Smartsheet vs Trello comparison

Smartsheet and Atlassian are both solutions in the Project Management Software category. Smartsheet is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.8, while Atlassian is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.3. Smartsheet holds a 4.6% mindshare in PMS, compared to Atlassian’s 3.1% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Smartsheet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Atlassian users who would recommend it.

Smartsheet

Read 40 Smartsheet reviews

3,865 Views
1,356 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Trello

Read 41 Trello reviews

1,473 Views
676 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Smartsheet

Trello

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Smartsheet and Trello compete in the project management category, offering distinct strengths tailored to various user needs. Smartsheet holds an advantage for complex project management tasks due to its robust features and integrations, while Trello's intuitive Kanban boards are preferred for straightforward task management, appealing to non-technical users.

Features: Smartsheet includes Gantt charts, workflows, and automation capabilities, along with extensive integrations with Jira and Microsoft Teams. Its cloud-based nature enhances data sharing and customization. Trello features intuitive Kanban boards that provide a visual task management approach, easy drag-and-drop functionality, and a user-friendly interface conducive to non-technical users.

Room for Improvement: Smartsheet could benefit from enhancements in real-time collaboration, a more intuitive interface, and better security settings. Users also seek improved Excel integration and expanded formula capabilities. Trello could improve its automation features, integration with other tools, task linking capabilities, and notification handling, alongside updates to its mobile app and export options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Smartsheet provides public and hybrid cloud deployment options and offers essential resources, though customer service quality varies. Trello’s straightforward public cloud deployment is complemented by generally helpful customer support, despite limited on-site options. Trello is perceived as slightly more user-friendly in terms of deployment and support.

Pricing and ROI: Smartsheet's pricing includes varied licensing options and can become expensive as it scales, especially for the enterprise version. Trello, with a strong free tier, is budget-friendly and attractive to small teams or individual users. While both have capable free versions, Trello stands out in accessibility, whereas Smartsheet provides greater ROI through advanced project management capabilities at a higher cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Smartsheet vs. Trello Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Smartsheet vs. Trello

January 2025

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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

Smartsheet

Ranking in Project Management Software

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Portfolio Management (4th)

Trello

Ranking in Project Management Software

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Smartsheet is 4.6%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trello is 3.1%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Project Management Software

Featured Reviews

PaulDiaz

Project Manager at Amgen

Needs to improve baselines and changing dates can be frustrating

I like the dashboarding feature best, as it lets me assemble a workspace with source sheets, dashboards, and reports simultaneously. The standard reports and worksheets are most useful for team collaboration. People look at dashboards during presentations, but they go to the sheets to update projects, add comments, or make notifications. It's automated, so changes come to me or whoever needs to see them. I can send notifications from specific line items. The worksheet is key for tracking project progress, though we track it at a higher level rather than detailed work breakdown structures. Subject matter experts say when they'll deliver things, and that's what we track.

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Akshat Prakash

Consultant at BP

Offers not just a free version but also a mobile version that is easy to use

The product has features to support project management workflows and team collaborations. I was using a free version for my personal use and for managing my private activities, and both times, I saw that the tool did the job. I used Trello's board and card system of training with Kanban task management format to handle work in progress and to see whether it has already been completed. I would say that the tool was decent in the aforementioned area. I used the product's mobile version and the handheld device version, and I can say that it was easy to use. In general, the tool's app was quite easy to use. It is definitely a product which is quite highly rated by others. The mobile application functionality affected my productivity in a good way. It is quite good because, if I remember correctly, I could set some reminders for pending tasks. The tool did improve my productivity. The tool did help me deal with my personal backlog and to-do activities. As a beginner-level user, I found the tool very helpful and intuitive. From my friends, I came to know that it is an application that can be used in a wide enterprise setup. If you have an option, you can try it. I rate the overall tool a nine to ten out of ten.

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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

"What I found most valuable in Smartsheet is its project customization feature. It's a great solution because you can add in your own WBS. You can see it in Jira style, Kanban, and you can even do Agile and Waterfall. Another feature that's valuable in the solution is when you have those connections, you have that API, you have a sandbox, and you can make a solution, it's a tremendous product because you can pull data."

"The product is easy to use."

"We like Smartsheet's workflows, automation, and low-code capabilities. I don't know of any other project management tool with low-code functionality designed for project managers."

"I like that Smartsheet integrates Excel with a cloud-based project management software."

"Smartsheet is stable."

"The tool reduces manual labour and it is user-friendly."

"The dashboard and the layouts are quite good."

"Their support is awesome. We are on an enterprise plan and there is a customer success at Smartsheet and anyone from our licensed users can just send an email to them and they respond as soon as possible."

More Smartsheet pros

"The solution is very easy to use."

"It can be used online or as an application from anywhere."

"Project management and work collaboration solution with amazing scalability and stability. Its user interface is modern and easy to understand, with drag and drop functionality."

"The solution is great for project management."

"It is easy for users to start working with Trello because it has a user-friendly interface."

"You receive notifications if mentioned on a card."

"Our teams deployed Trello to gain a comprehensive overview of pre-sales activity, monitor project progress, create detailed task lists, and track action items - all critical components for streamlining our organization's operations."

"I like the user interface's graphics and the general features and functionalities."

More Trello pros

Cons

"The dashboard is not user-friendly, it needs improvement."

"Smartsheet is a cloud-based tool similar to Google Sheets in that multiple stakeholders can work on a document simultaneously. However, unlike Google Sheets, which saves changes in real time, Smartsheet requires users to manually save their changes."

"Smartsheet could improve by having seamless integration with Azure Board."

"The long-term timelines could be improved, especially the visuals on the projection Gantt chart."

"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."

"There are some pain points for me. Other people use it a little differently, but I would like to be able to do a little more with it. I would like database functionality with it wherein if I bring in several Excel spreadsheets of data and load them into Smartsheets, I should be able to make a correlation between an index field and run a report against those two. I can do it, but it's a little clunky. So, I need a little more experience to feel comfortable doing that."

"I think it is all going to be about APIs in the future and I don't think Smartsheet is doing a lot in that regard. They have some integrations with Jira, but you have to pay for them."

"The product must include more modules for project management."

More Smartsheet cons

"The dashboards and flexibility to adjust the timeline view for each task are areas with shortcomings in the solution that need improvement."

"Unstructured data cannot be directly used; it needs to be structured first."

"It would be great if there was a tour for new users to explain how this solution works. Using this solution for the first time can feel complicated."

"Reporting features could be improved."

"In terms of improvements, adding more artificial intelligence and making it more user-friendly in terms of design could be beneficial."

"In the card area, you should not be able to modify so easily what is already written, as this can cause loss of information."

"Being able to export reports from Trello, general reports, or board reports, would improve the solution for me as a manager."

"It would be good if we could update the project status by email without logging into Trello."

More Trello cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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. The rest of them are just users without admin privileges."

"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 too expensive."

"It is less expensive than Microsoft Project for enterprise or Oracle Primavera by an order of magnitude. If you buy a Microsoft Project license, it's probably $300 or so by itself, whereas Smartsheet is probably less than $50 per head."

"Smartsheet only requires licenses for project managers. When we were using Asana, we had to purchase a license for everyone who wanted to access their tasks and use the system. That gets costly fast. It was one of the main reasons we left Asana. As Asana and these other tools scale, they become way more expensive."

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

"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."

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

More Smartsheet pricing and cost advice

"We didn't need to pay for the solution."

"Trello has a really good price."

"We pay $10 per user per month for the product."

"Maybe it would be better if they offered some extra tiers, so you don't have to go all the way up to the pro level."

"UiPath is cost-efficient."

"Its pricing is good. It is about $6 per license for what we use, but then there are other plans as well, such as $12 a month. I would rate it a nine out of ten in terms of pricing."

"The pricing starts from around $6 per license for a subscription, and there might be higher subscriptions available, possibly around $12 per month."

"Trello was free when we used it, but if we wanted many people looped in, we did need to pay a fee."

More Trello pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

45%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Government

Educational Organization

84%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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...

See all answers

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?

The pricing is great and reasonable enough that I maintained my copy and bought it for my team independently.

See all answers

What do you like most about Trello?

The solution is very user-friendly, where you have everything you need.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Trello?

I did not evaluate Trello's pricing model since it was provided by my organization.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Trello?

Trello could improve from a UI and UX standpoint and should consider adding enhanced functionality from a release management standpoint. Additional features for release management in the style of J...

See all answers

Comparisons

Planisware vs Smartsheet

Compared 15% of the time

ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management vs Smartsheet

Compared 14% of the time

Broadcom Clarity vs Smartsheet

Compared 12% of the time

Adobe Workfront vs Smartsheet

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet

Compared 9% of the time

More Smartsheet Competitors

Asana vs Trello

Compared 33% of the time

Jira vs Trello

Compared 22% of the time

Wrike vs Trello

Compared 22% of the time

monday.com vs Trello

Compared 13% of the time

Zoho Sprints vs Trello

Compared 9% of the time

More Trello Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Smartsheet

January 2025

Download Smartsheet product report

Buyer's Guide

Trello

January 2025

Download Trello product report

Overview

Smartsheet is a dynamic platform with features like real-time data sharing, Gantt charts, and integration with Jira and Microsoft Teams, offering valuable tools for efficient task management.

Smartsheet combines Excel-like functionality with cloud accessibility, making it efficient for tracking, reporting, and workflow management. Users benefit from its scalability and robust security, making it ideal for enterprise-level projects. However, improvements in data visibility, real-time collaboration, and user-friendliness can enhance its utility. Customizable dashboards, project management features, and seamless integrations offer great flexibility, though there is a demand for better automation, API enhancements, and new templates.

What are Smartsheet's most important features?

Real-time Data Sharing: Facilitates seamless collaboration between users.
Project Management Tools: Includes Gantt charts and task prioritization for efficient project tracking.
Integration: Works with major platforms like Jira and Microsoft Teams for comprehensive data flow.
Automation Capabilities: Reduces manual work with robust automation functionalities.
Customizable Dashboards: Allows users to tailor dashboards to meet specific needs.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in reviews?

Efficiency: Streamlines workflows with tools that enhance project tracking and collaboration.
Scalability: Supports growing enterprise demands with its scalable architecture.
Security: Provides robust, secure environments for data management.
Adaptability: Offers flexibility to customize workflows for improved resource management.

Smartsheet is utilized by organizations in industries like engineering, education, and IT for project management, task tracking, and data integration. It enables planning, scheduling, and team collaboration, facilitating dashboard creation and automation of processes. Its flexibility in customizing workflows is appealing to those managing projects and programs.

Smartsheet

Trello is the visual collaboration tool that creates a shared perspective on any project. Trello’s boards, lists and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your personal and work life in a fun, flexible and rewarding way.

Atlassian

Sample Customers

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

Pixar, Google, PayPal, Kickstarter, National Geographic, Viewbox Holdings

Buyer's Guide

Smartsheet vs. Trello

January 2025

Free Report: Smartsheet vs. Trello

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