Why people look for a Smartsheet alternative
These are the limits teams run into most often. None of them make Smartsheet a bad tool — they just aren't a good fit for everyone.
No free plan any more
Minimum user counts
It's still a spreadsheet at heart
Steep learning curve
Akievo vs Smartsheet, feature by feature
"Paid" means the feature exists but needs a higher tier. Data checked September 2026.
| Feature | Akievo | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Views and planning | ||
| Kanban board | ||
| Grid / table view | ||
| Calendar view | ||
| Gantt / Timeline | ||
| Task dependencies | ||
| Critical path | ||
| Eisenhower decision matrix | ||
| Usable in minutes without training | ||
| AI | ||
| AI builds the whole plan for you | Limited | |
| AI included in the plan price | Paid | |
| Manage tasks from ChatGPT | ||
| Connect your own AI agents (MCP) | ||
| Pricing and platform | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Flat price, not per seat | ||
| No minimum user count | ||
| REST API | Paid | |
| Import from Trello | Limited | |
Pricing side by side
Akievo
1 board, 1 workspace, 2 members, 1 AI credit a month
4 boards, 2 workspaces, 2 members, 25 AI credits a month
Unlimited boards, unlimited workspaces, 5 members, 500 AI credits a month
Unlimited boards, unlimited workspaces, unlimited members, 2,000 AI credits a month
Smartsheet
Replaced by a 30-day trial in 2025
Unlimited sheets, Gantt, reports, minimum 1 user
Workflows, portfolio reporting, minimum 3 users
SSO, governance, advanced capacity and resource tools
The lower figure in each band is annual billing. Akievo Pro at $12 a month covers the whole account including five members. Prices checked September 2026 from Smartsheet's pricing page. Always confirm current pricing with them.
Where Smartsheet is still the better choice
We'd rather you picked the right tool than switched and regretted it.
Moving from Smartsheet
Akievo keeps the dependency-aware scheduling Smartsheet users rely on, without the spreadsheet formula layer.
- 1Export the sheet to CSV or Excel from the File menu
- 2Create an Akievo account and a board
- 3Import the file, mapping status columns to lists
- 4Re-link dependencies in the dependencies view