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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Confluence

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AConfluence is a collaboration and content sharing platform used primarily by customers who are already using Atlassian's Jira project tracking product. The product appeals particularly to IT users.

    $6.40

    per month per user

    Smartsheet

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/ASmartsheet is an online project management and collaboration tool. It includes automated alerts, instantaneous updating and sharing across team members, resource management, nested tasks organized in a hierarchy, a Gantt chart view, exportable and automated reports, and integration with email.

    $12

    per month per user (up to 10 users)

    Pricing
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Editions & Modules
    Free
    $0
    Free for 10 Users
    Standard
    $6.40
    per month per user
    Premium
    $12.30
    per month per user
    Data Center
    220,000.00
    40,001+ Users - Annually
    Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    Pro
    $12
    per month per user (up to 10 users)
    Business
    $24
    per month per user (3 user minimum)
    Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    Advanced Work Management
    Contact Sales
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPrices shown here reflect prices for deployments with 100 users or less. The prices decrease wien the user base surpasses 100.A discount is offered for annual billing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Considered Both Products
    Atlassian
    Chose Confluence
    Google Drive is generally easier to collaborate on with external vendors.
    Smartsheet processes excel files better and is sometimes preferred for that purpose.
    Incentivized
    Chose Confluence
    Google Drive is not comparable to confluence, but it was the only other means for collaboration of documents and a shared hub for resources. But it serves more as a folder for resources rather than a repository of pages in information with links, documents, collaboration, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Confluence
    I am a smart sheet user but I utilize smart sheet for very different projects. I do believe smart sheet has much of the same functionality but I would use it in a very different way. Confluence has more of a web-based dialogue feel, where smart sheet is web-based but still has …
    Incentivized
    Chose Confluence
    I got access to Atlassian because at the time they already adopted the product. In my opinion, there are better and more polished platforms available. Atlassian is strong in Jira project management.
    Incentivized
    Smartsheet
    Chose Smartsheet
    Smartsheet is user friendly with easy to use templates as compared to Microsoft Project. Other thing is collaboration which cannot be achieved in Microsoft Project. Smartsheet has different types of pricing for different types of users but Microsoft Project only offers …
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    Smartsheet is a unique data and project management collaboration tool that sets itself apart from its competitors. Teams have the ability to create extremely customized dashboards that have data flowing to and from multiple worksheets and workspaces. Smartsheet has the ability …
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    It does some things better and other things worse than all these products but what it does the best is balancing features across all these tools. I think it's unrealistic to expect a usable product that offers all the features our end users would need since this is meant to be …
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    Ultimately, Smartsheet was a middle ground between Jama (cumbersome and not very user friendly) and Trello (simple, pretty, easy to use, but less functionality). Smartsheet could be used successfully in more scenarios. Also, it has a card-view that looks like Trello anyways, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    I think they serve completely different purposes. Smartsheet is a high level, consistent reporting tool. Microsoft Project has more auto features and allows for more details.
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    Dependency on client packaged software has been reduced.
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    OpenAir is more traditional project management software with resource management. Smartsheet allowed us to be more fluid / less structured so we could use Smartsheet for more versatile use cases. JIRA is very popular task management / issue tracking software which can be very …
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    JIRA allows for a greater breakdown of tasks and subtasks. Smartsheet is more for a quick snapshot. I utilize Smartsheet daily as a one stop location which houses my list of working titles and hyperlinks to access more detailed information in JIRA. We also utilize Smartsheet to …
    Incentivized
    Chose Smartsheet
    Foremost factor is ease of use.
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    89%
    Would buy again
    97 Answers
    90%
    Would buy again
    62 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    87 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    58 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    100 Answers
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    61 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    45 Answers
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    47 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    54 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    51 Answers
    Features
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Project Management
    Comparison of Project Management features of Atlassian Confluence and Smartsheet
    Feature
    Atlassian Confluence
    7.1
    158 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Smartsheet
    9.1
    129 Ratings
    17% above category average
    Task Management7.2127 Ratings9.8126 Ratings
    Gantt Charts7.912 Ratings9.0109 Ratings
    Scheduling7.221 Ratings9.8111 Ratings
    Workflow Automation6.591 Ratings9.2100 Ratings
    Mobile Access6.9118 Ratings8.096 Ratings
    Search7.0157 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visual planning tools7.2127 Ratings00 Ratings
    Resource Management00 Ratings10.0108 Ratings
    Team Collaboration00 Ratings10.0122 Ratings
    Support for Agile Methodology00 Ratings8.981 Ratings
    Support for Waterfall Methodology00 Ratings9.079 Ratings
    Document Management00 Ratings9.2101 Ratings
    Email integration00 Ratings9.0100 Ratings
    Timesheet Tracking00 Ratings9.762 Ratings
    Change request and Case Management00 Ratings8.169 Ratings
    Budget and Expense Management00 Ratings8.075 Ratings
    Communication
    Comparison of Communication features of Atlassian Confluence and Smartsheet
    Feature
    Atlassian Confluence
    7.9
    158 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Smartsheet
    -
    Ratings
    Chat6.415 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications8.2156 Ratings00 Ratings
    Discussions7.9149 Ratings00 Ratings
    Surveys7.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Internal knowledgebase9.0150 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with GoToMeeting6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts9.37 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Outlook9.610 Ratings00 Ratings
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Atlassian Confluence and Smartsheet
    Feature
    Atlassian Confluence
    7.7
    157 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Smartsheet
    -
    Ratings
    Versioning8.3137 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video files6.9105 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio files6.997 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document collaboration8.4153 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access control8.7148 Ratings00 Ratings
    Advanced security features8.4115 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Google Drive5.947 Ratings00 Ratings
    Device sync8.486 Ratings00 Ratings
    Professional Services Automation
    Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Atlassian Confluence and Smartsheet
    Feature
    Atlassian Confluence
    -
    Ratings
    Smartsheet
    7.9
    66 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Quotes/estimates00 Ratings8.144 Ratings
    Invoicing00 Ratings7.537 Ratings
    Project & financial reporting00 Ratings8.760 Ratings
    Integration with accounting software00 Ratings7.332 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Small Businesses
    Flock
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Any.do
    Score8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Troop Messenger
    Score9.8 out of 10
    KanbanFlow
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
    Score9 out of 10
    Microsoft To Do
    Score7.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (174 ratings)
    9.3
    (146 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.5
    (22 ratings)
    9.0
    (24 ratings)
    Usability
    8.1
    (63 ratings)
    9.2
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.4
    (25 ratings)
    8.1
    (45 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.8
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ConfluenceSmartsheet
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Atlassian
    It is well suited due to the below reasons 1. Easy collaboration between teams 2. Strong integration with other applications 3. Centralized documentation among teams and within the organisation 4. Project planning and report sharing 5. Employee onboarding is easier and maintain HR policies very well. Less appropriate in below scenarios When this is being used as a main tool for communication rather than its purpose of collaboration.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    Smartsheet shines for collaboration. When you have multiple people involved with planning events Smartsheet makes it easy to share and collaborate. For instance, multiple people can be in Smartsheet working at the same time. Also setting permissions for exactly those who need to know is quite easy with Smartsheet. For data analytics and general spreadsheet purposes Excel is better but for project management and event planning Smartsheet is superior
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Atlassian
    • Cross product linking - If you use other Atlassian products then Atlassian Confluence is a no-brainer for your source of documentation, knowledge management etc. You can show previews of the linked asset natively E.g. showing a preview of a JIRA ticket in a Atlassian Confluence page.
    • Simple editing - Though the features available may not be super complex right now, this does come with the benefit of making it easy to edit and create documents. Some documentation editors can be overwhelming, Atlassian Confluence is simple and intuitive.
    • Native marketplace - If you want to install add-ons to your Atlassian Confluence space it's really easy. Admins can explore the Atlassian marketplace natively and install them to your instance in a few clicks. You can customise your Atlassian Confluence instance in many different ways using add-ons.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    • Its hard to overstate the value of familiarity. Being able to use a tool that has some familiarity takes away the time needed to train and orient employees on a new tool and allows an organization to hit the ground running.
    • Smartsheet covers most of the basics of a project management tool, the usual tasks, milestones and project viewing options.
    • For data viewing, you get multiple data viewing options including a calendar view (good for marketing teams and those who work around scheduling), Kanban, Gaant etc
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Atlassian
    • UI Design is very simplistic and basic could make use of more visually interesting colour choices, layout choices, etc.
    • Under the 'Content' menu, it defaults to having a landing page for all L1 and L2 category pages. Meaning as long as the broader content category has a sub-category, it still creates a separate landing page. In my team's case, this often creates blank pages, as we only fill out the page at the lowest sub-category (L3).
    • Hyperlinks are traditionally shown as blue, however, this results into very monotonously blue pages in cases where a lot of information is being linked.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    • Smartsheet set up is similar to Excel, yet when you upload an Excel file, things like conditional formatting are lost. Smartsheet has its own conditional formatting, and you have to reinstate the rules. It would be great if those would apply automatically once a file is uploaded
    • Some Smartsheet management and access rules can take some tweaking to work properly. This may be a case of offering more info to admins so they can apply these better and with more efficiency
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Atlassian
    I am confident that Atlassian can come with additional and innovative macros and functions to add value to Confluence. In 6 months, Atlassian transformed a good collaborative tools into a more comprehensive system that can help manage projects and processes, as well as "talk" with other Atlassian products like Jira. We are in fact learning more about Jira to evaluate a possible fit to complement our tool box.
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    It definitely meets our needs as far as organizing and archiving our tasks and files. As we train more staff to view it, I see opportunities for more improvement, which I am sure this program can handle. I look forward to seeing continued improvement from Smartsheet on their capabilities and functionality.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Atlassian
    Atlassian Confluence is a great tool for project management, especially for internal documentation. It has a minimum governance requirement to use its full power. Also, it is a little pricy to unlock its full power as well, so it is not recommended for companies with a low budget in my opinion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    Smartsheet is very easy to learn. However, while I have been able to pick it easily, Microsoft Excel and Project super users that I have trained on Smartsheet get bogged down in the differences and can find it frustrating. Explaining the differences ahead of time and why Smartsheet is being chosen instead of a different software seems to counteract those reactions
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Atlassian
    I do not recall having outages or applications error so far, very reliable and available.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Atlassian
    We never worked against the tide while using Confluence. Everything loads considerably fast, even media components like videos (hosted on the platform or embed external videos from Youtube, for example). We are not using heavy media components a lot, but in the rare occasion we happen to use one we have no problems whatsoever.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Atlassian
    This rating is specifically for Atlassian's self-help documentation on their website. Often times, it is not robust enough to cover a complex usage of one of their features. Frequently, you can find an answer on the web, but not from Atlassian. Instead, it is usually at a power user group elsewhere on the net.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    I give this rating because it fills a niche in the market. MS Project scares many away from proper task management but there are limited tools our there, especially cloud-based that are mobile-friendly. Smartsheet fills this market gap, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. IT is not fair to compare it to MS Project, but fairer to see what gaps it fills.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Atlassian
    Overall, I am very satisfied with the initial implementation (and the subsequent upgrades and implementations made over the years).
    This product has never rose to the level of being an major issue at an executive level. It has quietly and valiantly done it's job for our company!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    It's absolutely paramount to take a few minutes to actually play with the software. It's nearly impossible to do anything wrong or make a mistake which cannot be fixed easily. Under the help menu is Live Training option. After you familiarize yourself with the commands, watch the live training for some in depth understanding of how to make the software fit your needs perfectly.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Atlassian
    We chose Atlassian Confluence over SharePoint because it's much more user-friendly and intuitive. Atlassian Confluence makes collaboration and knowledge sharing easier with its simpler interface and better search. While SharePoint can be powerful, it often feels clunky and complex, making it harder for our team to actually use it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    Jira and Redmine are much more robust and technologically advanced project management solutions. I enjoy using either when managing a very large project. However, I prefer to use Smartsheet for my smaller to medium sized projects. As for Google Drive - I would say that Google sheets and Smartsheet are almost identical in my opinion when it comes to functionality. Personally I prefer to manage smaller projects via Google Drive, but it is a personal preference!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Atlassian
    This tool is very adaptable. So much so we use it for three completely separate projects, in three very different ways.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Atlassian
    • We totally rely on this tool since a decade now and despite being so much transition in our company it has served us well in those transitions
    • Many times, during security audits we are asked to showcase our readiness for various compliance points and confluence helps us a lot in maintaining that
    • Talking about Confluence in front of clients and customers gives us an upper hand that we are up to date with latest trend and technologies and tools for our RnD planning and management
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Smartsheet
    • This has really opened up collaboration across teams. A lot less working in silos.
    • It hasn't fully replaced any one tool so it means having to go to another place. Hopefully, we can eliminate a tool or two in the next six months.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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