Purpose-built, not a base you maintain
Airtable is a superb database, and you can absolutely build a hackathon on it. The difference is that you are the one building it, and every organizer, judge, and mentor who needs to edit is a paid seat.
The gaps organizers hit with Airtable
Airtable gives you the parts. BuilderBase gives you the event, with the parts already assembled from 550+ of them.
Nothing to configure
Applications, screening, teams, submissions, and judging exist on day one, shaped by 550+ events. No base to design, no automations to debug the night before.
Judges and mentors cost nothing
Invite as many judges, mentors, and organizers as the event needs. On Airtable, everyone who edits is a billed seat, every month.
Sponsor economics included
A sponsor marketplace and an ROI dashboard out of the box, rather than a dashboard you design and populate yourself.
BuilderBase vs Airtable.
Everything below is checkable. Where a platform only partly covers something, we say so.
| Feature | BuilderBase | Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-End Event Management | Included | PartialIf you build it |
| Branded Event Page | Included | PartialInterfaces and forms |
| Registration & Check-In | Included | PartialBuild the form and views |
| AI Application Screening | Included | PartialAirtable AI add-on, $6/seat |
| Team Formation | Included | PartialBuild it yourself |
| Project Submissions | Included | PartialBuild the form |
| Judging & Scoring | Included | PartialBuild the rubric and rollups |
| Multi-Track Events | Included | PartialBuild it yourself |
| Sponsor ROI Report | Included | Not available |
| Sponsor Marketplace | Included | Not available |
| Works With No Setup | Included | Not availableYou design the base |
| Unlimited Editors At No Extra Cost | Included | Not availableBilled per editor seat |
| Fully Custom Data Model | Partial | IncludedIts core strength |
| General-Purpose Beyond Events | Not available | IncludedCRM, ops, anything |
included partial not available.Based on publicly available information at the time of writing.
What it actually costs.
Airtable is the best general-purpose database of its kind, and a well-built hackathon base is a genuinely impressive thing. If your team already lives in Airtable and has someone who enjoys building it, that is a real advantage, and it flexes to things a purpose-built tool never will.
BuilderBase or Airtable?
You want the event tooling to already exist, you do not want to maintain a base during your event, and you need judges and mentors in the system without watching the seat count.
Your team already runs on Airtable, you have someone who likes building bases, and you want one system for the event plus everything else you do.
BuilderBase vs Airtable: common questions.
Switching from Airtable? Talk to us.
Can I run a hackathon on Airtable?
How does the cost compare?
Do judges and mentors need paid Airtable seats?
Can I keep using Airtable alongside BuilderBase?
What about Airtable AI for screening applications?
Other BuilderBase comparisons.
Run your next event on BuilderBase
Free to start. €999 for a flagship event, published up front. Live in days.