Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet
Compare Microsoft Project and Smartsheet on starting price, seat minimums, free plans, timelines, automations, integrations, and reporting. There is no universal winner — choose by job-cluster fit.
Microsoft Project
Microsoft 365 project / Planner ladder for Gantt, resources and portfolios — Planner Plan 1 from ~$10/user/mo.
Best for
- • M365 standardised PMOs
- • Traditional resource scheduling
Starting from $10.00/user/mo
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
Smartsheet is the stronger overall fit. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Microsoft Project is better for
- ✓ Integrations
Smartsheet is better for
- ✓ Automations
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Automation & workflows
- ✓ Reporting
Tie
- • Timeline / Gantt
- • Work planning depth
- • Collaboration
Choose Microsoft Project if: M365 standardised PMOs
Choose Smartsheet if: Spreadsheet-native portfolios
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, portfolios and automation — Pro from $9/member/mo annual.
Best for
- • Spreadsheet-native portfolios
- • Cross-stack grid PM
Starting from $9.00/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for Microsoft Project and Smartsheet. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Depends
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
Microsoft Planner Plan 1 ~$10/user/mo; Smartsheet Pro $9/member/mo annual — similar entry, different ecosystems.
Microsoft ProjectDependsSmartsheetDepends - Depends
Seat / licence minimum
Minimum billed seats and how that changes small-team cost.
Both per-user/member seats on published plans.
Microsoft ProjectDependsSmartsheetDepends - Depends
Free plan
Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.
Smartsheet is trial/paid-led; Microsoft may include limited Planner via M365 SKUs — confirm tenant entitlements.
Microsoft ProjectDependsSmartsheetDepends - Tie
Timeline / Gantt
Native timeline, Gantt, or dependency planning.
Microsoft Project and Smartsheet have the same researched availability on timeline gantt (Microsoft Project: supported; Smartsheet: supported).
Microsoft Project9/10Smartsheet9/10 - Smartsheet
Automations
Rules, recipes, and workflow automations in the work OS.
Stronger automations workflows availability
Microsoft Project6/10Smartsheet8/10 - Smartsheet
Ease of use
How quickly teams become productive.
Smartsheet leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Microsoft Project6/10Smartsheet7/10 - Tie
Work planning depth
Boards, timelines, dependencies, and planning views for the primary job.
Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are close on work planning depth (9/10 vs 9/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Microsoft Project9/10Smartsheet9/10 - Smartsheet
Automation & workflows
Automation depth, workflow builders, and action limits.
Smartsheet leads on automation & workflows (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Microsoft Project6/10Smartsheet8/10 - Tie
Collaboration
Docs, comments, chat, proofing, and guest collaboration quality.
Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are close on collaboration (7/10 vs 7/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Microsoft Project7/10Smartsheet7/10 - Microsoft Project
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
Microsoft Project leads on integrations (9/10 vs 8/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
Microsoft Project9/10Smartsheet8/10 - Tie
AI features
Useful AI for the primary job — not marketing fluff.
Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are close on ai features (6/10 vs 6/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
Microsoft Project6/10Smartsheet6/10 - Smartsheet
Reporting
Reporting and forecasting quality.
Smartsheet leads on reporting (8/10 vs 9/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
Microsoft Project8/10Smartsheet9/10 - Tie
Scalability
Fit as team size and complexity grow.
Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are close on scalability (9/10 vs 9/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Microsoft Project9/10Smartsheet9/10 - Smartsheet
Value for money
Capability relative to total cost of ownership.
Smartsheet leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Microsoft Project6/10Smartsheet7/10
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