Smartsheet vs ClickUp Comparison: Is ClickUp Better Than Smartsheet?

Smartsheet and ClickUp are both project management software that allow users to plan, track, and collaborate on projects. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms.

If you're thinking about which would better support your team and workflows, you've arrived at the right place.

This Smartsheet vs ClickUp comparison post explores and compares the features of the two solutions to help you arrive at a better decision for your business.

What is the difference between Smartsheet and ClickUp?

The main difference between ClickUp and Smartsheet is that ClickUp is a project management software that supports agile teams with features like Kanban boards and Gantt charts, while Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-style platform for teams that deal with numbers and large amounts of data. 

Both SaaS platforms offer collaboration features, such as assigning tasks and leaving comments. The difference is that Smartsheet has a feature called "Conversations," which allows users to communicate within the platform, and ClickUp has a built-in chat. 

Both platforms allow users to create tasks and subtasks, but ClickUp offers more flexibility in terms of task organization and dependencies.

ClickUp also includes a feature called "Goals," which allows users to set and track long-term objectives for their projects. 

Ultimately, the right project management software for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. It may be helpful to try out a free trial of both Smartsheet and ClickUp to see which one works best for your team.

If you want to learn more about the inner workings of Smartsheet, we have a detailed Smartsheet review that discusses the platform’s pros and cons. For those of you who are more interested in ClickUp, here’s an extensive ClickUp review where you can learn the app’s best features. 

Smartsheet vs ClickUp comparison chart

Here’s a quick overview of how Smartsheets vs ClickUp compare in terms of features and functionality before we dive into a more elaborate head-to-head comparison. 

Smartsheet vs ClickUp pricing

Smartsheet and ClickUp are both project management platforms that offer a range of pricing plans to meet the needs of different users and organizations. They both have four paid monthly plans and offer discounts for annual billing. 

Smartsheet's plans start at $7 per user per month and ClickUp's at $5. ClickUp has a mid-range plan that's great for mid-sized businesses and also very affordable at only $12 per user per month. Smartsheet's mid-range plan jumps to $25 per user per month, which may be too expensive for businesses with limited budgets. 

If we compare the two cheapest plans of each platform, we can see that ClickUp’s Unlimited plan comes with unlimited storage, tasks, integrations, dashboards, guests, Gantt charts, and custom fields, as well as 1000 automations per month, resource management, and agile reporting. 

Smartsheet’s lowest-tier plan comes with unlimited sheets and viewers, 250 automations per month, 20 GB attachment storage, Gantt charts, Card view (Kanban), and limited integrations. 

Winner: 

In general, both Smartsheet and ClickUp offer a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets, with the main differences being the features included at each pricing level and the cost per user per month. 

ClickUp’s pricing plans are slightly better, as the cheapest plan offers more functionality than Smartsheet’s. ClickUp also has an affordable mid-range plan that’s great for mid-sized companies. 
 

ClickUp vs Smartsheet free versions

Smartsheet doesn’t have a freemium version of its software, only a 30-day trial. 

ClickUp’s free plan is quite generous and includes features like unlimited users, tasks, 100 MB of storage, collaborative docs, real-time chat, Kanban boards, sprint management, 50+ native integrations, and time tracking. In short, this plan is ideal if you’re a small business with basic needs. 

Winner: 

ClickUp wins this round as it’s the only one of the two with a free plan. 
 

Customer support

ClickUp offers 24/7 customer support to all users, including those on the free plan. Customer service is available every day of the week, including holidays. ClickUp has live chat support for all paid users and Priority Support to Business Plus and Enterprise users. Enterprise users also get a Dedicated Customer Success Manager and Onboarding Training Workshop.

Smartsheet’s customer support works similarly. Users of the more expensive plans get better support. All users can get in touch with customer support via chat if they have any questions related to plans and pricing. Professional support is available as a paid add-on you can include in your monthly plan. Only Enterprise plan users get phone support. 

Winner:

ClickUp has a slight lead here as it has 24/7 customer support for all users. 
 

Knowledgebase & learning

Smartsheet and ClickUp are very similar when it comes to knowledge base and learning. Both platforms have a community forum where users can ask questions and help fellow users with their concerns. 

They both have an extensive knowledge base that contains a good deal of learning materials, including help articles, webinars, templates for different use cases, FAQs, and more. 

Another thing they have in common is they both have a learning academy. Smartsheet has Smartsheet University, and ClickUp has ClickUp University, each offering courses and tutorials related to the software. 

Winner: 

This round is a tie as both project management solutions have rich knowledge bases and learning materials.

ClickUp vs Smartsheet features & functionality

In the previous section, we looked at how ClickUp vs Smartsheet compare in terms of more general things like customer support, pricing plans, and knowledge bases. In the next section, we’ll be putting the two solutions against each other in features and functionality. Let’s begin!
 

Smartsheet or ClickUp for ease of use?

Both platforms have a heavy amount of features; ClickUp also comes with plenty of customization options, which means both platforms have a learning curve. If we compare the two solutions with a platform like Trello, for example, Smartsheet and ClickUp require a few days of onboarding. 

Winner: 

Smartsheet has a slight edge in this category, as ClickUp can feel too bloated with features for some users, which makes it more challenging to navigate the platform. 
 

ClickUp vs Smartsheet online versions

Both ClickUp and Smartsheet have an online version that's functional on all modern browsers, including Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. They both have mobile apps for Android and iOS. ClickUp also has a Chrome extension that lets you track time, create tasks, bookmark websites, add notes, etc.

Winner: 

ClickUp has a slight lead in this category with its extension for Chrome. 
 

Smartsheet vs ClickUp desktop versions

Smartsheet doesn't have a desktop version of its software. ClickUp has a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. The desktop app is available on every plan.

Winner: 

ClickUp wins this round as it’s the only one of the two that has desktop apps. 
 

Integrations

ClickUp has 50+ native integrations with third-party apps and add-ons like GitHub, WebHooks, Google Drive, Dropbox, Hubspot, and Microsoft Teams. It connects with an additional 1,000 apps via Zapier. 

Smartsheet natively integrates with 100 third-party apps and add-ons, and to thousands more via Zapier. 

The downside is that the number and type of integrations depend on your subscription plan. For example, you can only integrate the software with platforms like Adobe Creative Cloud, Brandfolder, and PowerBI if you’re subscribed to the Business plan. The DocuSign integration is only available with the Enterprise plan.

Winner: 

We’ll give this round to Smartsheet as it has more native integrations than ClickUp.  

A note on ClickUp Smartsheet integration

There’s no native Smartsheet ClickUp integration. However, the two apps can connect via platforms like Zapier, Unito.io, and Integrately. You have to pick one of the apps as a trigger, which will kick off your automation.
 

Automation 

ClickUp has native automation features that let you automate repetitive tasks. You can automate over 50 actions, like assigning tasks, posting comments, moving statuses, etc. There’s also a rich library that contains 100+ automation templates you can apply to your workflows. 

Smartsheet also has a good deal of automation features. Similar to ClickUp, you can create automation from scratch or choose one from the automation gallery. You can automate all kinds of actions, like requesting approvals, locking rows, and assigning tasks. 

Winner: 

Although both solutions have automation capabilities, Smartsheet has a slight lead. While ClickUp limits the number of automations even in the higher-end plans, Smartsheet offers unlimited automation actions with its Business and Enterprise plans. 
 

Views 

Both Smartsheet and ClickUp let you view your tasks from different angles. Smarthsheet has Kanban view, Gantt charts, and Calendar view, in addition to its standard Grid view. There's also a Dashboard view that visually represents your data so that you gain insights into the health of your business. 

ClickUp prides itself on offering 15+ ways of viewing your tasks. There's the basic task view types like List, Calendar, and Board view. But there's also Gantt, Box, Timeline, Table, Doc, Workload, and Form view.

Winner: 

ClickUp wins here as it has more ways of viewing your tasks. This might be a good option for you if you care about views like Box, Doc, and Form. However, if you prefer working in a traditional grid view, then look no further than Smartsheet. 
 

ClickUp or Smartsheet for task management 

ClickUp has powerful task management capabilities. You can create tasks, assign them to one person or multiple people, set permissions and statuses, activate notifications, tag people in comments, attach files to tasks, label tasks by priority, and more. You can even break large tasks into subtasks; each subtask can have assignees, due dates, and comments. Tasks can have dependencies and can be recurring. 

The software lets you automate repeatable processes so that you can focus on more important tasks. You can even create checklists within tasks to track anything from multi-step workflows to simple to-do lists. ClickUp has a native time-tracking functionality that's included in all plans. You can track how much time you spend working on each task. 

Smartsheet may be a spreadsheet-based project management software, but it's a strong competitor to ClickUp when it comes to task management. The software lets you create tasks and subtasks, assign them to people, add due dates and categories, add completion statuses, and more. 

You can create dependencies between tasks, schedule tasks, and automate recurring reminders, alerts, and notifications to be sent via email. Smartsheet's time-tracking functionality is included in the Resource Management add-on. If you need access to this functionality, you must add it to your monthly subscription.

Winner: 

We’ll call this round a tie. The best task management software for you would depend on your specific needs. 
 

Collaboration and communication 

Smartsheet is a good option for businesses that prefer working in software like Excel but need more collaboration features. Conversations feature that lets you leave comments in a sheet, in a specific row of a sheet, and in a workspace. You can control which user has access to what information by setting different permission levels. Although Smartsheet doesn't have a built-in chat or video chat, you can integrate it with tools like Google Hangouts and start a call directly from a sheet. 

ClickUp has a selection of collaboration and communication tools. There's a built-in chat for messaging team members in real-time, as well as screen sharing, voice notes, and comments on tasks. Whiteboard is another neat feature that supports brainstorming and sharing ideas on a visual canvas. ClickUp allows you to create docs from within the platform and share them with others, add them to tasks, and more.

Winner: 

ClickUp has a slight lead as it has more options for collaboration and communication, like voice notes and chat. However, if you’re looking for a tool similar to Excel but with more collaboration options, Smartsheet can be a top pick. 
 

Reporting and analytics 

ClickUp has solid reporting capabilities. The Dashboards feature lets you build high-level views of everything that’s going on in your Workspace. You can track sprints, epics, projects, and more. The Workload view allows you to track your team’s work capacity so that you identify who’s over or under capacity and allocate work more efficiently. With the Goals feature, you’ll be able to measure your project goals to track wins.

In Smartsheet, you can compile data from multiple sheets and display it in reports. There are two types of reports - Row Reports and Sheet Summary Reports. 

Row Reports collect row information from multiple sheets, while Sheet Summary Reports display the overview data from multiple sheets. Smartsheet has a native pivot app that summarizes and analyzes large data stored in sheets or reports and creates meaningful comparisons, patterns, and trends.

Winner: 

Smartsheet wins this round as its reporting functionality is more powerful. 
 

Product limitations

ClickUp comes with a rich set of features which may be an issue for businesses that need a simpler tool. What’s more, you must do plenty of customization to enjoy the app's full functionality. 

Smartsheet might not be the best solution if you prefer working with Kanban or Scrum boards. Another downside of Smartsheet is that it reserves its best features for the most expensive plan. Smartsheet lacks a free plan and can get expensive very quickly if you start adding paid add-ons. 

Winner: 

This round is a tie. 

Is Smartsheet better than ClickUp? Our conclusion

Yes, Smartsheet is better than ClickUp if you enjoy spreadsheets and deal with large amounts of data. The platform can be a great option for larger businesses with more complex needs. 

ClickUp, on the other hand, is better than Smartsheet if you're a remote team that needs a good deal of collaboration and automation features. ClickUp's features are well-suited for agile teams that need to manage sprints, build Scrum charts, and track issues. The app is also recommended for design teams, product development, and marketing agencies. It’s suitable for both startups and SMBs. 

Ultimately, the choice between Smartsheet and ClickUp will depend on your personal preferences and the specific needs of your project. Both tools offer a range of features and resources that can help beginners get started with project management, and both have strong support communities and resources that can help users learn and get the most out of the platform.

Smartsheet and ClickUp made it to our ultimate list of the best project management tools. See how they compare with other major players in the industry, like Asana, Monday.com, and Jira.