It's more databasey. Airtable is to Sheets the same way that MS Access is to Excel... for example, you can do many-to-many relationships between tables using junction tables.

The UI is much better than Google Sheets (Sheets is likely better for power users), multiple views (calendar, Kanban), attachments etc. You could also set relationships between tables, which as far as I know, you can't do in Sheets.

The number of rows allowed per table is too low for any data driven serious application - this explains why it is used by smaller companies and individuals. A non-tech person can set up a handful of tables and be up and running in minutes.

I am a fan, though I wish they allowed more rows per table.