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Smartsheet vs ClickUp 2026: Full Comparison

Smartsheet excels in enterprise-grade project management with strong spreadsheet-like interfaces and Gantt chart capabilities, while ClickUp offers more comprehensive all-in-one functionality with lower pricing and broader feature integration across multiple work management needs.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet

Enterprise project management platform with spreadsheet interface and advanced Gantt charting.

Large enterprises with compliance requirements, regulated industries, teams familiar with spreadsheets seeking structured project governance

Score63%
VS
C

ClickUp

All-in-one work management platform with customizable views, unlimited features, and broad integrations.

Startups, growing teams, agencies managing multiple client projects, organizations seeking affordable all-in-one solutions with fast deployment

Score63%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Smartsheet excels in enterprise-grade project management with strong spreadsheet-like interfaces and Gantt chart capabilities, while ClickUp offers more comprehensive all-in-one functionality with lower pricing and broader feature integration across multiple work management needs.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Smartsheet if you need enterprise-grade governance, compliance controls (SOC 2, HIPAA), and deep spreadsheet familiarity with mission-critical project tracking. Choose ClickUp if you want flexibility, affordability, and comprehensive work management across teams of any size with faster implementation and lower total cost of ownership.

Community feedback

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Smartsheet
5/10
ClickUp
10/10
C
Smartsheet

Choose Smartsheet if

Large enterprises with compliance requirements, regulated industries, teams familiar with spreadsheets seeking structured project governance

C

Choose ClickUp if

Best pick

Startups, growing teams, agencies managing multiple client projects, organizations seeking affordable all-in-one solutions with fast deployment

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Starting Price (Monthly):ClickUp wins($5/user vs $55/user)
  • Custom Fields Limit:ClickUp wins(Unlimited custom fields vs 150+ custom fields)
  • Built-in Integrations:ClickUp wins(1000+ integrations vs 450+ integrations)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

89 numeric metrics compared

MetricSmartsheetClickUpRatio
Starting Monthly Cost (per user, annual)(USD)$14
Standard Plan Cost (per user, annual)(USD)$25
API Rate Limit(requests/second)100/second (Enterprise)100
Time to User Proficiency(hours)2-3 weeks
Number of Native Integrations(integrations)500+
Mobile App Rating (iOS)(stars)4.2
Starting Price (Annual per User)(USD)$484/year
Time to First Project (User Onboarding)(days)5-7 days
Pre-built Automations Available(count)100+
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$14.99
Custom Field Types Available(count)18+
Built-in View Types(count)5 (sheet, Gantt, card, calendar, dashboard)
Pre-Built Templates(templates)300+
Maximum Base Storage (Pro Plan)(GB)500 GB per workspace
User Adoption Difficulty(scale 1-10)5 (easier - familiar PM interface)
Starting Monthly Cost per User(USD)$55
Average Time to Productivity(weeks)4-6 weeks
Native Integrations Available(count)1000+ via Zapier
Database Row Performance Threshold(rows)50,000+ rows (tested)
Monthly Cost Per User (Entry Tier)(USD)$55$5
Available Integrations(count)450+1000+
Custom Fields Maximum(count)150+Unlimited
Average Implementation Time(weeks)8-12 weeks1-2 weeks
User Satisfaction - Value for Money(% positive reviews)82%82%
Free Plan Storage Capacity(GB)100 MB100 MB
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)$5$5
Built-in Project Views(count)15+ views15+ views
Integrations Available(count)1,000+ integrations1,000+ integrations
Max Team Size (Recommended)(people)500+ people500+ people
Automation Templates(count)100+ advanced templates100+ advanced templates
Base Monthly Price (Individual/Starter Plan)(USD per user)$5$5
AI Features Cost (Monthly Add-on)(USD per user)$14-$33 (optional add-on)$14-$33 (optional add-on)
AI Rating(out of 5 stars)5 stars (Brain: Enterprise Search, AI Notetaker, Autopilot)5 stars (Brain: Enterprise Search, AI Notetaker, Autopilot)
Integrated Tools Available(tools)20+ integrated tools in workspace20+ integrated tools in workspace
Annual Cost for Full Stack (Single User with AI)(USD per year)$234-$410 (base + AI)$234-$410 (base + AI)
Starting Price (Paid Tier)(USD per user per month)$7$7
Business Tier Price(USD per user per month)$12$12
Guest Account Cost(USD per month)$0 - Free$0 - Free
Document Management Capability(Feature Strength 1-10)5/10 - Basic doc support5/10 - Basic doc support
Starter Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$7.00$7.00
Mid-Tier Plan Monthly Cost(USD per user/month (annual billing))$12.00$12.00
AI Features Rating(Stars out of 5)5.0 stars5.0 stars
Starting Price(USD/month)$7/month (Teams)$7/month (Teams)
Setup Time for Engineering Teams(hours)16-40 hours for full setup and customization16-40 hours for full setup and customization
Number of Integration Partnerships(integrations)1000+ integrations via Zapier + 200+ native1000+ integrations via Zapier + 200+ native
Custom View Options(view types)8+ views (list, board, calendar, timeline, table, gantt, workload, map)8+ views (list, board, calendar, timeline, table, gantt, workload, map)
Starting Price (Starter Tier)(USD per user per month)$7/user/month$7/user/month
Storage Allocation Ratio(relative multiplier)5x baseline5x baseline
Time to Team Productivity(days)14-28 days (2-4 weeks optimal)14-28 days (2-4 weeks optimal)
Built-in Integrated Features(core feature count)Tasks, docs, chat, time tracking, whiteboards, AITasks, docs, chat, time tracking, whiteboards, AI
Setup Complexity Score(complexity 1-10)High complexity (requires customization)High complexity (requires customization)
Price Gap Percentage(percent difference)Baseline comparisonBaseline comparison
Monthly Cost (Single Plan)(USD)$99 (unlimited users)$99 (unlimited users)
Planning Views(count)7+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Timeline, Table, Whiteboards)7+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Timeline, Table, Whiteboards)
Setup & Onboarding Time(hours)4-8 hours for optimal configuration4-8 hours for optimal configuration
Cost for 50-User Team(USD/month)$99 (unlimited included)$99 (unlimited included)
Customizable Views(types)10+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Table, Workload, etc.)10+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Table, Workload, etc.)
Free Trial Duration(days)14 days (no credit card required)14 days (no credit card required)
Starting Price(USD)$5.00$5.00
Supported Integrations(count)1000+1000+
User Adoption Time(days)3-73-7
Team Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD/month)$7-10/user$7-10/user
Number of View Types(views)7+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Docs, Whiteboard)7+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Docs, Whiteboard)
Third-party Integrations(integrations)1,000+ including native connectors1,000+ including native connectors
Starter Plan Cost(USD/month)Free tier availableFree tier available
Pro Plan Cost (Annual)(USD/month)$9/month (Business plan)$9/month (Business plan)
Project Views Available(count)15+ views15+ views
Mobile App Rating(stars)4.2/5 (45K reviews)4.2/5 (45K reviews)
Average Onboarding Time(days)5-7 days5-7 days
Zapier Integrations Supported(count)200+ integrations200+ integrations
Base Monthly Cost (Per User)(USD)$5 (Free plan available)$5 (Free plan available)
Professional Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$12$12
Number of View Types(views)15+15+
Native Automation Rules Available(count)100+ with AI100+ with AI
Free Tier Storage(GB)100100
Time to Initial Proficiency(minutes)180180
Pricing (Per User/Month)(USD)$5 (Team), $9 (Business)$5 (Team), $9 (Business)
Native Integrations Count(count)1,000+ native + Zapier1,000+ native + Zapier
Free Trial Length(days)14 days14 days
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$5$5
Free Plan Storage(GB)0.1 GB (100 MB)0.1 GB (100 MB)
Native Integrations(integrations)200+200+
First-Month User Adoption Rate(percent)58%58%
View Types(view types)10+ (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Board, Table, List, Mind Map, Timeline)10+ (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Board, Table, List, Mind Map, Timeline)
Starting Price (Monthly per User)(USD)$9 (Free plan available)$9 (Free plan available)
View Types Available(count)15+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, etc.)15+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, etc.)
Automated Workflows Available(count)150+ pre-built automations150+ pre-built automations
Database Relation Types(count)4 types (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups)4 types (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups)
User Onboarding Time (Average)(hours)8-12 hours to learn core features8-12 hours to learn core features

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

Smartsheet
0Smartsheet
ClickUp leads2 ties
C
5ClickUp
  • Starting Price (Monthly)

    Smartsheet

    $55/user

    ClickUp

    $5/user(winner)

  • Custom Fields Limit

    Smartsheet

    150+ custom fields

    ClickUp

    Unlimited custom fields(winner)

  • Built-in Integrations

    Smartsheet

    450+ integrations

    ClickUp

    1000+ integrations(winner)

  • Team Size Sweet Spot

    Smartsheet

    Enterprise (500+)

    ClickUp

    Small to mid-market (5-500)

  • Gantt Chart Native Support

    Smartsheet

    Yes, core feature

    ClickUp

    Yes, advanced timeline view

  • Learning Curve (Hours)

    Smartsheet

    40-60 hours

    ClickUp

    15-25 hours(winner)

  • Free Plan Availability

    Smartsheet

    No free tier

    ClickUp

    Yes, unlimited tasks(winner)

Full Comparison

Smartsheet
CClickUp
Starting Monthly Cost (per user, annual)(USD)
$14
Standard Plan Cost (per user, annual)(USD)
$25
Starting Price (Annual per User)(USD)
$484/year
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$14.99
Starting Monthly Cost per User(USD)
$55
Show 27 more attributes
Monthly Cost Per User (Entry Tier)(USD)
$55
$5
Free Tier Availability
No
Yes, unlimited tasks
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)
$5
Base Monthly Price (Individual/Starter Plan)(USD per user)
$5
AI Features Cost (Monthly Add-on)(USD per user)
$14-$33 (optional add-on)
Free Plan Availability
Yes, unlimited tasks but limited features
Starting Price (Paid Tier)(USD per user per month)
$7
Business Tier Price(USD per user per month)
$12
Guest Account Cost(USD per month)
$0 - Free
Starter Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$7.00
Mid-Tier Plan Monthly Cost(USD per user/month (annual billing))
$12.00
Free Plan Available
Yes - Free Tier
Enterprise Plan Annual Cost(USD (estimated))
Custom pricing
Starting Price(USD/month)
$7/month (Teams)
Starting Price (Starter Tier)(USD per user per month)
$7/user/month
Price Gap Percentage(percent difference)
Baseline comparison
Monthly Cost (Single Plan)(USD)
$99 (unlimited users)
Cost for 50-User Team(USD/month)
$99 (unlimited included)
Free Plan Available
Yes, generous
Free Plan Cost(USD)
$0 (unlimited users, core features)
Team Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD/month)
$7-10/user
Starter Plan Cost(USD/month)
Free tier available
Pro Plan Cost (Annual)(USD/month)
$9/month (Business plan)
Base Monthly Cost (Per User)(USD)
$5 (Free plan available)
Free Tier Storage(GB)
100
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$5
Starting Price (Monthly per User)(USD)
$9 (Free plan available)
API Rate Limit(requests/second)
100/second (Enterprise)
100
Time to User Proficiency(hours)
2-3 weeks
Number of Native Integrations(integrations)
500+
Available Integrations(count)
450+
1000+
Integrations Available(count)
1,000+ integrations
Mobile App Rating (iOS)(stars)
4.2
Mobile App Quality
Full-featured mobile app with most desktop capabilities
Setup Time to Productivity(hours)
2-4 weeks
Mobile App Rating(stars)
4.2/5 (45K reviews)
Maximum Team Size (per standard plan)(users)
Unlimited
Maximum Team Size (Single Plan)(users)
Unlimited
Max Team Size (Recommended)(people)
500+ people
Maximum Team Size Support(users)
Unlimited - scales to enterprise
Typical Team Size(people)
10+ users; scales to enterprise
Show 1 more attribute
Unlimited Team Members
Yes (all paid tiers)
Built-in Gantt Charts(native feature)
Yes, advanced
Native Gantt Chart Support
Yes, core feature
Yes, timeline view
Custom Field Types Available(count)
18+
Built-in View Types(count)
5 (sheet, Gantt, card, calendar, dashboard)
Pre-Built Templates(templates)
300+
Show 38 more attributes
Built-in Task Scheduling
Visual timelines & Gantt
Customization Flexibility(percentage)
Customizable dashboards
Built-in Time Tracking
Yes (native)
View Options(Number of views)
Kanban, Timeline, Map, Calendar, Board, List
Built-in Project Views(count)
15+ views
AI Features
AI summaries for tasks, smart automation suggestions, AI search
AI Rating(out of 5 stars)
5 stars (Brain: Enterprise Search, AI Notetaker, Autopilot)
Integrated Tools Available(tools)
20+ integrated tools in workspace
Built-in Docs Integration(feature availability)
Yes (connects to task work directly)
Mobile App Capability
Full-featured with most desktop functions
Document Management Capability(Feature Strength 1-10)
5/10 - Basic doc support
AI Features Rating(Stars out of 5)
5.0 stars
Built-in Documentation Feature
Comprehensive - wiki, docs, and page builder included
Custom View Options(view types)
8+ views (list, board, calendar, timeline, table, gantt, workload, map)
Built-in Integrated Features(core feature count)
Tasks, docs, chat, time tracking, whiteboards, AI
Planning Views(count)
7+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Timeline, Table, Whiteboards)
Customizable Views(types)
10+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Table, Workload, etc.)
Automation Capabilities(features)
Advanced (conditional workflows, custom triggers, multi-step automations)
Storage per Team (Base Plan)(GB)
Unlimited
Mobile Apps
iOS, Android, native apps
Customizable Views
List, board, timeline, calendar, table, gallery, custom
Built-in Document Management
ClickUp Docs (full-featured)
Records Per Base/Workspace(records)
Unlimited tasks
Built-in Time Tracking
Yes (native feature)
Number of View Types(views)
7+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Docs, Whiteboard)
Native Collaboration Tools
Chat, docs, tasks, and team collaboration
Automation Capabilities
Built-in automations and workflow builder
Project Views Available(count)
15+ views
Time Tracking (Native)(boolean)
Yes, with timesheet reporting
Unlimited Users (Free Tier)(boolean)
Yes
Number of View Types(views)
15+
Native Automation Rules Available(count)
100+ with AI
Gantt Chart Resource Leveling(capability)
No, basic gantt only
View Types(view types)
10+ (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Board, Table, List, Mind Map, Timeline)
Native Time Tracking
Yes, with billable rates
View Types Available(count)
15+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, etc.)
Automated Workflows Available(count)
150+ pre-built automations
Database Relation Types(count)
4 types (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups)
Time to First Project (User Onboarding)(days)
5-7 days
Average Time to Productivity(weeks)
4-6 weeks
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)
Moderate
Learning Curve(1-10 scale (1=easiest))
Steep (highly customizable, many features)
Learning Curve Difficulty(score (1-10))
5/10 - Moderate curve
Show 4 more attributes
User Interface Simplicity(score)
Feature-Rich & Dense
User Adoption Time(days)
3-7
Time to Initial Proficiency(minutes)
180
User Onboarding Time (Average)(hours)
8-12 hours to learn core features
Pre-built Automations Available(count)
100+
Automation Templates(count)
100+ advanced templates
Resource Management Depth
Advanced allocation, leveling, forecasting
Mobile App Edit Capabilities
Read-heavy, limited editing
Gantt Chart Capability(capability level)
Advanced (dependencies, resource allocation, critical path)
Gantt Chart / Timeline Capabilities
Native Gantt with dependencies, critical path, resource leveling
Resource Capacity Planning
Built-in workload and capacity management tools
Portfolio-Level Visibility
Multi-project dashboards and roll-ups
Maximum Base Storage (Pro Plan)(GB)
500 GB per workspace
User Adoption Difficulty(scale 1-10)
5 (easier - familiar PM interface)
Setup Complexity Score(complexity 1-10)
High complexity (requires customization)
Setup & Onboarding Time(hours)
4-8 hours for optimal configuration
HIPAA Compliance Certified
Yes, certified
SOC 2 Type II Certified
Yes, certified
Native Integrations Available(count)
1000+ via Zapier
Database Row Performance Threshold(rows)
50,000+ rows (tested)
Custom Fields Maximum(count)
150+
Unlimited
Custom Fields Per Project(fields)
Unlimited
Custom Fields Available(fields)
Unlimited
Average Implementation Time(weeks)
8-12 weeks
1-2 weeks
SOC 2 Type II Compliance
Yes
Yes
HIPAA Compliance(certified)
Yes, Enterprise tier only
Enterprise-Grade Permissions
Yes (granular role-based access, audit logs)
Team Size Optimal Range(users)
500+ (Enterprise)
5-500 (SMB-Mid Market)
User Satisfaction - Value for Money(% positive reviews)
82%
Best for Task Execution
Strong priority
Knowledge Management & Documentation
Adequate
Slack Integration
Native integration
Number of Integration Partnerships(integrations)
1000+ integrations via Zapier + 200+ native
Third-party Integrations(integrations)
1,000+ including native connectors
Zapier Integrations Supported(count)
200+ integrations
Native Integrations Count(count)
1,000+ native + Zapier
Show 1 more attribute
Native Integrations(integrations)
200+
Free Plan Storage Capacity(GB)
100 MB
Free Plan Storage(GB)
0.1 GB (100 MB)
Free Plan Live Chat Support
Not available
Best For Organization Size
Small to mid-size teams
Document Editing Quality
Basic docs feature; secondary to task management
Role-Based Access Control(availability)
Yes (with custom roles)
Annual Cost for Full Stack (Single User with AI)(USD per year)
$234-$410 (base + AI)
Platform Type
All-in-One Workspace
Customization Level
Extensive
GitHub Integration Quality
Via Zapier - third-party automation
Supported Integrations(count)
1000+
DevOps/CI-CD Tools Integration
Limited via webhooks
Setup Time for Engineering Teams(hours)
16-40 hours for full setup and customization
Time to Team Productivity(days)
14-28 days (2-4 weeks optimal)
Average Onboarding Time(days)
5-7 days
Free Plan Task Capacity(tasks)
Unlimited tasks
Storage Allocation Ratio(relative multiplier)
5x baseline
Cross-Project Reporting
Advanced dashboards, burndown charts, custom metrics across projects
Communication Hub Integration
Chat and threaded comments; separate from tasks
Free Trial Duration(days)
14 days (no credit card required)
Free Trial Length(days)
14 days
Starting Price(USD)
$5.00
Pricing (Per User/Month)(USD)
$5 (Team), $9 (Business)
Professional Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$12
FedRAMP Certification
No
First-Month User Adoption Rate(percent)
58%

Pros & Cons

10 pros·6 cons across both

Smartsheet
C
Smartsheet

Smartsheet

+5-3

Pros

  • Enterprise-grade security with SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance certification
  • Native Gantt charts with critical path analysis and resource leveling
  • Spreadsheet-familiar interface reduces training for Excel users
  • Robust automation engine with conditional workflows and field validation
  • Excellent for regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government)

Cons

  • Pricing starts at $55/user/month with no free tier—prohibitive for startups
  • Steeper learning curve requiring 40-60 hours of team training on average
  • Limited integrations (450) compared to competitors; gaps in modern SaaS tools
C

ClickUp

+5-3

Pros

  • Lowest entry price at $5/user/month plus robust free tier with unlimited tasks
  • Unlimited custom fields, automations, and integrations enable flexible workflows
  • 1000+ native integrations including Slack, GitHub, Notion, and Zapier
  • Multiple view types (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Table) suit diverse team needs
  • Rapid onboarding with intuitive UI requiring only 15-25 hours team training

Cons

  • Overwhelming feature density can intimidate users unfamiliar with work management tools
  • Mobile app stability issues reported by 28% of users in 2024 reviews
  • Customer support response times average 18-24 hours for non-critical issues

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. ClickUp is significantly better for budget-conscious teams. It offers a free tier with unlimited tasks and starts at just $5/user/month, while Smartsheet has no free option and begins at $55/user/month. For a 10-person team, ClickUp's free plan costs $0 versus Smartsheet's $550/month—a $6,600 annual difference.

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