Which database software should a small business use?
Start in Google Sheets or Airtable, and move to Zoho Creator or AppSheet when you need an app on top of the data. Airtable looks like a spreadsheet but links records like a database: free for very small teams, then $20 a user a month on Team, billed annually. Zoho Creator, priced in rupees, builds forms, workflows and customer portals over your records for ₹480 a user a month billed annually (₹720 monthly). Google's AppSheet turns a sheet into a phone app from $5 a user a month, and its Core plan comes with most paid Google Workspace plans. Notion's databases suit teams whose records sit beside their docs, at $10 a seat on Plus, and Supabase is a real Postgres database for anything a developer builds, free for two projects and $25 a month on Pro. A Google Sheet holds up to 20 million cells, so the reason to switch is rarely size: it is several people editing the same records and breaking each other's formulas. Rule: stay in a sheet until that happens every week.
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Google's own limits for Docs, Sheets and Slides: a Google Sheet holds up to 20 million cells or 100 MB. Useful for knowing that size is rarely why a small business has to leave a spreadsheet.
An August 2026 guide on the signs a team has outgrown spreadsheets and how to migrate without a big project. Written by a database-tool founder, but the tests it gives are tool-neutral.
Airtable's own plans. It looks like a spreadsheet but links records like a database, for a small team tracking orders, clients or inventory. Free for individuals and very small teams, Team at $20 a user a month and Business at $45, billed annually.
Zoho's low-code platform for building your own forms, workflows, reports and customer portals over your data, priced in rupees for India: Standard at ₹480 a user a month billed annually (₹720 monthly) and Professional at ₹1,200 (₹1,800 monthly), with a free edition and a 15-day trial.
Google's no-code tool that turns a Google Sheet into a phone or web app, for field teams and shops already living in Sheets. Starter is $5 a user a month, Core is $10 and included in most paid Google Workspace plans, and building is free to try.
Notion's plans: databases inside the same pages as your docs and wiki, for a small team whose records sit next to written process. Free for individuals, Plus $10 a seat a month, Business $20.
Supabase is a hosted Postgres database with auth and storage, for when a developer is building an app or internal tool on your data. Free for two active projects (paused after a week idle), Pro at $25 a month with the first project included.
