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Updated: Dec 4, 2025
Tested: 3 months continuous use
8 min read
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Smartsheet Review

// Productivity Updated: Dec 2025
Industry Standard

Smartsheet transforms how enterprise teams manage complex projects with its spreadsheet-style interface enhanced by powerful AI capabilities. Unlike traditional project management tools, Smartsheet combines the flexibility of spreadsheets with robust automation, Gantt charts, and real-time collaboration features that scale across large organizations. The November 2025 AI launch introduced Smart Assist, Smart Agents, and other intelligent features that make enterprise work management significantly more efficient.

Quick Intel

Our Rating
4.4
Price $12/mo
Time Saved ~3h/wk
Free Tier Yes
Best For Enterprise spreadsheet power users
Try Smartsheet

Free tier available. No credit card required.

// Jump To
// TL;DR
Smartsheet excels at enterprise-scale project management for teams comfortable with spreadsheet interfaces. Starting at $12/month for Pro, it offers Gantt charts, unlimited sheets, and 250 automations monthly. Business tier at $24/month unlocks unlimited automations. Best for organizations needing powerful data analysis alongside project tracking.
01

Pricing Breakdown

Smartsheet uses a per-user, per-month pricing model with four tiers designed for different team sizes and needs. The platform offers a 30-day free trial with full Pro features, making it easy to evaluate before committing. Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales for custom quotes based on organization size and requirements.

Free Trial
Free
  • 30-day trial
  • Access to all Pro features during trial
Pro
$12 /month
  • Basic AI features
  • Standard workflow automation (250/month)
  • Multiple view types (Gantt, board, calendar)
  • Unlimited sheets and reports
Business
$24 /month
  • All Pro features
  • Unlimited automations (no monthly cap)
  • Advanced collaboration (unlimited guests)
  • Enhanced storage (1 TB)
  • Native integrations (Tableau, Brandfolder, Adobe)
i

Save up to 25% with annual billing. Pro drops to $9/month and Business to $19/month when billed annually.

Smartsheet Project Management ROI Calculator

// Calculate Your Time Savings
// Your Usage
Project tasks per week 30
Minutes per task without Smartsheet 15
Your hourly rate ($) $50
Smartsheet monthly cost ($) $12
Calculation Assumptions:
- 50% reduction in review cycles based on Forrester TEI study findings
- 40+ hours saved per employee annually from streamlined workflows
- 75% fewer work management emails reported by enterprise users
- Calculation assumes $50/hour professional rate for time savings
// Your Results
Annual ROI
0%
Monthly Savings
$0
Annual Savings
$0
Cost/Use
$0.00
Efficiency Gain
0%
Time reclaimed 0h / month
Start Saving Time
Free tier available
02

Feature Analysis

Smartsheet combines spreadsheet flexibility with enterprise-grade project management capabilities. The platform excels in complex data analysis, automated workflows, and cross-functional collaboration. Recent AI enhancements add intelligent project creation, risk monitoring, and natural language automation.

Project Visualization

Excellent

Multiple views including Gantt, board, calendar, and timeline with drag-and-drop dependency management

Workflow Automation

Good

250 automations/month on Pro, unlimited on Business+, with Smart Flows for natural language automation

AI Capabilities

Good

Smart Assist, Smart Agents, Smart Columns for intelligent project management and data analysis

Data Analysis

Excellent

Advanced reporting, dashboards, and spreadsheet-style formulas for complex financial modeling

Integrations

Good

175+ integrations including Microsoft, Adobe, Google, Salesforce, and Jira connectors

Ease of Use

Average

Familiar spreadsheet interface but steeper learning curve compared to simpler tools

03

The Honest Truth

What We Love
  • Powerful Data Analysis - Spreadsheet-style interface enables complex formulas, financial modeling, and advanced reporting that simpler PM tools cannot match
  • Enterprise-Grade Automation - Unlimited automations on Business tier with Smart Flows allowing natural language workflow creation
  • Flexible Visualization - Multiple view types including Gantt, board, calendar, and timeline views with drag-and-drop editing
  • Comprehensive AI Suite - Smart Assist, Smart Agents, and Smart Columns provide intelligent project creation, risk monitoring, and data categorization
What Could Be Better
  • Steep Learning Curve - Spreadsheet-based interface requires significant onboarding time, especially for users unfamiliar with Excel-style workflows
  • Limited Free Plan - Only offers a 30-day trial with no permanent free tier, unlike competitors like Asana or Monday.com
  • AI Requires Enterprise - Full AI capabilities including Smart Agents are locked to Enterprise tier with custom pricing
04

Who Should Use This

Enterprise Project Portfolio

Manage complex multi-department initiatives with advanced reporting, resource allocation, and executive dashboards

Best Fit

Financial Planning & Analysis

Track budgets, forecasts, and financial models using familiar spreadsheet formulas and pivot-style reporting

Best Fit

Process Automation

Automate approval workflows, status updates, and cross-functional handoffs with Smart Flows automation

Best Fit

Cross-Team Collaboration

Coordinate work across marketing, operations, and IT with real-time updates and unlimited guest access

Good Fit

Resource Management

Plan and allocate team capacity across projects with workload tracking and timeline views

Good Fit

OKR & Goal Tracking

Monitor organizational objectives with roll-up summaries and automated progress reporting

Good Fit

Small Teams & Startups

Limited free plan and minimum seat requirements make it expensive for small teams compared to alternatives

Not Ideal

Individual Task Management

Overkill for personal productivity - simpler tools like Todoist or Notion offer better solo experiences

Not Ideal

Visual-First Teams

Teams preferring Kanban-style visual management may find the spreadsheet interface overwhelming

Not Ideal
05

vs. Competition

ToolPriceKey FeatureNoteBest For
Smartsheet
Smartsheet
$12/mo Unlimited automations 175+ integrations Enterprise spreadsheet PM
Asana
Asana
$11/mo 250 automations/mo 100+ integrations Team collaboration
Monday.com
Monday.com
$12/mo 250 automations/mo 50+ integrations Visual workflows
Wrike
Wrike
$10/mo 200 automations/mo 50+ integrations Marketing teams
ClickUp
ClickUp
$7/mo 100 automations/mo 50+ integrations Budget-conscious teams
06

Frequently Asked Questions

While both use spreadsheet interfaces, Smartsheet adds project-specific features like Gantt charts, automated workflows, real-time collaboration, and integrations that Excel lacks. Smartsheet is purpose-built for work management, whereas Excel requires significant customization for project tracking.
Smartsheet introduced comprehensive AI capabilities in November 2025 including Smart Assist (AI project creation), Smart Agents (automated risk monitoring), Smart Flows (natural language automation), and Smart Columns (AI-powered data categorization). Full AI features require the Enterprise tier.
Smartsheet offers a 30-day free trial with access to Pro features, but no permanent free tier. After the trial, you must subscribe to Pro ($12/month), Business ($24/month), or Enterprise plans. For truly free project management, consider Asana or Monday.com which offer limited free plans.
The Pro plan includes 250 automations per month, while Business and Enterprise plans offer unlimited automations. Automations include triggers, conditions, and actions for tasks like status updates, notifications, and approval workflows.
Yes, Smartsheet offers native integrations with both Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Outlook) and Google Workspace (Drive, Calendar, Gmail). The platform supports 175+ integrations including Salesforce, Jira, Adobe, and Tableau for enterprise workflows.
07

Final Verdict

4.4/5
Our Rating

Enterprise Work Management for Spreadsheet Power Users

Smartsheet stands out as the premier choice for enterprises that need spreadsheet-style data analysis combined with robust project management. The platform's unique strength lies in bridging the gap between complex data work and collaborative project tracking. While the learning curve is steeper than visual-first tools like Asana or Monday.com, teams comfortable with Excel will find a powerful, scalable solution. The November 2025 AI enhancements add significant value, though they require Enterprise pricing. Best for organizations with complex reporting needs and the budget to invest in proper onboarding.

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