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Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Project boosts ROI through better resource use, quicker timelines, and centralized management, streamlining workflow and reducing costs.
Sentiment score
6.7
Smartsheet boosts efficiency and collaboration, streamlining project management with Excel-like simplicity, enhancing productivity, and offering cost-effective solutions.
Microsoft Project does help save time and money due to its completeness as a project management solution.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Users experience mixed tech support, balancing onsite/offshore models, community forums, and improved language availability; average rating is 7/10.
Sentiment score
7.1
Smartsheet customer service is praised for responsiveness and training but criticized for ticket management and inconsistency.
Currently, there are more support personnel who speak English, and Microsoft has increased its Spanish language support compared to previous years.
There is a website and a connection to AI for support.
I would give somewhere around 10 for my overall experience with support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
Microsoft Project supports large-scale users and complex tasks, with noted challenges in version differences and cloud integration.
Sentiment score
7.4
Smartsheet effectively scales for diverse user needs, with strong integration capabilities, despite some advanced feature limitations and cost concerns.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Project is stable and reliable, with users reporting minimal issues, consistent performance, and positive usability experiences.
Sentiment score
7.9
Smartsheet is a reliable, stable cloud-based platform for project management, with minimal disruptions and frequent improvements enhancing its performance.
Microsoft Project is a stable tool, and when using it in different projects, it works perfectly.
I would rate the stability of Microsoft Project as an eight out of ten.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Project needs enhanced UI, better integration, collaboration features, streamlined reporting, improved training resources, and more affordable pricing.
Smartsheet needs a more intuitive interface, better integration, robust features, and enhanced support for an improved user experience.
It would be beneficial to see enhanced reporting functionalities in future versions.
The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing.
Microsoft Project tends to become very unstable on large project plans with more than 400 lines.
I have a novice understanding of Smartsheet, so I sought a solution more suited to repeatable projects and process-oriented governance.
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Project offers cost-effective pricing, but expenses rise with plugins and users, bundled within Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Smartsheet offers flexible, competitively-priced licensing options appealing to various users, providing value through extensive functionality and customization.
The issue with Microsoft is that the license is per personnel, making it expensive.
I believe it's usually included in the Microsoft 365 package.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Project is praised for its detailed scheduling, integration, and user-friendly interface, supporting complex plans with robust features.
Smartsheet excels in real-time data sharing, automation, integration, and customization, making it a favored alternative to Microsoft Project.
The collaboration features are valuable for controlling the project and transmitting information to other team members when working in a team.
This tool is the most accurate project management tool, allowing me to run a full set of project activities without having to switch between different tools for scheduling and other tasks.
The scheduling part of Microsoft Project is easy; if you change one of the dates, the rest of the dates automatically get changed based on the dependency.
We were looking for a tool that allowed for repeatable projects and process-oriented governance.
What I appreciate best about Smartsheet is the straight Gantt chart and its flexibility.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Project
Ranking in Project Management Software
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
84
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Smartsheet
Ranking in Project Management Software
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project is 5.7%, down from 10.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Smartsheet is 4.3%, down from 5.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Management Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Project5.7%
Smartsheet4.3%
Other90.0%
Project Management Software
 

Featured Reviews

Nurul Asyikin Wahab - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient project management with robust data tracking and an easy setup
When I have too many elements or items in a project, it becomes cumbersome, especially during printing. Non-technical users do not need all the data, so it's primarily for technical personnel. Without guidance, it's challenging to use the app. With guidance and expert knowledge, it becomes manageable, however, it's not for non-technical teams. The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing. Printing on A3 size is quite burdensome, so I prefer viewing it on a tablet or computer. On a tablet or phone, I can see the full project elements depending on the screen size.
PaulDiaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Needs to improve baselines and changing dates can be frustrating
I like the dashboarding feature best, as it lets me assemble a workspace with source sheets, dashboards, and reports simultaneously. The standard reports and worksheets are most useful for team collaboration. People look at dashboards during presentations, but they go to the sheets to update projects, add comments, or make notifications. It's automated, so changes come to me or whoever needs to see them. I can send notifications from specific line items. The worksheet is key for tracking project progress, though we track it at a higher level rather than detailed work breakdown structures. Subject matter experts say when they'll deliver things, and that's what we track.
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Answers from the Community

Eire Zimmermann - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 5, 2025
Jun 5, 2025
Hi @Eire Zimmermann, I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the modern automation and low-code capabilities that you will see in many SaaS PM tools today (Smartsheet, Asana, Workfront, etc.). Being able to add simple automation with logic like, "If 'Project Status'...
2 out of 5 answers
EB
Jun 23, 2022
Hi @Deborah Gamelin, @Donee Damore, @Ian Herzing ​and @Andrea Bracken, Can you please chime in and share your thoughts/advice with @Eire Zimmermann?​  Thanks.​
Ian Herzing - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 23, 2022
Hi @Eire Zimmermann,  I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the modern automation and low-code capabilities that you will see in many SaaS PM tools today (Smartsheet, Asana, Workfront, etc.). Being able to add simple automation with logic like, "If 'Project Status' = 'Red', then Alert XYZ Stakeholder" is made simple with Smartsheet. With this type of low-code functionality, you can begin to remove that robotic, manual work of typing up emails and sending messages from your day-to-day. Moreover, Smartsheet's reporting capabilities are something that I have yet to see any other PM tool on the market compete with. Think reports for important launch dates, milestones, past due tasks, or at-risk items.  Then when you add the capabilities of the Smartsheet's logic-driven forms for project intake, you really have a system that can become a pseudo-ERP/workforce management tool. Not to mention Smartsheet's cost is much lower compared to MS Project since you only pay for licenses that manipulate data. Hope this helps in some regard, Ian
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
8%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise41
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

Has anyone moved from Microsoft Project to Smartsheet? How has your experience been with Smartsheet?
Hi @Eire Zimmermann, I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the mo...
What do you like most about Microsoft Project?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project?
I'm not aware of the price as we use organization-wide licenses.
What do you like most about Smartsheet?
The tool creates shareable dashboards. These dashboards allow us to display project deliverables' status, their position in the queue, expected delivery timelines, and more. The best part is that t...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Smartsheet?
The pricing is great and reasonable enough that I maintained my copy and bought it for my team independently.
What needs improvement with Smartsheet?
The initial setup from a project perspective is very easy, simple, and fast. However, from a reporting and dashboard perspective, it definitely requires more customization, but the end result of th...
 

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aston Martin, ABANCA, Airbus Group, Capita, Cardiff University, City of Saskatoon, Intel, Pegasus Airlines, South Australia Power Network (SAPN), Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing
Sony Music, ESPN, Hilton, Unisource, Colliers, Extreme Networks, Groupon, Netflix
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project vs. Smartsheet and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
866,561 professionals have used our research since 2012.