PixieBrix is great for fetching information and making it accessible anywhere you need it. A great...
Are you looking to improve your productivity and streamline your workflows in Airtable? Look no further than Airtable extensions. These powerful Airtable add-ons and Airtable integrations can help you get more out of your data, automate tasks, reduce tab switching, and most importantly — work smarter, not harder.
Airtable is already designed to help project managers, marketers, sales teams, and other professionals manage complex data efficiently. But extensions (formerly called “apps”) add a layer of customization to your base that can help you get even more out of the tool — sort of like adding a McFlurry to your Extra Value Meal. Your meal is already great, and you don’t necessarily need a McFlurry, but your hunger would be even more satisfied if you had one. You can learn more about our Airtable Integration here.
Read on to discover some of the Airtable extensions we think are most noteworthy (spoiler alert: PixieBrix is one of them!) and why.
What are Airtable extensions?
Airtable extensions are basically mini apps or add-ons that you can download to use on top of your Airtable bases to customize and streamline your work further. They can be built by third-party developers in the Airtable community, businesses who wish to have an integration with Airtable, or by Airtable itself. Many can be found in the Airtable extension Marketplace.
Extensions range from simple tools that add new fields or views to Airtable, to more complex solutions that integrate with other services.
8 of the best Airtable extensions
1. PixieBrix
You won’t necessarily find PixieBrix in the Airtable extension Marketplace, but we’re including it in this list because our community has built a bunch of mods specifically for Airtable that essentially function in the same way as extensions.
By using building blocks, or “bricks,” you can create any custom workflow from any webpage to Airtable (or visa versa). Or you can use some of these pre-made mods to start:
- Helpful Responses to Angry Customers Stored in Airtable: This one is for the customer service pros. Use the PixieBrix Quick Bar to pull up a list of message templates you define and categorize in an Airtable. You can add, modify, and delete templates in the Airtable, which is dynamically reflected in the PixieBrix sidebar. Then, use the templates you created to save time responding to emails, phone calls, and live chats with angry customers, even when you don’t have Airtable open.
- Search Company Directory Sourced In Airtable: This mod is handy for salespeople and recruiters. If you’ve got some company directories already defined in Airtable, use the PixieBrix Context Menu to bring up and search the directory from any webpage (even if you don’t have Airtable). This saves time on cross-referencing.
- Smart Bookmarks By URL Set In Airtable: And finally, a mod for HR pros. How many links do you have to access each day? (You're probably thinking, "Too many to count".) Make relevant links (i.e., benefits wiki page, Greenhouse links, company job page, etc.) appear when needed instead of digging through your bookmarks.
These are just a few examples of what you can do when you combine Airtable and PixieBrix magic. Our community has created a ton more.
You can also create something entirely new. You just need to set up an Airtable integration first.
2. CSV Import
Manually updating data in Airtable can be sweaty business. But with the CSV import extension, adding new records to your base is as easy as dragging and dropping a CSV file onto the extension — no sweatbands required.
Use cases: email subscriber list, customer leads list, job candidate lists, and more — anything that requires a CSV file.
3. SendGrid
Maybe you can afford to hire an executive assistant to email every single person on your customer list with a personal message. But we’re guessing if you’re reading this article, you can’t. This is where SendGrid’s Airtable extension comes in.
SendGrid lets you send emails directly to contacts in a table — but not just generic mass emails. You can personalize each message by including values from other fields in the body or subject line of your email. It's like having a custom email for every contact without having to actually write each email 100 times.
4. Loom
Another integration-y type Airtable extension, the Loom add-on lets users preview Loom screen captures and videos without leaving your base. It’s perfect for explainer videos, internal communications, or walking team members through a new process.
5. Flowchart
Flowchart is an Airtable extension that’s just what it sounds like. It allows you to easily visualize linked data in a flowchart or decision tree. It’s handy for process documentation, troubleshooting guides, decision trees, designing workflows for large or small projects, programming logic, quality assurance (QA) requirements, and more.
6. Map
This extension is useful if you use Airtable to store addresses. With Map, one of Airtable’s own creations, you can easily see all the addresses in a base plotted out in a Google map.
I’ll be using this to plan my next vacation, but it would also be helpful for anyone who manages properties, tracks points of interest, analyzes demographics data, and more. See how your records fit into the world.
7. Miro
Users of Miro, the beloved whiteboard app, can rejoice knowing that they can visualize ideas on a whiteboard without leaving Airtable. Brainstorming your ideas doesn’t have to take place separately from task management or implementation anymore.
8. Astrology Calculator
I included this Airtable add-on just for fun because it delights me to imagine myself sorting my employees in a database by their zodiac signs (or ruling planets or birthstones). Sometimes you have to take a break from working smarter to work, well, less. And who said managing data can’t be fun?
Have an idea to make Airtable (or any other project management software) work smarter for you? Start building your own extension using PixieBrix now.
