Basecamp vs Smartsheet

Basecamp and Smartsheet are both project management options. Here's how they compare on official platforms, features, and positioning — sourced from each vendor's own site, not from ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingBasecampSmartsheet

CategoryProject ManagementProject Management

Alternatives tracked33

PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Best for Basecamp

Teams, companies, and nonprofits who want centralized project coordination instead of scattered email, chat apps, and browser tabs.

Best for Smartsheet

Project and portfolio managers, enterprise PMOs, and IT teams who want spreadsheet-familiar tools with enterprise-grade governance.

Feature comparison

Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.

Basecamp

Message boards for team-wide discussions
To-do lists with assignments and due dates
Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking
Hill charts for visualizing project progress
Campfire group chat for real-time messaging
Document and file storage
Team schedule and calendar
Automatic check-in questions for async updates

Smartsheet

Grid and spreadsheet-style work views
Gantt charts for timeline and dependency tracking
Workflow automation to reduce manual work
Forms and centralized intake and approval workflows
Role-based dashboards and reporting
Resource planning and workload balancing
Integrations with Microsoft, Salesforce, Slack, and Jira

Pros and cons

Basecamp

Pros

Message boards for team-wide discussions
To-do lists with assignments and due dates
Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking
Hill charts for visualizing project progress
Campfire group chat for real-time messaging
Document and file storage
Team schedule and calendar
Automatic check-in questions for async updates

Cons

We don't publish a "cons" list for either product. No vendor's official site documents its own product's weaknesses, so there's no sourced basis for one — and we'd rather say that plainly than invent one.

Smartsheet

Pros

Grid and spreadsheet-style work views
Gantt charts for timeline and dependency tracking
Workflow automation to reduce manual work
Forms and centralized intake and approval workflows
Role-based dashboards and reporting
Resource planning and workload balancing
Integrations with Microsoft, Salesforce, Slack, and Jira

Cons

Key differences

Basecamp lists Message boards for team-wide discussions, To-do lists with assignments and due dates, Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking, Hill charts for visualizing project progress, Campfire group chat for real-time messaging, Document and file storage, Team schedule and calendar, Automatic check-in questions for async updates that Smartsheet doesn't list.
Smartsheet lists Grid and spreadsheet-style work views, Gantt charts for timeline and dependency tracking, Workflow automation to reduce manual work, Forms and centralized intake and approval workflows, Role-based dashboards and reporting, Resource planning and workload balancing, Integrations with Microsoft, Salesforce, Slack, and Jira that Basecamp doesn't list.

Choose Basecamp if…

Choose Basecamp if this fits: Teams, companies, and nonprofits who want centralized project coordination instead of scattered email, chat apps, and browser tabs.

Choose Smartsheet if…

Choose Smartsheet if this fits: Project and portfolio managers, enterprise PMOs, and IT teams who want spreadsheet-familiar tools with enterprise-grade governance.

Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.