This post is sponsored by Softr. Thanks to Softr for supporting No Code MBA.
Bending Spoons has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Airtable in an all-cash transaction valued at a $1.285 billion enterprise value. The deal still needs customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, so Airtable has not changed hands today. That distinction matters: an acquisition is a reason to prepare, not a reason to panic-migrate a business-critical system.
The short answer: back up now; migrate only for a real reason
If Airtable is working, your team is productive, and its cost and limits fit your business, stay put for now. A rushed migration creates its own risks: broken automations, missing linked records, permissions mistakes, retraining costs, and a product team distracted from its real work.
But do not confuse “wait and see” with doing nothing. Export a clean backup, document the workflows you depend on, and put a low-cost exit plan in place. That gives you leverage if pricing, product direction, or support changes later.
Scenario 1: You’re happy with Airtable
For a stable internal base, the sensible move is preparation. Export each important base to CSV, save copies of attachments and automation documentation, and identify the people who own each workflow. Then calculate what a meaningful price increase would actually cost—not just the headline per-seat price, but the time to rebuild and train everyone.
Keep a short operating record: tables, views, interfaces, forms, automations, integrations, API users, permissions, and the business owner for each base. If you ever move, this document is the difference between a controlled project and a scavenger hunt.
Scenario 2: Airtable was already becoming a bottleneck
An acquisition can be the right forcing function if you already had a reason to leave. Common signals include expensive collaborator access for external users, slow or complex bases, limited interface customization, or automation/API constraints. Airtable documents a 5-requests-per-second per-base API rate limit; that is not automatically a problem, but it can become one when Airtable is serving a busy customer-facing application.
The key test is simple: would you be evaluating alternatives even if no acquisition had been announced? If yes, test now while you control the timeline. If no, build your backup and monitor the product rather than spending weeks rebuilding something that is still serving you.
Scenario 3: Separate the app experience from the data
A migration does not need to be all-or-nothing. One practical route is to leave the underlying data in Airtable while replacing the user-facing experience. Softr can sit on top of an existing data source and provide a branded application layer with logins, groups, permissions, pages, and workflows. That lets you test a portal or customer experience before you take on a database migration. For a broader tool-selection view, see our guide to AI app builders for client portals.
A practical 30-day contingency plan
Week 1: export and verify your backups; list integrations and owners.
Week 2: categorize workflows as internal operations, partner/client access, or public-facing. Only the latter two usually need an immediate interface review.
Week 3: rebuild one low-risk workflow in a test environment. Validate permissions, forms, automation triggers, and data accuracy with real users.
Week 4: compare the cost, maintenance burden, and user experience. Decide whether to keep Airtable, introduce a separate app layer, or schedule a staged database move. Do not delete the original system until the replacement has passed a parallel-run period.
What a safe full migration actually requires
Moving a CSV is the easy part. The hard work is preserving relationships, cleaning duplicate records, mapping files and attachments, rebuilding automations, recreating roles, and validating that users see only what they should. Start with a copy, define an acceptance checklist, and plan a rollback. For the product-level distinction between using Airtable as a database and using Softr as an application layer, read Softr vs Airtable.
Bottom line
Do not migrate because a headline made you nervous. Migrate because your current system is too expensive, too constrained, or no longer fits the app you need to run. The acquisition is a useful prompt to make your data portable and test your options—before any future change forces a rushed decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Airtable already been acquired?
No. Bending Spoons announced a definitive agreement to acquire Airtable, but the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Should I leave Airtable immediately?
Usually no. Make and verify a backup, document key workflows, and evaluate alternatives if you already have cost, performance, access, or customization problems.
Can I use Softr without moving my Airtable data?
Yes. A hybrid approach can keep Airtable as the data source while Softr provides a branded user-facing portal or app layer, so you can test the experience before planning a full data move.
What should I back up before considering a migration?
Export bases, retain attachments, document linked tables, views, interfaces, automations, integrations, permissions, and the business owner for each workflow.
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