I run a small online business and currently use Google Sheets to manage work with around 20 team members who handle order fulfillment.
Current setup:
I maintain the master spreadsheet with all order data
Team members access it to see their assigned tasks (filtered by person)
They update status using dropdown menus and checkboxes when orders are complete
While Google Sheets gets the job done, it has issues. People accidentally hide columns, move tabs around, and there’s no good way to group orders together without adding separators manually or using custom scripts.
I tested Airtable and loved it - much cleaner interface, built-in grouping features, better filtering options. Exactly what we need!
But here’s the issue: Airtable wants each person to have their own paid account. I can’t afford 21 monthly subscriptions just for a nicer interface.
My question:
Does anyone know of database tools similar to Airtable that support multiple users with filtered views but don’t require individual paid accounts?
Monday.com could work. Their basic plan includes free viewers - they can see data and update status but can’t mess with the board structure. Sounds like exactly what you need.
I moved my team from Sheets to Monday about 2 years ago for the same reasons. Grouping happens automatically, filtering’s solid, and viewers can’t accidentally break anything since their permissions are locked down.
Smartsheet’s another option. Costs more than Monday but way less than 21 Airtable accounts. You pay per licensed user but get unlimited viewers who can only update their own rows.
Both handle order management well. Monday’s got a modern feel, Smartsheet’s more like Excel if your team wants something familiar.
Check out Seabase - it’s built for exactly this setup. One admin controls the data, everyone else gets unlimited read-only access with their own filtered views and can update their assigned tasks. I’ve been running it for warehouse inventory and it stops all those accidental Google Sheets disasters. You only pay for the admin account, not per user, so it’s way cheaper than most options. The interface isn’t as pretty as Airtable, but it nails order tracking and has solid grouping features.
notion could be a good fit! team plan is cheaper than Airtable and allows filtered views for every1. it’s user-friendly and good at grouping stuff. just a lil warning - it might be slower than Airtable, but with 20 peeps, it should work fine.
Have you tried Baserow? It’s an open-source Airtable alternative that’ll fix your budget issues. You can use their cloud version with one paid plan for multiple people, or self-host it free if you know basic server stuff. I moved my 15-person team from Google Sheets to Baserow last year. The interface is basically Airtable with proper database views, filtering, and grouping. Super easy to learn since it works almost exactly like Airtable. Performance’s been solid, and you won’t deal with accidentally hiding columns or messing up tabs like in Sheets. Try their free tier and see if it works for you.