Savepad as an Airtable alternative for swipe files
Airtable is a brilliant database. Lots of marketers build a swipe file in it: a row per example, columns for brand, channel, and tags, a gallery view of screenshots. If you love building systems and your team is already in Airtable, it works. Savepad is for when you'd rather save the thing than fill in a row about it.
Where Airtable wins
Any field you want
Custom fields, formulas, linked records, and views for every angle. Savepad has folders, tags, notes, and saved views, and stops there.
Teams and automations
Shared bases, permissions, and automations. Savepad is for one person.
Analysis
Count, group, and chart your swipes by any field. Savepad is a library, not a spreadsheet.
Where Savepad wins
It keeps the page
A full-page snapshot and reading copy of every link. An Airtable row keeps the URL and whatever you pasted.
Search inside everything
Page text, PDFs, emails, and the words in screenshots. Airtable searches the fields you filled in.
Saving takes seconds
Paste, drop, or forward an email. No form to fill in, no columns to keep consistent.
No AI
Airtable has AI built in. Savepad has none.
Head to head
| Feature | Airtable | Savepad |
|---|---|---|
| Custom fields and formulas | Yes | No |
| Full-page snapshot of links | No | Yes |
| Search the text in screenshots | No | Yes |
| Emails kept as emails | No | Yes |
| Team workspaces | Yes | No |
| AI features | Airtable AI | None, by design |
| Free plan | 1,000 records per base | 150 saves |
| Price | Per seat, monthly | Free, €4.99 or €9.99 a month |
Checked against Airtable’s website on . Something out of date? Let me know and I'll fix it.
Which one is for you?
Stay on Airtable
If you want to analyse your swipe file like data, or it's shared with a team that lives in Airtable.
Pick Savepad
If you want to save things in seconds and find them by what's inside, not by the fields you remembered to fill in.
Moving over
Export your base as a CSV. Keep a url column, and Savepad imports it with your tags and notes, then fetches every page again.
FAQs
Can I import my Airtable swipe file?
Yes. Export a CSV with a url column, plus tags, folder, and note columns if you have them.
Can I use Savepad and Airtable together?
Sure. Lots of people keep Airtable for what it's best at and use Savepad as their swipe file. You can export everything from Savepad whenever you like, so you're never locked in.
Does Savepad use AI?
Nope. No summaries, no auto-tagging, and nothing gets sent to a model. If you want AI, connect your own over MCP.
From the blog
- The best ad swipe file tools: Most ad swipe file lists are written by ad spy tools ranking themselves first. Here's the field with real prices, which ones use AI, and which save more than ads.
- How to build a swipe file in Google Drive: A swipe file in Google Drive is free and you already have it. The folders, file names that make search work, a sheet for links, and where it falls apart.
Want in first?
Savepad launches soon. Leave your email and I'll let you know when it's live.