Smartsheet vs Paymo

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Our analysts compared Smartsheet vs Paymo based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Project Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Smartsheet is an enterprise-level SaaS management application that helps teams streamline processes through collaboration, project planning and task management. Users can set up tasks using a grid view, similar to a spreadsheet with automations, formulas, comments and mentions. 

It provides templates for projects and automations that can be modified and saved as a template to save time. Project views include a Kanban board, Gantt chart, timeline, calendar view, card view and a custom dashboard.

Its file and sheet sharing capabilities, comment feature and conversations remove team and data silos and give stakeholders insight into project details. A user-friendly interface helps managers and team members boost adoption rates, maintain consistency and increase efficiency. 

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Paymo is an online work management solution that supports resource scheduling, team collaboration, project accounting and time tracking. Managers can create projects, assign tasks to multiple employees, save templates for future use and monitor project progress using different task views like tables, lists, boards and Gantt charts.

Monitor team productivity with its built-in time tracker and accurate timesheets. Organizations can share data as time reports with clients for transparency. Its project accounting capability helps generate automated client invoices, tracks expenses and converts proposals into projects while keeping a check on financials and payments.
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$9/User, Monthly
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$5.90/User, Monthly, Freemium
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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24/7 Live Support
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Product Insights

  • Use Familiar Spreadsheet Formatting: Move from regular spreadsheets to spreadsheets with versatile views and much less formula knowledge required for formatting. Make adoption and training smoother because you’re not starting from scratch with processes. We especially liked the ability to enter data using a familiar cell view and then convert it to, say, a Kanban board.
  • Create No-Code Automations: Use templates or build from scratch with a trigger, condition and action automation format. Save time on admin tasks with automations for alerts, approvals, document creation and sheet changes. Choose from four starting cell-related triggers and build from there. We thought the automation building was intuitive and straightforward. Check out our test in the “See It In Action” section below.
  • Access Multiple Views: Add dynamic views to your projects and filter and customize views to meet task requirements. For example, we added a card view organized by status and a Kanban Board sorted by task assignee. Create a customizable dashboard to pull data like task progress, workload and duration using widgets.
  • Share Proofs and Additional Information: Collaborate on team documents, provide context and add proofs and files to individual tasks or the entire sheet. We set a piece of content as a task and added extra files like logos and docs along with comments for specific client requests.
  • Train As You Go: Kick your project off with a checklist outlining best practices and research material. Use pop-ups and explainer icons with video links as you work to get a better understanding of features and capabilities. We popped over to the help center to learn how to set up baselines for our Gantt chart (you need to edit the start date and end date columns).
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  • Manage Projects Efficiently: Divide complex projects into smaller tasks, create task lists, delegate tasks and set milestones. Achieve business goals using ready-to-use templates, task lists, milestone alerts and other measured steps. 
  • Streamline Workflows: Use Kanban boards to improve visibility and streamline workflows. Use pre-built project templates to avoid hassles and save time. Get visibility into project progress through flexible task views. Use Gantt charts to plan and schedule every detail of a project. 
  • Productivity Insights: Monitor employee time and leaves using extensive time-tracking tools. Get detailed team productivity insights through timesheets. Manage workloads and schedule tasks equally to avoid individual employee burnout. 
  • API and Integrations: Use APIs to connect with any open system or integrate using Zapier. Automate workflows by integrating with multiple third-party modules like Slack, GSuite, QuickBooks, Xero and more. 
  • Collaboration: Communicate, plan and manage work from a single place. Prioritize work using a visual burndown, set task dependencies using Gantt charts and view team workload on a resource calendar. Chat with teams in real-time on project updates and notify relevant people. Consolidate client agreements and price quotes in one place while updating email and in-app notifications. 
  • Actionable Insights: Get actionable insights to improve accountability within teams. Monitor task and employee work progress using Gantt charts. Reporting tools provide data on total work time, estimates, invoices and expenses. 
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  • Dashboards and Reports: Customize your dashboard by adding widgets like reports, project-specific charts, shortcuts, images and text. Consolidate data from multiple sheets into a summary view using system reports. Track sheet changes using bi-directional functionality. Send reports via collaborative tools and change statuses to recur.
  • Multiple Views: View your tasks using the grid view, akin to a spreadsheet, a Gantt view as an add-on to your grid view, a Kanban board where you can drag and drop tasks and group them by assignee or status, a timeline view, a card view with customizable lanes and a calendar view that displays your tasks across its duration or by start dates only.
  • Task Management: Add your tasks and subtasks into each cell and use the indent and outdent buttons to divide tasks into groups that can be minimized to provide a project overview. Create or modify custom fields with your own text, dropdown lists and symbols to show status, assignees, priority, dates and latest comment. Attach files and proofs, write comments and mention users and set reminders for tasks.
  • Automations and Workflows: Save time with custom processes and workflows you can build by modifying templates for reminders and alerts, document generation, row changes, sheet changes and updates, and approval requests. Build your own workflow automations from scratch by choosing your trigger, setting conditions and adding actions. Manage automations by deactivating, deleting, duplicating or unsubscribing.
  • Templates: Use pre-built templates ranging from event management to HR workflows and marketing to streamline project creation. View complexity, task management and process before you apply a template. Build and save your own templates by customizing pre-built templates or creating them from scratch.
  • Integrations: Drive productivity with integrations like Office 365, Dropbox, DocuSign and Google Workspace and use iCal or Google Calendar to track project statuses.
  • Team Collaboration: Communicate with team members by commenting and mentioning users in individual tasks, adding files for additional information and chatting via the conversations tool where everyone with access to the sheet can see your comments. Integrate with Slack or Microsoft Teams to receive updates about your sheet and send messages to channels.
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  • Task Management: Use the Kanban module to organize activities, tasks, task lists, milestones and due dates. See full task views with details by switching to an advanced task view. Track, schedule and modify activities in real time using Gantt charts. Leave comments on tasks while discussing project updates with co-workers. 
  • Time Tracking: Monitor employee hours while in the office or on-the-go using desktop and mobile apps. Add, edit and view timesheet entries with few clicks. Use s stopwatch to record time spent on projects or browsers. 
  • Timesheet Reporting: Measure time spent on each task and project. Keep clients updated via static and live reports. Personalize reports by choosing from over 20 parameters. Display reports as bar charts or pie charts apart from the text version. 
  • Team Scheduling: Use a visual timeline to find underbooked employees and those available for work. Switch views to display all team and project bookings on a single screen. Convert ghost bookings that show up into real bookings. Save time and money using the built-in leave management tool. 
  • Invoicing: Send estimates prepared according to project plans for client approval. Create invoices manually in different languages or convert timesheets into invoices. Track project expenses and add them to invoices. Create invoices and receive payments using the payment gateway. 
  • Leave Management:  Set public holidays for the entire company in a few clicks. Get an overview of the total and remaining paid and unpaid leaves using the leave widget. Avoid team conflicts by signaling out-of-office time in advance in the team scheduler. Let employees apply for different types of leaves. 
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Product Ranking

#5

among all
Project Management Software

#57

among all
Project Management Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

81
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83
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80
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88
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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Smartsheet
Paymo
+ Add Product + Add Product
Customizations Dashboards And Reporting Mobile Capabilities Platform Features Project Planning And Scheduling Project Tracking Task Management Team Collaboration Time Tracking And Management 83 80 88 92 78 96 85 77 56 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

67%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 22301 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 1093 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Smartsheet has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 22301 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

93%
of users recommend this product

Paymo has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 1093 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (20)
5.0 (16)
4.4 (17366)
4.6 (585)
4.5 (3333)
4.7 (477)
4.7 (728)
n/a
4.3 (854)
4.4 (15)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Smartsheet and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Mobile Capabilities and Project Tracking.

Mobile Capabilities Award
Project Tracking Award

Paymo stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Automation: Reviewers appreciated the no-code automation and said that it helps to eliminate productivity killers and saves time.
Collaboration: Users liked the sharing option with level-based permissions that allow collaboration with non-users and help coworkers and external stakeholders stay up-to-date on projects and processes.
Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface and templates make it easy to set up, customize and access multiple views, according to reviewers.
What Users Like
Customization: “We can customize it to fit various projects, whether we’re tracking client cases, managing document revisions, or planning team tasks. For instance, I created a project tracker for a major client contract negotiation. The ability to set deadlines, assign tasks, and update statuses in real time has streamlined our communication and kept everyone on the same page.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
Collaboration: “We had this one job in a high-rise condo that put Smartsheet to the test. The sliding door system was an older model with custom-sized panels that aren’t easy to source, and it needed specific adjustments due to the unique structure of the frame. Typically, coordinating the right parts, tools, and technician experience for something like this would require several phone calls and a lot of back-and-forth. With Smartsheet, we were able to set up the job details to track not only the special parts needed but also assign a technician who was experienced with that model. When the parts came in, the technician was notified directly through Smartsheet, so he knew the moment everything was ready. It saved us from potential delays and kept the customer fully updated on when the work could be done.” - Gal Cohen, Business Development Leader and Field Area Manager JDM Sliding Doors
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Time Management: Paymo provides tools for tracking time spent on tasks and projects, which can be helpful for individuals and teams to manage their time effectively and ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
Project Planning: Paymo offers features for planning and managing projects, such as creating project plans, assigning tasks, and setting deadlines. This can help teams stay organized and on track.
Team Collaboration: Paymo includes features that facilitate team collaboration, such as the ability to share files, communicate with team members, and track project progress. This can help teams work together more effectively and efficiently.
Client Management: Paymo provides tools for managing client relationships, such as creating invoices, tracking payments, and communicating with clients. This can help businesses streamline their client management processes.
Reporting: Paymo offers reporting features that allow users to track project progress, team performance, and other key metrics. This information can be used to make informed decisions about project management and resource allocation.
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System Integration: Limited integrations and complex configurations were an issue for reviewers.
Premium Add-Ons: Reviewers noted that advanced features come with a price tag that can be prohibitive for some businesses.
Slow Loading Time: Users reported it takes time to display screens export formats occasionally.
What Users Dislike
Integration: “Despite its many benefits, integrating Smartsheet with other systems posed some challenges. Initially, we experienced issues with data syncing between Smartsheet and our CRM software, leading to discrepancies in our financial reporting. Recognizing this, I allocated specific time for thorough testing before our full implementation, allowing us to identify and resolve any integration issues early on.” - Austin Rulfs, Founder of Zanda Wealth Mortgage Brokers
Learning Curve: “While Smartsheet is powerful, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. I found that investing time in training sessions helped bridge that gap, making it easier for everyone to adapt and use the tool effectively.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
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Limited Free Plan: The free plan only allows for one user, making it unsuitable for even small teams.
No Dependencies: Users cannot establish task dependencies, which is a crucial feature for project planning and execution.
Mobile App Shortcomings: The mobile app lacks essential features, such as the ability to log time or expenses, limiting its usefulness for teams on the go.
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Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform that helps users streamline and organize processes with a spreadsheet-esque interface, flexible templates, multiple views and team collaboration. Apart from the grid view, you can visualize projects using a Gantt chart, Kanban board, calendar view, card view or timeline view. No-code automations are another note-worthy feature, where you can build from templates or scratch.It streamlines project creation with templates suited to different industries and end goals, so you have a jumping-off point instead of going in blind. Team collaboration is another area where Smartsheet shines, with comments, conversations and file and sheet sharing (even with people outside your organization). It also offers a customizable dashboard view, although I did find some of the chart widgets a little tricky to work, without training.Highlights for me were definitely the familiarity of spreadsheet formatting (but with more views and automations), robust collaboration capabilities and guided explainers throughout the setup. However, user reviews noted limited filters and integrations, lags and expensive add-ons as downsides.Overall, Smartsheet is a great option for teams familiar with spreadsheets but are on the lookout for more visualization and collaboration, along with the budget to spend on advanced features.

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Paymo is a project management software that helps teams stay organized and on track. It offers a variety of features, including task management, project planning, resource management, and collaboration tools. Paymo has been praised by users for its ease of use, flexibility, and affordability. It is also highly customizable, so teams can tailor it to their specific needs. Paymo's time tracking feature is particularly well-regarded, as it allows users to easily track the time they spend on different tasks and projects. This information can then be used to generate invoices, track productivity, and make better decisions about how to allocate resources. However, some users have complained that Paymo can be difficult to learn, and that it lacks some of the features offered by more expensive project management software, such as advanced reporting and analytics. Additionally, some users have reported experiencing glitches with the sign-up process. Overall, Paymo is a solid choice for small and medium-sized businesses that are looking for a project management software that is easy to use and affordable. It is particularly well-suited for businesses that need to track time and expenses, as well as those that need to collaborate on projects with team members. However, businesses that need more advanced features may want to consider other options.

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