Asana vs Smartsheet: Which PM Tool Is Right for You in 2026?
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Asana
Price: $10.99/user/mo
📊 How We Compared
This comparison is built from vendor documentation, published pricing, and published product specifications. Prices were checked against each vendor's own pricing page in August 2026. We do not aggregate third-party review scores; ratings reflect our documented editorial criteria.
Our Rating: 8.2/10
Best For: mid-size to enterprise teams needing structured workflows
Smartsheet
Price: $9/user/mo
Our Rating: 7.9/10
Best For: spreadsheet-heavy teams, enterprise PMOs, regulated industries
Asana and Smartsheet are two of the most popular project management tools — but they serve different needs. Asana is built for mid-size to enterprise teams needing structured workflows, while Smartsheet is designed for spreadsheet-heavy teams, enterprise pmos, regulated industries. Here is how they compare in the categories that matter most, based on vendor documentation, published specs, and published specifications.
We also compare Notion vs Smartsheet.
For a direct matchup, see our ClickUp vs Smartsheet comparison.
Editor’s take: Asana rates slightly higher and is easier to roll out, which is the usual tiebreaker. Smartsheet is the one to look at when projects depend on formulas, dependencies at scale, or reporting that has to come out looking like a spreadsheet — that is the shape it was built in and where it still wins.
Editor's Take
Smartsheet comes from spreadsheets and carries that strength into grid-heavy, formula-driven planning; Asana comes from task coordination. If your work lives in rows, dependencies and resource calculations, the spreadsheet lineage is genuinely better. If it lives in conversations, owners and due dates, the task tool wins. Portfolios and dashboards now overlap, so judge on the daily view.
Asana vs Smartsheet: Quick Comparison Table
| Category | Asana | Smartsheet | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $10.99/user/mo | $9/user/mo | Smartsheet |
| Free Tier | Free (up to 10 users, unlimited projects) | Free (1 user, 2 sheets) | Tie |
| Our Rating | 8.2/10 | 7.9/10 | Asana |
| Implementation | 2–4 weeks for full rollout | 3–6 weeks | Tie |
| Best For | mid-size to enterprise teams needing structured workflows | spreadsheet-heavy teams, enterprise PMOs, regulated industries | Depends |
How Asana and Smartsheet stack up
| Feature | Asana | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Gantt/Timeline | ✅ | ✅ |
| Kanban | ❌ | ✅ |
| Built-in Docs | ❌ | ❌ |
| Time Tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Resource Mgmt | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mobile App | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
Asana vs Smartsheet: feature by feature
1. Task and project tracking
Asana handles tasks through timeline (gantt) view, while Smartsheet approaches task management with spreadsheet-style grid interface. These two disagree about what a project is. Asana treats the project as the container: tasks carry dates and owners and roll up into a timeline. Smartsheet treats the sheet as the container: rows and columns are configured up front, and the grid is the primary surface everything else is viewed through. Neither is a flat list. The split is whether your team thinks in milestones and dependencies, which Asana models directly, or in a grid whose columns you define, which is Smartsheet's strength.
2. Project visualization
Asana offers Timeline (Gantt) view, Workload management. Smartsheet provides Spreadsheet-style grid interface, Gantt, Card (Kanban), and Calendar views. Asana's visual surface is a timeline plus workload. Smartsheet's is a grid, plus Gantt, Card and Calendar views on top. Both therefore reach a Gantt, but from opposite directions: Asana's timeline is the thing you plan in, Smartsheet's grid is the thing you live in and the Gantt is a report you switch to. If your week is spent shifting dates and rebalancing people, Asana fits; if it is spent maintaining rows and filtering columns, Smartsheet does.
3. Workflow automation
Asana includes basic workflow rules, while Smartsheet also has automation. Both carry workflow rules, but the objects they act on differ. Asana's rules fire on task state, which is why they pair naturally with its timeline and workload views — a status change reschedules the plan. Smartsheet's automation acts on rows and alerts, which fits a grid that people are already watching for changes. In practice the automation you write depends less on the tool's rule engine than on which surface your team actually keeps open all day.
4. Integration ecosystem
Asana integrates with 8 core tools including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive. Smartsheet connects to 8 including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack. Both name eight core integrations, and the overlap is close to total: Slack appears in both, and the rest split along office suites. Asana lists Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Drive; Smartsheet lists Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Slack. The number to check is not the count but whether your identity layer is already in one of them, because that is what decides whether permissions and notifications arrive without a second login.
5. Onboarding and adoption
Asana typically takes 2–4 weeks for full rollout to implement fully. Smartsheet requires 3–6 weeks. Asana typically takes two to four weeks for a full rollout because the timeline and workload views only become useful once tasks carry real dates and real assignees. Smartsheet requires three to six weeks, and the extra time is a consequence of its strength: columns, permissions and alerts have to be designed before the grid is trustworthy. If the team needs to be productive inside a month, Asana is the faster start; if you are building a governed reporting structure, Smartsheet's longer setup is buying control.
What Asana and Smartsheet cost
Asana: Free (up to 10 users), Starter $10.99/user/mo, Advanced $24.99/user/mo, Enterprise custom, Enterprise+ custom
Pricing note: the figures in the table are the vendors' published list prices as of September 2026 — this page compares Asana and Smartsheet. Vendors change pricing without notice, so treat these numbers as a starting point and confirm current pricing with the vendor before you buy.
Smartsheet: Free, Pro $9/user/mo, Business $19/user/mo, Enterprise custom (annual rates; billed month-to-month they are $12 and $24)
Read Smartsheet's pricing carefully, because it is quoted two ways on this page: Pro at $9 per user per month and Business at $19 on annual billing, or $12 and $24 when paid month to month. Asana's tiers are $10.99 and $24.99. So the comparable annual figure puts Asana Starter slightly above Smartsheet Pro and Smartsheet Business slightly below Asana Advanced — a difference of a couple of dollars per user that matters far less than the billing basis you end up locked into. Asana includes timeline (gantt) view, workload management in its base plan, while Smartsheet includes spreadsheet-style grid interface, gantt, card (kanban), and calendar views. The two free plans differ in what they are for rather than in price, since neither is a trial. Asana's covers up to ten users with the timeline and workload views intact. Smartsheet's free plan is published without a user count, and it is the grid that remains usable at no cost. Decide which surface your team would actually run on before you pick either.
Asana vs Smartsheet: the tradeoffs
Asana Strengths
- Flexible hierarchy (portfolio → project → task → subtask)
- Timeline/Gantt view is among the best in the category
- Workload view helps prevent burnout
Asana Weaknesses
- Steep learning curve — plan 2–4 weeks for full onboarding
- Pricing escalates fast: $25/user/mo for Advanced tier
- No native time tracking on Free/Starter plans
Smartsheet Strengths
- Familiar spreadsheet interface — Excel users won't need training
- Strong enterprise compliance: HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOC 2
- Powerful cross-sheet references and formulas
Smartsheet Weaknesses
- Spreadsheet model feels dated compared to modern visual tools
- Business tier ($19/user/mo) is expensive
- Steep learning curve for users without spreadsheet experience
Who Should Choose Asana?
Pick Asana if you:
- Teams of 15–500+ members
- Organizations with cross-departmental projects
- Teams already using other tools that integrate with Asana
Who Should Choose Smartsheet?
Pick Smartsheet if you:
- Enterprise PMOs and regulated industries
- Excel-heavy teams wanting to upgrade without losing spreadsheet power
- Government and healthcare (compliance requirements)
Which should you choose: Asana or Smartsheet?
Asana and Smartsheet are both solid project management tools, but they serve different needs. Asana is good at mid-size to enterprise teams needing structured workflows, making it ideal for Teams of 15–500+ members. Smartsheet is better suited for spreadsheet-heavy teams, enterprise pmos, regulated industries, especially enterprise pmos and regulated industries.
Our recommendation: If mid-size to enterprise teams needing structured workflows is your primary use case, start with Asana. If spreadsheet-heavy teams matters more, Smartsheet is your tool. Most teams test both during a free trial before deciding — and you should too.
Is Asana cheaper than Smartsheet?
No. Asana starts at $10.99/user/mo while Smartsheet starts at $9/user/mo. However, consider what each tier includes — a cheaper base price may not include the features you need.
Which is better for remote teams — Asana or Smartsheet?
Both support remote work, but they approach it differently. Asana focuses on timeline (gantt) view, while Smartsheet emphasizes spreadsheet-style grid interface. The right choice depends on how your remote team communicates and tracks work.
Can I switch from Asana to Smartsheet easily?
It can be done, though never instantly. A dedicated migration utility does most of the transfer. Attachments and custom fields deserve the closest audit during transfer. Expect a week or two of running both tools side by side.
Try Both and Compare
Both keep a free tier rather than only a trial: Asana's covers up to ten users, and Smartsheet publishes a free plan without a user cap. The honest test is to build the same report grid in Smartsheet and the same timeline in Asana with real data, then see which one your team updates without being asked.
