Smartsheet vs monday: Best Enterprise Project Management

Summary: This blog dives deep into Smartsheet vs monday.com, two popular project management platforms for enterprises. We compare their features, pricing, customer support, and user reviews to help you decide which tool best suits your needs.

Do you know which is the most significant thing to boost business growth?📈

Proper project planning 👨‍💻is considered as the engine that drives business growth. In fact, 46% of organizations consider it a top priority, highlighting its significance for business success. 

Effective project management ensures projects stay on track, deadlines are met, and quality remains top-notch.

But when it comes to choosing the right project management software for your enterprise, the battle lines are drawn between Smartsheet vs monday .😕 While Smartsheet leans towards a spreadsheet-like interface, monday.com shines with its user-friendly dashboards. But which one reigns supreme for your company?

This blog dives deep into both platforms, dissecting their features, similarities, and differences. We’ll explore their unique functionalities, pricing models, and user experiences to empower you to make an informed decision.

A Quick Feature Comparison

With an overview of key features between Smartsheet vs monday.com, you can get a clear understanding of which platform better suits your project management needs. Here’s a comparison of some of the standout features:

Features
Gantt Chart	Available only on standard plan and above	Available on all plans
Project Views	Easy-to-understand dashboards & Kanban boards	Flexible spreadsheet views & Gantt charts
Resource Management	Basic allocation via Gantt charts	Advanced workload planning & team capacity tracking
Integrations	Over 200+ connections to popular tools	100+ integrations, including industry-specific options
Scrum Management	Built-in scrum boards and agile features	Third-party integrations required
Free Trial	14 days	30 days
Price starting at	$9	$9
Ratings	4.7 Stars	4.4 Stars
	Try monday.com	Try Smartsheet

In-detail Feature Comparison Between Smartsheet vs monday.com

This detailed comparison will help you review each feature of monday.com and Smartsheet thoroughly, helping you make your decision wisely. Additionally, it will provide insights into their unique capabilities and how they can be used to enhance organization’s productivity.

1. Ease of Use

User Interface: Clean, white space, drag-and-drop functionality	User Interface: Spreadsheet-like layout
User Experience: Intuitive, easy to learn and navigate	User Experience: More structured, steeper learning curve
Overall Experience: Simpler, quicker setup	Overall Experience: More powerful but harder to start with
Weaknesses: Limited customization	Weaknesses: Steeper learning curve, Steeper setup
Ideal For: Beginners, Visual learners	Ideal For: Experienced users, complex projects

2. Gantt Chart

Ease of Use: User-friendly with drag-and-drop interface	Ease of Use: Familiar spreadsheet-like interface
Customization: Highly customizable with color coding & grouping	Customization: Customizable with advanced task dependencies
Task Dependencies: Supported, easy to set up.	Task Dependencies: Supported but the setup is complex.

3. Integration

Popular Integrations: Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Dropbox, Trello	Popular Integrations: Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce
Integration Setup: User-friendly, step-by-step guides	Integration Setup: More complex, often requires advanced setup
customization of Integrations: High customization with API access	customization of Integrations: Advanced customization with API and connectors
Automation Features: Built-in automation recipes, easy to configure	Automation Features: Robust automation with complex workflow setup

4. Time Tracking

Built-in Tracking: Yes (Manual & Automatic)	Built-in Tracking:No (Manual Only)
Usage: Easy, intuitive time logging	Usage: Requires some familiarity
Time Tracking Features: Manual and automatic time tracking, time tracking widgets	Time Tracking Features: Manual time tracking, integration with third-party time tracking tools.
Reporting: Detailed time tracking reports, and visual time logs.	Reporting: Comprehensive-time tracking reports, and customizable dashboards.

5. Task Management

Essential Tools: Gantt charts, Kanban boards, Spreadsheet view, Calendar view, Sub-tasks, Task dependencies, Custom fields	Essential Task Management Tools: Gantt charts, Kanban boards, spreadsheet view, sub-tasks, task dependencies, custom fields
Milestone Management: Groups feature for milestones, each group’s tasks comprise one milestone	Milestone Management: Can set up milestones, but limited detail definition
Customization: Highly customizable “Items” with easy row editing	Customization: Customizable, but less user-friendly than monday.com
Overall Usability: Highly user-friendly, designed for minimal setup effort	Overall Usability: Effective, but less intuitive for advanced features
Strengths: Customization, ease of use, quick task setup	Strengths: Comprehensive feature set, strong project management tool

6. Project and Workflow Creation

Ease of Creating Custom Automation: Simple text-based creator, easy to use	Ease of Creating Custom Automation: Complex flow-chart style builder, more difficult to use
Automation Capabilities: Available on higher-tier plans with limits between 250 and 250,000 actions per month	Automation Capabilities: Available on all plans
Workflow Creation Features: Better overall features but available on higher plans	Workflow Creation Features: More features are available on all plans
Setup Process: Simple and intuitive setup, designed to be user-friendly and simple	Setup Process: Easy setup process, familiar design similar to Excel or Google Sheets

7. Team Collaboration

Communication Tool: Built-in messaging and task discussions	Communication Tool: No direct communication tool, relies on external integrations
Overall Collaboration Experience: Seamless and intuitive, visual task management	Overall Collaboration Experience: Robust features but less visually intuitive

8. Resource Management

Workload Tracking: Track who is doing what and when in real time	Workload Tracking: Visibility into team schedules and workloads
Task Assignment: Assign tasks and manage workload distribution	Task Assignment: Allocate people across projects
Monitoring Team Capacity: Real-time monitoring of team capacity	Monitoring Team Capacity: Monitor workloads and forecast hiring needs
Lifecycle Management: Not available	Lifecycle Management: Manage the entire project lifecycle, including contracts and change orders

9. Customer Support

Onboarding Support: Included free for enterprise plan customers	Onboarding Support: No
24/7 Phone Support: No	24/7 Phone Support: Yes (Only for Business and Enterprise plans, paid add-on for Business plan)
Best for Immediate Assistance: Yes – 24/7 live chat support is highly responsive and effective	Best for Immediate Assistance: No – While 24/7 phone support is available, it is limited to certain plans and can be a paid add-on
Downtime Risk Mitigation: High – 24/7 live support ensures minimal downtime with immediate troubleshooting assistance	Downtime Risk Mitigation: Moderate – 24/7 phone support available but with limitations, no live chat for immediate problem resolution

10. Pricing

Pricing Plan
Free Plan	Free forever up to 2 seats	1 user+ 2 editors
Basic/ Pro	$9 per user/month	$9 per user/month
Standard/ Business Plan	$12 per user/month	$12 per user/month
Pro/ Enterprise Plan	$19 per user/month; Contact Sales for Enterprise	Contact Sales for details on the Enterprise plan
	Get started with monday.com	Get started with Smartsheet

Pros of Smartsheet

1. Free Trial

Smartsheet offers a free trial period of 30 days, allowing to you to try the tool before finalizing it. It allows you to explore its features and determine if it meets your needs before committing to a paid plan.

2. Familiar, Spreadsheet-like Interface

Smartsheet has a user interface that resembles traditional spreadsheets, making it easier for those who are familiar with tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to adapt.

3. Great for Any Sized Company

Smartsheet is designed to be scalable and versatile, catering to the needs of both small businesses and large enterprises. This flexibility means that as company grows, it can continue using Smartsheet without outgrowing the tool. 

4. Excellent Security & Customer Support

Smartsheet is known for its strong security measures and excellent customer support services. Reliable customer support helps you resolve issues quickly, enhancing overall user experience.

Cons of Smartsheet

1. Collaboration Tools Needs Improved

Smartsheet provides collaboration tools, but they are not as advanced or user-friendly as those in other project management platforms like monday.com or ClickUp. 

2. Difficult to Use and Navigate

Despite its spreadsheet-like interface, project management through Smartsheet can be complex and require time to learn and master.

Smartsheet offers a range of benefits such as a free trial, a familiar interface, scalability for any company size, and high security and customer support. However, it also has drawbacks, including limited functionality in some features, and a challenging initial learning curve.

Pros of monday.com

1. Highly Customizable Platform

monday.com allows to customize workflows and project management boards to fit their specific needs and preferences. With this flexibility, you can create tailored dashboards, workflow and more, to perfectly align with your needs. 

2. Artificial Intelligence

Smartsheet has not yet embraced AI. On the other hand, with monday.com you can generate summaries, create AI-powered fields, and use AI within your automation processes.

3. Custom Fields Feature

Users can add custom fields to their boards across all plan tiers, even the free version. This allows for a higher level of personalization and adaptability. Making it easier to track and manage unique project data points without needing to upgrade to a higher plan.

4. Rule-Based Automation

monday.com offers automation capabilities that can handle repetitive tasks through rules set by the user, such as automatically archiving items when they are completed.

5. Workload Planning

monday.com excels in workload and long-term planning by allowing users to assign tasks to specific team members and breaking down larger project objectives into manageable tasks. This feature enhances efficiency and helps teams manage projects more effectively.

Cons of monday.com

1. Higher Tiers are Required for Advanced Features

Some features and functionalities like time tracking, automation and calendar views are only available in the higher-tiered plan.

2. Limited Mobile App Functionality

Some users have complained that the mobile app, particularly the native iPhone app, does not update well. The dashboards lack an equivalent view of the mobile app, and users suggest that the mobile app needs improvement.

In short, monday.com is a highly customizable platform that offers valuable features like custom fields on all plans and rule-based automation for simple tasks. However, it also has drawbacks, including the need for higher-tier plans to access basic features and more limited mobile app capabilities compared to Smartsheet.

Verdict: Which Project Management Tool is Best for Enterprises

While both monday.com and Smartsheet, project management software are excellent choices, each has its strengths that cater to different business needs. 

monday.com offers unparalleled ease and flexibility, making it a great fit for teams of all sizes. Its brilliant visual dashboards, user-friendly interface, and effortless customizations ensure your team will enjoy working with this tool.

On the other hand, Smartsheet excels in supporting growing businesses or teams that require advanced project management capabilities. Its spreadsheet interface, conditional formatting options, and portfolio management features make it ideal for managing multiple projects simultaneously. 

If you’re still unsure why and how monday.com is the right tool for your business, TaskRhino can provide professional guidance. Our monday.com experts provide professional monday.com consulting services to help you streamline the transition. Our team helps you to continue your project management activities seamlessly on monday.com.

Ultimately, deciding between these project management tools depends on your specific needs.