Top Smartsheet Alternatives & Competitors For 2024

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.

Confluence, a collaboration and knowledge base software by Atlassian, has garnered a mixed bag of user reviews over the past year. While many appreciate its user-friendly interface and robust features for document creation, version control, and task management, others point out its limitations. Some users find the pricing structure to be a bit steep, especially for smaller teams or organizations. Additionally, while Confluence integrates well with other Atlassian products like Jira, it may lack seamless integration with certain third-party systems, which can be a dealbreaker for some. Performance issues, particularly with larger instances or complex workflows, have also been reported. Despite these drawbacks, Confluence shines in its ability to centralize information and foster collaboration. Its wiki-style platform allows teams to easily create, share, and organize documents, meeting notes, and project plans, making it a valuable tool for knowledge management and project transparency. The ability to track changes, comment on pages, and mention teammates ensures everyone stays on the same page, literally and figuratively. Confluence is best suited for teams and organizations that prioritize collaboration and knowledge sharing. Its flexibility and scalability make it a good fit for a wide range of industries and team sizes, from software development to marketing to HR. However, teams with tight budgets or those heavily reliant on integrations with non-Atlassian tools may want to explore alternative solutions. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not Confluence is the right fit depends on the specific needs and priorities of each team.

Asana is a work management platform designed to help users organize and streamline operations with a user-friendly, customizable interface, automation and AI. Key features include the ability to create custom fields, deadlines, and subtasks, utilize various project views like Kanban boards and timelines, and leverage AI for summarizing tasks and drafting workflows. During my test of the software, I liked how easy it was to create a task by email and create project and task summaries using their AI tool.Customization was also a win. I built a task template for my Content Creation project with custom fields, relative due dates, assignees and a bulleted checklist. However, head’s up, adding task templates to existing tasks requires creating a new task with the template and merging it. Hands down, workflow management was one of my favorite parts of testing Asana. Adding in new sections (without having to go to the list view) and creating custom rules for transitions with a little help from their version of prompts was a breeze.Collaboration is another plus, with in-card comments and mentions, an inbox, group and individual messaging in platform and guest accounts with custom permissions for external users.On the downside, if you don’t have access to a free trial of the paid version (like I did), the free version may not be as effective. You won’t be able to access AI features, certain project views and resource management. The setup also isn’t exactly intuitive, and you may need training plus multiple visits to the help center to conceptualize your project and pick the right template.Overall, Asana is a fantastic all-in-one project management solution for users looking for a flexible tool with AI assistance and don’t mind springing for one of the paid plans.

monday.com is a cloud-based project management platform that caters to a wide range of industries thanks to its customization, user-friendly interface and templates. It allows users to build boards from templates or from scratch and view projects through multiple views like list, calendar, Ganntt and Kanban. During our test, we enjoyed using the platform's pre-built templates and drag-and-drop feature to set up projects and reorganize tasks.Its task management features are stellar. We liked how easy it is to custom groups for tasks, assign them to specific team members, and leverage various communication tools like comments, mentions and board discussions. The updates feature means everyone is on the same page and the view option boosts accountability. On the automation front, we successfully used the built-in automation engine, which comes with both pre-made templates and no-code customization options, to build a custom automation for status changes with little to no difficulty.On the flip side, monday.com may have a slight learning curve for users who aren’t familiar with project management tools. Additionally, some advanced features, such as custom notifications and time tracking, require upgrading to a higher pricing tier, which could become expensive for larger teams.All in all, we thought monday’s intuitive interface, customization options and no-code automations make it a great option for users without a ton of technical expertise and a flexible budget.

Hive is a user-friendly solution that offers a multitude of features like project planning, file sharing, task management automation, project views, reporting, scheduling and more. Time and project tracking help manage team utilization and resource allocation. Users can converse with individuals or groups and collaborate with clients using integrated tools. Users can organize and prioritize tasks based on color, tags, projects and schedules. Many reviewers noted that its mobile application is a downside and could benefit from an upgrade to its functions. Finding training is difficult; however support teams are responsive with queries and help, especially during initial set-up.