Google just delivered another reminder that even tech giants can’t keep every project alive indefinitely. Google Tables, their answer to the popular Airtable service, is officially calling it quits on December 16, 2025.
If you’re thinking “Wait, what’s Google Tables?” – you’re not alone. But for the people who were using it to organize their work projects, this shutdown email probably stung a bit.
What Google Tables Actually Was
Think of Google Tables as Google’s attempt to build something between a spreadsheet and a database. You know how regular spreadsheets can get messy when you’re trying to track complex projects with lots of moving parts? Tables was designed to solve that problem by adding structure and automation to project tracking.
Launched back in 2020, it came from Google’s experimental lab called Area 120 – basically their internal playground for testing new ideas. The concept was solid: give teams a tool that could handle project management, customer tracking, and workflow automation without requiring a computer science degree to set up.
The Rise and Fall Timeline
Here’s how things played out. Tables started as one of many experimental projects, but it actually showed promise. Google liked what they saw enough to graduate it from “experimental” to “official Google Cloud product” in 2021. That’s usually a good sign – it means the company believes in the project’s future.
The tool was created by Tim Gleason, a Google veteran who spent over a decade at the company. Interestingly, Gleason later moved on to work on NotebookLM before announcing his retirement in September 2024. Makes you wonder if he saw the writing on the wall.
Why Google Products Keep Disappearing
Google has a well-documented history of launching products and then quietly shutting them down later. Sometimes it’s because they didn’t gain traction, sometimes because the company’s priorities shifted, and sometimes because they got absorbed into other products.
In Tables’ case, it survived longer than many Google experiments. It even made it through the 2022 reorganization that killed off half of Area 120’s projects and the 2023 shutdown of the entire division. Tables kept going because it had found a home under Google Workspace.
But apparently, that wasn’t enough to guarantee long-term survival.
What This Means for Current Users
If you’re one of the people actually using Google Tables, you’ve got until December 16, 2025 to figure out your next move. Google is offering two migration paths, and both have their pros and cons.
Option 1: Move to Google Sheets This is the simpler path. You can export your Tables data directly into Google Sheets and continue managing your workflow there. Sheets has added some table-like features and conditional notifications that might handle your basic needs.
The downside? You lose a lot of the automation and structure that made Tables useful in the first place. It’s like moving from a purpose-built project management tool back to a basic spreadsheet.
Option 2: Migrate to AppSheet Google’s also pushing users toward AppSheet, their no-code app platform. This option preserves more of your formatting, column types, and relationships. You’ll get to keep automation features and fine-grained permissions too.
The catch? AppSheet is more complex than Tables was. If you liked Tables because it was simpler than building custom apps, AppSheet might feel like overkill.
The Bigger Picture
This shutdown reflects something interesting about Google’s product strategy. The company has been consolidating tools and focusing on fewer, more integrated offerings. Rather than maintaining separate specialized tools, they’re pushing everything into their main platforms.
AppSheet apparently includes the data experience that the Tables team built, launched back in June 2023. So in Google’s mind, they’re not really killing Tables – they’re absorbing its best features into a more comprehensive platform.
What Alternatives Exist
If neither Google option appeals to you, there are plenty of alternatives that offer similar functionality:
Airtable remains the obvious choice – it’s what Tables was competing against in the first place. It’s mature, feature-rich, and specifically designed for this kind of work tracking.
Notion has become incredibly popular for project management and database-like organization. It’s more flexible than Tables was but also has a steeper learning curve.
Monday.com and ClickUp offer more traditional project management approaches with powerful automation features.
Microsoft Lists provides similar functionality if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem.
The Real Lesson Here
Google Tables’ shutdown illustrates the risk of building your workflow around any single vendor’s specialized tool, especially when that vendor has a track record of discontinuing products.
The safest bet is usually to stick with core, established platforms that are central to a company’s business model. Google Sheets isn’t going anywhere because it’s fundamental to Google Workspace. Gmail isn’t disappearing because it’s core to Google’s user ecosystem.
But experimental or secondary tools? Those are always at risk, no matter how useful they might be.
Moving Forward
If you’re currently using Tables, start planning your migration sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until the last minute – give yourself time to test alternatives and retrain your team if necessary.
And if you’re considering adopting any new Google product in the future? Maybe wait to see if it sticks around for a few years first. Google’s track record suggests that enthusiasm for new tools should be tempered with realistic expectations about their longevity.
The company builds amazing technology, but they’re also notorious for changing direction when something doesn’t fit their evolving strategy. Tables users are just the latest to learn this lesson the hard way.