Hive vs Smartsheet
Compare Hive and Smartsheet on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
Hive
Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — strong monday.com peer.
Best for
- • SMB and mid-market teams wanting Work OS depth with a lower paid entry than monday
- • Teams that can start on Free (≤10) before upgrading to Teams
- • Buyers comparing monday.com as a primary Work OS peer
Starting from $5.00/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between Hive and Smartsheet. Choose Hive when SMB and mid-market teams wanting Work OS depth with a lower paid entry than monday. Choose Smartsheet when Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
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: SMB and mid-market teams wanting Work OS depth with a lower paid entry than monday
Choose Smartsheet if: Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/member/mo annual.
Best for
- • Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
- • Ops teams needing Gantt + portfolios
- • Structured program reporting
Starting from $9.00/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for Hive and Smartsheet. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Depends
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
Hive researched starting price from $5/mo; a free plan is researched; Smartsheet researched starting price from $9/mo. Seat minimums and AI credits can change TCO.
HiveDependsSmartsheetDepends - Depends
Seat / licence minimum
Minimum billed seats and how that changes small-team cost.
Check paid seat floors for Hive and Smartsheet on current vendor packaging.
HiveDependsSmartsheetDepends - Hive
Free plan
Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.
Hive researches a free plan; Smartsheet does not research a free plan.
HiveStrongerSmartsheetWeaker - Hive
Ease of use
How quickly teams become productive.
Hive leads on ease of use (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive8/10Smartsheet7/10 - Smartsheet
Timeline / Gantt
Native timeline, Gantt, or dependency planning.
Smartsheet leads on timeline gantt (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive8/10Smartsheet9/10 - Tie
Automations
Rules, recipes, and workflow automations in the work OS.
Hive and Smartsheet are close on automations (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive8/10Smartsheet8/10 - Hive
Collaboration
Docs, comments, chat, proofing, and guest collaboration quality.
Hive leads on collaboration (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive8/10Smartsheet7/10 - Smartsheet
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
Smartsheet leads on integrations (7/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive7/10Smartsheet8/10 - Hive
AI features
Useful AI for the primary job — not marketing fluff.
Hive leads on ai features (7/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive7/10Smartsheet6/10 - Smartsheet
Reporting
Reporting and forecasting quality.
Smartsheet leads on reporting (7/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive7/10Smartsheet9/10 - Hive
Value for money
Capability relative to total cost of ownership.
Hive leads on value for money (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Hive8/10Smartsheet7/10
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