Compare/Head to head

Airtable vs Manatal

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Airtable

$20/user/mo Free tier 14 day free trial

A no-code database that many small agencies and in-house teams turn into their own candidate tracker or client CRM, using Airtable's applicant tracking templates. The Free plan covers 1,000 records per base, Team is $20 a user a month billed yearly ($24 monthly), and there is a 14-day Team trial. It is general purpose, so you build the recruiting workflow yourself.

Where Airtable fits

  • Small agencies and solo recruiters who want a custom candidate tracker without ATS pricing
  • In-house teams tracking a handful of roles alongside other operations work
  • Recruiting ops teams building client portals, scorecards or intake forms
  • Teams that want their AI assistant to read and update hiring data over MCP

Manatal

$15/user/mo 14 day free trial

Affordable ATS for small businesses and agencies with AI match scores, a Chrome extension and an API, from $15/user/mo on annual billing.

Where Manatal fits

  • Small in-house teams
  • Boutique agencies
  • Desks that live in Chrome while sourcing
  • Buyers who want AI match without enterprise pricing

At a glance

DetailAirtableManatal
Starting price$20/user/mo$15/user/mo
Free tier✓Yes–No
Free trial14 day free trial14 day free trial
MCP server✓Yes✓Yes
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underWorkflow automation, CRMATS, CRM
Capterra4.6 from 2,247 reviews4.6 from 141 reviews

Where they pull apart

Airtable

Stands out: You design the tracker around your own desk: linked tables for candidates, jobs and clients, kanban and calendar views, forms that feed applications straight in, and automations on top. The Fall 2026 release made Omni, its built-in AI agent, available on every plan, and its official MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT read and update your bases.

Watch out: It is not an ATS: there is no built-in job board posting, resume parsing or candidate email sequencing, so those come from other tools. Record caps (1,000 per base on Free, 50,000 on Team) fill up fast with a candidate database, and pricing is per editor.

Not the right fit for

  • Agencies that need resume parsing, job posting and compliance reporting built in
  • Teams with candidate databases in the hundreds of thousands
  • Recruiters who want a ready-made workflow with no setup

Manatal

Stands out: A $15 per-user start with AI ranking and browser capture included.

Watch out: MCP is Enterprise Plus only, and monthly billing is $19 rather than $15.

Not the right fit for

  • Small teams that need MCP below the top tier
  • Teams that refuse annual billing

Pros and cons

Airtable

  • Builds a candidate tracker or client CRM shaped to your own process
  • Free plan, 14-day Team trial and published per-user prices
  • Official MCP server and Omni AI agent on every plan
  • Not a full ATS: no resume parsing, job posting or sequencing
  • Record limits per base fill quickly with candidate data
  • Paid per editor, which adds up for larger teams

Manatal

  • Low published per-user price
  • 14-day trial with no card
  • Chrome extension included
  • MCP restricted to the top tier
  • Monthly billing costs more
  • Light on enterprise reporting

What each one costs

Airtable

$20/user/mo

The Free plan covers 1,000 records per base, up to 5 editors and 100 automation runs a month. Team is $20 a user a month billed yearly or $24 monthly, with 50,000 records per base. Business is $45 a user a month billed yearly or $54 monthly, with 125,000 records per base. Enterprise Scale is quoted. Paid plans charge for each person who can edit, and a new workspace gets a 14-day Team trial. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 10 Nov 2026

Manatal

$15/user/mo

Professional is $15 per user a month billed annually, or $19 monthly, for up to 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates. Enterprise is $35 annually or $39 monthly with unlimited jobs and workflow automation, and Enterprise Plus is $55 annually or $59 monthly, adding the open API, the ChatGPT and Claude (MCP) integration and SSO. A Custom plan is priced on demand. There is a 14-day free trial with no card. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Is Airtable cheaper than Manatal?
Manatal starts lower, at $15/user/mo against $20/user/mo for Airtable. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try Airtable or Manatal for free?
Airtable carries a free tier on our listing. Airtable offers a 14 day free trial. Manatal offers a 14 day free trial.
Does Airtable or Manatal have an MCP server?
Airtable and Manatal ship a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 10 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?