Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Smartsheet
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
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.
$14
per month
Trello
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Trello from Atlassian is a project management tool based on a Kanban framework. Trello is ideal for task-management in a to-do list format. It supports sharing boards and cards across users or teams. The product offers a free version, and paid versions add greater automation, collaboration, and administrative control.
$12.50
per user/per month
Pricing
SmartsheetTrello
Editions & Modules
Individual
$14
per month
Business
$25
Per User / Per Month
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Premier
Contact Sales
Business Class
$12.50
per user/per month
Enterprise
$17.50
per user/per month
Free
Forever Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
SmartsheetTrello
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
SmartsheetTrello
Considered Both Products
Smartsheet
Chose Smartsheet
Trello is great for the visual person, but it doesn't have the simple spreadsheet capacity that Smartsheet has. If you are proficient in Excel, you don't need much training to use Smartsheet, whereas, Trello is a whole different environment.
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, …
Chose Smartsheet
The dynamic nature of SmartSheet can do the same things as the other tools I've used (Trello, Asana, Basecamp, etc.), but you are not locked into a single methodology or format. You have the flexibility to create the type of project tracking tool that works best for your …
Chose Smartsheet
All the products seemed to perform the project and task management function adequately. The following factors were the keys to our selection:
  1. Ease of use - so similar to Excel everyone can figure it out.
  2. Flexible architecture lends itself to many different use cases beyond …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a must to companies that are in need of automating key business processes that will save them time and eliminate productivity killers. This software enables teams identify bottlenecks early on tasks and projects that are due so that they are able plan on a course …
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 …
Chose Smartsheet
I liked Smartsheet for the ease of use and simplicity. Having a view in Gantt chart is great and very helpful. Being able to invite multiple people and have everyone collaborate was useful. It made my life as a manager of projects much much easier and saved me a lot of time …
Chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet is very robust, and allows much more customization. It is not as user friendly, and takes more time to understand and get used to. Smartsheet integrates with just about all of these other tools. One of the best things about Smartsheet is that it can integrate with …
Chose Smartsheet
Which software we use for project management is often determined by the team we interact with or the client's choices. I prefer Smartsheet for process management due to the ease of setting up alerts and attaching necessary documentation. It was also fairly easy to set up and …
Chose Smartsheet
It matches other platforms when it comes to overall project management needs. Permissioning and ways that you can limit access help, but its flexibility when it comes to using different types of overall project management really put it over the top. Being able to not use a …
Trello
Chose Trello
For our purposes and my role in the business, Trello is simpler and easier to use. I found Jira very hard to navigate to individual projects, and the process of creating a card was very time-consuming. That said, I think Jira performs a number of roles that Trello doesn't, and …
Chose Trello
Much more flexible, but lacking the project plan creation capabilities
Chose Trello
I find Trello to be more visual than other products. As mentioned, the graphics are better visually and easier to use. It was the easiest to learn and get started with. Five stars! I learned it because some teams and clients used it previously.
Chose Trello
Todoist is a good to-do list app but I found it a bit more confusing to use than Trello because it feels like it does too much. Wunderlist was great until Microsoft bought it and stopped providing support. I used it before I switched to Trello and it would easily compete with …
Chose Trello
Very similar layout to Trello, but without the same amount of customization.
Chose Trello
Both are great for details and reporting... Trello is just easy to use and GETS USED, which is a huge advantage for buy-in from our teams. When you are a slave to data, that is a choice that costs time and effort. Trello keeps that from happening and is fun to use.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
SmartsheetTrello
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Smartsheet
7.7
123 Ratings
2% above category average
Trello
7.8
204 Ratings
4% above category average
Task Management8.3120 Ratings9.2204 Ratings
Resource Management8.8102 Ratings8.1169 Ratings
Gantt Charts8.0103 Ratings7.467 Ratings
Scheduling8.5105 Ratings7.9155 Ratings
Workflow Automation8.194 Ratings7.9130 Ratings
Team Collaboration8.3116 Ratings8.8200 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology8.476 Ratings8.1138 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology5.674 Ratings8.0109 Ratings
Document Management6.595 Ratings7.2147 Ratings
Email integration7.994 Ratings7.3135 Ratings
Mobile Access7.390 Ratings7.7178 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking6.257 Ratings7.382 Ratings
Change request and Case Management8.163 Ratings7.995 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management8.069 Ratings6.869 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Smartsheet
6.6
61 Ratings
12% below category average
Trello
7.1
67 Ratings
5% below category average
Quotes/estimates5.639 Ratings6.947 Ratings
Invoicing6.132 Ratings7.540 Ratings
Project & financial reporting7.155 Ratings6.653 Ratings
Integration with accounting software7.629 Ratings7.641 Ratings
Best Alternatives
SmartsheetTrello
Small Businesses
FunctionFox
FunctionFox
Score 8.3 out of 10
FunctionFox
FunctionFox
Score 8.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SAP Ruum
SAP Ruum
Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP Ruum
SAP Ruum
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Quickbase
Quickbase
Score 9.2 out of 10
Quickbase
Quickbase
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
SmartsheetTrello
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(141 ratings)
9.0
(204 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(23 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(12 ratings)
8.0
(42 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(45 ratings)
8.0
(79 ratings)
Online Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(6 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
SmartsheetTrello
Likelihood to Recommend
Smartsheet
For teams and users who are very familiar with Excel and its mode of operation, Smartsheet will feel like a walkover. If you have a number of users who use Excel or Google Sheets for their personal project management then you will find this tool to be very useful and somewhat familiar.
Teams that may be used to other project management suites or styles would find Smartsheet a bit challenging to adapt to, as formulas and formatting can be challenging to adapt to.
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Atlassian
It is well suited to my job requirements as I bring employees in, and I help offboard them as well. This tool helps me when I need to make sure all items are completed by a certain time frame, so I would say it holds us accountable. Someone who doesn't manage a group of people may not find this as useful when dealing with others but could use it for their own accountability when needing to track their accomplishments.
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Pros
Smartsheet
  • The easy to use dashboard has enabled us get comprehensive view of projects across the entire business.
  • It has streamlined internal communication with ease of sharing information across different teams.
  • Smartsheet automates our workflows, enhances collaboration and ensures there are no data silos.
  • I like that it saves time for us and ensures we spend less time switching between apps.
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Atlassian
  • It helps make various workspaces. Each workspace can be used for a different set of task management and can be shared with the people involved.
  • Creating task lists. We can create various task lists, the list title could be the status of the task, for example, In progress, approval, completed, etc. You can slide your task cards from one list title to another.
  • Trello cards have a huge set of features like adding the heading and description of the task, you can also attach certain associated links and documents to the cards as well.
Read full review
Cons
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
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Atlassian
  • Allow tables as content for comment or description in Cards
  • Assign priority to certain cards (easy for sorting)
  • Create an open invite link for others to join/view the Trello board, without edit rights (so people don't need to install/use Trello if they want a quick glance on what's going on)
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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Atlassian
I am very likely to renew Trello, because it doesn't cost anything to do so. I am also very likely to use Trello's upgraded features in the future because a lot of my team's data is stored on there and they have already gotten used to the platform. Trello is very easy for new team members to pick up, making the onboarding and usability very streamlined.
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Usability
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
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Atlassian
Overall, Trello is a great tool to use. It's very user-friendly, very powerful and we've set it up to work well for our team. I've recommended it to others who need something free or very cheap and it's worked well for them too. If you're wanting something with more muscle, then I'd suggest looking at either monday.com or Airtable.
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Support Rating
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.
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Atlassian
I haven't had much need to contact their support because the product is easy to use and pretty bug-free. I did reach out to them about swimlanes and I was able to find the information I needed very quickly and it was thorough and accurate information about current functionality. I love that they use their own product. That's always a good sign.
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Implementation Rating
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.
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Atlassian
For our small business, getting a few of us started well on Trello was the key, I think. As long as a couple of us were really comfortable with the interface, we could lead others and help them with any questions. From now on, anyone who works with us just naturally uses Trello for information sharing - it's just part of what we do.
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Alternatives Considered
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!
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Atlassian
Trello is easy for a non-technical person to use. Other management systems, like MS Project, frighten away less computer-savvy users. I've found this to be instrumental in getting volunteers to agree to step in and get fully involved with projects--particularly those that might span the entire year or involve many different pieces to completion.
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Return on Investment
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.
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Atlassian
  • Trello keeps me organized, focused, and on track. I could filter the Trello board to only see my issues and understand what I needed to work on and when.
  • Trello helped our team implement an agile structure. It's a very simple kanban method of viewing all of your team's tasks and statuses. You can completely customize the columns to your team's specific workflow and create tags relevant to your work.
  • Trello helps reduce unnecessary communications between teams. When I want to request translations, I simply create a card on the localization Trello board -- no need to directly message anyone on the team, and I can watch the status of the card change from "in progress" to "in review" to "translated," all without having to directly ask for updates.
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ScreenShots