Basecamp vs Smartsheet comparison

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Basecamp

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Basecamp and Smartsheet compete in project management. Smartsheet has the upper hand due to its comprehensive features, which provide greater flexibility and automation for complex projects.

Features: Basecamp supports team communication with message boards, to-dos, and scheduling. Smartsheet includes project tracking, automation, data integration, and workflow customization, giving it an edge in handling diverse project needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Basecamp offers quick deployment and efficient customer service, focusing on simplicity. Smartsheet, though more complex to deploy due to its features, provides detailed support and resources, guiding users in managing intricate projects effectively.

Pricing and ROI: Basecamp's flat pricing is cost-effective and predictable. Smartsheet's tiered pricing can increase costs but matches its capabilities, offering a high ROI due to its advanced features, benefiting organizations needing sophisticated solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Basecamp vs. Smartsheet Report (Updated: April 2026).

Basecamp vs. Smartsheet

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Helped 892,383 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Basecamp

Ranking in Project Management Software

25th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Smartsheet

Ranking in Project Management Software

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Portfolio Management (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Basecamp is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Smartsheet is 2.2%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Project Management Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Smartsheet	2.2%
Basecamp	1.4%
Other	96.4%

Project Management Software

Featured Reviews

Abenazzer Tadesse

Chief Operations Officer at BeOnline ICT

An easy-to-use project management solution with good stability and scalability

The recent update on the solution has made it a little bit complex. For example, to create a team and a project, there is a separate button that you need to click. Recently they updated it with only one button making it difficult for us to create teams or supply teams other than a project. Hence the solution could be more user-friendly. Additionally, some additional features need to be integrated so it'll be easy for other companies or project managers to manage software projects.

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DonatasSinkevicius

Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Automation simplifies manual tasks and facilitates team communication

There are many useful features in Smartsheet. One can easily share plans with the entire team, and it functions similarly to Microsoft Project. Creating dependencies across all tasks is smooth, and team members can make adjustments if necessary. Automation helps by simplifying some manual work, saving time and facilitating communication.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The ability to network informally is great for communicating with colleagues."

"The ease of use is valuable."

"The ability to network informally is great for communicating with colleagues."

"The app functionality and ease of seeing the different functionalities parsed equally on the screen with consistent menu access to shift between areas."

"The solution is straightforward. Whenever a requirement arises, we create three things in Smartsheet: a project plan, a dashboard, and internal documents. It is done through the form and Smartsheet's automation services. This process shortens the time to market from seven days to less than 12 hours."

"The ability to build a quick dashboard and give management insight into the progress of the project itself is probably one of the most beneficial pieces."

"It is my favorite project management tool; it is very flexible, much easier to use than Microsoft Project in terms of creating custom fields, and very similar to Excel, so people understand it, which makes it easier to use for most users."

"The deployment is very easy. All you need to do is log in."

"The cloud-based program is so useful, as we used to be emailing Excel spreadsheets around, never knowing who had the most current version."

"As I am in the corporate legal department, I have to deal with a number of contracts and sometimes it's hard to keep up with email transactions. Having the tracker sheet and being able to build dashboards and workflow has been quite valuable."

"Smartsheet is a really good tool for collaboration."

"I think it's a great tool."

More Smartsheet pros

Cons

"The product isn't easy to use. It's not very intuitive."

"The solution could be more user-friendly."

"Formalized area to store contact information indexed in a way that can pre-populate other areas would be helpful."

"The product isn't easy to use. It's not very intuitive."

"Smartsheet could be improved to be a ticketing system. It would be nice to have a system to do everything."

"It already has a really powerful Export to Excel feature, but it can have an Excel add-on. The way to set up single sign-on wasn't too easy in the beginning, and it was hard to get hold of customer service. They should make it easier to set up SSO. Smartsheet's customer service also definitely needs to be improved."

"I would like if Smartsheet allowed more formulas in its sheets. I don't think working with formulas is as intuitive as it is in Excel."

"I would like if Smartsheet allowed more formulas in its sheets. I don't think working with formulas is as intuitive as it is in Excel. I use Vlookups and index matches in some of my sheets, and I had to find an outside consultant to help me build out those formulas."

"If there was some way to store more complex files in the system, or if there was a back-end structure where you could store files, that would be ideal."

"Smartsheet should continue to expand the spreadsheet-type functionality because it's limited currently. Most business users are familiar with Excel and Office, so Smartsheet should adopt a similar way of navigating the program."

"There would be more extensive usage if the solution were cheaper. It's really expensive right now, and that's why we provide a few licenses for admins."

"Smartsheet should continue to expand the spreadsheet-type functionality because it's limited currently."

More Smartsheet cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"There's a trial version and a free version. Each license costs a decent amount, $25 per month or something."

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. I was responsible for negotiating the price with the Smartsheet team, but I don't remember what the price was. Its standard license probably was around 5,000 to 6,000 a year. The enterprise version is significantly more expensive."

"Smartsheet can be low-priced, with personal subscriptions around eight dollars a month, but I imagine it gets pricier for enterprise systems. Microsoft Project can be more expensive."

"This licensing is straightforward and they charge per user."

"Smartsheet has many licensing models. You need to add the package that best suits your requirements. The license is paid per user and it is monthly. The cost was approximately $7 per PC, $15 for professional, and $33 for the enterprise plan."

"If I'm not mistaken, it was pretty manageable. It was about 200 bucks a seed. The business really felt a strong need for it. So, it was viewed as a safer and more straightforward cost that we were willing to pay as compared to Domo, which took some convincing."

"The solution is reasonably priced."

"I pay $ 120 or $ 128 a month for two to three users."

More Smartsheet pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Project Management Software solutions are best for your needs.

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892,383 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

22%

Security Firm

11%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

13%

Healthcare Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	22

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Has anyone moved from Microsoft Project to Smartsheet? How has your experience been with Smartsheet?

Hi @Eire Zimmermann, I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the mo...

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What do you like most about Smartsheet?

The tool creates shareable dashboards. These dashboards allow us to display project deliverables' status, their position in the queue, expected delivery timelines, and more. The best part is that t...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Smartsheet?

Licensing might be cheaper per user. I rate it as seven or eight due to its demanding nature. For personal use, I have a monthly subscription, while the company uses an annual basis.

See all answers

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Product Reports

Project Management Software

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Download Smartsheet product report

Overview

Basecamp is an agile project management tool designed for teams to efficiently organize and execute tasks. It caters to organized workflows and collaborative efforts, offering comprehensive task management solutions.

Basecamp provides teams with an intuitive platform for project management. Its interface supports seamless communication and planning, offering tools for task lists, file sharing, and progress tracking. This enables teams to coordinate workflows effectively, managing deadlines and responsibilities without hassle. Its capabilities ensure that projects remain on track with increased transparency and accountability.

What key features does Basecamp offer?

Task Management: Organize and assign tasks efficiently with due dates and project timelines.
Team Collaboration: Facilitate communication with messaging boards and chat options.
Document Sharing: Upload and share files directly within the platform.
Schedule Management: Keep track of important deadlines with an integrated calendar.
Project Oversight: Monitor progress and make adjustments as needed with interactive dashboards.

What benefits and ROI can be expected from using Basecamp?

Increased Productivity: Streamlined workflows enhance output efficiency.
Enhanced Communication: Centralized communication prevents miscommunication among team members.
Time Savings: Efficient task management reduces time waste on repetitive activities.
Scalability: Adjusts seamlessly to growing team sizes and project complexities.

Construction and retail industries benefit from Basecamp for structuring project timelines and coordinating team efforts. In marketing and tech, it facilitates campaign management and software development through collaborative tools and progress monitoring, helping to meet industry-specific demands.

37signals

Smartsheet offers a comprehensive platform for project management, featuring real-time sharing, cloud accessibility, and a user-friendly interface, which enhance workflow efficiency and project tracking capabilities.

Smartsheet stands out in the realm of project management by integrating robust tools like Gantt chart creation and seamless compatibility with products like Jira and Microsoft Teams. Its dashboards, intuitive design, and flexible customization options support efficient collaboration and centralized management. Enhancements such as real-time change visibility without refreshing, advanced automation capabilities, and improved integration with APIs address user needs. Sectors spanning from strategic initiatives to operational tasks benefit from this customizable, cloud-based platform.

What are the key features of Smartsheet?

Real-Time Sharing: Facilitates immediate collaboration across teams.
Cloud Accessibility: Work from anywhere with cloud-based tools.
User-Friendliness: Simplified project management through an intuitive interface.
Gantt Chart Creation: Offers dynamic timelines for project tracking.
Integrations: Seamless connectivity with Jira, Microsoft Teams, and more.

What benefits or ROI does Smartsheet provide?

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamline workflows for quicker project completion.
Improved Collaboration: Centralized tools support teamwork and communication.
Project Tracking: Real-time updates keep projects on schedule.
Customizable Solutions: Adaptable to meet diverse management needs.

In specific industries, Smartsheet is leveraged for creating project plans, managing tasks, and compiling statistics. Teams use dashboards for data visualization to monitor multiple projects efficiently. The platform supports resource management, approvals, and collaboration, integrating features like automation and data export for comprehensive project oversight.

Sample Customers

Ashland Addison Florist Co., Victory Auto Wreckers, Ideal Box Co., Hollymatic Corp.

Sony Music, ESPN, Hilton, Unisource, Colliers, Extreme Networks, Groupon, Netflix

Basecamp vs. Smartsheet