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Project Management Software · Tool Face-Off

Wrike vs Smartsheet

Quick answer

Wrike shines for teams needing real-time collaboration and polished UI, while Smartsheet is the spreadsheet-brained PM tool that Excel lovers secretly dream about. Both are enterprise-ready, but they suit very different working styles.

Our pick
Wrike
Visual, collaborative project management with serious automation chops
4.1★
VS
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-powered project management for data-driven teams
3.9★
Free Plan
Yes – up to 5 users
30-day trial only, no free tier
Starting Price
~$10/user/month (Team)
~$9/user/month (Pro)
Primary Interface
Task cards, boards, Gantt, timeline
Grid (spreadsheet), Gantt, card view
Gantt Charts
Yes, with dependencies & baselines
Yes, with dependencies & critical path
Automation Rules
Unlimited on Business+ plans
Limited by plan tier
Resource Management
Built-in workload & capacity views
Resource Management add-on (extra cost)
Storage
2 GB/user (Team); unlimited on Business+
20 GB (Pro); unlimited on Business
Native Dashboards
Yes, customizable real-time dashboards
Yes, highly configurable with widgets
Proofing & Approvals
Built-in visual proofing for files
Approval workflows, no visual proofing
API Access
Available on Business & above
Available on all paid plans
Guest / External Users
Free collaborators on Business+
Free external collaborators on all paid plans
Learning Curve
Moderate – many views to learn
Low for Excel users; steep for others

Wrike

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

Smartsheet

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

Worth knowing

Smartsheet is so beloved by Excel die-hards that some users have admitted they didn't realize they'd switched tools — they thought it was just 'fancy Excel' for six months.

If you want

You want a modern, visual workspace with strong collaboration and built-in proofing

Wrike's UI, real-time editing, and approval workflows make it the better fit for creative and cross-functional teams.

→ Pick Wrike
If you want

Your team lives in spreadsheets and needs powerful reporting with data flexibility

Smartsheet's grid interface and robust dashboard/reporting tools are a natural upgrade path from Excel.

→ Pick Smartsheet
If you want

You need enterprise-grade resource management without paying for add-ons

Wrike includes workload and capacity management natively; Smartsheet charges extra for its Resource Management module.

→ Pick Wrike
If you want

You want the broadest integration ecosystem and API access on cheaper plans

Smartsheet opens up API access at lower price tiers and has deep integrations with BI tools like Tableau and Power BI.

→ Pick Smartsheet
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