Smartsheet vs Linear

by Gralio Apr 17, 2025

Smartsheet and Linear are work management platforms catering to different needs. Smartsheet offers broader integrations and a familiar spreadsheet interface, while Linear prioritizes a clean, intuitive interface and high performance for software development teams.

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This comparison was created by analysing 5055 reviews and 50 websites, saving 1 day, 4 hours, 30 minutes of reading.

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.
Linear is a software platform designed for product development teams of all sizes to manage projects and build products efficiently. It provides tools to streamline and track issues, manage sprints, and build product roadmaps. Linear enables teams to collaborate on ideas, plan projects, visualize progress, and gain insights from real-time data analytics. It integrates with popular tools like Slack and Figma, making it a comprehensive solution for managing modern software development workflows.

Summary

Main difference
Smartsheet offers a wider range of integrations, including Salesforce, making it suitable for businesses needing diverse connectivity. Linear excels with a streamlined, intuitive interface and strong performance, ideal for software development teams prioritizing speed and ease of use.

Relative strengths of Smartsheet (compared to Linear)

  • Broader integrations (e.g., Salesforce) for enhanced connectivity.

  • Spreadsheet-like interface familiar to many users.

  • Strong automation features for streamlining repetitive tasks.

Relative weaknesses of Smartsheet (compared to Linear)

  • Limited row capacity and potential latency issues.

  • Some standard spreadsheet functions may be missing or require workarounds.

  • Sharing with external users can be complex.

Who is using Smartsheet and Linear?

Who should use Smartsheet VS. Linear

Smartsheet is a versatile work management platform ideal for businesses of all sizes looking to streamline projects, automate tasks, and gain real-time progress insights. Users praise its intuitive interface and robust collaboration features, while some note limitations with row capacity and occasional latency issues. Its flexible pricing plans cater to various needs and budgets.

Linear is a powerful project management tool designed for software development teams of all sizes. Known for its intuitive interface and fast performance, Linear streamlines workflows with features like custom integrations and bug tracking. Users praise its clean design and keyboard shortcuts while noting areas for improvement like mobile scrolling and ticket label customization.

  • Best for small, medium, and large businesses seeking enhanced work management.

  • Suitable for most industries needing project management, automation, and progress tracking.

  • Ideal for small to large businesses (1-1000+ employees).

  • Best fit for software, IT, and telecommunications companies.

Smartsheet and Linear 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.

    Partially supported

    Linear can automate some onboarding tasks via third-party integrations like Zapier.

  • Intuitive Interface Design
    Supported

    Smartsheet prioritizes intuitive design with Ursa, focusing on user experience and aesthetics.

    Supported

    Linear has a sleek, minimalist, and streamlined interface praised for intuitive design.

  • High Performance
    Not supported

    Smartsheet performance degrades with complex or large sheets, requiring optimization.

    Supported

    Linear is built for speed with a high-performance architecture.

  • Purpose-built Workflows
    Supported

    Smartsheet supports purpose-built workflows to automate tasks and streamline processes.

    Supported

    Linear supports custom workflows designed for software development, enhancing efficiency.

  • Team Collaboration Enhancement
    Supported

    Smartsheet offers real-time collaboration, communication tools, task management, and shared workspaces.

    Supported

    Linear supports team collaboration with features like real-time co-editing and communication tools integration.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -0.56
    Rather negative sentiment
    No data
  • Customer Service
    +0.01
    Neutral sentiment
    No data
  • Ease of Use
    +0.74
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.51
    Rather positive sentiment
    No data
  • Ease of Implementation
    -0.09
    Neutral sentiment
    No data
  • Scalability
    +0.23
    Neutral sentiment
    No data

Smartsheet and Linear Pricing

Smartsheet offers a variety of add-on features to enhance the platform's functionality. These add-ons cater to specific business needs, such as managing multi-step processes with Dynamic View, centralizing data with Data Shuttle, and ensuring project consistency with Control Center.
Plans

User sentiment

Rather negative
-0.56

See full Pricing page

No data

See full Pricing page

Smartsheet and Linear review insights

5031 reviews analysed from and

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.
  • Intuitive keyboard shortcuts and custom integrations.
  • Clean and easy-to-use interface.
  • Excellent for bug tracking and sprint planning.
  • Seamless integration with GitHub and Slack.
  • Fast and efficient performance.

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.
  • Limited customization options for ticket labels.
  • Mobile browser scrolling can be buggy, leading to accidental issue movements.
  • Goal and initiative tracking could be improved.
  • Occasional bugs and instability in the web application.
  • Lack of a native mobile app (Android and iOS).

Smartsheet and Linear Ratings

  • G2
    4.4/5
    (2570)
  • Capterra
    4.5/5
    (2425)
  • Glassdoor
    4.0/5
    (982)
  • G2
    4.6/5
    (36)

Company health

Employee growth

4% increase in the last year
50% increase in the last year

Web traffic

13% increase in the last quarter
18% increase in the last quarter

Financing

April 2024 - $3B
March 2023 - $52M

How do Smartsheet's automation features compare to Linear's for non-dev teams?

Smartsheet offers more robust automation features for non-dev teams compared to Linear. While Linear is primarily focused on software development workflows and its automation capabilities likely cater to those processes, Smartsheet provides broader automation functionalities like automated workflows, triggers, conditions, actions, and multi-step automations, suitable for various business processes beyond just software development. Smartsheet also emphasizes integrations with popular business apps like Salesforce, further extending its automation potential for non-dev teams.

Which product better supports collaboration between technical and business users?

Smartsheet is the better choice for collaboration between technical and business users. While Linear is praised for its intuitive interface and performance, it's purpose-built for software development teams. Smartsheet offers broader applicability across various business functions with its spreadsheet-like interface, making it easier for business users to adopt and collaborate with technical teams on shared projects and data. Smartsheet's integrations with popular business apps like Salesforce further enhance cross-functional collaboration.

What are the advantages of Smartsheet?

Smartsheet offers broader industry applicability and readily available integrations with popular business tools like Salesforce. Its spreadsheet-like interface is familiar and generally considered easy to use, promoting quicker adoption. Smartsheet also provides more robust reporting and dashboard features, enabling better progress tracking and data visualization. Finally, Smartsheet offers a wider range of pricing tiers, potentially offering a better fit for various budgets.

What are the disadvantages of Smartsheet?

Smartsheet users have reported limitations on row capacity, impacting larger projects. Some standard Excel functions are missing or require workarounds, potentially hindering users familiar with Excel. Performance issues such as slow loading times and latency, especially with larger sheets, have also been reported. Finally, sharing with unlicensed users can be confusing and may lead to unnecessary license requests.

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Page co-authored by
MK
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.

TT
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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