Google Tasks, also available via a mobile app, aims to allow users to manage, capture, and edit tasks from anywhere, at anytime, with to-dos that sync across all devices. Integrates with Gmail and Google Calendar.
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Microsoft Planner
Score 7.5 out of 10
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Microsoft Planner is presented as a solution to organize teamwork with intuitive, collaborative, visual task management. With it, users can create Kanban boards using task cards with files, checklists, and labels. Users can collaborate in Planner and Microsoft Teams and check visual status charts—all in the Microsoft cloud.
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Smartsheet
Score 8.4 out of 10
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Smartsheet 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
Google Tasks
Microsoft Planner
Smartsheet
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
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
Google Tasks
Microsoft Planner
Smartsheet
Free Trial
No
No
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
—
—
A discount is offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google Tasks
Microsoft Planner
Smartsheet
Considered Multiple Products
Google Tasks
Verified User
Employee
Chose Google Tasks
I will give a edge to Google task as being more compatible and easy because of free tool with reupdated image in the market. The Microsoft Planner will come with little cost. Google task will help you to create multiple lists, change the order of tasks and sort your to-do-lists.
Have used other task management tools like Microsoft Planner but Google Tasks auto-sync with other Google platforms makes it more comfortable/reliable and saves the user time. However for quick attention tasks/ to do we have still a dependency on tools like sticky notes which …
I used other tools like Microsoft Planner in the past, but Google Tasks sync with mailbox makes things easier and saves me a lot of time. It is also helpful to track your colleagues' tasks and to give them help when needed, helping them to complete their assignments in a timely …
Compared to the other options, we already had access to Microsoft Planner, preconfigured accounts, and support and ordination from tech internally to use it. We previously used Wrike, I wanted to use Asana, and other people in the organisation either used Microsoft Project, or …
If other google products are already in use, it is very easy to get into Google Tasks as well and everybody probably has a google account, hence, does not need another account as well. It is helpful for simple to do lists, we would not recommend for larger project planning.
There are a few examples where MS Planner would be suitable for employees at a mature organization. In my opinion, if you have Outlook or Teams, you already have built-in calendars and to-do lists. If you need a project management tool, you have two options: either pay for MS Project or use an alternative tool like Monday, Asana, or Jira. Regardless, their free versions are much more sophisticated than Microsoft's (MS Planner). Any team wishing to put together a halfway-decent project management board will need to look elsewhere, as MS Planner is only suitable for a personal to-do list.
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
The best part, Google Tasks is FREE. No paywall, no ads. Just pure productivity. I was looking for some task-management app which is free, since it was difficult to get a paid one. I found that this was the perfect solution for me.
It's deeply integrated with other Google services like Gmail and Calendar. It can pick tasks with Gmail from emails, in the form of suggestions. It's up to you, completely. The tasks will appear in your calendar automatically, if it's time or date specific.
It's simple and hassle free to insert tasks and complete them. The app loads fast and hardly faces any crash. I encountered no such crashes.
It is present in multiple platforms. I would create a task in my phone, and would check it off on my laptop.
It's hassle free to add and check off tasks. It was very helpful for me in college.
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
Would be nice to see a calendar view instead of a list view
Permissions aren't configurable, anyone can delete any task at any time and there is no recycle bin
Notifications aren't great, you have to be attached as an owner to a task to see comments and be notified of changes, and even then notifications aren't shown for a lot of things
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
It is a very useful tool that brings teams in sync with one another. The integration with other Microsoft products makes it an obvious choice because you don't have to purchase a license for a completely different tool that doesn't have cross-functional capabilities with the software you already use on a daily basis.
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.
Google is simple to use and easy to understand. Having a one-click to add tasks via Google Calendar is a must for any busy business that manages multiple accounts and/or projects. Compliance and business standards are at the forefront, with notification reminders so you don't forget any of those annual certifications, for example.
The board-and-bucket layout makes it easy to organize tasks, track progress, and prioritize work at a glance, even for first-time users. I also appreciate how Planner seamlessly integrates with tools like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, enabling users to collaborate, schedule tasks, and access their plans without needing to switch platforms. I also like how it’s accessible not only on desktops, but also on mobile devices.
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
Since the app is free, we can't expect to get a great support. 1. The app does not even have a dedicated forum where other members can help each other. 2. The app only has a feedback option, which I rarely think visits the team. 3. Even after sending many feedbacks, you can't expect a reply. 4. In a nutshell, if you face any problem, you can just wait. Nothing more than that.
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.
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.
Google Tasks is not necessarily better than its competitors and certainly not as robust or complex as most to-do applications and platforms available in the market, but because it is automatically integrated into G Suite services--our primary technology interface--this free option has precluded us from needing to explore other tools that are often "better" but not as intuitive when so much time and focus is already spent within the Google ecosystem.
Many areas of the company still use Trello to organize their activities and tasks, but gradually Microsoft Planner must replace the activities. Users are often "attached" to familiar technologies, but Office 365 takes advantage of the more organized use of the tools. This year we will not renew the Trello contract.
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!
Personally, has managed over 1280 tasks for me in the past couple of years that I have been able to check off thanks to the app
Has accurately allowed me personally to schedule out tasks into the future that I want to get done but don't have the mental space currently to be trying to remember or do
In my experience, productivity is negatively impacted because assigning subtasks aren't clear on Microsoft Planner
Managers aren't able to track direct reports' tasks across multiple boards -- leading to poor visibility for us
Notifications aren't always sent to inbox, so you rely on people's own project management skills to follow the communication on tasks they're assigned to. In my experience, this leads to missed deadlines impacting customer relationships.
