Smartsheet

Smartsheet occupies a specific, useful niche between pure spreadsheet tools and purpose-built project management software: it keeps the familiar grid-based interaction model teams already know from Excel or Google Sheets, while adding genuine project management capability that spreadsheets don't natively provide.

Grid-First, But Built for Project Management

The core insight behind Smartsheet is that many teams' default planning tool is a spreadsheet, not because spreadsheets are ideal for project management, but because the team is already comfortable with that interaction model. Rather than asking those teams to adopt an entirely different visual paradigm (cards, boards, timelines as primary views) the way Asana or Monday does, Smartsheet keeps the grid as the primary interface while layering in real project management features on top.

Genuine Project Management Capability

Beyond the familiar grid, Smartsheet adds Gantt charts with proper task dependencies, multiple view types (calendar, card, Gantt) over the same underlying data, and on higher tiers, workflow automation that can trigger notifications or approval requests based on changes within the sheet. This is meaningfully more capable than what a team could build with raw Excel formulas and manual processes, even though the surface-level interface remains familiar.

Workflow Automation

Smartsheet's Business-tier automation reduces a common pain point in spreadsheet-based project tracking: the manual follow-up required to keep a project moving when nothing in a plain spreadsheet actively prompts action. Automated triggers — alerting a stakeholder when a task is marked complete, requesting approval when a status changes — bring some of the proactive workflow management that dedicated project tools offer, without abandoning the grid interface.

The Hybrid Tradeoff

Smartsheet's position between pure spreadsheets and purpose-built project tools is also its central tradeoff: teams that have fully embraced visual, card-based project management (like Asana's board view) may find Smartsheet's grid-first approach less intuitive for certain workflows, even as spreadsheet-native teams find it more approachable than switching to an unfamiliar visual paradigm entirely.

Pricing

Plan	Price	What's included
Pro	$9/month per user	Unlimited sheets, Gantt/calendar views
Business	$19/month per user	Automated workflows, resource management

Who Should Use Smartsheet

Teams whose existing planning processes are built around spreadsheets get the clearest benefit from Smartsheet's lower-friction transition compared to fully different project management paradigms. Organizations needing both structured project tracking and flexible tabular data management benefit from Smartsheet's hybrid capability. Teams that strongly prefer visual, card-based project views may find Asana's or Monday's more purpose-built visual interfaces a better fit.

Verdict

Smartsheet succeeds at its specific goal of bringing real project management capability to teams who aren't ready to abandon the spreadsheet-based mental model they're already comfortable with, without sacrificing meaningful functionality compared to purpose-built project tools. For teams with strong existing spreadsheet habits, that lower-friction transition is a genuine practical advantage worth the lack of a free tier.

Smartsheet vs. Microsoft Project vs. Asana

Microsoft Project is the Gantt chart specialist for project managers. Asana is the task and work management platform. Smartsheet is the flexible grid-based work management tool — appropriate for teams that think in spreadsheets and want project management features without adopting an entirely different interface paradigm.

Overall rating: 4.0 / 5