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Project Management Software · Tool Face-Off

Asana vs Smartsheet

Quick answer

Asana wins for task-centric teams wanting a clean UI; Smartsheet wins for spreadsheet-lovers and complex data-heavy projects.

Our pick
Asana
Task management with a pretty face
4.1★
VS
Smartsheet
Excel grew up and got a project manager
3.9★
Free Plan
Yes – unlimited tasks, up to 15 users
30-day trial only, no permanent free tier
Starting Price
~$10.99/user/month (Premium)
~$9/user/month (Pro, min 3 users)
Primary View
List, Board, Timeline, Calendar
Grid (spreadsheet-style) + Board, Gantt, Calendar
Gantt Charts
Timeline view (Premium+)
Native Gantt with dependencies (all paid plans)
Automation Rules
Up to 25,000 actions/month (Business)
Unlimited automations on Business plan
Reporting & Dashboards
Cross-project reporting on Premium+
Advanced dashboards with live data widgets
Forms & Data Intake
Basic intake forms
Powerful forms with conditional logic
Native Integrations
200+ apps (Slack, Google, Zoom, Salesforce)
~100 native integrations
Mobile App Quality
Polished, highly rated (4.7★ App Store)
Functional but clunky on mobile
Resource Management
Workload view (Business plan only)
Resource Management add-on available
Guest Users
Free guests on Premium+
Guests count toward billing on most plans
Learning Curve
Low – intuitive for non-PMs
Medium-High – spreadsheet DNA can confuse newbies

Asana

Pricing★★★½☆
Features★★★★☆
Reporting★★★½☆
Automation★★★★☆
Ease of Use★★★★½
Integrations★★★★½
Collaboration★★★★½

Smartsheet

Pricing★★★☆☆
Features★★★★½
Reporting★★★★½
Automation★★★★½
Ease of Use★★★☆☆
Integrations★★★★☆
Collaboration★★★½☆

Worth knowing

Smartsheet's founders pitched it as 'Excel but not terrible' — and somehow that sentence convinced enterprise clients to pay millions for it.

If you want

You want something your whole team will actually use without training

Asana's UI is so clean that even the most spreadsheet-phobic teammate won't complain.

→ Pick Asana
If you want

You live in spreadsheets and need serious data, Gantt, and reporting muscle

Smartsheet's grid-first approach and advanced dashboards make complex project data feel right at home.

→ Pick Smartsheet
If you want

You're a small team or startup on a tight budget

Asana's free plan covers up to 15 users with solid core features — Smartsheet doesn't even offer one.

→ Pick Asana
If you want

You need heavy automation and conditional workflows across large teams

Smartsheet's unlimited automations and conditional forms outpace Asana for complex operational workflows.

→ Pick Smartsheet
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