Google is discontinuing Tables, the lightweight work-tracking and automation tool once positioned as a direct competitor to Airtable. In notices sent to customers, the company said support will wind down and urged teams to move their data to Google Sheets or AppSheet, signaling a consolidation of Google’s overlapping productivity and no-code offerings.
Why Google is ending Tables
Tables began as an experiment inside Area 120, Google’s internal incubator, and later graduated to the Google Cloud and Workspace lineup. It drew interest for its approachable mix of database-like tables, automation bots, and integrations—effectively a familiar spreadsheet that behaved more like a lightweight app.
But Google now appears to be streamlining around two pillars: Sheets for collaborative spreadsheets and AppSheet for building full no-code apps and automated workflows. The company has said the team behind Tables is focused on a “new data experience” inside AppSheet, allowing users to define data models and relationships and then layer permissions, automations, and Workspace integrations on top. In other words, the capability remains—but the brand and standalone product do not.
This decision also reflects Google’s broader prioritization of products with clear differentiation and enterprise-ready governance. With Sheets gaining more project management features and AppSheet covering the no-code app surface, Tables was increasingly a middle layer that risked fragmenting the user experience.
What happens to your Tables data
Google is directing admins to two paths. The simplest is exporting Tables data to Google Sheets, where teams can continue to track work using filters, data validation, and conditional notifications. For teams that relied on Tables’ structured column types, linked records, and automation, Google recommends migrating to AppSheet using a new assistant that preserves schema, relationships, and core workflows.
AppSheet’s advantage is that it treats your data as the backbone for an application: roles and fine-grained permissions, approval flows, bots, and mobile-friendly interfaces come baked in. A customer success team tracking tickets in Tables, for example, could migrate to AppSheet and keep assignees, SLAs, and escalation rules intact while adding guided forms and auditor-ready logs.
Teams should expect some hands-on cleanup. Formulas and automations that were unique to Tables may need re-mapping, and any third-party integrations should be reviewed. Google’s guidance suggests testing critical workflows in a staging copy before flipping the switch for production teams, especially if data is tied to downstream dashboards in Looker Studio or Sheets-based reports.
Airtable and the no-code battleground
Tables’ sunset underscores how competitive—and crowded—the no-code market has become. Airtable popularized the spreadsheet-database hybrid, expanding into enterprise features like granular permissions, connected apps, and AI-assisted content generation. It has been valued in the private markets at above $10 billion, and routinely tops software adoption rankings from industry trackers like Okta’s Businesses at Work.
Rivals are entrenched, too. Smartsheet remains a staple for PMOs. Microsoft pushes Lists, Power Apps, and Loop across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Notion and Coda emphasize flexible docs that morph into apps. Against this backdrop, Google’s decision to fold Tables into AppSheet looks like a bet that customers want fewer, more integrated tools rather than a new surface to learn.
Analyst firms such as Gartner expect the low-code and no-code category to keep growing at a double-digit clip, with worldwide spending surpassing $25 billion. That momentum favors platforms with strong governance, security certifications, and tight connections to core productivity suites—areas where AppSheet, embedded in Workspace and Google Cloud, can press its advantage.
What this means for Workspace teams
For organizations already standardized on Google Workspace, the path forward splits by complexity. Lightweight trackers, editorial calendars, and task lists will live comfortably in Sheets paired with email or Chat notifications. Structured use cases—service desks, inventory, field operations—are better candidates for AppSheet apps with role-based access and audit trails.
Admins should inventory all Tables bases, rank them by business criticality, and decide: retire, move to Sheets, or rebuild in AppSheet. Security teams will want to verify that sharing rules, data residency needs, and retention policies carry over. Finance leaders should review any premium Tables licenses and model costs in AppSheet, which uses app- or user-based licensing tiers.
The bigger pattern at Google
Google has a long history of incubating promising tools, then merging the best ideas into fewer, more strategic products. We’ve seen experimental efforts from Area 120 and elsewhere graduate into core lines, get folded into existing products, or quietly sunset when they overlap too heavily. Tables is the latest example: useful on its own, but more sustainable as capabilities inside a platform Google is betting on for the long haul.
For customers, the takeaway is straightforward. Tables is ending, but the functionality is not disappearing—it’s moving. Teams that embrace the transition to Sheets and AppSheet can retain the agility that drew them to Tables while gaining deeper governance, automation, and AI-powered features across the Workspace ecosystem.