Monday.com vs Smartsheet: Best Project Management Tool
Quick Comparison
| Monday.com | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Small-to-mid-sized teams that want a flexible, visual tool everyone can learn quickly, with a genuine free tier at small scale. | Organizations that already think in spreadsheet logic and need deeper reporting, resource management, and enterprise controls than board-first tools typically offer. |
| Pricing | Free (up to 2 seats) / $9/user/mo Standard / $12/user/mo Pro (annual) | 30-day free trial / $9/user/mo Pro (annual) / $19/user/mo Business (annual, 3-user min) |
| Winner | Our Pick |
Tool Breakdown
Monday.com
Monday.com is the better pick for most small-to-mid-sized teams because it's genuinely usable free for up to 2 seats, its visual boards are faster to learn than Smartsheet's grid-first layout, and it doesn't require a paid plan just to trial the product long-term.
- Free plan supports up to 2 seats indefinitely — not a time-limited trial like Smartsheet's current signup flow
- No-code automations (250/mo on the Standard plan) and Gantt views are approachable without dedicated admin training
- Highly visual board layouts tend to have a faster learning curve for non-spreadsheet-native teams
- Free tier caps out at 2 seats and 3 boards, too small for teams past the earliest stage
- Enterprise-level reporting and resource-management depth trail Smartsheet's at the top end
- Automation and integration limits scale with plan tier, so heavy workflow use can push costs up quickly
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-first work management platform built for enterprise-grade project tracking, Gantt charts, and reporting.
- Spreadsheet-native grid layout is immediately familiar to teams coming from Excel, reducing onboarding friction for that audience
- Deeper Gantt-chart, resource-management, and enterprise-reporting capabilities at the Business and Enterprise tiers
- Pro plan entry price ($9/user/mo annual) matches Monday's Standard tier despite Smartsheet's heavier enterprise feature set
- No permanent free plan for new signups since August 28, 2024 — only a 30-day full-feature trial before sheets go read-only and are eventually deleted
- Business tier requires a 3-user minimum, adding cost for very small teams
- Grid-first layout can feel less visual and more admin-heavy than board-based tools for teams not already spreadsheet-fluent
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Smartsheet have a free plan? +
Not anymore for new signups. Smartsheet closed its permanent Free plan to new users on August 28, 2024 — existing Free-plan users keep their access, but anyone signing up today only gets a 30-day full-feature trial before choosing a paid plan. Monday.com, by contrast, still offers a free plan for up to 2 seats indefinitely.
Which tool is cheaper, Monday.com or Smartsheet? +
At the entry paid tier they're close: Monday's Standard and Smartsheet's Pro plan both run $9/user/mo billed annually. The bigger cost difference is that Monday.com still has a genuinely free tier for small teams, while Smartsheet requires a paid plan after its 30-day trial ends.
Which tool is better for spreadsheet-heavy teams? +
Smartsheet. Its grid-first layout is built to feel like an advanced spreadsheet, with deeper Gantt-chart and enterprise-reporting features aimed at organizations already working in spreadsheet logic. Monday.com's board-first, visual layout suits teams that prefer a less spreadsheet-like interface.