Smartsheet vs Aha!

Clockify

Jira

Asana

Clockify is a time tracking app that helps teams track work hours across projects. Managers can measure employee productivity, track the progress of every project and do all necessary reporting and administration work in one place.

Jira is project tracking software that helps every team collaborate to plan, track, and release work by breaking down big ideas into achievable steps. Jira offers features like task organization, work alignment to goals, customizable workflows, and real-time data insights to optimize outcomes.

Asana Starter Plan provides growing teams with project management tools to track progress and meet deadlines. The plan includes workflow automation features, custom project templates, forms for standardized work requests, and rules for routine task management. It also offers visualization tools like Gantt and timeline views, plus AI-powered features for status updates and project organization.

Account Manager

zero customer support. When the integral sheet stopped allowing access, 2 days later sheet still not working, Customer support hangs up on you.

Smartsheet, an online work execution platform, empowers organizations to plan, track, automate, and report on work. Over 80,000 brands rely on Smartsheet for project and work management because of its easy-to-use interface, real-time gantt charts and dashboards, and work automation features.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Activity Dashboard

Activity Planning

Activity Tracking

Ad hoc Reporting

Agile Methodologies

Alerts/Notifications

Analytics

Approval Process Control

Approval Workflow

Asset Tracking

Assignment Management

Audit Trail

Availability Management

Backlog Management

Bar Chart

Bid Management

Billing & Invoicing

Brainstorming

Brand Management

Budgeting/Forecasting

Budget Management

Budget Tracking

Bug Tracking

Business Process Automation

Calendar Management

Calibration Management

Campaign Analytics

Campaign Management

Campaign Planning

Capacity Management

Change Management

Change Order Management

Channel Management

Charting

Client Management

Client Portal

Clinical Study Management

Collaboration Tools

Color Codes/Icons

Commenting/Notes

Commercial

Communication Management

Compliance Tracking

Conditional Logic

Contact Database

Content Management

Contract/License Management

Contractor Management

Cost Estimating

Cost-to-Completion Tracking

Customizable Dashboard

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Dashboard Creation

Data Connectors

Data Import/Export

Data Synchronization

Data Tabulation

Data Visualization

Deadline Management

Dependency Tracking

Digital Asset Management

Discussions/Forums

Display Ad Management

Document Management

Document Review

Document Storage

Drag & Drop

Due Date Tracking

Electronic Data Capture

Email Management

Email Reminders

Employee Management

EMR/EHR

Equipment Tracking

Event Calendar

Event Management

Expense Management

Expense Tracking

Feedback Management

File Management

File Sharing

File Transfer

Financial Management

Financial Reporting

For AEC Industry

For IT Project Management

Forms Automation

Forms Creation & Design

Forms Management

For Residential

Functions/Calculations

Gantt/Timeline View

Reviews for Smartsheet come from a wide variety of industries, including Information Technology and Services (8% of reviewers), Computer Software (6%), and Construction (6%). The most frequent use case for Smartsheet cited by reviewers is project management (60% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Reviewers appreciate being able to add free collaborators and say the flexible licensing helps control costs. However, some users report that per-user pricing and locked advanced features make Smartsheet expensive for larger teams or small businesses.

Value for money

The Smartsheet integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Microsoft Excel (a spreadsheet product rated 4.8 out of 5 for its integration with Smartsheet), Microsoft Outlook (an email management product, 4.7), and Tableau (a data visualization product, 4.7).

Integrations

Smartsheet is a project management tool with key features that include project planning and scheduling, task management, reporting and project tracking, support for multiple projects, and collaboration tools, and more.

Open Source

Smartsheet

Web-based

Android

iPad

iPhone

monday.com AI Work Platform

Trello

Google Sheets

Basecamp

Wrike

Airtable

Procore

ClickUp

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft SharePoint

Buildertrend

Google Workspace

Zoho Projects

Zoho CRM

Adobe Workfront

Business

Enterprise

Advanced Work Management

Limited and complex formula support

Software developer

Smartsheet include its limited formatting options and difficulty in creating complex formulas.

59% of reviewers feel negative about Smartsheet’s formula functionality. Users say the platform lacks advanced formulas and flexibility found in Excel, making complex calculations difficult or impossible. They report that formulas can be tedious to create, break easily when columns are changed, and sometimes perform inconsistently across sheets. Reviewers indicate that performance slows with large datasets or numerous formulas, and that the learning curve for creating and troubleshooting formulas is steep. Many find these limitations hinder their ability to perform sophisticated data analysis.

Performance and reliability concerns

Project Manager

The smartsheet application for desktop is slow and unreliable, so I only user it in the browser.

Office Manager

System typically freezes, have to reach out to my tech team to get it fixed and reset

61% of reviewers feel negative about Smartsheet’s bugs and issues. Users report frequent lag, slow load times, and occasional crashes, especially with large sheets or unstable internet connections. They mention that error messages can be unclear and troubleshooting is often time-consuming. Reviewers indicate that glitches, server downtime, and compatibility problems with browsers or plug-ins disrupt workflow. Many find that these reliability issues can delay projects and cause frustration, particularly when urgent access or quick updates are needed.

Manual and delayed update processes

The version history is hard / nonexistent, it doesn't auto save, you can't collaborate with someone in the document -- you have to save and refresh.

Performance Marketing Manager

Auto-saving doesn't always capture changes made, particularly if multiple people are editing the document at once and with poor connection.

38% of reviewers feel negative about Smartsheet’s update functionality. Users report frustration with the lack of reliable autosave, requiring manual saving after every change to prevent data loss. They indicate that real-time updates are not always available, especially when multiple users edit simultaneously, leading to lost work or outdated information. Reviewers mention that the refresh rate can be slow, and changes made by others may not appear without manual intervention. Many say these issues disrupt collaboration and increase the risk of errors.

Sheet size and management limitations

42% of reviewers feel negative about Smartsheet’s sheet management. Users indicate that limits on rows, columns, and the number of sheets per workspace can hinder large projects. They report difficulties with saving, exporting, and transferring data between sheets, as well as challenges with permissions and navigation when multiple users are involved. Reviewers mention that missing features, such as autosave, worksheet tabbing, and advanced formatting, make managing and customizing sheets cumbersome. Many find that onboarding new users is complicated by a steep learning curve.

High and restrictive pricing model

Research Scientist

Essentially they inferred that a lack of action by the user infers consent, and used this to try to force my company into an additional contract year, in addition to trying to increase the paid members count and "upgrading" our package, resulting in an extra 4K of costs.

Director, Interactive Media

The per user cost is high so where we would like to have additional users who are more "part time" users but the cost is prohibitive for a company our size.

46% of reviewers feel negative about Smartsheet’s pricing. Users report that the cost per user is high, making it expensive for small businesses or teams needing multiple licenses. They mention that key features are often locked behind premium plans, increasing total costs. Reviewers express frustration with minimum license requirements, frequent pricing changes, and limited free trial options. Many say that managing access for temporary or part-time users is challenging due to the licensing structure, which can restrict collaboration and strain budgets.

Comprehensive task and data tracking

Commercial Manager

It facilitates tracking progress and serves as a platform for disseminating information to multiple departments within our organization.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Smartsheet’s tracking features. Reviewers say the platform helps them monitor tasks, deadlines, and project statuses in real time, improving organization and accountability. They appreciate the ability to track changes, automate notifications, and visualize progress through customizable forms and logs. Users indicate that tracking tools are accessible for teams of any size, making it easy to assign responsibilities and monitor completion. Many highlight the benefits of centralized data, which streamlines reporting and reduces the need for manual updates or version control.

Flexible and secure file sharing

94% of reviewers feel positive about Smartsheet’s file sharing capabilities. Users report that sharing documents and spreadsheets with team members is straightforward, with customizable permissions for viewing and editing. They appreciate the cloud-based system, which allows access from anywhere and supports collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders. Reviewers highlight the convenience of real-time updates, integration with third-party tools, and the ability to manage large datasets securely. Many say these features reduce reliance on email attachments and improve workflow transparency.

Versatile project monitoring tools

Sr. Project Manager

The ability to track a project, update timelimes based on missed deadlines, share with a customer and have a live document is so important for a successful project.

Manager 

It has allowed us to streamline our project management process, enabling us to better track progress, assign tasks, and manage resources.

96% of reviewers feel positive about Smartsheet’s project tracking. Users say they can easily monitor project progress, assign tasks, and manage resources using customizable dashboards, Gantt charts, and automated alerts. Reviewers appreciate the centralized platform for tracking milestones, timelines, and deliverables, which helps prevent missed deadlines. They indicate that different views and templates allow teams to tailor tracking to their needs, supporting a wide range of project types. Many find that real-time updates and collaboration features keep all stakeholders informed and accountable throughout the project lifecycle.

Sales Representative

With the help of this software, it is possible to track the process of production of new miniatures and to easily collaborate on projects with freelance sculptors and casting contractors.

Owner

Highly Versatile and Flexible: It is not limited to just grid views; it allows users to switch between Gantt charts, Kanban boards, cards, and calendars to visualize data in different ways.

Using Smartsheet, I am tracking all of my sales pipeline and custom commissions, which is made possible thanks to the flexible and spreadsheet-oriented interface provided by it.

Assistantship

Additionally, while the formula syntax is similar to traditional spreadsheet software, it has unique limitations regarding certain advanced functions and data manipulation constraints (such as cell capacity limits on exceptionally large sheets), which can occasionally require creative workarounds.

Office Manager Project Assistant

With other construction project management software, what you pay for one year of Smartsheet will get you maybe a week for those other platforms. If you wanted to use just the basic sheets or take advantage of their feature rich workspaces and templates, you can use Smartsheet to track projects, office operations and costs, and as a document center (we use it to track our subcontractors certificates of insurance expirations dates), Smartsheet is definitely invaluable to us as a central project and operations management system that we can all access anywhere.

Estimating and Project Manager

We use it across the company for a wide range of functions, from receipt tracking and estimating pipelines to project management and scheduling, which makes it a valuable all-around platform.

IT Project Manager

About 6 months later things started to break, we assumed it was due to user error but ran traces and cell change histories but could find no end user or admin activity that would explain the corruption in the financial data, project status and time in status data, portfolio reporting, and filters that were built for us.

The platform's automated workflows—such as automated alerts, approval requests, and status updates—significantly reduce manual administrative overhead.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

I use smartsheet every day to keep track of our progress on my project, assign tasks and put my finger on what’s going right and where we’ve got some drag, more than I have to sort through a big pile of email.

Compensation consultant

Smartsheet provides a structured and organised way to manage projects, combining the familiarity of spreadsheets with project tracking features.

We use it to manage construction jobs and track job costs and documents all in one place.   And the platform could not be more affordable!  

Compliance

What I liked most about Smartsheet is its flexibility - it combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with powerful project management features, making it easy to organize, track, and automate workflows.

Group Technology Director

The platform is intuitive for business users, reducing reliance on technical teams while improving visibility, collaboration, operational efficiency, and decision-making.

Virtual ASsistant

It is a flexible and useful platform for managing projects, tracking tasks, and keeping team updates organized in one place.

Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While the basic spreadsheet look is easy, mastering advanced features like complex formulas, automated workflows, and dashboards can take time.

There were also a few frustrating limitations where the familiar layout made certain actions seem like they should be simple, but copying and reusing projects, formulas, formatting, or dependencies could be more cumbersome than expected.

Smartsheet vs Aha! Comparison (2026)

Smartsheet

Aha!

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives