Head to head

Airtable vs Gain

vs

Airtable isn't a social media scheduler. It's a flexible database that a lot of social teams use as their content calendar and planning hub, mapping campaigns, drafting copy, and routing approvals, then hand off to a real scheduler to actually publish.

From
$20 per editor / mo
Free plan

Gain is a content-approval tool first and a scheduler second. Its whole point is getting client sign-off without friction: clients review and approve posts by email or SMS without logging in, channels are unlimited, and you pay by team size and client count rather than per account.

From
$99 /mo
Free plan

Bottom line

Airtable and Gain both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post. Airtable is the stronger pick for Teams that want a custom content calendar and planning hub; choose Gain for Agencies whose bottleneck is client review and sign-off.

Features compared

FeatureAirtableGain
AI captionsPartialYes
Basic analyticsNoYes
Advanced reportsNot assessedNo
Bulk uploadNot assessedNot assessed
Evergreen recyclingNot assessedNo
Team rolesYesYes
ApprovalsPartialYes
Link in bioNot assessedNo

Platforms compared

NetworkAirtableGain
InstagramNoAuto
FacebookNoAuto
X (Twitter)NoAuto
LinkedInNoAuto
TikTokNoAuto
PinterestNoAuto
ThreadsNoAuto
Google BusinessNoAuto

Pricing

Airtable

Free

Free
Seats
5
  • Up to 5 editors, 1,000 records per base
  • 100 automation runs a month, Interface Designer
  • Enough to build a basic content calendar

Team

$24 per editor / mo

$20/mo billed annually

  • $24 per editor/mo, $20 on annual
  • 50,000 records per base, 25,000 automation runs a month
  • Custom workflows and richer permissions

Business

Popular
$54 per editor / mo

$45/mo billed annually

  • $54 per editor/mo, $45 on annual
  • 125,000 records per base, 100,000 automation runs a month
  • Unlimited API calls, advanced admin

Enterprise Scale

Custom
  • Custom pricing, 500,000+ records per base
  • Enterprise admin, security, and support
  • Airtable is a flexible database and spreadsheet platform priced per editor (seat), not a social media scheduler. Teams use it to build content calendars, plan and approve posts, and track campaigns.
  • It does not publish to social networks on its own. To actually post, you connect it to a scheduler or wire up automations through Make, Zapier, or scripts.
  • Per-editor billing is the main cost: Team is $20 and Business $45 per editor a month on annual billing; viewers, commenters, and form submitters are free. The Free plan allows up to 5 editors.
  • Add-ons include client portals (priced per guest) and extra AI credits.
  • Prices are USD, read off Airtable's pricing page. It's included here because many social teams plan in Airtable, not because it publishes.

Gain

Starter

$119 /mo

$99/mo billed annually

Seats
3
Accounts
Unlimited
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $119/mo, $99 on annual
  • Up to 3 team members, up to 6 client workspaces, unlimited social accounts
  • Unlimited approval workflows and client reviewers, content calendar, AI writing assistant

Agency

Popular
$239 /mo

$199/mo billed annually

Seats
6
Accounts
Unlimited
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $239/mo, $199 on annual
  • Up to 6 team members, up to 12 client workspaces, unlimited social accounts
  • Adds white-label and more capacity

Agency Premium

$479 /mo

$399/mo billed annually

Seats
20
Accounts
Unlimited
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $479/mo, $399 on annual
  • Up to 20 team members, up to 30 client workspaces, unlimited social accounts

Enterprise

Custom
Seats
Unlimited
Accounts
Unlimited
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • Custom pricing, as many team members and workspaces as you need
  • Unlimited social accounts, advanced support
  • Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles team members and workspaces (one per client), with unlimited social accounts on every plan, so the price scales by team size and client count rather than per channel.
  • Client reviewers are unlimited and don't count against your seats: clients approve or reject posts by email or SMS without needing a Gain account.
  • There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, no card required.
  • Annual billing is about 17% cheaper: Starter is $99 a month versus $119, Agency $199 versus $239, Agency Premium $399 versus $479.
  • White-label is included from the Agency plan up.
  • Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page by toggling monthly and annual.

Pros and cons

Airtable

  • Endlessly flexible content calendar and planning database
  • Strong collaboration, statuses, and approval-style workflows
  • Free for up to 5 editors, with free viewers and commenters
  • Full API and automations to connect to publishing tools
  • Not a scheduler: no native publishing to any network
  • Posting requires Make, Zapier, or custom builds
  • No social analytics, inbox, or listening
  • Per-editor pricing climbs for larger teams

Gain

  • Best-in-class client approvals: sign off by email or SMS, no account needed
  • Unlimited client reviewers and unlimited social accounts on every plan
  • Flat pricing by team and client count, with white-label from Agency up
  • Revision tracking through each feedback round
  • No social inbox, listening, or evergreen recycling
  • Light analytics and reporting
  • No YouTube or Bluesky
  • Priced for teams, with the entry plan at $99 a month

Airtable vs Gain: FAQ

Is Airtable or Gain cheaper?
Airtable is cheaper to start, from $20 against $99 for Gain. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
Does Airtable or Gain have a free plan?
Airtable has a free plan; Gain does not, though it offers a 14-day trial.
Which is better, Airtable or Gain?
Airtable is the stronger pick for teams that want a custom content calendar and planning hub, while Gain is the better fit for agencies whose bottleneck is client review and sign-off. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.