Resource Hub for User-created Airtable Bases + Templates?
Hey everyone – I’ve been an Airtable user for the past year and overall my experience has been enjoyable!
This could totally be my own naiveté from being new to database creation, but I’ve been quite confused over what seems to be a lack of accessible resources for Airtable user-created bases + templates for active users to share with each other.
The Universe page, which appears to have been initially meant for that, seems to be almost entirely abandoned and in comparison, other popular platforms have these open-ended community sections with thousands of user-created bases and templates (the majority being free downloads).
Any related questions, comments, or if you are able to clarify would be greatly appreciated… thank you!
*Additional info: my project’s primary goal is a database collection of beauty brands + cosmetics products.
Page 1 / 1
Welcome @divadream! This is a drum I’ve been banging on the past year or so when I got confirmation from AT support that the Universe is depreciated and no longer supported. You can still publish bases and share them as direct links, but the interface does not index new additions. In most threads with AT staff related to features I try to bring this up.
As for resources, the best bets I’ve found are here and the BuiltOnAir Slack (and AT Reddit occasionally).
From my observations over close to 5 years of using Airtable, the actual company itself is laser focused on business and enterprise customers who want their own bespoke systems and have the money to pay for development. Personal, small biz, and non-profit users on free or team plans, who might use or take inspiration from user generated templates aren’t valued, hence these tools have fallen by the wayside (similar to user created extensions, though those haven’t been fully depreciated...yet). The AI turn is just accelerating this shift, instead of some way to share custom extensions you can only interface with the LLM.
Also generally speaking AT staff don’t monitor the community forum, so it’s always recommended to submit these thoughts to the feedback form
Hey @divadream,
I started building something on this regard, and bought the perfect domain for it some time ago: https://airtabletemplate.com/
I got swamped with work after that, and just stop pushing. I’m thinking about working on it again.
On my mind, this should only have lean templates, which end users could then build on top of them. Too complex templates do not make a lot of sense, as they will not fit all needs and unbundling them seems like too much pain. Each template should have a walkthrough video and basic documentation, and a video for further enhancements. Would be nice if creators could submit their own templates.
Gallery view for templates. Detailed view for each template. Banner, header, description, “get template” button. That is pretty much it.
Just to echo what you and @DisraeliGears01 have pointed out, it’s clear that Airtable Universe isn’t quite as relevant anymore. Originally, Universe was built to showcase bases back when Airtable was simply a database platform. Over time, Airtable evolved by adding automations, then interfaces, and eventually becoming a full app-building platform. Unfortunately, Universe never really grew to support showcasing those full-fledged apps, and that’s a big part of why interest in it has faded.
These days, what people really want to showcase, and what’s truly impressive, is the entire app experience. How all the pieces work together. Without the ability to share interfaces and automations, Universe just doesn’t capture that magic anymore.
I definitely agree with the point about Airtable’s focus on enterprise customers. They’ve really leaned into building bespoke solutions for larger companies, often with consultants or internal teams. That shift means less emphasis on community features like Universe.
From a consulting perspective, we’ve seen that while templates can inspire, they rarely fit a business’ exact needs. Most clients want something tailored specifically to them, so they end up building custom solutions rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all template.
But I still believe there’s huge value in having a space where users can share their entire apps. Seeing those complete solutions can really inspire others and help raise the bar on what’s possible. If you know of any great places where people are sharing full apps or more complete solutions, we’d love to hear about them!
Oh yes, I fully agree with @airvues above. It’s the inspiration that matters the most probably. But that is also the case when you check out templates of any other software probably!
@Mike_AutomaticN That is the perfect domain you’ve got for this haha. I like the general concept (and including a spot for Loom walkthroughs or whatever would definitely be super useful) but I’m just wondering how users could actually share their bases (some kind of workspace that’s invited and then copies the base…?)
The question of “lean” templates is interesting as well. In my opinion it’s actually the complicated ones that are the most handy as they really demonstrate what’s possible, plus can include scripts or automations that could be repurposed in other builds. Anywho, it’s evident that there’s not really a good spot for this inside the platform itself (the Show and Tell board is not well traveled, doesn’t incorporate sharing walkthroughs well, and seems to mostly be extension building).
