In this comparison, we’re exploring Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project for an unbiased rundown of both project management platforms. This article acts as your guiding light when deciding between the two tools. From pricing options, features, pros and cons, integrations, and more, look no further!
But why Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project? Well, not only are these two of the biggest names in the project management software space, but it’s a popular question. We did our research and found more than 2,000 people search “Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project” every single year.
But most importantly, it’s crucial you choose the right project management tool for your team. Not only must it tick all your boxes, but it should be intuitive, easy to use, and adaptable. Remember, the right project management tool is the one that supports your project management needs.
So, if you’ve whittled down your decision to these two solutions, then you’re in the right place! Without further ado, let’s dive right into this guide to Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project!
edison365 vs Microsoft Project Comparison Table
See a head-to-head comparison of edison365 vs Microsoft Project, including business case tools, automation, project management, and admin controls
Let’s start with the basics, shall we? Smartsheet describes itself as the “Enterprise work management platform” and enables teams to manage projects from start to finish, automate workflows, and create bespoke reports, dashboards, and more.
It is an all-in-one solution that offers a range of use cases, from portfolio management to marketing management, Enterprise PMO, and so on. Smartsheet also prides itself on its powerful integration support, helping project managers sync their data in one centralized environment.
But that wasn’t always the case! According to co-founder Brent Frei, Smartsheet suffered from “slow adoption” in its early days, due to complicated features.
Luckily, things would take off for Smartsheet, and by 2012 the project management software would host more than one million users across 20,000 companies. Leap forward to the present decade, and Smartsheet was named in the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Enterprise for 2023” list by Fast Company.
It’s safe to say the project management software has been on the ride of a lifetime, enjoying rapid success, setbacks, and major recognition. For a more detailed dive, head over to the Smartsheet Wikipedia page.
What is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft needs no introduction! As one of the most successful tech giants in the modern world, it’s no surprise they offer an arsenal of project management capabilities.
Built to support project managers in every capacity, Microsoft Project helps teams stay on track with user-friendly features and that all-to-familiar Microsoft experience; a solution that can lend a helping hand for small tasks or large-scale projects.
From agile to waterfall, templates to resource allocation, Microsoft Projects has an extensive use case list and integrates seamlessly with its other products. And when millions of offices still rely on the traditional Microsoft suite, it’s clear what makes this the choice for many project management departments.
Throughout the early 2000s, Microsoft Project underwent update after update, adding smart tags, calendar functions, task panes, AutoSave, templates, and more. This rapid innovative reiteration highlights Microsoft’s pioneering history.
Although it still exists today, there are applications such as Smartsheet that threaten its successful run. In fact, in 2023, Microsoft Project announced it would sunset its Project Online version at some point in the foreseeable future.
Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project: Key Statistics
Now, this Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide wouldn’t be complete without an overview of the key statistics. Get a feel for the prestige of both project management platforms with our table below. Form your own opinion on which horse is winning the race in terms of market size, userbase, notable customers, and review scores!
Key Statistics
Smartsheet
Microsoft Project
Founded
2005
1984
Userbase
13,000,000+ users
20,000,000+ users
Notable Customers
Lego, Uber, Pfizer, Alaska Airlines, P&G
JPMorgan Chase, Alliant Credit Union, Tiger Connect, Spring Health
Number of Integrations
120+
Other Microsoft Products
Support Available
Tiered support (can include 24/7 support)
Includes support, a large community and resources.
Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project: User Interface & Ease of Use
Many project managers pinpoint user interface and ease of use as an influencing factors in their decision to buy a project management tool. It’s a must-have for many PMOs.
Now, while many professionals have familiarized themselves with the staple UI of Microsoft, and its many applications, others say it lacks the dazzle of newer tools like Smartsheet.
But that doesn’t mean Microsoft Project’s tools aren’t powerful. In fact, it offers drag-and-drop functionalities with things like project timelines and has a well-organized navigation experience.
Turning our attention to Smartsheet, this project management software has undergone vast user experience and interface updates over the past several years. There’s a much more minimal feel to Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project.
From navigating from creating projects to their very own solution center. Smartsheet has really doubled down on an element of simplicity in its interface and feature complexity.
“Smartsheet is user-friendly and much simpler to learn than Microsoft Project, yet it is still rich in features.”
For our first winner in this Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide, it’s the younger platform that takes the win here! With their cleaner, more intuitive user interface, you will find the abundance of features and functions more accessible and easier to use in Smartsheet than that of Microsoft Project.
Microsoft Project has its pros and cons, but unfortunately, its user experience and the adaptability of its software can be overwhelming at times.
Winner: Smartsheet
Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet: Task and Project Management
As the most important aspect of this Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide, let’s dive into the task and project capabilities, and what you can expect. Firstly, both platforms offer a reasonable environment for most needs.
Microsoft Project is a project management software that has been under constant reiteration for decades. It boasts some robust functionality, that also happened to be the first of its kind back in the day. However, with the rise of easier features in other tools, most people find it tricky knowing where things live and what to click next in Microsoft Project. This can create frustrating obstacles no project manager wants.
“Smartsheet is super easy to use. The way it looks and works is simple and friendly, so even people who don’t know much about project stuff can use it. Microsoft Project is kinda confusing and has too many things going on, but Smartsheet is different.”
And although the capabilities are there, it’s our old friend User Interface that let’s these task and project management features down when analysing Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet.
That’s not all. Smartsheet also has one additional view in comparison to Microsoft Project. Instead of board, grid and Gantt Chart, Smartsheet offers grid, Gantt Chart, calendar and Kanban. What’s more with templates and automation, project managers can enjoy fewer manual tasks, quicker results and streamlined task and project management.
edison365 vs Microsoft Project Comparison Table
See a head-to-head comparison of edison365 vs Microsoft Project, including business case tools, automation, project management, and admin controls
Smartsheet just outperforms Microsoft Project with its task and project capabilities. While both can deliver your next big project, Microsoft Project is let down by its level of complexity and poor user experience.
Smartsheet users also enjoy more task and project views, a sleeker interface, and certain automation functions to make task and project management easier. One thing we must highlight, however, is that Microsoft Project offers a bigger bang for your buck when it comes to detailed resource management.
Winner: Smartsheet
Automation and Workflow Management Comparison
Automation and workflows are pivotal to successful project management. As technology rapidly evolves, the opportunity to automate and streamline what once were manual tasks is easier than ever. Firstly, Smartsheet’s workflow functionality is user-friendly, offering way of automating approvals, reminders and so forth without needing any code.
Automation in Smartsheet is pretty much drag-and-drop, with a clean user interface to support it. When it comes to workflows, conditional logic means workflows can be developed using branching. What’s more, Smartsheet’s integration makes workflows so much more powerful.
As for Microsoft Project, automation isn’t so sophisticated. Basic task automation can still save hundreds of hours a year for your project management efforts, but it is limited to setting dependencies and automatic scheduling.
When it comes to complex, custom workflows and automation within the Microsoft-sphere, however, Microsoft excels. Relying heavily on Power Automate, Microsoft Project can connect with likes of Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint with its workflow tools.
Imagine the joy of automatically populated a task in your project when an email is received. Genius, right? But remember, this is more for those who use additonal Microsoft applications. Workflows themselves can be built robustly in Microsoft Project, but may require supporting consultants.
Who Wins This Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project Category?
Unfortunately, the lacking ease of use makes sophisticated workflows in Microsoft Project difficult to produce. Ultimately, Smartsheet is the better tool for most organizations who want to embrace automation and workflow management with the same app.
The barrier to learning these tools, and their awesome integrations make the process much simpler, quicker and user-friendly. That said, Microsoft Project is more than capable for producing workflows and automating certain processes, providing you’re an avid user of its wider application library.
Winner: Smartsheet
Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project: Integrations
Integrations are pivotal to many software products. In the world of project management, they bring a range of needs into one place. Whether it’s communicating, collaborating, automating or streamlining an entire PMO.
Starting with Smartsheet, their current project management software comes with bags of integration potential. Users can choose from more than 120 native integrations, from Slack to Salesforce, Teams to Adobe.
“The integrations are handy; we use several to help with additional notifications, streamlining processes, and additional communication.“
The list is endless (and powerful!) Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Microsoft Project, making Smartsheet a clear winner in this Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet comparison.
While Microsoft Project connects the dots across other Microsoft products and applications, its integration capabilities end there. And if you were thinking of using Zapier as your workaround, that doesn’t work either.
Which platform integrates better with other apps?
So, who wins this category in our guide to Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project? It’s very clear this time unfortunately! There’s something about the ability to bring more of your project management setup into one central location. It bridges the gap and saves a lot of headaches.
That said, if you work exclusive with the Microsoft environment, then Microsoft Project is still a powerful solution with seamless integration with some of its other great tools and applications!
Winner: Smartsheet
Collaboration and Communication Comparison
Moving on, let’s talk all things collaboration and communication. To keep this Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide fair, we must praise both platforms. Out of the box, each software has a plethora of collaborative functions and ways to communicate across your team.
Smartsheet has some nifty comment functionalities within its project management features, and Microsoft – obviously – integrates with the likes of Microsoft Teams and Outlook with ease. That said, it’s Smartsheet’s integrations that make collaboration more enjoyable and sophisticated. By combining a few powerful apps in one place, it turns Smartsheet into somewhat of a collaborative powerhouse.
“[Microsoft Project] allows you to stay on task and provide a real time update to all clients to allow everyone to have clear communication“
Not having the option to communicate directly within its spreadsheets and project management tools truly hinders Microsoft in this category of our Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide.
It’s hard to say who takes the win for collaboration and communication capabilities. If truth be told, we think both have its pros and cons, and neither come out on top. For some project managers, collaboration and communication are paramount.
If that’s the case for you, it’s important you consider all options. Even if that falls outside of the solutions in question. Now let’s make our decision, shall we?
Which Platform is better for collaboration and communication
When it comes to communication, Microsoft integrates seamlessly with its much-loved application Teams and Outlook. However, there is no native communicative functionality, means it cannot win this category of our Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide.
That said, Smartsheet’s communication tools are limited, Of course, more can be done with their numerous integration capabilities, but that isn’t enough. Our verdict is that Microsoft win for communication, and Smartsheet for collaboration.
Winner for Communication: Microsoft
Winner for Collaboration: Smartsheet
Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet: Reporting & Analytics
When it comes to reporting and analytics, both Smartsheet and Microsoft Project do a great job! But for different reasons. Firstly, Microsoft Project combines Excel and Power BI to provide a tremendous reporting experience.
As you may know, Power BI offers best-in-class reporting and data visualization and is native to the Microsoft environment. It’s a tool that goes from strength to strength, with Microsoft continuously release updates and improvements.
However, it is Smartsheet who succeed in providing a clear, concise and user-friendly reporting experience. While Microsoft Project prevails in direct project management reporting, Smartsheet’s integrations allow for a wider range of reporting and analytic opportunities.
It’s surprisingly the work of integrations that come back to haunt Microsoft Project in this category of our Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide. Why? Well, using integrations, Smartsheet can enable users to integrate their platform with the likes of Excel, Power BI, Google Sheets and more.
Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project: Reporting winner
Much like our last comparison, there are both pros and cons to each project management software. On the one hand, Microsoft Project offers more customizable, and advanced reporting features.
Yet, Smartsheet’s not only take the win with their better more appealing dashboards, but the versatility of their reporting experience. It isn’t limited to project tracking, and can integrate nicely with external reporting and analytical tools.
Winner: Smartsheet
Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project: Value for Money Comparison
Assessing which platform offers better value for money isn’t so black and white. It depends on various factors, including the complexity and scale of your project management needs, the learning curve of each platform, and more.
In a nutshell, both platforms off a tiered pricing format, allowing everyone the chance to purchase a plan that works for them. Whether you have a small team of ten, or an enterprise operation, both Smartsheet and Microsoft Project can deliver!
To keep things simple, however, Smartsheet’s pricing is more affordable than that of Microsoft Project. This isn’t just in their lowest plan, but across the board. That said, it’s important to note, while more expensive, Microsoft Project’s task and project management features can be more powerful than that of Smartsheet.
However, bear in mind there is also a bigger learning curve involved with Microsoft Project does. This means that the longer your team spend learning, the more expensive it becomes. Time is money, after all!
Value for Money Verdict
Choose Smartsheet: if you want a tool that has easier functionalities, a quicker learning curve, and best supports small to medium enterprises.
Choose Microsoft Project: if you want a very powerful project management tool, that may take a little more time to adopt, and offers key functionality for large-scale enterprise needs.
Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet: Hidden Costs
Hidden costs are the bane of life. They’re difficult to spot, and sometimes difficult to afford. This wouldn’t be a complete Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project comparison, if we didn’t explore the details of hidden costs, right? After all, you deserve to know!
“Some basic functionality is hidden behind additional paywalls.”
While Smartsheet is much more affordable, there are some hurdles you must consider. For example, there are features like resource management and AI-based analytics that aren’t included in their cheaper plans. Take a look a the image below to understand their support costs per plan.
However, with a much steeper learning curve, add-on features can be justifiable against Microsoft Project’s lacking ease of use. Not only this, but Microsoft Project can lend a helping hand at the price of expensive consultancy for the more complicated implementations.
Ultimately, the hidden costs depend on your budget, and what you decide affordable. While a small organization may suffer with expensive software consultancy, a Fortune 500 powerhouse may see it as a fast-track for project management success.
Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project Conclusion
Based on our review of the various cornerstones of project management software, i.e. task and project management, automation and workflows, user interface and ease of use, pricing and so on. We must conclude that for most teams, in the small to medium bracket, Smartsheet is the winner!
For more complex, enterprise solutions, Microsoft Project is your tool. However, you must weigh-up the pros and cons. Unfortunately, a steep learning curve, expensive pricing plans and poor ease of use might be a reason to look elsewhere, even if you do require a more sophisticated project tracking tool for large-scale operations.
Hopefully by now, you’ll know exactly what to expect from both solutions, and whether they meet your project management needs. Remember, there are a lot of project management software out there for you to explore.
This is our simply just our comparison for Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project. We plan to conduct more of these reviews soon, helping you decide on the perfect solution for your team, tasks, and more!
Finding your next project management software isn’t easy. It takes time, and we completely understand that at edison365. Hopefully this Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project guide gives you a whistle-stop tour of both platforms and their potential.
But of course, we must mention edison365 in this conversation. Why? Because we’re on a mission to enable teams to deliver tomorrow’s world. From new projects to great ideas, edison365 is an end-to-end solution with all the tools you need. Manage your resource, assign tasks, create reports, and build sophisticated workflows, all in one place!
Deliver powerful end-to-end projects with edison365
From project plan to project perfection. Do your best work, every step of the way with edison365
Before we wrap things up, here are some of the most pressing questions project managers have when exploring Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project as a new software to manage their work.
Which tool is better for beginners in project management?
Truth be told, Smartsheet is easier for beginners than Microsoft Project. From integrations to a nicer user-interface, beginners can move through their projects with ease and without frustration.
As for Microsoft Project, their steeper learning curve, and potential need for implementation consultants deems the platform less ideal for beginners.
“The most challenging aspect of Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management is its complexity and steep learning curve, making it difficult for organizations to fully grasp and utilize its features effectively.”
It’s worth noting that although Smartsheet is easier for beginners, some of its support features aren’t available without being on a more expensive plan. While Microsoft Project does offer support, it’s known to need a refresh.
Which platform offer more flexible customization?
For our Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet comparison on customization, we have to say both do a great job, for different reasons. Although Microsoft Project can be heavily customized, it requires a deeper understanding of its settings and the workings of the platform.
On the other than, Smartsheet’s ease of use likely makes it a more flexible and customizable project management solution for most teams.
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