monday.com vs Smartsheet
monday.com fits teams standardising on one work os for projects, ops and cross-functional work; Smartsheet fits excel/spreadsheet-native pmos.
monday.com
Work OS / work management platform with boards, timelines, automations and AI credits — Basic from $9/seat/mo annual (3-seat minimum).
Best for
- • Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work
- • Buyers who need boards + timeline + automations with mainstream brand recognition
- • Mid-market orgs that can accept a 3-seat paid minimum and AI credit packaging
Starting from $9.00/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between monday.com and Smartsheet. Choose monday.com when Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work. Choose Smartsheet when Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
monday.com is better for
- ✓ Free plan
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Automations
- ✓ Collaboration
Smartsheet is better for
- ✓ Reporting
Tie
- • Timeline / Gantt
Choose monday.com if: Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work
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
Quick verdict
Start here — then dig into the evidence below.
Choose monday.com if…
- Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work
- Buyers who need boards + timeline + automations with mainstream brand recognition
- Mid-market orgs that can accept a 3-seat paid minimum and AI credit packaging
- You prioritize free plan
Choose Smartsheet if…
- Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
- Ops teams needing Gantt + portfolios
- Structured program reporting
- You prioritize reporting
Overall recommendation
There is no universal winner between monday.com and Smartsheet. Choose monday.com when Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work. Choose Smartsheet when Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
Key trade-off
monday.com trades toward free plan; Smartsheet trades toward reporting.
Winner by category
Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.
| Dimension | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | monday.com wins | monday.com researches a free plan; Smartsheet does not research a free plan. |
| Ease of use | monday.com wins | monday.com leads on ease of use (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Timeline / Gantt | Tie | monday.com and Smartsheet are close on timeline gantt (9/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Automations | monday.com wins | monday.com leads on automations (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Collaboration | monday.com wins | monday.com leads on collaboration (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Integrations | monday.com wins | monday.com leads on integrations (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| AI features | monday.com wins | monday.com leads on ai features (8/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Reporting | Smartsheet wins | Smartsheet leads on reporting (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Value | monday.com wins | Better for value for money |
Side-by-side feature matrix
Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.
Work planning
| Feature | monday.com | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Task boards & work views | Strong | Strong |
| Timeline / Gantt | Strong | Strong |
| Workload & resource management | Strong | Strong |
| Time tracking | Moderate | Moderate |
Execution
| Feature | monday.com | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Automations & workflows | Strong | Strong |
| Docs & collaboration | Strong | Strong |
| AI assistance | Moderate | Moderate |
Platform
| Feature | monday.com | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations ecosystem | Strong | Strong |
| Reporting & dashboards | Strong | Strong |
Adjacent productivity
| Feature | monday.com | 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.
monday.com
From $9.00/user/mo
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Basic$9.00/user/mo
- Standard$12.00/user/mo
- Pro$19.00/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 | monday.com | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | ~$45.00/mo (5 × starting seat) | ~$45.00/mo (5 × starting seat) |
| 10 | ~$90.00/mo (10 × starting seat) | ~$90.00/mo (10 × starting seat) |
| 25 | ~$225.00/mo (25 × starting seat) | ~$225.00/mo (25 × starting seat) |
| 50 | ~$450.00/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.
monday.com researched starting price from $9/mo; a free plan is researched. Smartsheet researched starting price from $9/mo. Affiliate economics excluded.
Best for
Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.
- → monday.com
Best for free plan
monday.com researches a free plan; Smartsheet does not research a free plan.
- → monday.com
Best for ease of use
monday.com leads on ease of use (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → monday.com
Best for automations
monday.com leads on automations (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → Smartsheet
Best for reporting
Smartsheet leads on reporting (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
The differences that actually matter
Pair-specific analysis for monday.com vs Smartsheet — not generic category copy.
Starting pricing
DependsStarting pricing: monday.com — monday.com researched starting price from $9/mo; a free plan is researched; Smartsheet researched starting price from $9/mo. Seat minimums and AI credits can change TCO.. Smartsheet — monday.com researched starting price from $9/mo; a free plan is researched; Smartsheet researched starting price from $9/mo. Seat minimums and AI credits can change TCO.. Feature evidence also diverges on Time tracking (monday.com: Moderate; Smartsheet: Moderate).
Seat / licence minimum
DependsSeat / licence minimum: monday.com — Check paid seat floors for monday.com and Smartsheet on current vendor packaging.. Smartsheet — Check paid seat floors for monday.com and Smartsheet on current vendor packaging..
Timeline / Gantt
Tiemonday.com and Smartsheet are close on timeline / gantt. monday.com and Smartsheet are close on timeline gantt (9/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Automations
monday.com aheadOn automations, monday.com is ahead. monday.com: monday.com leads on automations (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.. Smartsheet: Trails monday.com on this criterion.
Integrations
monday.com aheadOn integrations, monday.com is ahead. monday.com: monday.com leads on integrations (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.. Smartsheet: Trails monday.com on this criterion.
Reporting
Smartsheet aheadOn reporting, Smartsheet is ahead. monday.com: Trails Smartsheet on this criterion. Smartsheet: Smartsheet leads on reporting (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Pros and cons
Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.
monday.com
Pros
- Stronger on free plan
- Stronger on ease of use
- Stronger on automations
- Stronger on collaboration
Cons
- Trails on reporting
Smartsheet
Pros
- Stronger on reporting
Cons
- Trails on free plan
- Trails on ease of use
- Trails on automations
Implementation & learning curve
Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.
monday.com
- Stronger on ease of use: monday.com leads on ease of use (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Smartsheet
- Trails on ease of use relative to monday.com
Integrations
Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.
monday.com: Strong. Smartsheet: Strong.
Who should not choose each product
Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.
Don't choose monday.com if…
- You need Smartsheet's stronger reporting more than monday.com's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Ops teams needing Gantt + portfolios
Don't choose Smartsheet if…
- You need monday.com's stronger free plan more than Smartsheet's strengths
- You need monday.com's stronger ease of use more than Smartsheet's strengths
- You need monday.com's stronger automations more than Smartsheet's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work
Alternatives worth considering
When neither product is the right fit.
Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — strong monday.com peer.
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.
monday.com wins when…
Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work
Smartsheet wins when…
Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
- Best for free planmonday.com
- Best for ease of usemonday.com
- Best for automationsmonday.com
- Best for reportingSmartsheet
Which one should you choose?
Choose monday.com if:
- Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work
- Buyers who need boards + timeline + automations with mainstream brand recognition
- Mid-market orgs that can accept a 3-seat paid minimum and AI credit packaging
Choose Smartsheet if:
- Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
- Ops teams needing Gantt + portfolios
- Structured program reporting
Product screenshots
Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.
monday.com
Smartsheet
FAQ
- Is monday.com better than Smartsheet?
- There is no universal winner between monday.com and Smartsheet. Choose monday.com when Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work. Choose Smartsheet when Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
- Which is easier to use?
- monday.com leads on ease of use (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- Which project management fits which team?
- monday.com: Teams standardising on one Work OS for projects, ops and cross-functional work Smartsheet: Excel/spreadsheet-native PMOs
- Does monday.com or Smartsheet have a free plan?
- monday.com: Free plan available. Smartsheet: No free plan.
- How does monday.com vs Smartsheet pricing compare?
- monday.com starts from $9.00/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.
- reviewmonday.com review
- reviewSmartsheet review
- pricingmonday.com pricing
- pricingSmartsheet pricing
- alternativeHive 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
Hive
Work management platform with free plan (≤10 members) and Teams from $12/user/mo annual — strong monday.com peer.
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.
Still deciding between monday.com and Smartsheet?
Use Best project management software for a shortlist matched to your priorities, or build another side-by-side comparison.
- Independent criterion outcomes
- No invented scores or prices
- Affiliate links never change winners
Some visit links may be affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Comparison outcomes are never based on commission.
Part of Software comparisons · Project Management Software hub
Try a decision tool
Interactive helpers use recommendation criteria — affiliate status never changes outcomes.