monday.com vs Smartsheet: Which is better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of pricing, features, and use cases to help you decide between monday.com and Smartsheet.
Quick answer
monday.com rates higher on G2 (4.7/5 vs 4.4/5) and is the stronger pick for most teams. Both start at $9/mo.
Work OS that powers teams to run processes and workflows
Enterprise work management platform built on a spreadsheet
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | monday.com | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Pricing model | freemium | paid |
| G2 rating | 4.7/5 ↑ | 4.4/5 |
| Capterra rating | 4.6/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Founded | 2012 | 2005 |
monday.com: pros & cons
- ✓Very visual and intuitive
- ✓Highly customisable
- ✓Strong automation
- ✓Great dashboards
- ✗Minimum 3 seats on paid plans
- ✗Automations limited on lower tiers
- ✗Can get expensive for large teams
Smartsheet: pros & cons
- ✓Familiar spreadsheet interface
- ✓Powerful Gantt views
- ✓Strong enterprise features
- ✓Good for operations teams
- ✗Looks and feels dated
- ✗No free plan
- ✗Less intuitive than monday.com
- ✗Expensive at scale
Choose monday.com if...
- →Your ops, marketing, or HR team wants to build custom workflows with no-code automations and visual dashboards
- →You need a work management tool that non-technical teams will actually enjoy using day-to-day
- →Your team runs recurring processes — client onboarding, campaign launches, hiring pipelines — that need repeatable board templates
Choose Smartsheet if...
- →Your operations or PMO team lives in spreadsheets and needs Gantt charts and automations without retraining staff on a new interface
- →You're running construction, manufacturing, or event projects that require resource management and portfolio-level Gantt views
- →Your team needs to collect structured data via forms that feed directly into project sheets with automated approval workflows
Our verdict
monday.com scores higher on G2 (4.7/5 vs 4.4/5), suggesting stronger overall user satisfaction. monday.com offers a free plan — a lower-risk way to test before committing. The right pick depends on your team size and workflow.
monday.com vs Smartsheet: frequently asked questions
Is monday.com better than Smartsheet?
monday.com has a higher G2 score (4.7/5 vs 4.4/5). The best tool depends on your specific use case and budget.
Which is cheaper, monday.com or Smartsheet?
Both start at $9/mo.
What is the main difference between monday.com and Smartsheet?
monday.com focuses on custom workflows, automations, integrations. Smartsheet focuses on spreadsheet-style grid, gantt chart, automations. Both serve similar use cases but differ in approach and pricing model.
Can I migrate from monday.com to Smartsheet?
Most teams migrate between monday.com and Smartsheet within a day or two. Export your data from monday.com (typically as CSV or via API), then use Smartsheet's import wizard to bring it across. Check each tool's help centre for a step-by-step migration guide before switching.