Smartsheet vs Monday: which work management tool should you choose in 2025 to boost your teams' productivity?
Are you looking for the best work management software to manage your projects, teams and processes without losing agility? Smartsheet and monday.com are two behemoths that both claim the title of "Work OS". But behind the marketing promises, their philosophies, strengths and limitations differ greatly.
👉 In this comprehensive comparison, we decipher features, pricing, UX, security and real-life use cases to help you choose the tool that will truly transform your productivity in 2025.
What is Smartsheet?
Smartsheet overview
Smartsheet is a work management platform designed like an intelligent spreadsheet: it combines the power of spreadsheets with advanced planning, collaboration and reporting features.
What does it do? Manage complex project portfolios, regulated workflows, change requests and executive dashboards.
🎯 Who is it for? PMO, IT, supply-chain teams, major accounts or growing SMEs.
Examples of customers: Lego, Domino's, Puma and 90,000+ customers.
Main features of Smartsheet
- Grids, Gantt, Kanban, calendar, map.
- Management of dependencies, milestones, critical paths.
- Automations and conditional workflows.
- Advanced formulas, cross-sheets and embedded BI.
- Real-time portals and executive reports.
- Visual approvals and compliance workflows.
- Native connectors for Power BI, Salesforce and Jira.
Smartsheet
Advantages and disadvantages of Smartsheet
| ✅ Advantages | ❌ Disadvantages |
| Gantt and dependencies right from the free plan | Steeper learning curve |
| Excellent governance and compliance | Spreadsheet interface may put creative people off |
| Scalability up to Enterprise level | Enterprise" prices on quotation |
| Library of certified templates | Less active community support than Monday |
What is Monday?
Overview of Monday.com
monday.com is an ultra-visual "Work OS" platform, designed to automate and monitor all types of workflow without writing a single line of code.
What does it do? Marketing, CRM, operations, product development, change management.
🎯 For whom? SMEs, start-ups, agencies, marketing, sales, R&D teams.
Examples of clients: Sanofi, Deezer, Renault, 120,000+ customers.
Main features of monday.com
- Kanban, Gantt, timeline, workload, map and forms views.
- No-code automation in 3 clicks.
- Colourful dashboards and KPI widgets.
- Co-editing of documents (WorkDocs).
- Offline mobile mode for up to 70% of actions.
- 200+ integrations (Zapier, Slack, HubSpot).
- Ready-to-use templates by business line.
monday.com
Advantages and disadvantages of monday.com
| ✅ Advantages | ❌ Disadvantages |
| Ultra-intuitive interface | Gantt and workload for a fee outside the free plan |
| Express onboarding in < 30 min | Automation limits on lower plans |
| 24/7 chat support, even on Pro | Cost 'per 5' penalises small teams |
| Leading mobile application | Less compliance than Smartsheet |
Smartsheet vs Monday: compare features
| Functionality | Smartsheet | Monday.com |
| Grid / spreadsheet | Yes, advanced | Yes, simplified |
| Gantt & dependencies | Yes, from free | Yes, except free |
| Kanban | Yes | Yes |
| Workload | Via add-on | Yes, Pro+ |
| Automation | 250 rules/month Pro | 250 actions/month Standard |
| Advanced formulas | Yes | No |
| Reporting & BI | Dashboards + Power BI | Coloured dashboards |
| Visual approvals | Yes | Via WorkDocs |
| Offline mobile mode | No | Yes |
| Global RGPD compliance | Yes | EU only |
Smartsheet vs Monday: price comparison
| Plan | Smartsheet | Monday.com |
| Free | ❌ | 0 € (2 users) |
| Pro / Basic | 8 € / month / user | 9 € / month / user |
| Business / Standard | 17 € / month / user | 12 € / month / user |
| Pro | ❌ | 19 € / month / user |
| Enterprise | On quotation | On quotation |
Smartsheet vs Monday: which interface is more intuitive?
| Aspect | Smartsheet | Monday.com |
| First time users | Familiar with Excel, but lots of menus | Colourful visuals, easy to learn |
| Visual customisation | Limited themes | 20+ palettes & icons |
| Mobile navigation | Responsive web | Native app, offline mode |
| Onboarding | Video tutorials + templates | Interactive checklist |
| Integrated support | Help centre + chat (US hours) | 24/7 chat + community |
Smartsheet vs Monday: compare integrations
👉 Smartsheet: 100+ enterprise connectors including:
- Power BI,
- Adobe Creative Cloud,
- DocuSign,
- Jira,
- Salesforce,
- and more.
👉 monday.com: 200+ consumer integrations including:
- Slack,
- Zoom,
- HubSpot,
- Gmail,
- Shopify,
- Figma,
- and more.
When to choose Smartsheet or Monday?
Examples of Smartsheet use cases
- PMO managing 50 projects with milestones, budgets and risks.
- Pharmaceutical industry: FDA workflow and traceability.
- Supply chain: supplier planning, OTIF, quality control.
Examples of Monday.com use cases
- Marketing agency: multi-channel campaigns, creative briefs, client approvals.
- SaaS start-up: product roadmap, OKR, support tickets.
- HR team: onboarding process, application tracking.
Conclusion
In 2025, Smartsheet remains the king of complex projects and compliance, while Monday.com crushes the competition on rapid adoption and visual collaboration.
So your choice depends on your corporate culture:
- Excel enthusiasts and governance → Smartsheet ;
- creatives and marketing agility → monday.com.
FAQ: Smartsheet vs Monday
Which one offers the best free version?
It's monday.com, Smartsheet doesn't offer a free version. You need to pay at least €8/month/user.
Can I migrate easily from one tool to the other?
Yes, both accept CSV/Excel import and offer a Customer Success Manager from Enterprise.
Which tool is more secure?
Both are ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR. Smartsheet applies GDPR globally, Monday only in the EU.
Is there an on-premise version?
No, both are cloud-only with data region options (EU, US, APAC).
Article translated from French