Finding the perfect project management tool can feel impossible. With so many options out there, how do you know where to start? Have no fear! By the end of this read, you’ll find your perfect Smartsheet alternative.
Smartsheet
Since you’re reading this, I can assume you’re in one of two situations. You’re either a current Smartsheet user who’s looking for Smartsheet alternatives or you’re just beginning your project management journey and want to find the perfect tool for your organization.
Whichever situation you’re currently in, this read will point you in the right direction. We’ll cover reasons why you may not want to be using Smartsheet as well as the 5 best Smartsheet alternatives. Let’s begin!
Pros of Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a project management tool that makes use of what it calls “smartsheets.” The user interface is similar to Microsoft Excel as smartsheets are essentially “smarter spreadsheets.”
Easy to pickup
Smartsheet has a relatively simple user interface. This makes it easy for anybody to learn it, especially if you have Microsoft Excel experience. The tool’s design is also very clean and professional. Some may consider this boring, but at least it won’t distract you from your work!
Does more than just project management
Smartsheet does more than just project management. In fact, it aims to become the central hub for how organizations get work done. Smartsheet also offers tools that measure industry trends as well as file sharing and other office productivity solutions.
A bit about Tallyfy
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Let's resume the rest of this article!
Why You Might Need a Smartsheet Alternative
Smartsheet saw a major influx of usage following a full redesign in 2010. The user base they’ve garnered since then is indicative of how useful the tool can be for the right organization. Still, there may be better tools out there for you and your team. Let’s take a look at some common reasons users seek a Smartsheet alternative.
It’s pricey
While Smartsheet offers a thirty day free trial, you’re going to have to start paying after your first month. Individual plans cost $14/month while business plans cost $25/user per month. These paid plans are on the pricier side when compared to competitors’ paid plans. Check out all of the pricing plans here.
No timetracking
While there are some third-party solutions, Smartsheet does not have their own integrated form of time tracking. Time tracking is a feature that many organizations need to be successful, so this can be a deal breaker for some.
Let’s check out the competition.
1. Asana
Asana is unquestionably one of the most popular project management tools out there, and for good reason. It is modern and offers a lot of great features that aren’t too difficult to understand.
Pros:
They have a free plan — Unlike the majority of project management tools out there (Smartsheet included), Asana offers a free plan. This means that smaller teams can get some of the basic functionality out of Asana for no charge.
This plan doesn’t provide all of Asana’s functionality found in paid plans, and teams can only have up to 15 people. Still, Asana should be a perfect fit for many small teams out there who cannot pay for project management.
More flexible than Smartsheet — Asana claims that they are more flexible than Smartsheet for a number of reasons. This webpage explains Asana’s reasoning behind their bold claim. Some of the reasons include things like better collaboration and communication than Smartsheet. If their claim is true, Asana is the ultimate Smartsheet alternative.
Impressive integrations — Asana has worked hard in making sure that their software integrates into almost any big-name business application out there. Their integrations include useful applications such as Slack, Salesforce, and Microsoft Outlook. Their full list of third-party integrations can be found here.
Cons:
Asana projects can get complex — One drawback of having many features is that projects can get as complex as you want them to. This can be a good thing…assuming all parties involved are well-versed in project management. For those who are newer, projects can quickly get confusing or too complex to keep track of.
Tasks only have one assignee — One common complaint that Asana users report is that they wish they could assign tasks to a number of people. This is a feature that some other project management tools offer, and its absence could cause some issues within your team.
Asana is good for small teams on a budget, or large teams that need complex features.
2. Trello
Trello is, in my opinion, the most well-known purely project management tool out there. It is a simple application with a sleek design. On top of this, Trello is more affordable than the majority of its peers.
Pros:
Quality free plan — Trello also offers a free plan. This plan doesn’t include all of Trello’s paid plan features, but it is very scalable. Trello’s free plan allows for both unlimited boards and unlimited users. This can be huge, especially for teams on a budget.
Super easy to learn — Trello likes to keep things simple. The visually oriented Kanban approach that they employee is very easy to pick up. In fact, those who have never worked with project management tools before could look at a Trello board and probably understand what’s going on. This makes for a hugely adoptable software.
Has great paid plans too — Trello isn’t only for the tiny team on a budget. Their paid plans also have a slew of great features, all at a price that is better than many of its competitors ($9.99/user per month). The features included could justify Trello’s use by a larger, perhaps medium-sized business.
Cons:
Not great for enterprise businesses — While Trello’s free and paid plans are great for small to medium sized companies, larger corporations that employ hundreds or thousands of employees may want to look elsewhere. Trello’s simplicity comes at a cost, i.e. excluding some features that larger, more complex organizations may need to use.
Some missing features — Trello is missing some key features that other project management tools offer. Trello doesn’t have dependency management and Gantt charts. Time tracking is another feature that is not natively a part of Trello either. You can work around many of these missing features via Trello’s third-party “Power-ups.”
Trello is great for teams on a budget who like simplicity.
3. Jira
Jira is pretty similar to Trello as they are both Kanban-based and were both developed by Atlassian. The two are still pretty different for a number of reasons, however.
Pros:
Great for software development — While Jira is a great general-purpose project management tool, it does have a number of number of specialized project templates. One of these is Jira Software, which is a framework for agile software dev teams. If you are managing an agile software dev team, Jira could be your perfect Smartsheet alternative.
Unique pricing plan (cheap) — Compared to other project management tools, Jira’s paid plans are pretty cheap. Depending on how many team members your organization has, the price ranges from $1/user per month to $7/user per month. They have a nice tool that lets you put in your team size and calculate how much it will cost you on a per-user basis.
Offers cloud and self-managed plans — Jira’s back-end comes with some added flexibility. They offer plans that allow you to either store your data in either your own server or in their cloud servers.
Cons:
No free options — While their paid plans are comparatively cheap, they don’t offer any free plans. This can be a deal breaker if you are a small company or start-up.
Bit of a learning curve — Jira can provide great value to your team…but you need to know how to utilize it first. Those who are less experienced in project management tools often complain that the software can be hard to learn or that the interface isn’t the most user-friendly.
Jira is great for teams with specialized needs, like agile softwareteams.
4. Wrike
One of the big similarities between Smartsheet and Wrike is the use of Gantt charts. Gantt is really Wrike’s main focus. If Gantt charts provide a lot of value to your team, Wrike might be the Smartsheet alternative for you.
Pros:
Time tracking — Remember earlier how I mentioned that Smartsheet’s lack of time tracking is a big deal breaker for some. Well Wrike offers a solution. Wrike’s time tracking allows users to track how much time has been spent on individual tasks, as well as generate analytics from task-time data. If time tracking is your big push factor, Wrike may be the Smartsheet alternative for your team.
Other great features — Wrike is one of the more “complete” project management tools out there. On top of time tracking, Wrike also offers reporting, budgeting, and automation features.
Good user interface — Wrike has received a lot of praise from customers for its professional and easy-to-navigate user interface. This great UI translates to their Android and iOS applications as well. It may seem like a minor detail, but a good UI is something a lot of project management tools lack.
Cons:
No free plan — Like many other tools out there, Wrike doesn’t offer a free plan. This is a common deal breaker for project teams. What’s worse is that their paid plans are on the pricier side compared to peers.
Can take a while to learn — With lots of features comes lots of learning. Taking a while to learn all of the features will come naturally with any software that offers a lot of features. Still, if your team doesn’t need tons of features, you may be better off with a different tool to avoid the confusion.
Wrike is great for teams that love Gantt charts and a greatUI.
5. Tallyfy
Tallyfy isn’t a project management solution, but hear me out. This tool deals with managing processes, which are similar to projects…but with an important distinction.
Processes
Project management tools are really designed for things that are unique every time you do them, i.e. projects. Projects include things like constructing a building, or launching a marketing campaign. Each client’s needs will be completely different from the other.
Processes are the sorts of things you do repeatedly, over and over again, usually on a daily or a weekly basis. Think of things like sending out a newsletter, or onboarding employees.
Projects and processes are different and, naturally, are better managed by different types of software. If you find yourself doing the same things over and over again, Tallyfy might be the Smartsheet alternative for you.
Pros:
You can create Blueprints — Blueprints are Tallyfy’s powerful framework for managing tasks. Whenever you have a process you’ll be doing frequently, you create a blueprint for it. Each time you perform that process, you can launch that reusable blueprint over and over again. Pretty neat!
Scalable free plan — Tallyfy, unlike many project management tools, offers a free plan (among two other great premium plans). You have nothing to lose by signing up for a free account.
This plan allows for not only unlimited process guests, but also unlimited blueprints. This allows you to scale up your business, even with the free plan. It also empowers you to take control over the clutter in your life.
Get going in mere seconds — Tallyfy claims it is a “process management software that anybody can start using in 60 seconds.” I tested this out, and it really is that quick.
When I made my free account, I was able to make a blueprint for my social media posts in seconds, not minutes or hours.
Tallyfy Demo:
Tallyfy is the perfect choice for anybody doing tasks over and overagain.
I hope this read helped you find the perfect Smartsheet alternative! Let me know what you think in the comments, and don’t be afraid to applaud!
Next Steps
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FAQs
Why did you choose Smartsheet over these alternative product? ›
Because of its flexibility, Smartsheet is great for marketing, IT, HR, and pretty much any business department. With Smartsheet, each project task is saved as a line in the spreadsheet, and you can build in due dates, add notes, attach images and documents, and construct a hierarchy of tasks.
What are the benefits of using Smartsheet? ›Smartsheet lets you plan, track, automate, and report on projects, with everything you need in one place. Everyone involved can see exactly what needs to be done to keep a project on track. And with an overview of all projects, you can instantly see the health of your business and reliably predict results.
What can Smartsheet do that Excel Cannot? ›Smartsheet has flexible views to display data including grid, card (Kanban), Gantt, and calendar, empowering teams to work together with agility, speed, and accountability. Excel is limited to a grid view, which makes it difficult to plan, track, and report on key workflows.
What are the 5 disadvantages of spreadsheet? ›- Lack of collaboration. ...
- Vulnerable to costly human errors. ...
- Manual process. ...
- Unable to make quick decisions about your deals. ...
- Lack of version control. ...
- Dependant on one person. ...
- Unfit for remote working. ...
- Time consuming.
- Embed project sheets or key reports you need to access often — including your to do list.
- Create a chart tracking toward your personal key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Add shortcuts to frequently accessed links.
- Embed forms you use frequently for easy access.
Smartsheet is the only platform that can scale from a single project to end-to-end work management, connecting business on a no-code, cloud-based platform where anyone can create the solution they need — backed by the control and security IT requires.
What app is better than Smartsheet? ›Google Sheets
One of the more simple Smartsheet alternatives is Google Sheets. It's a free spreadsheet tool by Google with various uses such as data management and even project management.
With the Smartsheet for Microsoft Teams integration enabled, Smartsheet and Teams customers can add Smartsheet sheets, dashboards, and reports as 'Tabs' within a Team channel, helping their teams bring conversations together with a current view of projects, while providing a central location where teams can work more ...
How long can you use Smartsheet for free? ›If you enjoy using Smartsheet and would like to use it to manage your own work, you can start a free 30 day trial by creating a new sheet.
Why is Smartsheet better than Google Sheets? ›As a paid tool, Smartsheet offers more advanced features and capabilities such as workflow automation, Gantt view, and powerful integrations. Additionally, Smartsheet has more robust security and data management features, while Google Sheets is more focused on basic spreadsheet functionality.
Is Smartsheet a database? ›
At their core, Airtable and Smartsheet are very similar. They're both modern, no-code spreadsheet-database tools that operate on web-based platforms. They also lend themselves to a wide variety of use cases including project management, content planning, human resources management, and general data storage.
Can Excel pull data from Smartsheet? ›The Smartsheet Live Data Connector provides industry-standard connectivity via ODBC to the third-party apps you use most, such as Tableau, Excel, QlikView / Qlik Sense, Tibco Spotfire, and more. This allows you to deliver powerful data visibility and insights with your Smartsheet data via the tools you already use.
Can you pull data from Excel into Smartsheet? ›You can import an existing Microsoft Excel file, Microsoft Project project, Google Spreadsheet, or Atlassian Trello board to create a new sheet in Smartsheet. Import will always create a new sheet. To bring data from other programs into an existing sheet, use copy and paste.
How many cells can Smartsheet handle? ›Sheet maximums:
Rows: 20,000. Columns: 400. Cells: 500,000. Characters in a cell: 4,000.
- Advantage: Organizing Data. ...
- Disadvantage: User Bias. ...
- Advantage: Streamlines Calculations. ...
- Disadvantage: Learning the Syntax Takes Skill. ...
- Advantage: Multiple User Access. ...
- Disadvantage: Lack of Security.
Spreadsheets can be more collaborative than other tools. It's easy to manipulate and analyze data. You can integrate spreadsheets with certain tools. Spreadsheets are quick and easy to add into a workflow.
What are 3 advantages of using spreadsheets? ›- Formulae can be used to instantly recalculate totals. ...
- You can carry out "what if?" investigations. ...
- The information can be presented in different ways. ...
- It is easy to make these changes, save your work and print it out again.
If you're experiencing issues with a specific sheet not loading or saving as expected, Smartsheet may be timing out because it's processing significant amounts of data. This behavior most commonly occurs in the following situations: The sheet is approaching Smartsheet size limits.
How many sheets can you have in Smartsheet? ›Answers. There is an unlimited number of sheets per user.
Can you auto populate in Smartsheet? ›Conditions That Trigger Formula Autofill
You'll see formulas populate automatically when you type in a newly inserted or blank row that is: Directly between two others that contain the same formula in adjacent cells. At the topmost of the sheet if it's above two rows that have the same formula in adjacent cells.
Who is Smartsheet competition? ›
Other important factors to consider when researching alternatives to Smartsheet include project management and task management. We have compiled a list of solutions that reviewers voted as the best overall alternatives and competitors to Smartsheet, including ClickUp, Asana, Wrike, and monday.com.
How many columns can you have in Smartsheet? ›A sheet can contain up to 400 columns, 20,000 rows, or 500,000 cells (whichever limit is reached first). Read on to learn how to insert, delete, or rename columns in your sheet.
Where does Smartsheet store data? ›Smartsheet does not have any physical data centers. Smartsheet is hosted in an AWS Cloud in Frankfurt, Germany with backup in Dublin, Ireland.
What is a Smartsheet alternative? ›Google Sheets
Very similar to Excel, Google Sheets can be used to track simple projects and visualize basic timelines. Google Sheets makes the list of Smartsheet alternatives because its a spreadsheet! If Smartsheet is too complex for you, then keep your work in the cloud and try Google Sheets.
Microsoft Project
MS Project is a strong Smartsheet alternative thanks to its project planning capabilities. But these features are general, and the tool doesn't offer many industry-specific solutions. That means a construction team or software team might find it lacking in their specific planning and reporting needs.
Reviewers felt that Smartsheet meets the needs of their business better than Microsoft SharePoint. When comparing quality of ongoing product support, reviewers felt that Smartsheet is the preferred option. For feature updates and roadmaps, our reviewers preferred the direction of Smartsheet over Microsoft SharePoint.
Is Smartsheet going away? ›The answer appears to be: not at the moment. Consider that even though Smartsheet is a comparatively tiny company with a market cap of $3.47 billion, it has already achieved a lot of very impressive customer wins in the marketplace, including Cisco, Starbucks, and Netflix.
Can Smartsheet pull data from database? ›Smartsheet Data Shuttle allows you to automatically import data from enterprise software systems like CRM, ERP, databases etc., directly into Smartsheet. Any system that can download to a CSV, Excel, or Google sheet can be uploaded into Smartsheet.
Can you share multiple Smartsheets at once? ›Yes, if you add them to a Workspace.
What is the difference between free and paid Smartsheet? ›Paying, licensed users can manage work (create, build, orchestrate, control, automate) and non-paid, free users can collaborate (view, edit where applicable, comment). If a free user attempts to access a feature they don't have access to, they'll be prompted to upgrade.
Can someone view a Smartsheet without an account? ›
Add collaborators to a sheet or report. The collaborators you share the file with may be inside or outside your organization. You can even share Smartsheet items with users who don't have a Smartsheet account, though, without an account, they may not be able to access all Smartsheet features.
What can free Smartsheet users do? ›Free users can view, edit, and update sheets and reports within the platform. Creating, owning, administering, or driving a process, program, or project in Smartsheet requires a paid license. To learn more about free users, see Features for free users.
What is difference between Google sheet and Smartsheet? ›Google Sheets is the spreadsheet app available on Google Workspace, or standalone, with a free plan for personal use and accessible via mobile apps for iOS and Android. Smartsheet is an online project management and collaboration tool.
Is there a Google version of Smartsheet? ›Smartsheet allows you to collaboratively collect and track lists, names, addresses, and other information.
Why is asana better than Smartsheet? ›In short, Smartsheet offers many of the same features as Asana and is indeed a powerful application. However, Asana provides a better user interface, more robust project management features, and more accessible collaboration capabilities.
Can Smartsheet pull from SQL? ›By using Smartsheet tool, the data is backed up to SQL Server, it is easier for business users to link it to services like reporting, analytics, and more.
Can Smartsheet replace Excel? ›Smartsheet and Excel are powerful tools in their own rights, but they have different primary functions. If you're looking for a project management tool, then Smartsheet will likely be more useful than Excel. However, start with Excel if you need a powerful data visualization and analysis tool.
What language is Smartsheet? ›Smartsheet is currently available in the following languages: English. French.
Can you use Vlookup on Smartsheet? ›Use a VLOOKUP formula to automatically bring in associated content based on criteria in your sheet. For example, bring in someone's role using their name as the criteria. You can use VLOOKUP to look up a value from a table in another sheet.
Can you copy and paste from Excel to Smartsheet? ›Copy and paste between Smartsheet and other programs
If you've copied a multi-line cell in Excel or other programs, double-click the cell in Smartsheet before pasting it. Doing this will prevent the lines from spilling over into the cells below.
Can Smartsheet do calculations? ›
In Smartsheet, you can use formulas to perform calculations on data stored in a single sheet....
How do I query Smartsheet in Excel? ›You can then work with live Smartsheet data in Excel. In Excel, open the Data tab and choose From Other Sources -> From Microsoft Query. Choose the Smartsheet DSN. Select the option to use Query Wizard to create/edit queries.
How do you automate a Smartsheet in Excel? ›Microsoft Power Automate template
Insert rows into an Excel Online (Business) spreadsheet from a Smartsheet sheet. You will have to select an Excel file with a table, and then choose which columns from the sheet to copy into the Excel workbook. Connect your favorite apps to automate repetitive tasks.
You will want to first export to an Excel document, then from there you can re-save the file as a CSV file, selecting only the desired tab (which in your case, the Comments tab).
How many workflows can you have in Smartsheet? ›Each sheet can have up to 150 workflows. Each workflow can have up to 100 blocks. This includes the Trigger, Condition, and Action blocks.
Can multiple people edit a Smartsheet? ›If two people change information in the same cell at roughly the same time, the last saved change will be displayed in the cell. A record of all changes will be available via cell history. To view changes, right-click the cell (Ctrl+click on a Mac) and select View History.
How many attachments can a Smartsheet hold? ›Supported file types, file sizes, and other requirements
You can upload 100 files at a time. While there isn't a limit to the total number of attachments allowed on a row or sheet, you're bound by the amount of storage space included in the sheet owner's subscription.
- No regulatory environment. ...
- More difficult to prevent and detect errors. ...
- Restricted reporting options. ...
- Lack of data security. ...
- Multi-user and multi-role simultaneous data entry not possible. ...
- Limited to only data entry capabilities.
...
Maximum file sizes.
| User or upload type | Maximum file size |
|---|---|
| User or upload type Licensed user | Maximum file size 250 MB (30 MB for Pro plan) |
| User or upload type Free user | Maximum file size 30 MB |
| User or upload type Trial user | Maximum file size 250 MB |
Sheet maximums:
Rows: 20,000. Columns: 400. Cells: 500,000. Characters in a cell: 4,000.
What makes Smartsheet unique? ›
Smartsheet is the only platform that can scale from a single project to end-to-end work management, connecting business on a no-code, cloud-based platform where anyone can create the solution they need — backed by the control and security IT requires.
What is the best use for Smartsheet? ›You can also use the tool's spreadsheet templates to create customized workflows and track everything from calendar events to resource capacity and task lists. Added features like interactive spreadsheets, forms, collaboration tools, and reporting dashboards make Smartsheet a true all-in-one project management tool.
What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of using spreadsheets? ›- Advantage: Organizing Data. ...
- Disadvantage: User Bias. ...
- Advantage: Streamlines Calculations. ...
- Disadvantage: Learning the Syntax Takes Skill. ...
- Advantage: Multiple User Access. ...
- Disadvantage: Lack of Security.
If your spreadsheet contains a lot of rows or columns, it may break at an inappropriate place when you print it. To fix that, you can manually set a page break.
What are the problems with paper based systems? ›- Reduced productivity.
- Reputational damage.
- Heightened compliance risks.
- Increased travel.
- Print infrastructure.
- Microsoft Project Online.
- Wrike.
- Planview AdaptiveWork.
- Zoho Projects.
- monday.com.
- Clarity PPM.
- Workfront.
- ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management.
Google Sheets
One of the more simple Smartsheet alternatives is Google Sheets. It's a free spreadsheet tool by Google with various uses such as data management and even project management.
the only way for them to see them is if they are shared. if you go to the sheets you don't want them to see and click on the share button it will show if they are shared to the sheet if they are then you can un-share them.