Smartsheet: who it fits, what it costs, and the catch
Start here: Smartsheet
Operations, marketing and PMO teams managing complex cross-functional projects
Who Smartsheet fits, and who it does not
- Checked 2026-10-14
- 1 source
Scored against the other verified project management tools. How we score tools. What we earn is not part of it.
- Good for
- Operations, marketing and PMO teams managing complex cross-functional projects
- Mid-sized and enterprise companies (construction, healthcare, IT)
- Spreadsheet-comfortable teams needing more automation and control
- Not for
- Freelancers, very small teams and early-stage startups
- Sales teams (CRM work feels clunky)
- Teams wanting plug-and-play simplicity
- The catch
- Spreadsheet-style work management made for larger companies, but setup isn't intuitive and advanced automation and reports take time to learn.
Data last verified: 2026-10-14
What Smartsheet costs over five years
Five years for a team of 5, paid yearly: $2,700
On the Pro plan, at today's price. We do not assume a rise.
- Paid monthly, one year
- $720
- Paid yearly, one year
- $540
Paying yearly saves $180 a year (25%).
Change the number to see your own total. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Vendor pricing page · checked 2026-10-18We have tracked Smartsheet's prices since 2026-10-18; no change so far. All price changes
The free plan, as Smartsheet describes it.
What you risk by starting
Trial, refunds and getting your data out of Smartsheet.
- Getting your data out
- Sheets and reports can be exported to Excel and Google Sheets on all plans
- Vendor page · checked 2026-10-18
What we verified Smartsheet can do
Open a row for the vendor's own wording and the page we read it on.
Task managementNot verified
Not verified: the vendor gives no detail.
Not verifiedBoard view (Kanban)Yes
Timeline view (Gantt)Yes
Time trackingNot verified
Not verified: the vendor gives no detail.
Not verifiedRecurring tasksNot verified
Not verified: the vendor gives no detail.
Not verifiedFile sharingYes
Invite clients or guestsYes
Does routine steps for youYes
ReportingYes
Dashboards and reports on all plans (Pro limited to 10 widgets and 1 sheet per report)
Vendor page · checked 2026-10-14Mobile appYes
If Smartsheet isn’t right for you
See every verified Project management tool
Rank 1
Zoho Projects
Small to medium businesses and startups wanting a low-cost full-featured tool
Our score89.7 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $900
Rank 2
ClickUp
Teams of all sizes from startups to enterprises
Our score87.3 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $2,100
Rank 3
Trello
Teams and individuals wanting a lightweight visual Kanban tool
Our score86.6 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $1,500
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Rank 4
Asana
Medium-to-large teams running multiple cross-functional projects
Our score86.4 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $3,297
Rank 5
Wrike
Marketing teams, creative agencies, IT and product development teams
Our score85.6 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $3,000
Rank 6
Teamwork.com
Agencies and service teams that manage client work
Our score83.8 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $2,997
Rank 7
monday.com
Non-technical teams wanting easy visual setup without IT help
Our score78.4 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $2,700
Rank 8
Notion
Individuals wanting one workspace for notes, tasks, projects and databases
Our score73.6 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $3,000
Rank 9
Basecamp
Freelancers, startups and small teams with simple to-do based projects
Our score50.4 / 100Five years for a team of 5: $1,500
Where these facts come from
What to do next
- Work out the cost for your own team size
- Compare the runner-up, Zoho Projects
- See how we score, so you can check our work
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Data last verified: 2026-10-14