Smartsheet vs. Jira vs. SmartSuite: Which Tool to Pick? [2026]

Smartsheet and Jira are both popular options on the market when evaluating project management tools in 2026, each with its unique capabilities and use cases.

In this comprehensive buyer guide, I’ll break down the key features, pricing, and user feedback for each platform to help you make a better-informed decision.

➡️ I’ll also introduce you to an alternative to both platforms that covers both Smartsheet’s and Jira’s weaknesses with its all-in-one project management capabilities: SmartSuite (that’s us).

TL;DR

• Smartsheet uses a grid-first approach that resembles a spreadsheet. The tool offers Gantt, card, and calendar views, which makes it great for teams managing large datasets or portfolios that need structured data editing.

➡️ Choose Smartsheet if you manage enterprise-level projects that require strict control, data governance, and portfolio reporting.

• Jira is ideal for software development teams that live and breathe the Agile methodology and are well-suited for technical teams that require best-in-class issue tracking and sprint planning.

➡️ Choose Jira if you need a powerful, highly configurable platform to manage complex workflows, track issues in detail, and support structured project management at scale.

• SmartSuite combines database-style records with task management, workflow automation, dashboards, and built-in collaboration features. The platform is designed to be a flexible, no-code platform for managing any type of work, from CRM and onboarding to project tracking and IT service management.

➡️ Choose SmartSuite if you want all-in-one project tracking, docs, resource management, no-code automation and collaboration in one place without having to handle or spend up on plug-ins.

Smartsheet vs. Jira vs. SmartSuite: Features

TL;DR

• Smartsheet offers spreadsheet-based flexibility with advanced formulas, multiple views (e.g., Grid, Gantt, Calendar, and Card), rich dashboards, and enterprise-grade automation capabilities.
• Jira offers a comprehensive range of features, including advanced workflow customization, robust issue tracking, and powerful agile boards, but the tool lacks built-in collaboration features beyond basic comments.
• SmartSuite offers an all-in-one project management platform for teams to plan, manage, and track projects, resources, and stakeholders. It comes with built-in collaboration (comments, chat, and document sharing), a modern and intuitive interface, and a no-code automation builder.

Let’s go over the 3 platform features, starting with Jira: 👇

Jira’s Features

Advanced reporting and analytics

Jira comes with advanced reporting and analytics features, offering various reports, such as burndown charts, velocity charts, and sprint reports.

What makes these reports so powerful is that they give real-time visibility into project status to help you spot bottlenecks, track key metrics, and make data-driven decisions.

Source of image.

Issue tracking

As a developer-focused project management tool, Jira offers an advanced issue-tracking system. 

Your team can customize issues by adding columns, attachments, and comments, keeping all tasks or problems centralized.

It also supports hierarchical issue structures, breaking down complex projects into epics, stories, and subtasks.

Source of image.

Team collaboration

Jira supports real-time communication within the context of projects and tasks through comments, mentions, and real-time notifications.

It also helps you maintain cross-team visibility. The platform helps managers track progress and share the progress with teams across departments.

➡️ It’s also possible to connect Jira to Confluence, Loom and Rovo to turn your different tools into an AI-powered workspace for planning, creating, communicating, and delivering work at scale.

Source of image.

Jira is best suited if:

✅ Need a highly customizable project management tool for agile and/or scrum methodologies.

✅ Require issue-tracking capabilities for complex projects with multiple layers of tasks and subtasks.

✅ Want advanced reporting and analytics features.

✅ Have already used or currently use any of Atlassian’s products.

Jira may not be ideal if you:

❌ Are looking for a simple, out-of-the-box solution with a minimal learning curve.

❌ Need more than its limited built-in communication capabilities, as it does not include long-form documentation, shared pages, real-time chat, and rich collaborative editing.

❌ Require integrated portfolio management tools to manage multiple projects.

❌ Are a small team consisting of non-technical users.

💡 Check out affordable and collaborative alternatives to Jira for ITSM.

Smartsheet’s Features

Advanced formulas and functions

As a spreadsheet-focused project management platform, Smartsheet offers some of the most advanced and dynamic formulas and functions on the market. 

The tool lets you perform complex calculations and fetch relevant data within a single or multiple sheets at once.

Source of image.

Team collaboration

Smartsheet lets you build a library of files, loop in stakeholders for proofing, share attachments, and leave comments. 

Admin control to share access is flexible and allows collaboration with internal and external users.

The software supports file types such as .jpg, .png, .gif, .pdf, .docx, .pptx, and .xlsx and lets you upload content from Brandfolder, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more.

Source of image.

Dashboards

Dashboards in Smartsheet help you consolidate your work and build a visualization for the project's performance. 

It’s possible to add interactive widgets, which are the building blocks of a dashboard. Some common widgets include reports, charts, metrics, images, and web content.

You can also share dashboards with your team members who might not have the actual report to maintain complete control over privacy.

Source of image.

Smartsheet is ideal if you:

✅ Are looking for advanced formulas and functions to evaluate a project’s performance.

✅ Need a versatile project management tool with multiple views (Grid, Gantt, Kanban, Calendar).

✅ Require advanced collaboration features for real-time teamwork and file sharing across departments.

Smartsheet isn't the best option if you:

❌ Are a small team looking for an intuitive interface with a low learning curve, which is why some brands have been looking for Smartsheet alternatives.

❌ Operate with a limited budget.

❌ Need advanced data analysis and reporting capabilities.

➡️ Learn more about Smartsheet with our honest Smartsheet review, where I go over the tool’s features, integrations, and pricing structure in more detail, including customer testimonials.

SmartSuite Features

SmartSuite offers an all-in-one project management platform that lets you manage all your projects in a single platform with built-in automation and a communication centre.

But we are not trying to add to the noise of other project management tools on the market, like Smartsheet and Jira. 

Our solution aims to create one unified no-code platform that runs the entire operation, from project management to process automation to real-time collaboration.

Comprehensive Project Management

SmartSuite’s project management capabilities help you plan, track, and manage simple to complex projects.

To simplify the process, you get numerous built-in intuitive features to execute your tasks perfectly.

Here’s what SmartSuite has in store for you.

• Smart task management: Turn any item field into a task, a checklist item, comments, or sub-item. With this flexibility, you will be able to build a solid task list and assign it to the right person with a due date and priority status.

• Project phases and milestones: Having milestones ensures your project stays on track and moves towards the objective. With SmartSuite, you can set them, monitor them through your reporting dashboard, and flag issues.

• Files and project deliverables: With SmartSuite, you can manage and organize all your documents. 

You can also attach project-related files, share feedback with your team, and manage version history, all within your work context.

SmartSuite supports formats like PDF, GIF, CSV, PNG, and MP4. The tool also integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and Microsoft OneDrive, making adding files to your workflows easy.

Also, you can add images directly in SmartSuite by connecting your social media and Unsplash accounts.

• Native time tracking: You can monitor and evaluate task and project completion times. Built-in tracking helps group time entries, see estimates, and segment billable and non-billable entries.

💡 Interested in how other team leaders are using SmartSuite? You can check out our video walkthrough:

Native Team Collaboration

SmartSuite further outperforms Smartsheet and Jira with its built-in communication and collaboration features. 

You can connect with peers in group chats or 1:1 conversations for quick feedback and keep stakeholders updated.

SmartSuite’s members’ directory provides a holistic view of the project team by examining each teammate’s details, such as availability status, job profile, and other relevant information.

Similar to Smartsheet and Jira, you can use comments and @mentions to share updates, nudge teammates, or add new people to the conversation.

Comprehensive Project Reporting

SmartSuite offers a dynamic project analytics tool with configurable charts and graphs.

The reporting dashboard helps you track project performance, understand resource allocation, and identify slow-moving projects. 

Based on these insights, you can quickly develop plans to overcome roadblocks and get the project back on track.

You can visualize reporting in Grid, Card, Kanban, Timeline, Map, Calendar, or Dashboard views. Add as many as needed to build a visual storyboard for your project’s progress.

To share reports with external teams or clients, you can make the report public and share the necessary access. SmartSuite also supports printing or exporting PDF, Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV format.

Advanced Workflow Automation

SmartSuite's no-code automation builder is one of the most intuitive, giving a neck-to-neck competition in automation.

You can assemble automation at the task and project level and automate repetitive tasks based on triggers like changing dates, sending notification emails, or updating statuses. 

There are six pre-defined triggers and 15+ actions, with options to build custom ones.

SmartSuite is the right choice if you:

✅ Need quick deployment with minimal configuration, templates for many use cases, and a unified workspace for varied workflows.

✅ Want all-in-one: project tracking + docs + resource management + automation + collaboration in one place with minimal integration overhead.

✅ Have mixed teams, not only engineering, such as operations, marketing and HR, and you need more than bug tracking and sprints.

SmartSuite isn’t the best option if you:

❌ Are looking for a well-established platform with a long track record.

❌ Need extensive third-party integrations.

Winner: SmartSuite.

SmartSuite wins out with its all-in-one work management platform that is not just for task tracking. Our platform can replace multiple tools by combining CRM, project management, time tracking, and reporting within one system.

Apart from that, SmartSuite comes with best-in-class internal and external collaboration capabilities, unified dashboards, pre-built templates, and no-code customization to get started in days without a developer required.

Integrations: Smartsheet vs. Jira vs. SmartSuite

Smartsheet Integrations

Smartsheet integrates with enterprise systems like Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and Jira. 

The tool also offers data connectors that support large organizations and data synchronization.

In addition to these, there are 100+ native integrations, including Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Tableau.

Other noteworthy integrations include:

• Okta.
• Power BI.
• Oculus.
• Miro.
• DocuSign.

Source of image.

Jira’s Integrations

Jire offers over 8,000 through the Atlassian marketplace and integrates with collaboration tools like Slack and Confluence, development tools like GitHub and Bitbucket, and test management integrations like Zephyr and Micro Focus ALM.

Other notable integrations include:

• HubSpot.
• Bamboo.
• Figma.
• Zoom.
• Google and Microsoft Workspace.

Source of image.

SmartSuite Integrations

SmartSuite integrates with major platforms, including five connectors, such as Zapier, Ply, Integrately, Relay, and Make, to connect with 1,000s of apps to transfer data.

Some of the notable integrations include:

• Salesforce: Create and update records in Salesforce as part of your workflow.
• Slack: Get notified on Slack when something is going on in SmartSuite.
• Twilio: Send SMS messages from Twilio to keep mobile users informed.
• Open AI: Use AI to generate or improve text inside our SmartDoc field.
• Jira Cloud: Use SmartSuite automations to create or update Jira Cloud issues.
• HubSpot: Sync contacts and activities with HubSpot contacts and more.
• Intercom: Sync Intercom contacts with your SmartSuite projects and workflow.

Winner: Jira.

Jira offers more than 8,000 integrations through the Atlassian marketplace, surpassing both Smartsheet and SmartSuite in terms of the quantity and quality of the available integrations.

Pricing: Smartsheet vs. Jira vs. SmartSuite

Smartsheet pricing

Unlike SmartSuite and Jira, Smartsheet doesn’t offer a free plan or trial. 

For pricing plans, Smartsheet charges based on the number of users and offers four paid plans:

• Pro: Starts at $9/seat/month when billed annually, including private sheet creation and unlimited form access with a 10-user limit.
• Business: Starts at $19/seat/month with a minimum of 3 user seats when billed annually, which adds unlimited automated workflows, PowerBI, Tableau, and Adobe Creative Cloud integration.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, which adds unlimited storage, enterprise plan manager, and AI tools.
• Advanced work management: Custom pricing, which adds portfolio management and a premium support package.

Source of image.

Jira Pricing

Jira offers a free plan and a 7-day free trial with limited features. 

Jira offers three paid plans for which the cost decreases as the number of users increases above 100.

• Standard: Starts at $9.05 per user/month for 100 users with 1,700 automation rules/month.
• Premium: Start at $18.30 per user/month for 100 users, including cross-project management features.
• Enterprise: Custom plan with unlimited automation and Atlassian intelligence (AI). Contact sales for a quote.

Source of image.

➡️ Feel free to check out our in-depth Jira service management pricing guide to learn more about what’s included in each paid tier for ITSM.

SmartSuite Pricing

Unlike Smartsheet, SmartSuite offers a forever-free plan, which is among the most generous on the market.

The free tier gives you 100 automated triggers, team collaboration tools, 7+ task views (Dashboard, table, boards, cards, list, calendar, and grid), time tracking, and more.

We offer four paid plans, each with a 14-day free trial.

• Team: Starts at $12/user/month when billed annually, including 8+ dashboard views, 5,000 automation runs, time tracking, and collaborative SmartDocs.
• Professional: Starts at $30/user/month when billed annually, including two-factor authentication, Gmail & Outlook integrations, and unlimited editors.
• Enterprise: Starts at $45/user/month when billed annually, including audit logs, data loss prevention, and 50,000 API calls monthly.
• Signature: Customized plan tailored to your organization’s needs and team size.

‍

Winner: SmartSuite

Even though Jira seems to offer a better freemium plan and lower entry business-grade plans, the final cost of SmartSuite will most likely be lower due to Jira’s many paid plug-ins you’ll have to pay for due to its limited out-of-the-box functionality when compared to SmartSuite.

SmartSuite provides you with native functionality like multiple project views, built-in documentation, time tracking, resource management, and no-code automation that you have to pay for in Jira.

What are Customers Saying about Smartsheet, Jira, and SmartSuite?

TL;DR:

• Smartsheet reviews praise the customizability and collaborative features, but are not satisfied with its complicated automation setup, group-based pricing, and interface that can feel cluttered.
• Jira's customers are happy with its good range of integrations, ease of team collaboration, and customization options. Despite this, there are concerns for its steep learning curve, increased cost due to paid plug-ins, and non-intuitive dashboards.
• SmartSuite users are satisfied with its intuitive interface, built-in communication features, customization options, and overall value-for-money. However, some users are not happy with SmartSuite’s range of integrations.

Smartsheet Reviews

G2 Rating: 4.4/5.

What users love:

• Customizability and adaptation to the customer’s business processes.
• Ease of collaboration across the organization.
• Ease of use due to spreadsheet-like interface.

‘’I like using Smartsheet to keep track of hundreds of individual projects that my team is working on at any given time. I like that everything is customizable, and I like using automations to move completed projects to a different spreadsheet. I also frequently use the filtering feature to see which projects are assigned to me specifically.’’ – G2 Review.

‘’Collaboration features are great for teamwork and managing workloads. There are loads of features and options to work with many different types of teams.’’ – G2 Review.

Common complaints:

• Complicated automation setup with no version history to track changes.
• Performance issues when working on dashboards.
• Limited native integrations.

‘’One major issue is that Smartsheet can break often, especially when using metrics on dashboards. The data sometimes fails to display correctly, making it look like the dashboard is broken. I even had a sheet become completely inaccessible, which really slowed down productivity for my team. This can be very frustrating.’’ – G2 Review.

‘’Smartsheets have a very limited format for export dashboards. Facing slowness issues when there are many users logging in at the same time. Limited functionality and integration.’’ – Gartner Review.

Jira Reviews

G2 rating: 4.3/5

What users love:

• A comprehensive library of integrations.
• Its ease of team collaboration and communication.
• How flexible and customizable the platform is.

‘’Integration with third-party applications and its ability to help self-organizing team to allocate work in a project’’ – G2 Review.

‘’The collaboration experience among users is beneficial because of all the options it gives you, like sharing files and screenshots with your team and partners.’’ – G2 Review.

Common complaints:

• Steep learning curve for non-technical users of the platform.
• The platform’s increased cost due to paid plugins.
• Its non-intuitive dashboards.

‘’Jira is a steep learning curve unto itself, and its feature set may overwhelm a new user right away. Advanced configurations of most the customizations are really challenging to perform and usually require technical expertise. Also, the costs for using Jira, especially in great teams or enterprises, might be high and therefore be considered as part of the return on investment.’’ – G2 Review.

‘’You end up paying A LOT in plugins, if you want functions that aren't included in the basic package, beware; You'll be shopping for plugins to get access to them, and the cost can add up to make an expensive software, much more expensive.’’ – G2 Review.

SmartSuite Reviews

G2 Rating: 4.9/5.

What users love:

• Intuitive interface and quick setup when compared to other tools on the market.
• Built-in communication features.
• Flexible customization options.
• Good value for money with its built-in features compared to competitors.

‘’I love how intuitive SmartSuite is from the moment you log in. It's easy to navigate, and the templates really made it simple to quickly realize all the potential ways to utilize the software. I love how easy it is to see progress on a project at any point, and how all files, communication and calendar are tied in within the task. So insanely simple, but there is so much you can do.’’ –Capterra Review.

‘’I love how integrated my team can be when we work on projects together. It's really easy to delegate tasks, collaborate in real time, and work across time zones without missing notes from each other.’’ – G2 Review.

Common complaints:

• Limited integration options compared to established competitors.
• Some advanced features are still in development.
• There’s a lack of a mid-tier between the Team and the Professional plans.

‘’The lack of a mid-tier between the Team and the Professional plan. Also, although it has an amazing customer support, for European customers like myself, a bigger team of support for the European Market would be really appreciated.’’ – G2 Review.

Smartsheet, Jira or SmartSuite: Summary

‍

Get Started with SmartSuite For Free Today

Smartsheet and Jira have left some customers concerned about their final cost, along with limited collaboration capabilities and steep learning curves.

SmartSuite combines the best of both worlds: offering flexibility, collaboration, and simplicity, making the tool an excellent choice for teams that want a scalable, easy-to-use platform that centralizes their work.

Here’s what's in it for your team when you try SmartSuite:

• Access to a generous free plan with features including multi-board views (Kanban, Chart, Map, Timeline, Card, and Calendar), 100 automation/month, and 40+ field types, including formula and linked record fields.
• No-code automation builder to set up to 500,000 trigger/action workflows.
• Built-in productivity tools, including time tracking, status tracking, and checklists.
• Team collaboration and planning tools such as whiteboards and SmartSuite docs.
• Resource management across projects and teams.
• 40+ field types, including the option to add your custom fields.

Sign up for a free plan to test the water or get a 14-day free trial to explore all its amazing features.

Or, if you’d like to talk to our team of experts, schedule a demo.

Read More

• Airtable vs. Monday: Check out our in-depth comparison guide between Airtable and Monday.
• Monday.com vs. Wrike: Check out our comparison guide between Wrike and Monday.
• Smartsheet vs. Monday: We also dive deeper into how Smartsheet compares to Monday.com to help you make an informed decision.
• The 10 Best Project Management Software For Engineers: We break down the top 10 project management solutions built with engineers in mind. 
• Top 10 Teamwork Alternatives and Competitors: Learn why some companies are looking to switch from Teamwork and its best alternatives on the market.
• 10 Best Healthcare Project Management Tools: Find out the best healthcare project management solutions on the market.
• 10 Best Project Management Software for Construction: A useful guide if you operate in the construction industry and you’re looking for a project management app.

‍