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

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

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

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

TL;DR

• Smartsheet uses a grid-first approach that would remind you of a spreadsheet. The tool offers Gantt, card, and calendar views, which I think 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.

• Teamwork is ideal for client service teams, especially agencies and professional services, that need powerful project management built around billing, time tracking, and cross-functional collaboration.

➡️ Choose Teamwork if you want a project management platform designed for client delivery, with built-in time tracking, task dependencies, resource planning, and effortless client collaboration, without the complexity or rigidity of tools like Smartsheet.

• SmartSuite combines database-style records with task management, workflow automation, dashboards, and built-in collaboration features. The tool 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. Teamwork vs. SmartSuite: Features

TL;DR

• Smartsheet offers spreadsheet-based flexibility with advanced formulas, multiple views (Grid, Gantt, Calendar, and Card), rich dashboards, and enterprise-grade automation capabilities, but it lacks the built-in time tracking, client collaboration features, and service-delivery workflows that Teamwork provides out of the box.
• Teamwork offers a versatile set of features, including built-in time tracking, project budgeting, task dependencies, and client-friendly collaboration tools, but the platform lacks the spreadsheet-style flexibility and customizable grid views that Smartsheet is known for.
• SmartSuite offers an all-in-one project management platform with a modern interface, built-in collaboration (comments, chat, document sharing), powerful no-code automation, and highly customizable workflows, giving it more flexibility and ease of use than Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-style layout and offering broader, more adaptable work management capabilities than Teamwork’s client-service–focused toolset.

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

Teamwork’s Features

Task and Project Management

Teamwork gives you a strong set of project management tools, including tasks, subtasks, dependencies, milestones, and recurring tasks.

Teams can switch between list view, board view, table view, or Gantt charts depending on how they prefer to work.

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This level of flexibility makes it easy to adapt to both agile-style workflows and more traditional project planning.

Compared to Smartsheet and SmartSuite, I’ve noticed that Teamwork can feel easier to use and more purpose-built because it starts from a task-first structure instead of a spreadsheet or a database-style system.

Where Smartsheet and SmartSuite both excel is in deep customization and cross-departmental use cases, making them the preferred option for enterprises, but Teamwork tends to feel simpler to operate for teams that want a clear task and project hierarchy without the need to configure many elements.

Time Tracking, Billing, and Profitability Management

Teamwork includes built-in time tracking that lets you start timers, log hours, and separate billable from non-billable work.

These time entries can feed directly into invoices, budget tracking, and profit analysis, which is especially helpful for agencies or service teams.

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Because this workflow is native to the platform, it reduces the need to integrate external time tracking or billing tools.

Smartsheet does not make time tracking and billing a core part of its experience, which puts Teamwork in a stronger position for any business that needs project management and financial visibility in one place.

Resource and Workload Management

Teamwork helps you plan capacity by showing who is available, who is overloaded, and where resources can be reassigned.

You can allocate tasks based on availability or skill and prevent team members from becoming overwhelmed.

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This visibility becomes especially valuable for teams managing many clients or running multiple projects at once.

Compared to Smartsheet, Teamwork offers a more purpose-built interface for planning people and workloads instead of depending on spreadsheets.

Collaboration and Communication

Teamwork includes built-in messaging, task-level comments, document sharing, and threaded discussions inside each project.

This removes the need to switch between different tools for chat, files, and project updates.

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Your team can follow tasks, share updates, and stay aligned without leaving the platform.

Teamwork is best suited if:

✅ Run a client-focused business, such as an agency or consultancy, where time tracking and billing are essential.

✅ Want a project management platform that feels structured and easy to adopt without heavy customization.

✅ Need built-in workload planning to see who is available and prevent team overload.

✅ Prefer collaboration features that keep comments, files, and discussions directly inside your projects.

Teamwork may not be ideal if you:

❌ Need deep relational database style customization for complex multi-department workflows, which SmartSuite handles more naturally.

❌ Prefer a spreadsheet first interface for managing work across large operational teams, where Smartsheet usually performs better.

❌ Want advanced automation and workflow configuration that goes beyond task management.

💡 You can check out affordable and collaborative alternatives to Teamwork.

Smartsheet’s Features

Advanced formulas and functions

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

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

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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.

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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.

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Workload Tracking

Workload tracking helps teams monitor team members’ availability and balance workloads, enhancing team performance.

Smartsheet provides you with a workload heat map as a visual snapshot of your team’s availability, while the workload schedule offers an expanded view of project assignments. 

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Smartsheet is ideal if you:

✅ Need advanced formulas and functions to evaluate a project’s performance.

✅ Are looking for 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 detailed 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 Teamwork.

Our tool 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 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 a 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 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 Teamwork, 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 or collaboration. 

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 developer resources required.

Integrations: Smartsheet vs. Teamwork 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.

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Teamwork Integrations

Teamwork.com integrates with a wide range of tools, from communication and collaboration platforms to CRM, accounting, productivity, time-tracking, and automation services.

The tool supports a variety of connectors such as Zapier, Make, Unito, Integrately, Albato and others, allowing linking with hundreds to thousands of different apps.

Some of the most notable integrations include:

• HubSpot.
• Slack.
• Google Sheets, Google Calendar, and Gmail.
• Jira Cloud.
• Harvest.
• QuickBooks Online.

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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: Teamwork.

Teamwork wins in integrations because it combines extensive connector support with practical, cross-functional workflow applications. While Smartsheet offers strong enterprise system support and 100+ native integrations, and SmartSuite provides workflow-driven native integrations and advanced tools like OpenAI, Teamwork stands out for the sheer flexibility and usability of its integrations across teams.

Pricing: Smartsheet vs. Teamwork vs. SmartSuite

Smartsheet pricing

Unlike SmartSuite and Teamwork, 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.

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Teamwork Pricing

Teamwork has a free plan that includes access to TeamworkAI, its project management essentials, and key integrations for up to 5 projects and 5 users.

To get more, you’ll need to be on one of its 4 paid tiers:

• Deliver: Starts from $10.99/seat/month, which adds project status and health reports, teams, intake forms, planned vs. actual reports, more integrations, 20 project templates, 5,000 automations, and 100 GB of storage.
• Grow: Starts from $19.99/seat/month, and adds budgeting, time, and financials, its HubSpot integration, workload resource planner, powerful reports, and more project templates, automations, storage, and projects.
• Scale: Custom pricing, which adds unlimited premium features, profitability reports, resource scheduling, custom and scheduled reporting, retainer management, budget expenses, and tasklist budget.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with advanced security features, premium support, dedicated infrastructure, an increased API limit, and dedicated account management.

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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.

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Winner: SmartSuite

While Teamwork and Smartsheet offer competitive plans with strong project management features, SmartSuite often delivers more functionality in its base tiers, reducing the need to upgrade for advanced capabilities. 

Teamwork includes essentials like time tracking and basic reporting, but features such as workload and capacity management, advanced budgeting, and resource scheduling are only available on higher‑priced plans. 

In contrast, SmartSuite bundles multiple project views, built-in documentation, time tracking, and no-code automation into its core plans, which can make it a more comprehensive and potentially more cost-effective option, depending on your team size and requirements.

What are Customers Saying about Smartsheet, Teamwork, 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.
• Teamwork's customers are happy with how client-facing and easy it is to manage and visualize a team’s capacity and overall project health, but are not happy with the tool’s customization capabilities, reporting, and overall interface of the tool.
• 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.

Teamwork Reviews

G2 rating: 4.4/5.

What users love:

• How easy it is to manage and visualise a team’s capacity and overall project health.
• Its task dependencies, time tracking, and workload management features.
• The fact that it’s a good place to handle client communications.

‘’What I like best about Teamwork.com is how effortlessly it helps me manage and visualise my team’s capacity and overall project health. The platform gives me complete clarity on workload, timelines, and progress, which has massively improved how we plan and deliver projects.’’ – G2 Review.

‘’The task dependencies, time tracking, and workload management features are especially helpful for resource planning.’’ – G2 Review.

Common complaints:

• Limited customization options.
• Its interface can get confusing at scale and on mobile.
• How its reporting feature isn’t sufficient for large organizations.

‘’It is strictly project or task-driven. However, it may be worthwhile for the platform to pivot and become a workspace software. Granted, there is CRM and all the bells, but in the end, you have to use it with another software. In short, in its current form, it can not be an everyday go-to platform for a business.’’ – G2 Review.

‘’Great way to share and categorize files, and track messages through Outlook. The dashboard provides a quick view of tasks with status by date so you can stay on track with any project.’’ – 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, Teamwork or SmartSuite: Summary

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Get Started with SmartSuite For Free Today

Smartsheet and Teamwork have left some customers concerned about their customization options, along with limited reporting capabilities and overall usability.

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.

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