Live Export vs. sync

When to use Live Export and when to use a standard Whalesync sync

Whalesync offers two ways to move your data, built for different jobs:

• A Sync keeps two apps in sync. Both stay live and up to date, and you can edit data in either one. More powerful and configurable.

• Live Export makes a read-only copy of your data in another tool. You view, query, or share it, but don't edit it. Simpler and quicker to set up.

Sample uses

Sync: two apps stay in step, and you edit data in both.

• Control your Webflow site from Airtable.

• Update your HubSpot deals status from Notion.

• Let an operator edit your Supabase database from a friendly Airtable interface.

Live Export: a read-only copy for viewing, sharing, or analysis.

• Analyze your Shopify orders in Notion.

• Share a subset of your Hubspot fields with a teammate in Airtable.

• Keep a queryable backup of your production data in Supabase.

At a glance

	Sync	Live Export
Main purpose	Keep two apps in sync	Read-only copy of your data in another tool
Complexity	More powerful and configurable	Simpler and quicker to set up
Direction	One-way or two-way	One-way only
Destination	Editable — two-way sends your edits back	Read-only mirror, overwritten on each run
Updates	Real time, as data changes	On demand or on a schedule
Destination tables	Existing tables or newly created tables	Newly created for you
Apps	Any connected app, on either side	From any app, into Airtable, Notion, or Supabase

A few of these deserve a note:

• Edits in a Live Export destination don't stick. They aren't sent back to your source, and each run overwrites them. If you need edits to flow back, use a two-way sync.

• Live Export builds the destination for you. It creates the tables and fields in the base, schema, or page you choose. To write into tables you already maintain, use a sync.

• Live Export destinations are Airtable, Notion, and Supabase. You can export from any connected app; see what's available here.

Still unsure? Reach out and we'll help you pick.