5 Best Smartsheet Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 17 min read
Smartsheet is a popular tool for teams comfortable with spreadsheets. While it offers a free tier (1 user, 2 sheets), its paid plans start at $9/user/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 5 best Smartsheet alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 5
- Free alternatives: 5 (Asana, Monday.com, Airtable)
- Best overall: Asana
- Best free: Asana
Why Look for Smartsheet Alternatives?
People commonly look for Smartsheet alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Smartsheet has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $9/user/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Expensive for full features and can be slow are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Smartsheet overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet | ✓ 1 user, 2 sheets | $9/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | Teams comfortable with spreadsheets |
| Asana | ✓ Up to 10 users | $10.99/user/mo | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Mid-size teams managing complex projects |
| Monday.com | ✓ Up to 2 users | $9/user/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Teams that need highly customizable workflows |
| Airtable | ✓ 1,000 records per base | $20/user/mo | ⭐ 4.5 | No | Teams needing flexible database-style project tracking |
| Wrike | ✓ Up to 5 users | $9.80/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | No | Enterprise teams with complex workflows |
| ClickUp | ✓ Unlimited tasks and members | $7/user/mo | ⭐ 4.2 | No | Teams wanting an all-in-one solution on a budget |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Asana
Work management platform for teams to organize, track, and manage work.
Asana is a leading work management platform that helps teams orchestrate their work, from daily tasks to strategic initiatives. Founded in 2008 by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Asana has grown to serve over 100,000 organizations worldwide. The platform offers multiple project views including lists, boards, timelines, and calendars, making it versatile for different work styles and project types.
Pros
- ✓ Intuitive interface
- ✓ Powerful automation
- ✓ Great for cross-team projects
- ✓ Excellent mobile app
Cons
- ✗ Expensive for large teams
- ✗ Can be overwhelming for simple projects
- ✗ Limited free tier
- ✗ No built-in time tracking
Monday.com
Work operating system that powers teams to run projects and workflows with confidence.
Monday.com is a versatile Work OS that serves as a foundation for teams to create custom workflows for any type of project. Known for its colorful, visual interface and high customizability, Monday.com has become one of the fastest-growing project management platforms. It offers pre-built templates and allows teams to build custom apps on top of its platform.
Pros
- ✓ Highly customizable
- ✓ Beautiful visual interface
- ✓ Great automation
- ✓ Excellent customer support
Cons
- ✗ Can get expensive quickly
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Limited free plan
- ✗ Complex pricing tiers
Airtable
Low-code platform for building collaborative apps with spreadsheet and database features.
Airtable combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the power of a database. It allows teams to organize anything — from project management to content calendars to CRM — using customizable views, automations, and interfaces. Its flexibility has made it popular across marketing, operations, and product teams.
Pros
- ✓ Extremely flexible
- ✓ Easy to start
- ✓ Powerful automations
- ✓ Great templates
Cons
- ✗ Expensive at scale
- ✗ Limited free records
- ✗ Can be slow
- ✗ Complex relationships
Wrike
Versatile work management platform for enterprise teams.
Wrike is an enterprise-grade project management platform that helps teams plan, manage, and complete work at scale. With features like cross-tagging, custom workflows, and advanced reporting, Wrike is designed for organizations that need robust project management capabilities.
Pros
- ✓ Enterprise-grade features
- ✓ Excellent reporting
- ✓ Strong security
- ✓ Good for large teams
Cons
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Expensive
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Outdated interface
ClickUp
All-in-one productivity platform that replaces multiple work apps.
ClickUp positions itself as the 'one app to replace them all' — combining project management, docs, goals, chat, and whiteboards in a single platform. Known for its feature density and competitive pricing, ClickUp has rapidly grown to compete with established players. It offers an impressive free tier and is popular among startups and growing teams.
Pros
- ✓ Feature-rich free plan
- ✓ All-in-one platform
- ✓ Highly customizable
- ✓ Affordable paid plans
Cons
- ✗ Can feel cluttered
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Performance issues reported
- ✗ Frequent UI changes
🏆 Our Recommendations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Smartsheet?
The best free alternative to Smartsheet is Asana, which offers Up to 10 users.
Is there an open-source alternative to Smartsheet?
There are no widely-used open-source alternatives to Smartsheet at this time, but several affordable options exist.
What is the cheapest alternative to Smartsheet?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Asana, Monday.com, Airtable. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $7/mo.
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