Best Smartsheet Alternatives: Smartsheet Pros & Cons

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Smartsheet is work collaboration software that enables teams across an organization to manage projects, build custom workflows, and create online solutions. It provides users with different roles in different industries a central workspace where they can streamline processes, collaborate in real time, manage resources, and track projects. But businesses with unique and special requirements should look at solutions from Smartsheet competitors. Read more: Smartsheet Software : Pricing, Plans, & Features

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Top 3 Smartsheet Alternative Software

After weighing Smartsheet pros and cons, teams may come to the conclusion that they need something more affordable, or more specific for their needs. Here are our top three recommendations for Smartsheet alternatives:
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Smartsheet Alternatives: What to Look for

Companies in search of a more suitable solution should look for an alternative that includes both features available in Smartsheet, as well as features that are missing or in higher priced plans.
  • Reports and dashboards that can consolidate information across multiple projects
  • Forms that users can easily embed and share for request management
  • Multiple customizable work views, including Gantt charts, for different perspectives
  • Built-in automation for repetitive processes and recurring workflows
  • Task dependencies and critical path capabilities
  • Project and portfolio management tools that provide actionable insights
  • Enterprise-grade security with SSO and SAML features
  • Organized and in-context communication and content collaboration
  • Customization of individual, account, or organization workspaces and tools
  • Mobile access and seamless integrations with other tools
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Best Smartsheet Alternatives

Companies should carefully consider all the Smartsheet advantages and disadvantages to determine if it is a feasible solution. If not, this list can help in their search for a Smartsheet alternative that matches the needs of their team and organization.

Asana

Asana is an online project and task management solution that helps give teams clarity, context, and ownership of their work. It is a free Smartsheet alternative for up to 15 users. Teams get multiple views, such as board, list, timeline, and calendar views. They have access to core project management tools to organize and share their projects, break work into tasks and subtasks, assign responsibilities, set start/due dates and times, and visualize milestones. Asana includes mobile apps and over 100 free integrations, including time tracking. It also offers unlimited storage and a per-user pricing that is more scalable compared to the minimum of three users pricing in Smartsheet. asana screenshot

monday.com

monday.com is a flexible work management solution for individuals, teams, and companies across industries. It is easy to use, quick to deploy, highly visual, and centralized, making it an ideal Smartsheet alternative for small businesses. The software offers several paid plans and also a free plan that allow users to scale easily without having to pay for features they do not need yet. Both monday. com and Smartsheet offer numerous integrations depending on the paid plan the user is on. However, the more numerous tiers available in monday Work OS allow users to have better control of integration costs. Also, non-technical teams and users prefer the software for its intuitive interface and navigation. monday.com screenshot

Workfront

Adobe Workfront is an online business solution for the enterprise. It helps create a centralized work management platform. Comprehensive tools and features provide end-to-end solutions from strategy to delivery. Workfront is among those Smartsheet competitors offering a solution that goes beyond basic project management. It has features that include intelligent workflows, proofing, financial management, portfolio management, visual resource management, and cross-team work management in a scalable and configurable solution. adobe workfront screenshot

Airtable

Airtable is a flexible online solution that provides users a way to build applications using an intuitive interface. It is a free Smartsheet alternative with a familiar spreadsheet-like interface, but with the back-end capabilities of a relational database. The software also provides multiple work views that include forms and galleries. Airtable provides more flexibility in allowing users to build solutions. NGOs and marketing teams prefer it over Smartsheet. Although it provides visual tools ideal for tracking work, it does not have Smartsheet’s project management features like dependencies, critical path, and baselines. airtable screenshot

Mavenlink

Mavenlink is professional services automation and resource management software. It is an integrated solution that lets users manage resources and projects with built-in collaboration tools. Customers apply the software in a wide range of industries like advertising, business consulting, real estate, education, finance, government, healthcare, manufacturing, oil & gas, and NGOs. Mavenlink allows users to get a unified view of their projects and resources so they can balance work requests and team capacity better. It also provides insights that enable users to maximize margins and make effective forecasts. While many Smartsheet users are developers of solutions, Mavenlink users are providers of services. mavenlink screenshot

Trello

Trello is online collaboration software with free and paid plans. It is ideal for a variety of use cases, due to its flexible system of boards, lists, and cards. The software supports visibility that is ideal for tracking tasks and automating workflows. Its drag-and-drop interface is also easy to use for employees of all skill levels. Trello is popular among small teams and businesses. While it provides unlimited integrations and built-in automation, its default view is a board layout. Multiple work views are available at higher priced plans. Unlike Smartsheet, however, it has limited reporting capabilities. trello screenshot

Clarizen One

Clarizen One from Planview is automated workflow project management software. It brings together project management, workflow automation, and in-context collaboration. Users across the organization can configure the software’s dashboards and interface so it adapts to their business. It supports multiple work styles and integrates with task management systems. Clarizen One supports collaboration through discussions, email, files, and shareable links. It also has centralized digital proofing, process automation, and dynamic reports and dashboards. Both Clarizen and Smartsheet target the same midsize business market, with users in need of more portfolio-level tools and visibility choosing Clarizen. clarizen screenshot

Project Insight

Project Insight is work and project management software that centralizes tasks and projects in an online platform. It is among those Smartsheet competitors that offer a free plan along with paid and enterprise plans. Small teams and startups can take advantage of its task and issue management, as well as Gantt chart views. Project Insight is an affordable alternative that allows growing businesses to use add-ons like custom fields, project baseline, budgeting, time tracking, and expense entry when they need it. It also has project templates, approvals, resource and capacity management, mobile apps, document management, and portfolio management for enterprise users. project insight screenshot

Clarity

Clarity from Broadcom is an enterprise business management solution that provides digital product management and project portfolio management tools. It goes beyond traditional project management by helping users manage value streams. Clarity includes features like strategic roadmaps, allowing users to map risks and dependencies while tracking progress. It has project financials with charting and grouping functions, customization, and BI integration. Other features include team management, idea management, resource management, and strategic portfolio management. clarity screenshot

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project now offers several cloud-based solutions to help users stay organized and focused. It enables users to manage projects of varying complexity. It includes a project home screen, and multiple work views like Gantt, list, and board views. Microsoft Project offers per-user pricing with the option to upgrade to higher plans for advanced features like ERP, demand management, portfolio selection and optimization, and resource management. All plans support collaboration and communication through Teams integration. It also allows co-authoring, project planning and scheduling, pre-built reports, and timesheet submission. ms project screenshot Back to top

Ready to Try a Smartsheet Alternative?

Smartsheet is solid project management software with additional tools and features that make it applicable to a range of business professionals and industries. Companies looking for another type of solution can use this quick list to help start their search.

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