monday.com vs Smartsheet: modern boards or spreadsheet rigour

Smartsheet is the stronger classic project tool — real Gantt, dependencies and critical path on every paid plan — but it has no free plan any more and feels like a spreadsheet. monday.com is friendlier and more visual, with project scheduling features spread across tiers.

Which one fits you?

Choose monday.com if…

You want something visual and quick to adopt across non-project people.

Choose Smartsheet if…

You run schedule-driven projects and want formulas, Gantt and critical path as standard.

Consider Akievo if…

You want Gantt, dependencies and critical path without a spreadsheet interface — and a free plan to try first.

The differences that matter

Free plans

Smartsheet discontinued its free plan in 2025 and now offers a 30-day trial. monday.com still has a 2-seat free tier.

Scheduling depth

Smartsheet handles dependencies, lag and critical path natively. On monday.com those sit on Standard and Pro.

Learning curve

Smartsheet assumes spreadsheet fluency. monday.com assumes nothing.

monday.com vs Smartsheet vs Akievo

"Paid" means the feature exists but needs a higher tier. Data checked September 2026.

Feature	monday.com	Smartsheet
Views and planning
Kanban board
Table / grid view
Calendar view	Paid
Timeline / Gantt	Paid
Task dependencies	Paid
Critical path	Paid
Board dashboard and reports	Paid	Paid
Eisenhower decision matrix
AI
AI builds the whole plan for you	Paid	Limited
AI included in the plan price	Paid	Paid
Manage tasks from ChatGPT
Connect your own AI agents (MCP)
Platform and pricing
REST API	Paid	Paid
Webhooks	Paid	Paid
Slack integration
Import from Trello		Limited
Free plan available	Limited
Flat price, not per seat

Pricing side by side

monday.com

Free$0

Up to 2 seats, 3 boards, 3 docs

Basic$9 per seat/mo

Unlimited boards, minimum 3 seats

Standard$12 per seat/mo

Timeline and Gantt, guest access, 250 automation actions

Pro$19 per seat/mo

Higher limits, advanced workflows and reporting

Smartsheet

FreeDiscontinued

Replaced by a 30-day trial in 2025

Pro$9–$12 per user/mo

Unlimited sheets, Gantt, reports, minimum 1 user

Business$19–$24 per user/mo

Workflows, portfolio reporting, minimum 3 users

EnterpriseContact sales

SSO, governance, advanced capacity and resource tools

Akievo

Free$0

1 board, 1 workspace, 2 members, 1 AI credit a month

Starter$5/mo

4 boards, 2 workspaces, 2 members, 25 AI credits a month

Pro$12/mo

Unlimited boards, unlimited workspaces, 5 members, 500 AI credits a month

Pro Plus$29/mo

Unlimited boards, unlimited workspaces, unlimited members, 2,000 AI credits a month

Prices checked September 2026 from monday.com and Smartsheet. Akievo prices are per account, not per seat. Always confirm current pricing with each vendor.

Where each tool wins

We'd rather you picked the right tool than switched and regretted it.

monday.com is the better pick when…

Far deeper workflow automation and a large app marketplace

CRM, dev and service products that share one platform

Strong enterprise administration, permissions and audit tooling

Very flexible column types for spreadsheet-style data

Smartsheet is the better pick when…

Serious portfolio and resource management for large programmes

Formula and cross-sheet reference power that project tools lack

Approval workflows and forms used across whole enterprises

Long track record in construction, government and regulated industries

Where Akievo fits

Every view — Kanban, Table, Calendar, Timeline, Dependencies, Matrix and Dashboard — from the $5 plan.

A flat account price instead of per-seat billing, with no seat minimums.

AI that drafts the whole plan: lists, tasks, dates and dependencies, from one description.

Import your Trello boards directly, so switching doesn't mean retyping work.

Manage tasks from ChatGPT or connect your own AI agents over MCP.

monday.com vs Smartsheet FAQs

Does Smartsheet still have a free plan?

No. It was discontinued in 2025; there is a 30-day trial and Pro starts at $9 per user per month annually.

Which is better for construction or engineering schedules?

Smartsheet, because of its critical path and formula support.

Which is better for marketing teams?

monday.com, for its visual boards, forms and dashboards.

Is there a middle ground?

Akievo includes Gantt, dependencies and critical path alongside Kanban and Calendar, at $5 a month for the account.

Still deciding? Try the third option

Describe your project and Akievo builds the board, the tasks, the dates and the dependencies. No card needed.

Where Akievo fits: the features behind this comparison

AI project planner Critical path AI board generator MCP project management Task dependencies

See all Akievo features

Keep comparing

monday.com alternative Smartsheet alternative Trello vs monday.com Trello vs Asana Trello vs ClickUp Trello vs Notion monday.com vs Asana monday.com vs ClickUp

See the full comparison table