Trello vs Smartsheet

Trello and Smartsheet are both project management options. Trello lists 6 features across 5 platforms; Smartsheet lists 7 features across 5 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingTrelloSmartsheet
CategoryProject ManagementProject Management
Alternatives tracked44
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, WindowsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Pricing modelFree + paid plansPaid plans

Best for Trello

Positioned for individuals and small teams first, scaling up to teams of around 100 and enterprise use cases.

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.

Trello

  • Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking
  • Automation for repetitive tasks
  • Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board
  • Templates from teams and industry playbooks
  • Due dates, checklists, and file attachments
  • Inbox and calendar-based Planner view

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

Trello

Pros
  • Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking
  • Automation for repetitive tasks
  • Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board
  • Templates from teams and industry playbooks
  • Due dates, checklists, and file attachments
  • Inbox and calendar-based Planner view
Cons
  • The Free plan is capped at 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace; teams that exceed either limit need a paid plan.
  • Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map views are reserved for Premium rather than Standard or Free.

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
  • Pro is restricted to 1-10 members and is available only to new customers on the current pricing page.
  • Business requires at least 3 members, while Enterprise and Advanced Work Management use custom pricing.

Key differences

  • Trello lists Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking, Automation for repetitive tasks, Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board, Templates from teams and industry playbooks, Due dates, checklists, and file attachments, Inbox and calendar-based Planner view 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 Trello doesn't list.

Choose Trello if…

Choose Trello if this fits: Positioned for individuals and small teams first, scaling up to teams of around 100 and enterprise use cases. Compared with Smartsheet specifically, Trello also offers Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking, Automation for repetitive tasks, Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board, and 3 more features that Smartsheet doesn't list.

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. Compared with Trello specifically, Smartsheet also offers Grid and spreadsheet-style work views, Gantt charts for timeline and dependency tracking, Workflow automation to reduce manual work, and 4 more features that Trello doesn't list.

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.

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