Why You Might Be Overpaying for Zapier for Client Management — and How Airtable Automations Can Help

If you’re using tools like Google Sheets, Notion, ClickUp—or paying for Zapier but still manually updating client info—you’re probably wondering:

“What’s the right way to set up my backend so it runs without me?”

This post (and the video below 👇) is going to walk you through one of the biggest questions I get as a systems strategist:

When should you use Zapier? When should you use Airtable? And how do they work together to create a true Client Management CRM that actually saves you time?

👇 Watch the full video here:

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First, What Is Airtable—And Why You Should Care

If you’ve never used Airtable before (or just dabbled and got overwhelmed), you’re not alone.

Most of my clients are coaches, service providers, or agency owners who have tried managing client data across spreadsheets, Dubsado, Notion, and task lists. But eventually, those tools start breaking under the weight of growth.

Airtable is the system that finally brings everything together—your client info, call notes, onboarding, re-sign tracking, and even email follow-ups—into one central place.

And with the right setup, it doesn’t just store your client data.
👉 It can automate your follow-ups, your reminders, and even your internal team notifications.

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But What About Zapier?

Zapier is an automation tool that connects your apps—like Stripe, ThriveCart, Calendly, Kajabi, and more. It’s powerful, and it’s probably already doing a lot of heavy lifting in your business.

But here’s the thing…

🔺 Most people are overpaying for Zapier
🔺 They’re using it for things Airtable can already do
🔺 And they’re missing out on Airtable’s built-in automations that are faster, cheaper, and easier to troubleshoot

That’s what I break down in the video above.

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What to Automate Inside Airtable (and Why)

When you use Airtable as your actual CRM (not just a database), you can run automations like:

✅ Send onboarding emails when a client fills out a form
✅ Trigger Slack messages to your team when a client flags support
✅ Automatically update client statuses or tags based on dates
✅ Remind clients to re-sign when their program is about to end

These are all things that many people automate in Zapier—but Airtable can handle them natively, for a fraction of the cost.

In fact, if you’re on Airtable’s $20/month Team plan, you get 25,000 automation runs—while Zapier gives you only 750 tasks for the same price. (Every Zap action = 1 task. It adds up.)

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When Zapier Still Wins

Zapier is still a must-have when you need to connect Airtable to outside platforms, like:

• ThriveCart, Stripe, or PayPal
• Kajabi or Circle
• ActiveCampaign or Flodesk
• Calendly or SavvyCal

It’s incredible at moving data between tools.
But when it comes to things like Slack messages, internal updates, and onboarding emails—you can and should let Airtable take the wheel.

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Want a CRM That’s Already Set Up for This?

If you’re just getting started with Airtable—or if the idea of building all of this from scratch makes you want to hide under your desk—I’ve got a shortcut for you:

🎁 The Client Hub Template

This is the exact Airtable system I use and teach inside my program.
It’s already pre-wired with the automations you need for:

• Onboarding
• Support tracking
• Re-sign reminders
• Slack alerts
• Results tracking

…and it’s designed specifically for coaches, service providers, and agency owners who need systems that work without needing to become a tech expert.

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TL;DR — Airtable and Zapier Are Better Together (But Use Them Strategically)

Here’s the bottom line:

If you’re running a service business and still managing client info manually—or using 3+ platforms that don’t talk to each other—you need to rethink your backend.

🧠 Use Airtable to store, organize, and automate your client data
⚡ Use Zapier to connect external platforms to that data
💸 Use both wisely to reduce your workload and your costs

📺 Watch the video above to see this in action.
And if you want to get started without the tech stress, check out the Client Hub Template. It’s your plug-and-play path to a scalable Client CRM.