Smartsheet vs Asana

by Gralio Feb 27, 2025

Smartsheet and Asana are both powerful work management platforms, but they cater to different needs. Smartsheet is a strong choice for project-driven teams who value detailed tracking and reporting, while Asana is better for teams prioritizing task management and communication.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 9872 reviews and 60 websites, saving 2 days, 7 hours, 20 minutes of reading.

Smartsheet

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Asana

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About

Smartsheet is a work management platform used by companies to manage projects, automate tasks, and track progress. Its spreadsheet-like interface makes it easy to plan, schedule, and delegate work, while dashboards and reports provide real-time visibility into project status and team performance. Smartsheet also offers automation features, allowing you to streamline repetitive processes and improve efficiency. It integrates with popular business apps and prioritizes data security, making it a trusted choice for businesses of all sizes.

Asana is a work management platform designed to help teams organize tasks, projects, and goals in one shared space. It offers tools to improve team collaboration, transparency, and accountability. Used by companies of all sizes, it's particularly beneficial for managing complex projects and keeping everyone aligned on priorities. Features include task assignments, progress tracking, deadline setting, and communication tools. Asana aims to streamline workflows, enhance team productivity, and provide a clear overview of project statuses.

Summary

Main difference

Smartsheet offers a robust spreadsheet-like interface ideal for project management and reporting, especially for teams familiar with Excel. Asana excels in team collaboration and task management, with a user-friendly interface and seamless integrations with communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Relative strengths of Smartsheet (compared to Asana)

Superior project management and reporting capabilities with its spreadsheet-like interface.
Robust automation features for streamlining complex workflows and processes.
Strong integration with Salesforce, beneficial for sales and CRM processes.

Relative weaknesses of Smartsheet (compared to Asana)

Limited row capacity in spreadsheets, potentially hindering scalability.
Some standard Excel functions are missing, requiring workarounds.
Can be confusing for sharing and collaboration with external users without licenses.

Who is using Smartsheet and Asana?

No data

Olesia Krilyshyn

Sales Acceleration Specialist at Reply.io

Gaetano Di Nardi

Growth Advisor for B2B SaaS Companies

Who should use Smartsheet VS. Asana

Smartsheet is a versatile work management platform ideal for businesses of all sizes across various industries. Users praise its intuitive interface, real-time collaboration features, and automation capabilities. However, some users have noted limitations with row capacity and occasional latency issues. If you're seeking a tool to streamline projects, automate tasks, and gain real-time insights, Smartsheet is worth considering.

Asana is a versatile work management platform that helps teams organize tasks, projects, and goals. Users praise its intuitive interface, flexible project views, and integrations with other popular tools. However, some users have noted concerns about cost and occasional performance issues. Asana offers a free plan and tiered paid options to suit different team needs.

Best for small, medium, and large businesses.
Suitable for businesses across all industries.

Ideal for teams of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.
Suitable for a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, e-commerce, and more.

Smartsheet and Asana features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Automated workflows

Supported

Smartsheet supports automated workflows, which can be customized for onboarding processes.

Supported

Asana supports automated workflows, including for onboarding, through its rules engine and integrations.
Task Management

Supported

Smartsheet allows creating, assigning, managing, and tracking tasks within projects.

Supported

Asana allows users to create, assign, manage, and track tasks within projects.
Time Tracking

Partially supported

Smartsheet can be integrated with time tracking software but does not have this functionality natively. It offers a Resource Management add-on with time tracking, but this requires a separate license.

Supported

Asana supports time tracking for tasks and projects, but this feature is limited to Advanced, Enterprise, and Enterprise+ subscription plans.
File sharing

Supported

Smartsheet allows users to upload and share files in a variety of ways, including direct links, publishing, and email attachments.

Partially supported

Asana supports file sharing via integrations with cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and SharePoint.
Client portals

Supported

Smartsheet allows the creation of client portals for accessing project information and collaborating in a controlled environment through features like WorkApps, customizable dashboards, and integrations with tools like Foyer.

Partially supported

Asana can be used as a client portal with some limitations and requires third-party integrations for full functionality.
Collaboration features

Supported

Smartsheet enables team members to collaborate on tasks together through features such as real-time comments, file sharing, shared workspaces, and integrations with popular collaboration platforms.

Supported

Asana supports collaboration features such as comments and file sharing, enabling team members to work together on tasks effectively.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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Smartsheet and Asana Pricing

No data

See full Pricing page

Asana offers a free plan for individuals and small teams. The Starter and Advanced plans are tiered subscriptions with per-user pricing, billed monthly or annually. Enterprise and Enterprise+ plans require contacting sales for pricing. They also offer 50% off for nonprofits.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Smartsheet and Asana review insights

Users love

Intuitive interface: Easy-to-use, even for those unfamiliar with project management tools. Many compare it favorably to Excel.
Collaboration features: Real-time collaboration capabilities, allowing multiple users to work on sheets simultaneously.
Automation features: Streamlines repetitive tasks with alerts, reminders, and automated workflows.
Customizable dashboards: Easily create visually appealing dashboards to track project progress and KPIs.

User-friendly interface, praised for its intuitive design.
Flexible project views: list, board, and calendar options.
Excellent integration with Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams.
Strong task management capabilities with deadlines, assignments, and progress tracking.

Users dislike

Limited row capacity: Maximum capacity of 20k rows is often too small, requiring backups.
Some standard Excel functions are not available or require workarounds.
Latency issues: Users have reported slow loading times and latency, especially with larger sheets.
Sharing with unlicensed users can be confusing, leading to unnecessary license requests.

High cost - the price per user is a deterrent for many teams.
Subtasks are not easily viewed in the main task view, requiring extra clicks.
Limited advanced reporting features.
Occasional bugs, freezing, and performance lags.

Smartsheet and Asana Ratings

G2

4.4/5

(2570)
Capterra

4.5/5

(2425)
TrustPilot

1.9/5

(20)
Glassdoor

4.0/5

(982)

G2

4.3/5

(2486)
Capterra

4.5/5

(2414)
Glassdoor

4.1/5

(806)

Company health

Employee growth

5% increase in the last year

21% increase in the last year

Web traffic

8% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

May 2024 - $3B

May 2020 - $453M

How do Smartsheet's row limitations compare to Asana's project capacity?

Smartsheet has a hard row limit of 20,000 rows per sheet, which users have cited as a significant limitation. Asana, on the other hand, doesn't have row limits in the same way since it doesn't use a spreadsheet interface. Instead, Asana's limitations relate to the number of tasks and projects within a workspace, which is generally much higher than Smartsheet's row limit. While Asana has different pricing tiers that might impact storage or the number of tasks, it doesn't impose a fixed limit per project like Smartsheet's rows.

Which platform better integrates with existing tools like Salesforce or Slack?

Asana integrates better with existing tools, specifically mentioning excellent integration with Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams. While Smartsheet mentions Salesforce integration, Asana's broader integration with commonly used communication and collaboration platforms makes it more suitable for teams relying on these tools.

What are the advantages of Smartsheet?

Smartsheet offers robust automation features, including automated workflows and timesheet creation, which can significantly improve team efficiency. Its spreadsheet-like interface makes it intuitive and easy to use, particularly for those familiar with Excel. Smartsheet also boasts strong integration with Salesforce, enabling bidirectional data sync and automation. This is a key advantage over Asana, especially for sales and marketing teams. Finally, Smartsheet caters to a wider range of industries, making it a more versatile solution for businesses with diverse operational needs.

What are the disadvantages of Smartsheet?

Smartsheet's spreadsheet-like interface, while familiar, can lead to limitations with row capacity, forcing users to create backups for larger projects. Some common Excel functions are missing or require workarounds, potentially hindering users accustomed to those features. Performance issues like slow loading times and latency have also been reported, particularly with larger sheets. Finally, sharing with unlicensed users can be a confusing process, sometimes leading to unnecessary license requests.

Alternatives to Smartsheet and Asana

Wrike

Wrike is a versatile work management platform designed to streamline workflows and improve efficiency for teams of all sizes. It centralizes work, providing a single source of truth and offering various views like Gantt charts and Kanban boards. Wrike allows automation of routine tasks, provides real-time insights through dashboards, and facilitates seamless collaboration. It features tools for proofing and approvals, resource management, and integrates with popular business applications. Wrike is a comprehensive solution suitable for various departments, from marketing and IT to operations and product development.

ClickUp

ClickUp is a comprehensive work management platform designed to consolidate various work processes into one centralized location. It offers a wide array of features including task management, project planning, document collaboration, communication tools, goal setting, and automation options. ClickUp aims to enhance team collaboration, improve visibility across projects, and streamline workflows for increased productivity regardless of team size or industry.

Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate more effectively. Using boards, lists, and cards, teams can easily track progress on projects, from simple to-do lists to complex workflows. Trello offers a high level of customization with features like templates, integrations with other popular apps, and no-code automation. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to use, regardless of technical skill. Trello offers various pricing plans to suit different team sizes and needs, including a free plan for small teams.

monday.com

monday.com is a customizable work platform designed to streamline workflows and improve team collaboration. It offers a suite of products, including monday work management, monday sales CRM, and monday dev, each tailored to specific team needs. With features like dashboards, automations, and integrations, monday.com enables businesses to manage projects, track progress, and make data-driven decisions. Its flexible and adaptable design caters to various industries and scales as organizations grow.

Jira

Jira is a popular work management tool from Atlassian used by teams of all sizes to track tasks and projects. It helps organize, prioritize, and track work progress through customizable workflows, boards, and reporting features. Although highly configurable and initially popular for software development, Jira is now used by various teams for project management, bug tracking, and issue resolution.

Quickbase

Quickbase is a no-code platform that helps businesses manage complex projects and workflows. It allows you to connect existing systems, automate tasks, and gain real-time insights into your operations. Quickbase is used by companies of all sizes to improve efficiency, visibility, and collaboration across various departments like project management, IT, and operations. It's known for its flexibility in tailoring solutions without needing coding skills.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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