portal (team view)
ManyRequests includes built-in project and task management tools designed for creative teams. You can create tasks, assign them to team members, set deadlines and track progress in a simple, visual way.
Instead of juggling task tools, everything stays in one place, fully connected to the actual client request. When a client submits a request, you can turn it into tasks instantly without copying details into another platform.
This means your team always knows what to work on next, who is responsible, and when things are due. And because tasks link directly to client requests, you avoid confusion, lost files or mixed-up feedback.
In Airtable, deliverables usually live elsewhere in Google Drive or Dropbox. And feedback happens through email or Slack. This arrangement is quite inefficient.
ManyRequests keeps delivery and feedback together.
You can upload deliverables directly to the client’s project, where they can preview, comment or approve them right away. You can easily see what’s been reviewed or approved.
Unlike Airtable, ManyRequests has billing built in. You can set up recurring subscriptions, generate and send invoices, and accept payments directly inside the platform.
Clients see their invoices in their portal and can pay instantly. Every payment links automatically to the right client and project.
ManyRequests Invoicing
With ManyRequests, you can get started in minutes. With pre-built agency workflows, you can begin adding clients and handling requests right away.
With a visual intuitive interface, team members and clients won't need Einstein’s brain to understand it.
Client Portal with Onboarding Open (Client view)
ManyRequests is designed to grow with your agency. Unlike Airtable which becomes harder to manage as your agency grows, ManyRequests is built for growth. Whether you have nine clients or ninety, your workflows remain the same. You can offer different service types and manage multiple brands and teams.
Each client sees only their own portal, while you control everything from your admin dashboard.
Many brands are using ManyRequests to scale.
Take for example, 55 Knots, a creative design agency based in Australia. Founder and CEO, ex-eBay creative director, Benjamin Williams had this to say:
Magier, a design subscription service based in Germany uses ManyRequests to manage 100s of customers and a team of 21+ team members.
Co-founder, Maximilian Fleitmann, says ManyRequests has aided their growth:
Then there's Prontto, a 3D digital visualization and technical drawings firm which uses ManyRequests to run their operations from Columbia.
CEO, Walter Llanos, captures their experience here.
These are just three of the over 1800 agencies which use ManyRequests to handle projects, manage clients and of course collect payments.
🔥 Best for Flexible Internal Collaboration
Many businesses use Notion to plan projects and keep team communication organized. It’s clean and customizable.
Let’s look at what makes Notion a strong Airtable alternative.
Notion is so flexible it can practically be a lot of things.
It offers pages which you can either build from scratch or use ready-made templates for things such as:
This flexibility makes Notion great for creative teams who are big on freedom. You can build your workflow as you wish.
Everyone can work together in the same space. You can tag teammates, assign tasks, add comments and track changes.
Let’s say your design team is working on a campaign. They can create a Notion page with:
You can even embed media files, links and documents directly into the page.
Notion’s interface is one of its biggest selling points. Clean and distraction-free, you can drag and drop content, and organize pages in folders.
You can use it for:
Here’s where Notion falls short compared to tools such as ManyRequests. Notion isn't built for client interaction and project delivery.
You can share Notion pages with clients, but it’s not the same as having a real client portal. There’s no login system, no billing features and no structured way to handle client requests.
If your goal is to manage internal projects and ideas, Notion is good. But if your workflow involves clients submitting requests, tracking progress, giving feedback, or paying invoices, you're better off with another tool.
Notion isn’t a full project management tool but it can throw a few punches.
You can assign tasks, set due dates, and move projects across a visual board.
Notion lets you grow your system step by step, without forcing you into a rigid workflow.
Despite its many strengths, Notion does have limits.
While it’s perfect for your team’s internal workflows, you’ll need another platform for client communication, delivery, and billing.
🔥 Best for Complex Projects
ClickUp is packed with features and very flexible. It gives teams powerful ways to plan, track, execute and manage complex work.
But it also comes with a learning curve. Not the easiest tool to master. We'll look at this shortly.
But here's why ClickUp made the list…
ClickUp handles large, detailed projects.
You can break your work down into different layers:
For example, a design agency could have a “Branding” space, a folder for each client, and inside those folders, lists for things such as “Logo Design,” “Social Media Kit,” and “Brand Guidelines.”
Each task can have comments, attachments, time tracking, due dates and assignees.
This structure makes ClickUp attractive to agencies which juggle multiple complex projects at once.
One of ClickUp’s biggest strengths is how customizable it is. You can create custom fields, task statuses, dashboards and workflows for different teams or services.
Need to track revision rounds for design tasks? Add a custom dropdown.
Want to log hours spent per client? Add a time tracking field.
Need a creative approval workflow? You can set that up too.
However, this flexibility can also become overwhelming. Setting up ClickUp properly takes time. And if you’re not careful, your workspace can quickly become a war zone.
So while it’s great for teams which thrive on structure and detail, creative agencies might find it a bit heavy.
ClickUp gives you multiple ways to view your projects. You can switch between:
ClickUp lets everyone (project manager and team members) choose how they see their work.
ClickUp Board View
ClickUp gives you built-in dashboards which show project progress, workload, time tracking and performance metrics.
You can see which clients take the most time, how busy your team is, or which tasks are overdue.
This kind of data helps agency owners make better decisions on hiring, pricing and project timelines.
Airtable can do reporting too, but it requires custom setups and formulas. ClickUp has it ready to go out of the box.
ClickUp Campaign Report
ClickUp makes it easy for different departments to collaborate. Writers, designers, account managers, etc. can all work within the same project, leaving comments and sharing files.
You can also create task dependencies. This means a task can’t start until another finishes. This is perfect for creative workflows where steps (copywriting, design, animation, etc.) depend on one another.
ClickUp allows you to invite clients as “guests.” This means they can view or comment on specific projects or tasks.
While it's useful for keeping clients informed, it's not a full client portal experience like ManyRequests offers.
For instance:
ClickUp’s power is also its biggest challenge. I mean there’s a lot to learn. And if your team doesn’t take the time to set things up properly, it can become overwhelming.
You have to:
Once everything is set up, ClickUp runs smoothly. But getting there takes time and planning. Time that you don't have as a creative agency owner or project lead.
That’s why many creative agencies prefer ManyRequests which comes with built-in workflows made for creative work.
ClickUp is a great choice if your agency handles complex, multi-step projects and you need detailed control.
It’s ideal for:
If your agency is still small or mostly handles simple creative requests, ClickUp might feel too much. But if you’re managing dozens of projects at once, it can be a good fit.
🔥 Best for Simplicity and Visual Task Boards
If you need a simple, visual way to track work without getting lost in complicated systems, Trello is one of the best tools for the job.
It’s easy to set up and fun to use. It's perfect for teams which want a quick overview of what’s happening: who’s doing what, what’s in progress and what’s already done.
Trello doesn’t try to be everything. It focuses on one thing and does it well: visual task management.
Trello is highly visual. Instead of spreadsheets or long lists of tasks, you see everything laid out as colorful cards.
You can add images, labels, due dates, checklists and attachments to each card. This makes it easy to see what’s done and what still needs working on.
This visual style makes Trello great for:
Trello card
Unlike Airtable or ClickUp, which often require significant setup time, Trello works right out of the box. You can create a board (in minutes), invite your team, and start working immediately.
There’s no need to design complicated databases or build templates from scratch.
Collaboration is straightforward in Trello. You can tag teammates, leave comments, upload files and set deadlines, all from within a card.
For example, when a copywriter finishes a draft, they can tag the designer on the same card to let them know it’s ready for visuals. The designer then uploads the completed artwork, moves the card to “Review,” and in turn, tags the project manager for final approval.
You can improve Trello’s capability with what it calls Power-Ups, a fancy word for its integrations and add-ons.
You can connect tools such as:
Power-Ups give Trello more depth, allowing you to automate tasks or add features such as reporting, forms or dashboards.
For example, you can automate these simple actions:
Trello’s simplicity is both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness.
When your agency grows and starts managing dozens of clients, projects and team members, Trello may begin to struggle.
The challenges you might face include:
Trello is great for managing tasks internally, but not for handling client requests, deliverables or approvals in a structured way.
At that point, it's best to move to a platform designed for client delivery such as ManyRequests.
Trello lets you invite clients to boards as guests. This works fine for smaller engagements. You can show them what’s being worked on and collect feedback on cards. But that's just about it.
The truth is Trello wasn’t designed for client-facing delivery.
Clients can see your internal workflow and this isn't a good thing. Also, there’s no built-in way for them to request new work, approve deliverables or make payments.
So while Trello is okay for collaboration, it’s not ideal for managing the full client experience.
Like I mentioned above, Trello includes a feature called Butler, which helps automate repetitive tasks. You can create simple “if-this-then-that” rules.
For example:
To be honest, these automations save time and help keep projects on track. But compared to ClickUp or ManyRequests, Trello’s automation options are pretty limited. They’re best for small improvements, not full workflow management.
Trello is perfect if your agency values simplicity, speed and visual clarity.
It’s ideal for:
But if you’re managing long-term clients, multiple deliverables, or billing workflows, you’ll quickly outgrow Trello.
🔥 Best for Task Management Across Teams
Asana’s biggest strength is task management. With Asana, you get to see every step of a project (from start to finish) in one shared space. It’s especially useful for agencies where designers, copywriters, project managers and account teams all need to stay in sync.
At its core, Asana helps teams manage tasks in a structured and visual way. Every project can be broken down into tasks, subtasks and milestones, with due dates, owners and priorities.
You can create a simple to-do list for each client, or build detailed workflows for larger campaigns. Each task holds everything your team needs: files, notes, links and comments.
Not everyone works the same way and Asana gets that. That’s why it offers different views to visualize projects:
This flexibility helps teams work how they want. Designers may prefer the board view, project managers may stick to timelines while account managers use lists to track deliverables per client.
You can also switch between views.
Asana timeline view
Asana helps businesses manage cross-team coordination.
For example, a single campaign might involve:
With Asana, everyone can see how their work connects. Tasks can be linked and updates are shared automatically.
Collaboration happens directly within tasks. Team members can comment, attach files, tag others and mark updates all in one thread.
This keeps communication focused and clear, eliminating the need for Slack messages or email threads. The whole discussion is tied to the specific task it’s about.
You can also mention teammates using “@” tags and use notifications to keep everyone updated.
Asana connects with the tools many creative teams already use: Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Figma, Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud.
This improves efficiency.
You can also connect Asana with reporting tools or time trackers.
While Asana is great for managing internal projects, it does have limits, especially when it comes to client-facing capability and project delivery.
Here’s where it falls short:
So while Asana is great for managing your team’s work, it struggles with client-facing functions.
Asana makes the most sense for creative agencies which:
Asana will work well if all you need is task management. But if your needs exceed that, an all-in-one system (such as ManyRequests) which handles both your team’s workflow and client collaboration is a better fit.
🔥 Best for Visual Planning and Team Coordination
Monday.com is one of the most popular project management tools on the market. It's colorful, visual and easy to understand at a glance. Many creative teams choose it when they want a cleaner, more structured alternative to spreadsheets.
While it’s not built for client delivery, it does a good job of helping internal teams stay aligned on tasks, timelines and workload.
Monday’s boards are simple to read and easy to set up. You can create a new board or use a ready-made one. Creative teams like the color-coded statuses, drag-and-drop tasks and clean layout. It feels less like a database and more like a visual workspace that helps you see progress quickly.
Monday shines when you’re managing internal work. It gives managers the visibility they need to keep the team moving without digging through multiple spreadsheets or tabs.
Monday offers timeline, calendar, workload, Kanban and Gantt views. This helps creative teams plan campaigns and track bigger projects.
Monday’s gantt view
You can set simple rules such as moving tasks when a status changes or pinging a team member when a task is ready. This helps reduce manual updates, especially for repetitive processes. It’s not complex but often easier for non-technical users.
While Monday is great for internal project tracking, it has several limits when used for client delivery.
Let's take a look…
Clients can be added as “guests,” but this isn't very efficient. Clients see parts of the board that may not be meant for them, or they feel overwhelmed by all the information. There’s no clean, branded space for sharing deliverables or gathering feedback.
Creative agencies rely on structured request forms to keep work clear and avoid back-and-forth messages. Monday has forms, but they’re basic and not built for multi-step creative briefs or recurring client work.
Also, there's no proper delivery system.
You can attach files to tasks, but there’s no polished approval system with version history, comments or client-friendly delivery pages. Sharing files still feels like sending documents inside a project board, not delivering them through a proper system.
Monday is a good fit if:
There are plenty of project management tools out there, but most of them fall into two categories:
As a creative agency owner or team lead, go for the latter.
Why?
Apart from handling tasks, you also manage clients, requests and deliverables. The tool you choose should handle the full workflow. From client intake to project delivery while staying in touch with clients and getting their feedback. You don't have to waste time and money juggling five different tools.
Here’s what to look for in a solid Airtable Alternative.
Like we've already seen, Airtable doesn’t give clients a proper place to interact with your agency. Although you can share a view or a form, that's not a real client experience.
Therefore a good Airtable alternative should give your clients their own branded portal. A secure login where they can:
This makes your agency look professional and builds trust. It also keeps all client communication and assets in one place. This means fewer emails and fewer lost files.
A better Airtable alternative should make request management simple from the start. Clients should be able to submit new work easily. And your team should be able to assign, update and complete those requests in one organized flow.
The tool you choose should:
A proper Airtable alternative should have built-in file delivery and approval features. This way, you won't have to rely on Google Drive, Dropbox, or email, and wait for ages for client approvals.
You simply upload files and have clients preview, comment, or approve them directly in the platform.
Creative work is mostly visual. A good Airtable alternative should have visual dashboards showing progress at a glance.
This way, your team can see workloads and track project timelines and delivery status. Clients should also be able to view pending approvals and recent updates.
The right Airtable alternative should grow naturally with your agency. It should let you:
Top Airtable alternatives include ManyRequests, Notion, ClickUp, Asana, Trello and Monday.
Agencies do so when client work increases. Airtable is great for data management but not for client delivery.
Tools such ManyRequests solve this with built-in portals, billing, and workflows, so creative teams can focus solely on creative work.
ManyRequests is purpose-built for creative agencies. It handles client requests, approvals, billing and delivery all in one platform.
Thank you for reading to the end. I hope you found it helpful.
In return, I have a gift for you: an opportunity to use ManyRequests for 14 straight days without paying a dime. Yes, use all of ManyRequests' fantastic features for free for 14 complete days.
So what's the catch? None at all. We want to see your agency grow like these ones. And we at ManyRequests will help you do that.
So here's your gift.
Okay, that'd be it for now. Thanks once again and see you on the next one.
