Hive vs Smartsheet
Thesis: Overlapping use cases, different tradeoffs — Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Comparison thesis: Overlapping use cases, different tradeoffs. Choose Hive only if your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape. Choose Smartsheet only if your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape. Workflow advantage: Hive leans team-collaboration-work; Smartsheet leans resource-planning, timeline-reporting. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. Major differences: - Buyer thesis: Overlapping use cases, different tradeoffs — Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. - Positioning: Hive is Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — strong monday.com peer.; Smartsheet is Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/member/mo annual.. - Company-size focus: Hive (micro, small-business, mid-market) vs Smartsheet (small-business, mid-market, enterprise). - Workflow coverage skew: Hive-leaning team-collaboration-work vs Smartsheet-leaning resource-planning, timeline-reporting. - Researched limits: Hive — Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams; Smartsheet — No free plan. Limitations — Hive: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams; Free storage (200MB) and AI credits (1k) are tight for active teams; Smartsheet: No free plan; Business tier pricing jump. Poor-fit cases: Hive is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams · Smartsheet is a poor fit when that limitation bites: No free plan · Avoid Hive if you actually need Smartsheet's motion (Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro fr) Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only.
Hive
Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — strong monday.com peer.
Best for
- • your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
- • use-case priority is work-management and Smartsheet is secondary for that motion
Starting from $5.00/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
Comparison thesis: Overlapping use cases, different tradeoffs. Choose Hive only if your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape. Choose Smartsheet only if your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape. Workflow advantage: Hive leans team-collaboration-work; Smartsheet leans resource-planning, timeline-reporting. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. Hive is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams Smartsheet is a poor fit when that limitation bites: No free plan Hard limitation for Hive when it matters: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams. Hard limitation for Smartsheet when it matters: No free plan. Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only. Pricing threshold: estimate spend with the cost calculator before shortlisting.
Hive is better for
- ✓ Free plan
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Collaboration
- ✓ AI features
Smartsheet is better for
- ✓ Timeline / Gantt
- ✓ Integrations
- ✓ Reporting
Tie
- • Automations
Choose Hive if: your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
Choose Smartsheet if: your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/member/mo annual.
Best for
- • your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
- • use-case priority is work-management and Hive is secondary for that motion
Starting from $9.00/user/mo
No free plan
Quick verdict
Start here — then dig into the evidence below.
Choose Hive if…
- your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
- use-case priority is work-management and Smartsheet is secondary for that motion
- You prioritize free plan
- You prioritize ease of use
Choose Smartsheet if…
- your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
- use-case priority is work-management and Hive is secondary for that motion
- You prioritize timeline / gantt
- You prioritize integrations
Overall recommendation
Comparison thesis: Overlapping use cases, different tradeoffs. Choose Hive only if your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape. Choose Smartsheet only if your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape. Workflow advantage: Hive leans team-collaboration-work; Smartsheet leans resource-planning, timeline-reporting. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. Hive is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams Smartsheet is a poor fit when that limitation bites: No free plan Hard limitation for Hive when it matters: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams. Hard limitation for Smartsheet when it matters: No free plan. Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only. Pricing threshold: estimate spend with the cost calculator before shortlisting.
Key trade-off
Hive trades toward free plan; Smartsheet trades toward timeline / gantt.
Winner by category
Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.
| Dimension | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Hive wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on free plan: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Ease of use | Hive wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on ease of use: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Timeline / Gantt | Smartsheet wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on timeline gantt: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Smartsheet on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Automations | Tie | Hive vs Smartsheet on automations: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to neither product on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Collaboration | Hive wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on collaboration: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Integrations | Smartsheet wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on integrations: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Smartsheet on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| AI features | Hive wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on ai features: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Reporting | Smartsheet wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on reporting: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Smartsheet on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Value | Hive wins | Hive vs Smartsheet on value for money: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
Side-by-side feature matrix
Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.
Work planning
| Feature | Hive | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Task boards & work views | Strong | Strong |
| Timeline / Gantt | Strong | Strong |
| Workload & resource management | Strong | Strong |
| Time tracking | Strong | Moderate |
Execution
| Feature | Hive | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Automations & workflows | Strong | Strong |
| Docs & collaboration | Strong | Strong |
| AI assistance | Strong | Moderate |
Platform
| Feature | Hive | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations ecosystem | Strong | Strong |
| Reporting & dashboards | Strong | Strong |
Adjacent productivity
| Feature | Hive | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Document / PDF productivity | Limited | Limited |
| Remote access / screen share | Limited | Limited |
| Desktop workspace organizer | Limited | Limited |
Pricing comparison
Pricing evidence last checked Sep 9, 2026.
Hive
From $5.00/user/mo
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Starter$5.00/user/mo
- Teams$12.00/user/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
Smartsheet
From $9.00/user/mo
- Pro$9.00/user/mo
- Business$19.00/user/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
Seat-count estimates
Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.
| Seats | Hive | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | ~$25.00/mo (5 × starting seat) | ~$45.00/mo (5 × starting seat) |
| 10 | ~$50.00/mo (10 × starting seat) | ~$90.00/mo (10 × starting seat) |
| 25 | ~$125.00/mo (25 × starting seat) | ~$225.00/mo (25 × starting seat) |
| 50 | ~$250.00/mo (50 × starting seat) | ~$450.00/mo (50 × starting seat) |
Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.
Starting prices not verified for either product Model team cost scenarios in the project-management cost calculator Cost calculator: /tools/project-management-cost-calculator/
Best for
Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.
- → Depends
Prefer Hive when your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
Prefer Hive when your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
- → Depends
Prefer Hive when use-case priority is work-management and Smartsheet is secondary for that motion
Prefer Hive when use-case priority is work-management and Smartsheet is secondary for that motion
- → Depends
Prefer Smartsheet when your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
Prefer Smartsheet when your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
- → Depends
Prefer Smartsheet when use-case priority is work-management and Hive is secondary for that motion
Prefer Smartsheet when use-case priority is work-management and Hive is secondary for that motion
- → Hive
Best for free plan
Hive vs Smartsheet on free plan: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
- → Hive
Best for ease of use
Hive vs Smartsheet on ease of use: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
The differences that actually matter
Pair-specific analysis for Hive vs Smartsheet — not generic category copy.
Timeline / Gantt
Smartsheet aheadOn timeline / gantt, Smartsheet is ahead. Hive: Trails Smartsheet on this criterion. Smartsheet: Hive vs Smartsheet on timeline gantt: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Smartsheet on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.. Feature evidence also diverges on Time tracking (Hive: Strong; Smartsheet: Moderate); AI assistance (Hive: Strong; Smartsheet: Moderate).
Automations
TieHive and Smartsheet are close on automations. Hive vs Smartsheet on automations: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to neither product on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
Integrations
Smartsheet aheadOn integrations, Smartsheet is ahead. Hive: Trails Smartsheet on this criterion. Smartsheet: Hive vs Smartsheet on integrations: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Smartsheet on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above..
Reporting
Smartsheet aheadOn reporting, Smartsheet is ahead. Hive: Trails Smartsheet on this criterion. Smartsheet: Hive vs Smartsheet on reporting: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Smartsheet on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above..
Pros and cons
Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.
Hive
Pros
- Stronger on free plan
- Stronger on ease of use
- Stronger on collaboration
- Stronger on ai features
Cons
- Trails on timeline / gantt
- Trails on integrations
- Trails on reporting
Smartsheet
Pros
- Stronger on timeline / gantt
- Stronger on integrations
- Stronger on reporting
Cons
- Trails on free plan
- Trails on ease of use
- Trails on collaboration
Implementation & learning curve
Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.
Hive
- Stronger on ease of use: Hive vs Smartsheet on ease of use: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
Smartsheet
- Trails on ease of use relative to Hive
Integrations
Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.
Hive: Strong. Smartsheet: Strong.
Who should not choose each product
Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.
Don't choose Hive if…
- You need Smartsheet's stronger timeline / gantt more than Hive's strengths
- You need Smartsheet's stronger integrations more than Hive's strengths
- You need Smartsheet's stronger reporting more than Hive's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
Don't choose Smartsheet if…
- You need Hive's stronger free plan more than Smartsheet's strengths
- You need Hive's stronger ease of use more than Smartsheet's strengths
- You need Hive's stronger collaboration more than Smartsheet's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
Alternatives worth considering
When neither product is the right fit.
Work OS / work management platform with boards, timelines, automations and AI credits — Basic from $9/seat/mo annual (3-seat minimum).
PowerPoint-native timeline / Gantt specialist (now Lucen Timeline) — Free add-in; Lite from $9/user/mo annual.
Enterprise/agency work management with proofing, intake and resourcing — Team from $10/user/mo annual.
Cross-functional work management with goals, workflows and AI Studio — Starter from $10.99/user/mo annual.
Final verdict
Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.
Hive wins when…
your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
Smartsheet wins when…
your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
- Prefer Hive when your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shapeDepends
- Prefer Hive when use-case priority is work-management and Smartsheet is secondary for that motionDepends
- Prefer Smartsheet when your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shapeDepends
- Prefer Smartsheet when use-case priority is work-management and Hive is secondary for that motionDepends
Which one should you choose?
Choose Hive if:
- your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape
- use-case priority is work-management and Smartsheet is secondary for that motion
Choose Smartsheet if:
- your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
- use-case priority is work-management and Hive is secondary for that motion
Product screenshots
Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.
Hive
Smartsheet
FAQ
- Is Hive better than Smartsheet?
- Comparison thesis: Overlapping use cases, different tradeoffs. Choose Hive only if your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape. Choose Smartsheet only if your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape. Workflow advantage: Hive leans team-collaboration-work; Smartsheet leans resource-planning, timeline-reporting. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. Hive is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams Smartsheet is a poor fit when that limitation bites: No free plan Hard limitation for Hive when it matters: Free and Starter cap members/projects at 10 — growth forces Teams. Hard limitation for Smartsheet when it matters: No free plan. Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only. Pricing threshold: estimate spend with the cost calculator before shortlisting.
- Which is easier to use?
- Hive vs Smartsheet on ease of use: Hive and Smartsheet share buyer workflows; choose based on documented strengths and limits. Decision edge to Hive on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
- Which project management fits which team?
- Hive: your buying job matches “Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — ” rather than Smartsheet's shape Smartsheet: your buying job matches “Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/memb” rather than Hive's shape
- Does Hive or Smartsheet have a free plan?
- Hive: Free plan available. Smartsheet: No free plan.
- How does Hive vs Smartsheet pricing compare?
- Hive starts from $5.00/user/mo. Smartsheet starts from $9.00/user/mo. Confirm live vendor pricing before purchasing.
- How did SoftwareGlimpse compare these products?
- We map both products to the same category criteria, then evaluate trade-offs using verified product, pricing and feature evidence. Affiliate relationships never change outcomes.
- reviewHive review
- reviewSmartsheet review
- pricingHive pricing
- pricingSmartsheet pricing
- alternativemonday.com alternative
- alternativeOffice Timeline alternative
- alternativeWrike alternative
- guideWhat Is Project Management Software?
- guideHow to Choose Project Management Software
- guideProject Management Pricing Guide
- categoryproject management hub
- finderBest project management software
- calculatorCost calculator
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider
monday.com
Work OS / work management platform with boards, timelines, automations and AI credits — Basic from $9/seat/mo annual (3-seat minimum).
Office Timeline
PowerPoint-native timeline / Gantt specialist (now Lucen Timeline) — Free add-in; Lite from $9/user/mo annual.
Wrike
Enterprise/agency work management with proofing, intake and resourcing — Team from $10/user/mo annual.
Asana
Cross-functional work management with goals, workflows and AI Studio — Starter from $10.99/user/mo annual.
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