Airtable is a flexible database platform you can build a CRM in. Orbit is a simple all-in-one CRM that comes already built, free for up to 250 contacts, with one AI assistant (Hiro) that drafts follow-ups, proposals, and invoices. Building in Airtable is a project. Orbit works out of the box. The honest question is whether you want to be the builder or just run your business.
Airtable is a database wearing a spreadsheet's face, and that is a compliment. Tables, linked records, and views (grid, kanban, calendar, gallery, forms) mean that if you can picture a structure, you can build it before lunch. Templates get you most of the way to a working CRM, a content calendar, or an inventory system in an afternoon.
For teams, automations and interface designer turn those bases into real internal tools without code. A free plan for individuals is well known, with per-seat paid tiers for teams and bigger bases, check their site for current limits. When your problem is genuinely custom, tracking things no off-the-shelf tool models well, Airtable is often the right call.
A platform you build on versus a product that works out of the box. Side by side.
| Orbit | Airtable | |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant that drafts and does the busywork | Hiro drafts follow-ups, proposals, invoices, and pages | AI add-on for fields and summaries, check their site |
| All-in-one: invoices, proposals, and booking pages | Native, even on the free plan | Only what you build, no native invoicing |
| Works as a CRM out of the box | Yes, no build required | You build and maintain the system |
| Built for one person | Yes, simple and solo-first | Anyone, but you assemble the tool |
| Built-in email inbox with tracking | 100 sends/mo free, tracking on Pro | No native inbox, check their site |
| On-device meeting transcription | Pro, audio stays on your machine | |
| Built-in MCP server to connect Claude | Pro, revocable per-workspace keys | API and integrations, check their site |
| Free plan | Free plan, no credit card | Free plan for individuals, check their site |
| Pricing model | Free, then Pro at $14/mo or Team at $20/seat | Per-seat tiers, check their site |
Every DIY CRM has the same life story. Week one, it is perfect, because you just built it. Month three, fields are empty, statuses are stale, and updating the base is one more job you quietly stopped doing. Airtable gives you the parts, but the assembly, the upkeep, and every single follow-up remain yours forever.
Orbit ships the CRM already built: contacts with a full timeline dossier, pipelines with custom stages, tasks, custom fields, tags, smart views, a built-in email inbox, booking pages, landing pages with forms, proposals, and invoices. Duplicate detection and merge come standard, so the list stays clean without a maintenance ritual. If you want the plain version first, Orbit is also a straightforward free CRM with real task management built in.
And one assistant does the work no database does for you: Hiro drafts follow-ups for quiet threads, writes proposals and invoice reminders, manages tasks and the calendar, and builds pages, all waiting for your approval. Pick Orbit if you want a working system today, free at the core, with AI credits included free every month and no API key to paste.
Airtable gives you the parts to build a CRM. Orbit shows up with the CRM built and one assistant inside.
Build in Airtable if your needs are genuinely custom and you will maintain the base. Use Orbit if you want a working CRM immediately: it is a simple all-in-one CRM, free for up to 250 contacts, with one AI assistant (Hiro) that drafts follow-ups, proposals, and invoices for your approval. It works out of the box, no build required.
Airtable automations can move records and send notifications you define, and its AI features help with fields and summaries, check their site for specifics. It does not ship an assistant that drafts follow-up emails, writes proposals, or reminds on invoices. Orbit includes Hiro for exactly that, with every output approval-gated.
Within its lane, yes: custom fields, tags, smart views, custom pipeline stages, automations, and webhooks (Pro). Orbit is a CRM, not a general database, so you cannot model arbitrary objects, and that focus is what lets it work out of the box without a build.
Orbit has duplicate detection and merge on every plan, so the list stays tidy without a ritual. You can also ask Hiro to help review and clean up records, and it only acts with your approval. Nothing changes on its own.
Free with no credit card: up to 250 contacts, unlimited tasks and notes, one pipeline, a built-in email inbox (100 sends a month), a booking page, basic Tables, 10 invoices, 10 proposals, 5 landing pages, and 3 forms. AI credits are included free every month with no API key to paste.
Orbit has a free plan, no credit card. The CRM is built, one assistant drafts the busywork, and every draft waits for your yes.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.