7 Best Smartsheet Alternatives and Competitors (2026)

Smartsheet has been a project management staple for years, but its licensing changes, plan limits, and spreadsheet-first interface are pushing teams to explore alternatives. If you’re facing rising costs, administrative burden, or feature gaps, this guide is for you.

This guide covers seven Smartsheet alternatives that solve the problems teams face most: better collaboration features, transparent pricing, modern interfaces, and automation that actually works. Prices and plan limits come from each vendor’s own pricing page and are list prices in USD; vendor sites show local currency to Canadian visitors (monday.com, for example, shows Basic $13, Standard $17 and Pro $26 CAD per seat/month billed yearly). TaskRhino is a certified monday.com partner.

What Is Smartsheet?

Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform that combines spreadsheet functionality with project management features. It offers Gantt charts, resource management, automation, and dashboards — positioned as an enterprise solution for teams managing complex projects.

Smartsheet pricing (2026):

All prices are annual billing ($12 and $24 billed monthly). Smartsheet offers a 30-day free trial instead of a free plan.

Why Teams Are Leaving Smartsheet in 2026

Based on user reviews, community forums, and migration data, here are the top reasons teams abandon Smartsheet:

1. Pricing Changes and Hidden Costs

Smartsheet has moved from its legacy collaborator model to a user subscription model, in which paid Members sit alongside Provisional Members, free Contributors and (on Business) free Guests. Pro is capped at 10 Members and Business needs at least 3, so admins have to keep track of who counts as a paid Member.

2. Limited Automation Capabilities

While Smartsheet offers automation, users consistently report hitting walls:

• Cross-sheet formulas work but are severely limited
• Cannot have a form fill out more than one sheet at a time
• Relationships across sheets need cross-sheet formulas or add-ons such as DataMesh (Advanced Work Management)
• Workflow complexity caps out quickly compared to dedicated automation platforms

3. Outdated User Experience

Smartsheet’s interface hasn’t evolved significantly in years. New users find the spreadsheet-first paradigm confusing, and the learning curve is steeper than modern alternatives. Dashboard customization is limited, and the mobile experience lags competitors.

4. Slow Feature Development

Users frequently request improvements — even small, straightforward ones — but changes either never get implemented or take extremely long to appear.

5. Forms That Only Create New Rows

Smartsheet forms can only create new entries. If you need external users (clients, vendors, contractors) to update existing rows, you’re out of luck. The built-in workaround is update requests, which send selected rows to someone to edit; they work row by row rather than letting people pick and update a record from a form.

Example: picture a healthcare staffing agency that manages nurse assignments in Smartsheet. Each time a nurse confirms availability, staff update the schedule sheet by hand, because a form can only add a new row. With forms that update existing records (such as TaskRhino’s BoardBridge forms for monday.com), the nurse’s answer updates the existing row instead.

6. Limited Conditional Logic and Customization

Conditional form logic and custom colours and logos need the Business plan, and Pro dashboards are limited to 10 widgets. Multi-page forms still need workarounds or third-party tools.

Quick Comparison: 7 Best Smartsheet Alternatives

Here’s how the top alternatives stack up:

1. monday.com — Best Overall Smartsheet Alternative

Best for: Teams wanting visual workflows, powerful automation, and better collaboration without the spreadsheet learning curve.

monday.com is our top pick for most teams leaving Smartsheet (we are a certified monday.com partner; see our monday.com review and Smartsheet vs monday.com comparison). It combines intuitive design with enterprise-grade features, making it accessible for small teams while scaling to complex enterprise workflows.

Why monday.com Beats Smartsheet

Transparent Pricing: Unlike Smartsheet’s recent licensing changes, monday.com pricing is straightforward. You pay per seat with clear feature tiers, and read-only viewers are free from the Basic plan up.

monday.com Pricing (2026)

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Marketing teams managing campaigns across multiple channels
• Software development tracking sprints and releases
• Sales teams managing pipelines and client relationships
• Operations teams coordinating cross-functional projects

Example: an event management company running many live events a month wants every closed CRM deal to create a multi-board project workspace with pre-loaded vendor rosters and automated confirmation emails. That kind of cross-board setup suits monday.com automations (and apps like BoardBridge) better than sheet-by-sheet workflows.

Why Choose monday.com Over Smartsheet

Choose monday.com if you want:

• Visual workflows instead of spreadsheet grids
• Automation that doesn’t require technical expertise
• Better collaboration features for distributed teams
• Transparent pricing without licensing surprises

Get started with monday.com automation →

2. Airtable — Best for Database-Powered Project Management

Best for: Teams that need relational database power with spreadsheet simplicity and custom workflows.

Airtable bridges the gap between spreadsheets and databases, offering powerful relational data management wrapped in an approachable interface. It’s ideal for teams that have outgrown spreadsheets but don’t want enterprise database complexity.

Why Airtable Beats Smartsheet

Airtable Pricing (2026)

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Content teams managing editorial calendars with writer assignments
• Product teams tracking features across releases and customers
• Event planners coordinating venues, vendors, and attendees
• Nonprofits managing donors, campaigns, and volunteer schedules

Why Choose Airtable Over Smartsheet

Choose Airtable if you need:

• Proper relational database relationships
• Beautiful gallery and calendar views for visual content
• Developer tools for custom integrations
• Flexibility to model complex data structures

3. ClickUp — Best All-in-One Productivity Platform

Best for: Teams wanting to consolidate multiple tools (project management, docs, chat, goals) into one platform.

ClickUp positions itself as “one app to replace them all” — and it comes close. It combines project management, documentation, chat, goals, and time tracking in a feature-rich (some say overwhelming) platform. Our ClickUp review covers it in depth.

Why ClickUp Beats Smartsheet

ClickUp Pricing (2026)

Prices billed yearly. ClickUp still lists its classic plans too: Unlimited at $7 and Business at $12 billed yearly.

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Agencies managing clients, projects, and internal operations
• Startups needing full productivity suite on a budget
• Remote teams wanting docs, chat, and PM in one place
• Growing teams looking to consolidate tool stack

Why Choose ClickUp Over Smartsheet

Choose ClickUp if you want:

• To consolidate 5+ tools into one platform
• Incredible feature depth and customization
• A generous free plan for unlimited users
• Built-in docs and knowledge management

4. Asana — Best for Task and Team Management

Best for: Teams prioritizing task clarity, team coordination, and straightforward project tracking.

Asana focuses on task management fundamentals done exceptionally well. It doesn’t try to be a database or a CRM — it helps teams organize work, assign responsibilities, and track progress with minimal friction. More in our Asana review.

Why Asana Beats Smartsheet

Asana Pricing (2026)

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Marketing teams planning campaigns and content calendars
• Creative agencies tracking projects from brief to delivery
• Operations teams managing recurring processes
• Remote teams needing clear task ownership and progress

Why Choose Asana Over Smartsheet

Choose Asana if you want:

• Simplicity and ease of use over feature depth
• Strong team collaboration features
• Clear task dependencies and workload management
• A tool non-technical teams adopt quickly

5. Wrike — Best for Enterprise Project Management

Best for: Enterprise teams managing complex projects with custom workflows, advanced permissions, and extensive integrations.

Wrike targets mid-market to enterprise teams with sophisticated project management needs. It offers deep customization, powerful automation, and enterprise-grade security — positioned as the grown-up alternative to simpler tools. See our review of Wrike for more.

Why Wrike Beats Smartsheet

Wrike Pricing (2026)

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Enterprise marketing managing global campaigns
• Creative agencies proofing and approving designs
• Professional services tracking billable hours and budgets
• IT teams managing complex technical projects

Why Choose Wrike Over Smartsheet

Choose Wrike if you need:

• Enterprise-grade security and compliance
• Advanced proofing and approval workflows
• Sophisticated resource management
• Deep customization for complex processes

Explore enterprise project management solutions →

6. Notion — Best for Knowledge and Project Management

Best for: Teams wanting a flexible workspace that combines wikis, docs, databases, and project management in one tool.

Notion reimagines what a productivity tool can be. It’s not just project management — it’s a connected workspace where documentation, knowledge bases, and project tracking live together in a modular, endlessly customizable environment.

Why Notion Beats Smartsheet

Notion Pricing (2026)

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Startups building company wikis and operating systems
• Product teams combining roadmaps, specs, and docs
• Content teams managing editorial calendars with style guides
• Consultants building client workspaces with deliverables

Why Choose Notion Over Smartsheet

Choose Notion if you want:

• A flexible workspace that adapts to your workflow
• Documentation and project management combined
• Beautiful, modern interface
• To build your own systems from modular blocks

Example: a SaaS company with several distributed product teams wants documentation, roadmaps, sprint planning and customer feedback in one place rather than split across Smartsheet, Confluence and Jira. A Notion workspace can hold all of it, with databases for roadmaps and sprints.

7. Coda — Best for Docs That Do Work

Best for: Teams wanting powerful automation and databases embedded in documents, replacing spreadsheets with interactive docs.

Coda calls itself “a new type of doc” — and that’s accurate. It combines document editing, databases, and automation in a format that feels like a doc but acts like software. If Notion is a flexible workspace, Coda is a programmable one.

Why Coda Beats Smartsheet

Coda Pricing (2026)

Coda charges only Doc Makers (people who create docs); coda.io/pricing now redirects to Superhuman’s plans page, so check current plan names there before you buy.

Pros and Cons

Best Use Cases

• Operations teams building custom internal tools
• Data teams creating reports and dashboards
• Teams replacing spreadsheets with interactive docs
• Companies building lightweight internal apps

Why Choose Coda Over Smartsheet

Choose Coda if you want:

• Powerful automation and formulas
• To replace spreadsheets with interactive docs
• To build custom tools without code
• Developer-friendly features and API access

Talk to an expert about automating your workflows →

Feature Comparison: What Each Tool Offers

Here’s how the alternatives compare on key features:

Project Views

Automation & Integration

Collaboration Features

Forms & Data Collection

How to Choose the Right Smartsheet Alternative

Picking the right tool depends on your team’s priorities. Here’s how to decide:

Choose monday.com if you want:

• The most intuitive visual interface
• Powerful automation without technical expertise
• Best all-around balance of features and usability
• Transparent pricing without licensing surprises

Choose Airtable if you need:

• Relational database power with spreadsheet simplicity
• Beautiful gallery and calendar views
• Flexible data modelling for complex structures
• Developer tools and robust API

Choose ClickUp if you want:

• To consolidate 5+ tools into one platform
• Incredible feature depth and customization
• Generous free plan for unlimited users
• Built-in docs, chat, and time tracking

Choose Asana if you prioritize:

• Simplicity and ease of use
• Clean interface with minimal learning curve
• Team collaboration and workload management
• Tool that non-technical teams adopt quickly

Choose Wrike if you need:

• Enterprise-grade security and compliance
• Advanced proofing and approval workflows
• Sophisticated resource management
• Deep customization for complex processes

Choose Notion if you want:

• Flexible workspace combining docs and databases
• Beautiful, modern interface
• Documentation and project management together
• To build custom systems from modular blocks

Choose Coda if you need:

• Powerful automation and formulas
• To replace spreadsheets with interactive docs
• To build custom tools without code
• Developer-friendly features and API

Migration Guide: Moving from Smartsheet to an Alternative

Switching project management platforms feels daunting, but a phased plan keeps it manageable. Here’s a four-phase plan spread over about four weeks:

Phase 1: Plan and Prepare (Week 1)

Audit your current setup:

• List all active Smartsheet sheets, reports, and dashboards
• Document critical workflows and automations
• Identify which sheets are actively used vs. archived
• Note integrations with other tools

Choose what to migrate: Not everything needs to move. Focus on:

• Active projects (last 6 months)
• Templates used regularly
• Critical automations
• Dashboards and reports stakeholders depend on

Set up your new tool:

• Create workspace structure (folders, projects, boards)
• Define custom fields and column types
• Set up user permissions and access
• Import or recreate templates

Phase 2: Migrate Data (Week 2)

Export from Smartsheet: Most alternatives offer CSV/Excel import. Export your sheets from Smartsheet’s File menu (File > Export), then import them.

Import considerations:

• Clean data before import (remove outdated rows)
• Map columns to new tool’s field types
• Test with one small sheet first
• Verify formulas and calculations after import

Rebuild automations: Smartsheet automations won’t transfer automatically. Rebuild them in your new tool:

• Document existing automations first
• Map triggers and actions to new platform’s options
• Test thoroughly before going live

Phase 3: Parallel Run (Week 3)

Run both tools simultaneously for one week:

• Enter new work in the new tool only
• Keep Smartsheet for reference
• Train team members on new workflows
• Address questions and confusion

Phase 4: Cut Over (Week 4)

Fully switch to the new tool:

• Announce cutover date to all stakeholders
• Make Smartsheet sheets read-only
• Update bookmarks and links
• Cancel Smartsheet subscription (or downgrade)

Planning a move? See our Smartsheet to monday.com migration service: what moves, what we rebuild and what cannot move.

Frequently Asked Questions