10 Smartsheet alternatives for agency project management

As a spreadsheet tool for data entry, there's nothing wrong with a platform like Smartsheet. But if your agency needs a platform that can handle more than just Excel-style spreadsheets — or if you simply don't love digging through endless rows and columns to find the data you need — you'll probably want to look elsewhere.

Where do you begin to narrow down the best Smartsheet alternatives for task management in 2023? We've got you covered with our top picks.

1) Teamwork

Not to toot our own horn, but Teamwork offers the same spreadsheet and data entry features as Smartsheet — plus a suite of other features to streamline your task management and help your projects run more smoothly. From smaller creative teams to larger software development teams (and everything in between), our user-friendly platform has you covered. There's a reason more than 6,000 agencies already trust us as an alternative to Smartsheet.

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Budgeting and profitability capabilities 

Unlike Smartsheet, Teamwork also has a full suite of financial and budget management tools that provide a real-time overview of project performance so you’ll stay on top of issues before they arise.

With Teamwork, you can also easily track expenses and view budget breakdowns for any project or task. You can also customize and pull profitability reports to show your team, boss and clients everything they need to know – so you can say goodbye to all those time-draining chaser emails and calls!

All-in-one team management solution

Teamwork can serve as your agency's comprehensive software for managing projects, offering you the tools you need to get more done, whether your teams are remote, in-person, or some hybrid alternative. Users love our team chat feature, which encourages team collaboration through face-to-face video chat, temporary chat channels for dedicated projects, searchable history, and more.

Additionally, when your team members need to create content, our seamless Spaces integration offers a centralized workspace for content creation, editing, collaboration, and sharing. This is a great way to organize your agency processes, create a centralized knowledge base, and get clients in on the action.

Advanced communication functionality

Poor communication is the primary cause of project failure among teams — but we're looking to change that with built-in communication tools that keep everybody on the same page. While you can comment on sheets in Smartsheet, that's about the extent of the platform's collaboration features. With Teamwork, you'll enjoy built-in notebooks, real-time messages, video chat features, and more to keep your team working together beautifully.

Integrated time tracking

You won't find native time-tracking features on Smartsheet, either. This can create issues for project managers who need to see where time is being spent. Teamwork provides time tracking features as standard, so you can quickly log billable and non-billable time, and get a view on team capacity and project performance directly in the platform. This way you’ll always stay on time and under budget, at no extra cost to your agency. 

Additional features and benefits

Teamwork is designed to be much more than basic spreadsheet software. We believe in making it easy for agencies to better manage tasks and get more done — all in a comprehensive and intuitive user interface. In addition to the key differentiators listed above, Teamwork also offers such features as:

• Automations to streamline your projects

• Gantt charts and Kanban boards to better visualize your work

• Proofing features to manage the entire client review and approval process from creation to final sign off

• Templates for tasks and to-do lists, which save you time

• Unlimited free client users

• Project scheduling tools

• Fully customizable dashboards for each user

• First-class support

One reviewer had this to say of say of Teamwork’s customer support quality:

“The support [...] is SUPER responsive, friendly, and easy to communicate with. There is a ‘Feedback’ icon on the toolbar that you can always use to make comments and suggestions to the dev team, which I also appreciate. Love them!”

Pricing

Did we mention that our plans are also more affordable than Smartsheet's? Our most popular plan for agencies and complex projects is our Grow plan, which is just $17.99 per user/month. This plan comes with all our task management tools, plus workload management and advanced budgeting.

Compare this with Smartsheet's most popular plan at $25 per user/month, and the choice is pretty clear. Teamwork offers the robust features and unrivaled usability your agency needs, all at a lower price. Plus, you can always enjoy a risk-free 30-day trial (no credit card needed!).

2) ClickUp

Credit: ClickUp

ClickUp's website refers to the platform as "one app to replace them all," offering a full-scale platform that you can use on just about any device imaginable. This includes not just Android and Apple devices, but Microsoft- and Linux-powered devices, voice assistants, and even smart watches. That's versatility you simply won't get with Smartsheet.

Key features and benefits

• Real-time chat and file sharing with the ability to tag individuals or groups

• Goal-setting functions to help teams stay on track

• More than 20 different dashboard views to help team members visualize their projects and tasks

• 24/7 email support and live chat (on some plans)

Pricing

• Five plans: free, Unlimited ($5 per user/month), Business ($12 per user/month), Business Plus ($19 per user/month), and Enterprise (quote).

• Business plan is most popular for agencies and includes unlimited teams, advanced automations, workload management, and more.

3) Basecamp

Credit: Basecamp

Since 2004, Basecamp has been trusted by more than 75,000 organizations. Known for its intentionally simplistic design that keeps everything organized in one accessible place, this work management platform offers many real-time collaboration tools and scheduling features that Smartsheet lacks.

Key features and benefits

• Centralized message boards and real-time Campfire chat tools to streamline communication and eliminate cumbersome email chains

• Automated polling features to keep project managers in tune with how projects are going

• Easy-to-use and insightful reporting tools

• Innovative Hill Charts that provide a visual and intuitive sense of where projects stand

Pricing

• Refreshingly simple pricing with two plans available: Basecamp and Basecamp Pro Unlimited.

• $15 per user/month Basecamp plan is geared towards smaller teams and comes with 500 GB of storage.

• $299 per month Pro Unlimited plan comes with unlimited users, 5 TB of storage, and priority support.

4) ProofHub

Trusted by more than 85,000 teams across the globe, ProofHub is a project management tool that promises to streamline projects of all sizes with little to no learning curve. Whereas Smartsheet is notorious for being a little difficult to get used to, most teams will have no trouble getting started with ProofHub. Plus, it's a web-based platform, so there's no need to download or install anything directly on your device (this may be an advantage for some teams but a potential drawback for others).

Key features and benefits

• Board, table, Gantt, and calendar views that allow for customized dashboards that meet team members' individual needs

• Plenty of project templates to choose from, which can save you time

• Advanced time tracking tools, including the ability to set time estimates and generate reports

Pricing

• Two plans available: Essential and Ultimate Control.

• Essential plan is $35 per user/month with unlimited users.

• Ultimate Control plan is $89 per month and comes with unlimited projects, plus 100 GB of storage.

5) Asana

Credit: AppSumo

Asana's project management software claims to offer a greater value compared to Smartsheet, delivering unlimited storage and a fixed price for each user. Meanwhile, Asana differentiates its platform with integrations like Slack, Google, and Microsoft office without hidden charges or fees. This task management solution is designed for teams of all sizes, with plenty of useful tools for both in-person and remote teams.

Key features and benefits

• Workflow Builder tool, which improves team coordination through custom automations

• Calendar, board, timeline, Kanban, and other visualization tools that can be customized by each user

• Real-time insights with detailed reporting tools

• Desktop and mobile apps that sync in real time, so your teams are always up to speed

Pricing

• Three plans available: Basic (free), Premium ($10.99 per user/month), and Business ($24.99 per user/month).

• Business plan is popular among agencies and comes with unlimited tasks and projects.

• Free trial available (no credit card needed).

6) Trello

Credit: Wonder Tools

As a full-scale project management solution, Trello offers a lot of visualization features that Smartsheet simply does not. Plus, it's designed with Kanban boards to create full pipelines and Scrum/Agile frameworks, making it ideal for complex projects and software development teams alike.

Key features and benefits

• Customizable backgrounds and colors for each user

• @mentions make it easy for team members to provide individual feedback

• Ability to attach deadlines, milestones, and labels to individual tasks

• No-code automation saves teams time and hassle

Pricing

• Four plans available: Free, Standard ($5 per user/month), Premium ($10 per user/month), and Enterprise ($17.50 per user/month).

• Enterprise plan is designed for organizations with multiple teams/departments.

• Premium plan is popular among agencies that need different project visualization tools, time-saving templates, and unlimited workspace command runs.

7) Wrike

Credit: Wrike

With time-saving templates and more than 400 integrations to choose from, Wrike is a popular task management platform for enterprise-level teams. Designed to completely transform how teams work, this tool goes beyond Google Sheets-style spreadsheets to offer a full project planning suite.

Key features and benefits

• Mobile and desktop apps, so teams can work seamlessly from just about anywhere

• Cross-tagging to deliver visibility across multiple work streams

• Resource management tools to optimize your assets and deliver projects on time

• In-depth reporting features with advanced analytics and insights

Pricing

• Three plans available: Free, Team ($9.80 per user/month), and Business ($24.80 per user/month).

• Business plan is popular for agencies and comes with 5GB of storage per user.

• Multiple à la carte add-on features available for easy customization.

8) monday.com

Credit: monday.com

monday.com prides itself in being a comprehensive platform that's designed to help teams of all sizes manage every aspect of their workflow in one convenient place. Compared to Smartsheet, monday.com offers some extra features, including standalone time tracking and 24/7 customer support.

Key features and benefits

• Custom automations to save team members time and boost productivity

• Task management tools, like progress tracking, to overcome obstacles and meet deadlines

• Customizable visual boards that can toggle views from timeline or Kanban to chart and table

Pricing

• Five plans available: Free, Basic ($8 per user/month), Standard ($10 per user/month), Pro ($16 per user/month), and Enterprise (quote).

• Standard plan comes with 250 automated actions plus unlimited guest access.

• Free trial allows you to try Monday.com risk-free.

9) Podio

Podio offers several features that you won't find in Smartsheet, including an Extension feature that allows teams to create customized reporting dashboards. From there, they can easily track their own metrics and KPIs to stay on the same page. Already trusted by more than 500,000 companies, this platform has something to offer agencies with creative teams of all sizes.

Key features and benefits

• Real-time commenting that makes it easy for team members to collaborate from anywhere

• Customer relationship management (CRM) tools to help teams work better with clients

• Dedicated customer care team (which includes a developer) to help your teams succeed

Pricing

• Free plan for teams of up to five employees.

• Plus plan at $11.20 per user/month includes automated workflows and unlimited external users.

• Premium plan at $19.20 per user/month comes with interactive sales dashboards and visual reporting.

10) Nutcache

If you're looking for a product that's similar to Smartsheet but with more affordable plans, Nutcache is worth a look. With tools like real-time budgeting and task allocation, this task management platform is designed to keep projects on track for teams of all sizes.

Key features and benefits

• Robust project budgeting tools to help you avoid budget overrun and set tracking based on hours, cost, and more

• Customizable workspaces for each user

• Ability to assign, prioritize, and track tasks

• Advanced time-tracking tools for both billable and non-billable hours

Pricing

• Several plans available, including a free plan for up to 20 users, a $12.49 per user/month Pro plan, and a $21.49 per user/month Enterprise plan.

• Pro plan includes task automation, advanced time tracking, invoicing reports, and real-time project budgeting.

• Free demo period available for paid plans.

Enhance your project workflows with Teamwork

Let's be honest here; Smartsheet has some great features and is trusted by many big brands — so they're clearly doing something right. However, suppose your agency's work isn't centered around data entry and spreadsheets. In that case, you're probably better off with a dedicated project management platform that allows your teams to truly collaborate and get more done.

Teamwork's all-in-one platform offers all the tools and project management integrations your teams need, allowing your agency to manage even the most complex projects easily. Having started as a digital agency, Teamwork understands agency pain points regarding task and project management. And we've thoughtfully designed our platform to resolve these problems.

Get in touch today to learn more about what sets Teamwork apart from Smartsheet and what we can do for your agency. You can also get started with your free 30-day trial by signing up now!