Smartsheet vs Monday: Which Productivity Platform Is Right For You?

Navigating the world of productivity tools can be a bit like trying to pick the best superhero—each one has its unique powers and quirks! In the red corner, we have Smartsheet, known for its project management prowess and spreadsheet-style approach. In the blue corner, we have Monday.com, the vibrant, visually-driven platform that promises to turn your work into a fun and exciting board game.

So, how do you decide whether to join Team Smartsheet or Team Monday? Well, don’t worry, you won’t have to flip a coin! This guide will help you figure out which platform will make you feel like you’ve got a superpower when it comes to managing tasks, and teams, and ticking off that to-do list. Stay tuned, and let’s dive into the productivity ring together!

Smartsheet vs Monday Quick Overview

Before we get started, let’s take a quick look at the features considered to be the most important when it comes to assessing project management platforms. This will give us a better understanding of what Smartsheet and Monday have to offer.

• Project Management: Put simply, Project Management is like the head chef of a bustling kitchen. When choosing a project management platform, you’re essentially looking for a tool that can be your virtual head chef. It needs to efficiently distribute tasks, track progress, manage resources, and facilitate communication among team members. It should help you see the big picture while keeping an eye on the minute details.
• Modern Work Management: Modern Work Management is not just about assigning tasks or tracking progress. It’s about creating a more collaborative and dynamic work environment. This means features that allow integration with other tools, real-time updates, mobile access, and user-friendly interfaces that everyone on the team can easily navigate. Think of it as enabling your team to work smarter, not harder.
• Collaboration: A great collaboration feature allows real-time communication, easy sharing of project files, and the ability to brainstorm ideas together in one platform. It’s about creating a virtual workspace where everyone feels connected, heard, and, most importantly, part of the team.
• Trial Options: Most project management tools offer a free trial period, allowing you to test out features, navigate the interface, and get a general feel for the platform. With trial options, you can test the waters before diving headfirst into a new project management platform.
• Pricing: Each platform offers different pricing tiers, usually based on the number of users, the range of features available, and the level of customer support. Lower tiers usually cater to small businesses or startups, offering basic project management functionality that can get you up and running. As you climb the pricing ladder, you gain access to more advanced features like automation, integrations, or even analytics reports.
• Training & Support: This may include tutorials, webinars, or even one-on-one coaching sessions. Support, on the other hand, is like your trusty sidekick, always ready to swoop in when you encounter a problem or have a question. It could be available through various channels like email, live chat, or phone, and response times can be crucial.

Smartsheet vs Monday Feature Comparison

Smartsheet vs Monday Project Management

Both platforms offer robust project management capabilities, allowing you to easily track tasks, deadlines, and dependencies. Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-style interface may be more familiar to those used to working with Excel or Google Sheets, while Monday’s colorful boards make it easy to visualize project progress at a glance.

Smartsheet vs Monday Modern Work Management

When it comes to modern work management, Monday definitely stands out with its vibrant and user-friendly interface. The platform also offers a wide range of integrations, making it easy to connect with other tools your team may already be using. On the other hand, Smartsheet’s automation features allow for more streamlined workflows, reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency.

Smartsheet vs Monday Collaboration

Monday takes the win in terms of collaboration features, with its real-time communication capabilities and easy file sharing. It also offers a central hub for team members to brainstorm ideas and discuss project updates. However, Smartsheet’s discussion threads allow for threaded conversations directly within tasks, making it easier to keep track of relevant information.

Smartsheet vs Monday Trial Options

Both platforms offer a free trial period, allowing you to test out features and get a feel for the interface. Smartsheet offers a 30-day trial while Monday offers a 14-day trial.

Smartsheet vs Monday Pricing

Pricing for both platforms varies depending on the number of users and features included in each tier. Smartsheet’s pricing ranges from $7-$25 per user per month, while Monday’s pricing ranges from $8-$16 per user per month. It’s important to note that these prices are subject to change and may also be affected by add-ons or discounts offered by the platform.

Smartsheet vs Monday Training & Support

Both platforms offer a variety of training and support options, including tutorials, webinars, and live chat. Smartsheet also offers one-on-one coaching sessions for an additional fee, while Monday provides 24/7 email support for all pricing tiers.

Smartsheet vs. Monday: Advantages & Disadvantages

Smartsheet

Advantages:

• Intuitive interface for spreadsheet users: Smartsheet presents a familiar and user-friendly interface that closely resembles Excel and Google Sheets. Users who are accustomed to working with spreadsheets will appreciate the seamless transition to Smartsheet.
• Smartsheet excels in ensuring data privacy: By offering robust security measures. The platform complies with various data privacy laws and regulations, including AICPA SOC, HIPPA, ISO, DOD SRG, CCPA, and GDPR, providing users with peace of mind.
• The entry-level plan: Of Smartsheet is remarkably robust, surpassing the features offered by most competitors’ basic plans.
• Smartsheet offers a powerful feature called built-in dynamic forms: With its form builder and conditional logic, you can easily create shorter forms, personalize the user experience, and minimize the number of choices per question. This not only enhances the quality of forms but also improves their readability and efficiency.
• Outstanding Collaboration Features: With Smartsheet, reviewing and approving various content types like images, videos, PDFs, and Microsoft Office documents is a breeze. Teammates, clients, and vendors can effortlessly make annotations, pin comments, engage in feedback discussions, and provide their approval decisions on the proof. This essential collaboration feature sets Smartsheet apart from other project management software, including Monday.com.
• Wide range of integrations: Offering over 100 connectors to enhance its capabilities. The possibilities are virtually limitless, encompassing communication, data visualization, automation, content creation, and security integrations. With these diverse options, Smartsheet empowers users to optimize their workflows and collaborate seamlessly.

Disadvantages:

• No time tracking. Unlike many other project management software, it does not have built-in time tracking. However, Smartsheet does offer a premium add-on called Resource Management that allows you to link with your account and access three different types of time tracking. The drawback is that you have to pay extra for this feature, whereas Monday.com and many other project management software include it in your subscription at no additional cost.
• No Free-Forever Plan: Unfortunately, Smartsheet does not offer a free plan, making it unsuitable for personal projects that require lightweight project management software. On the other hand, Monday.com provides a free plan with essential features such as project boards, templates, activity logs, whiteboard collaboration, and shareable forms. However, if you prefer to test Smartsheet before making a purchase, they do offer a 30-day free trial.

Monday

Advantages:

• A highly scalable platform: Monday work management provides a range of add-on products to streamline and unify various processes. With options like Monday Marketer, CRM, Projects, or Dev, you can create a comprehensive and end-to-end solution.
• Document co-editing: This is a feature often overlooked by other project management tools. With work docs, you can seamlessly collaborate on documents in real time, granting each contributor their own space to contribute ideas without interrupting others’ workflow. This ensures a smooth and efficient collaboration experience for all.
• Simplified Automation: Monday.com automation can be set up effortlessly in just three steps. First, choose a trigger that suits your needs. Next, select a condition to fine-tune the automation. Finally, set the desired action. This user-friendly feature is conveniently accessible within your project.
• Panic button feature: If you ever come across any suspicious activity on your account, simply activate panic mode. This will temporarily lock out all users, including admins.
• Offline mode for mobile: With the Monday.com mobile app, you can work seamlessly even without an internet connection. This feature comes in handy when you’re on an airplane, subway, or in areas with weak or no cellular coverage.
• Integration with popular work management tools: Monday.com offers native integrations with most work management tools, reducing the need for context switching. On the other hand, Smartsheet relies on connectors and third-party integrations to connect with popular work management platforms.

Disadvantages:

• The entry-level plan drawback: it comes with low storage limits. While unlimited seats are available for all paid plans, the entry-level plan only offers 5 GB of storage space. This limitation can affect the number of users opting for this plan. In comparison, Smartsheet’s entry-level plan provides a generous 20 GB of storage space.
• Batched pricing: Unlike Smartsheet, Monday.com uses a pricing model that charges per group of seats instead of per individual seat. This means that you may end up paying for more seats than you actually require.
• No built-in chat feature: This means that one-on-one or group chat functionality is not available on the platform. As a result, users have to rely on external messaging platforms like Slack or iMessage, which can cause unnecessary context switching.

Final Thoughts on Smartsheet vs. Monday

Smartsheet and Monday.com provide top-notch solutions to enhance your workflow management. Both platforms enable you to effortlessly create milestones, plan tasks, visualize data in your preferred format, establish task dependencies, and collaborate seamlessly with your team. Depending on your specific needs and project management requirements, these software tools offer exceptional choices.

Smartsheet is the ideal choice for teams familiar with spreadsheet workflows, while also requiring advanced customization, planning, tracking, and reporting capabilities for important workflows. Additionally, Smartsheet is a suitable option for organizations that must adhere to data privacy laws and regulations.

In contrast, Monday.com is an ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a visually appealing and user-friendly platform to streamline their work management. With its intuitive text-based automation builder, highly customizable workflows, and dedicated onboarding support for enterprise users, Monday.com offers a comprehensive range of features at a competitive price.