In the evolving world of operations, Airtable has become a go-to tool for teams looking to build flexible internal workflows without writing code. But how well does it hold up in a financial or accounting environment?
Let’s break it down.
What is Airtable?
Airtable is a hybrid between a spreadsheet and a database, designed for non-technical users to create custom applications. Think Excel with a UX facelift and the ability to add relationships, automations, and workflows.
Where Airtable Works for Finance Teams
Process Tracking
Great for building light-touch internal trackers: month-end close checklists, onboarding flows, approval chains.
Project Management
If you’re managing finance transformation projects or tech stack evaluations, Airtable provides a more flexible, visual alternative to Asana or Trello.
Vendor or Client Database
You can build simple CRM-style tables to track clients, vendors, contract dates, or billing cycles.
Where Airtable Falls Short
Heavy Data Manipulation
Airtable doesn’t compete with Excel or your GL when it comes to complex data modeling, reconciliation, or audit-ready reporting.
Security and Permissions
Role-based access is basic. If you’re managing sensitive financial data, it’s not a substitute for tools with granular controls.
Scalability
Large datasets or advanced automations (especially ones needing scripts or logic branching) can slow performance quickly.
Airtable and Amalgam: Why We Built a Different Tool
We’ve seen teams use Airtable to track and document processes, but still fall back on spreadsheets for the real work. That’s where Amalgam fits in.
Amalgam was built to:
- Extend your actual Excel workflows (not replace them)
- Automate manual GL pulls and journal entries
- Refresh data across multiple reports instantly
- Scale securely with access controls and audit trails
We didn’t want to build another Airtable. We wanted to supercharge the tools finance teams already rely on without asking them to migrate or reinvent their workflows.
Final Verdict
Use Airtable if you need a flexible project tracker or light operational tool.
Use Amalgam if you want to automate and scale your actual accounting processes inside Excel or Google Sheets without compromising control.
Interested in seeing how Amalgam compares? Get a free trial here.
Or check out how we help firms build repeatable, reliable workflows inside the tools they already use.
