monday.com suits small teams that want to start free with visual boards, with a free plan for up to 2 seats and 3 boards. Smartsheet suits teams that run projects in a spreadsheet style with Gantt charts and formulas, with no free plan but unlimited free Contributors from its Pro plan and a 30-day trial. Count who edits and who just updates.
Both tools organise projects, processes and requests, and both now add AI on top. They look and feel very different, though: one is built on boards, the other on sheets. I read monday.com's plans page and Smartsheet's plans page and FAQ.
monday.com and Smartsheet at a glance
| monday.com | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, free forever (up to 2 seats) | Not listed (30 days free, no card) |
| Boards or sheets on entry | Up to 3 boards and 3 Docs on Free | Unlimited sheets, forms and reports on Pro |
| Who's counted | Seats | Members; Contributors are free |
| Views | Boards on Free; timeline and Gantt from Standard | Gantt, table, board and calendar on Pro |
| Formulas | Not covered in the free plan summary | Rich formulas on Pro |
| Automation | 250 automation actions a month from Standard | 250 automations a month on Pro |
| AI | From Basic | Conversational AI on Pro |
| Mobile | iOS and Android apps | Not covered in the plan summary |
monday.com: boards for small teams
monday.com's Free plan is free forever for up to 2 seats, with up to 3 boards, up to 3 Docs, 8 column types and iOS and Android apps, and no card needed. Boards hold your projects, clients or processes as rows called items.
Basic adds unlimited items, viewers who can see but not edit, and AI credits, since AI features start on Basic. Standard adds timeline and Gantt views, guest access, AI columns and 250 automation and 250 integration actions a month. Pro raises those to 25,000 and adds private boards and an AI workflow builder.
Smartsheet: sheets with project power
Smartsheet lists no free plan, but you can try it for 30 days without a card. Pro, for people and teams tracking and sharing projects, covers 1 to 10 Members and unlimited free Contributors, with Gantt, table, board and calendar views, rich formulas, conversational AI, unlimited sheets, forms and reports, and 250 automations a month.
Business starts at 3 Members and adds unlimited free Guests, timeline view, workload tracking and unlimited automations. Smartsheet says over 85% of Fortune 500 companies use it.
Free contributors: the line worth reading twice
Here's the detail that changes the maths for a growing team. Smartsheet counts Members, the people who build and manage sheets, and lets unlimited Contributors update work for free from the Pro plan. monday.com counts seats, and its free plan stops at 2. So a team where a couple of people manage projects and many more update tasks fits Smartsheet's model well, while a pair running everything themselves fits monday.com's free plan.
The other split is views. Gantt charts are on Smartsheet's first plan, while monday.com adds timeline and Gantt views from Standard and keeps its free plan to boards.
Which team each tool suits
monday.com suits small teams and solo founders who want a visual, friendly board to start free and grow from. Smartsheet suits operations, PMO and project teams who think in spreadsheets, need Gantt charts and formulas, and have many people updating work. For background, see why project management is a core business skill and the main project management methodologies.
My advice on choosing a work tool
Split your team into builders and updaters. Two builders with few updaters points to monday.com's free plan. A few builders with many updaters, or projects that need dependencies on a Gantt chart, points to Smartsheet's 30-day trial. Set up one real project in your first week rather than a test board, so you see how it holds up.
Do you make project management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
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Frequently asked questions
Is monday.com free?
Yes. monday.com's Free plan is free forever for up to 2 seats, with up to 3 boards and 3 Docs.
Does Smartsheet have a free plan?
No free plan is listed. Smartsheet offers 30 days free with no card required.
What is a Smartsheet Contributor?
Smartsheet's Pro plan includes unlimited free Contributors alongside 1 to 10 Members, so people can update work without a Member licence.
Which one has Gantt charts?
Smartsheet includes Gantt, table, board and calendar views on its Pro plan.
When does monday.com add AI?
monday.com says AI features are available from its Basic plan.
How many automations does Smartsheet Pro include?
Smartsheet's Pro plan includes 250 automations a month. Business includes unlimited automations.
Do I need a card to start either tool?
No. monday.com says you can start free with no card needed, and Smartsheet offers 30 days free with no card required.
Can viewers see monday.com boards without editing?
Yes. monday.com lists viewers with no editing rights from its Basic plan.
