SAP Portfolio and Project Management vs Smartsheet comparison

SAP Portfolio and Project M...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

SAP Portfolio and Project Management and Smartsheet are competing products in the project management space, with each offering unique advantages. Although SAP appears to deliver a more comprehensive solution, Smartsheet’s flexibility and ease of use often make it the preferred choice for many organizations seeking a balance of features and accessibility.

Features: SAP Portfolio and Project Management focuses on enterprise-level project oversight, resource management, and integration with other SAP systems, making it suitable for large organizations. Smartsheet provides a user-friendly platform with customizable templates, collaboration tools, and integration with third-party applications, appealing to teams looking for a flexible solution.

Room for Improvement: SAP can benefit from simplifying its interface and improving integration with non-SAP systems. Additionally, enhancing usability for non-technical users could broaden its appeal. Smartsheet could improve by expanding its functionalities for larger enterprise-scale operations, enhancing reporting features, and strengthening its offline capabilities to better serve diverse environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP’s deployment is notably complex, requiring significant time and technical resources, though it is backed by strong customer support. Smartsheet’s cloud-based model facilitates a quicker, less resource-intensive deployment, making it a favorable option for organizations with limited IT resources. Smartsheet's responsive support enhances its appeal for organizations prioritizing ease and speed.

Pricing and ROI: SAP Portfolio and Project Management involves higher initial setup costs and a longer timeframe to achieve ROI due to its complexity and scope. Smartsheet offers a lower cost of entry and quicker time to value, making it attractive for organizations seeking faster returns. Smartsheet’s competitive pricing and rapid deployment increase ROI potential for many enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed SAP Portfolio and Project Management vs. Smartsheet Report (Updated: December 2025).

SAP Portfolio and Project Management vs. Smartsheet

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

SAP Portfolio and Project M...

Ranking in Project Portfolio Management

9th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Smartsheet

Ranking in Project Portfolio Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Management Software (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Project Portfolio Management category, the mindshare of SAP Portfolio and Project Management is 4.5%, down from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Smartsheet is 6.3%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Project Portfolio Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Smartsheet	6.3%
SAP Portfolio and Project Management	4.5%
Other	89.2%

Project Portfolio Management

Featured Reviews

Nalin Kumar

Quality Assurance Group Lead at Samsung

End-to-end project management capabilities and offers seamless vendor and client contract alignment

The system is old, so there are several issues that arise when we fetch data from integrated systems. Sometimes the data gets stuck, and there are instances where we need to access multiple pieces of information simultaneously. This creates problems that I have personally experienced. Therefore, these aspects need to be much more free-flowing and seamless. If something gets stuck, it takes time to resolve, and during the contract phase, we have Service Level Agreements (SLAs). If those SLAs are breached, it becomes problematic. Given that there are approximately 3000 projects running concurrently worldwide, utilizing the system with a vast database and numerous activities taking place. It could benefit from decentralization. Currently, it operates as a central system, but if it could be centralized for specific subsidiaries, it would be easier for us to manage.

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DonatasSinkevicius

Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Automation simplifies manual tasks and facilitates team communication

There are many useful features in Smartsheet. One can easily share plans with the entire team, and it functions similarly to Microsoft Project. Creating dependencies across all tasks is smooth, and team members can make adjustments if necessary. Automation helps by simplifying some manual work, saving time and facilitating communication.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It improves productivity, cash flow management, and inventory control for clients."

"SAP is gradually introducing more flexibility and customization options to the system, allowing users to adapt it to their specific needs."

"The integration portion with SAP models is valuable."

"It is a stable and scalable solution."

"Smartsheet is a really good tool for collaboration."

"Smartsheet is easy to use."

"The ability to update in real-time before meetings is great."

"The deployment is very easy. All you need to do is log in."

"This solution provides easy collaboration and allows non-building users to use the system without requiring a license."

"What I found most valuable in Smartsheet is its project customization feature. It's a great solution because you can add in your own WBS. You can see it in Jira style, Kanban, and you can even do Agile and Waterfall. Another feature that's valuable in the solution is when you have those connections, you have that API, you have a sandbox, and you can make a solution, it's a tremendous product because you can pull data."

"It operates as an enhanced and versatile version of Excel, offering a wide range of capabilities that allow you to accomplish various tasks and operations."

More Smartsheet pros

Cons

"The platform's support structure needs improvement."

"The system is old, so there are several issues that arise when we fetch data from integrated systems. Sometimes the data gets stuck, and there are instances where we need to access multiple pieces of information simultaneously."

"It would be valuable if SAP integrated seamlessly with some products like Jira and Bitbucket."

"I think their support team is low quality. They're low and lack response, which is not good for customers. I wouldn't rely on their customer support at all."

"A room for improvement I found in Smartsheet is the view, as it's currently row-wise. I should have the opportunity to view a full scale, top down list instead of just a column driven list. I shouldn't have to go just left or right. I should be able to view it top down."

"They should improve the solution's integration with API."

"We have to manually put in every dependency in Smartsheet."

"You were forced to create a new tab rather than add another sheet."

"They provide a limited number of sheets which is not enough."

"There isn't much automation at this time."

"The product must include more modules for project management."

More Smartsheet cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product pricing varies based on whether the client is new or existing and the complexity of their business processes."

"For a normal license, like the one I had: I had my own Smartsheet because I wanted to play with it and I didn't want to mess with what I was doing in Verizon, so I paid $200 monthly, and it gave me all the same functionalities, so I could do whatever I wanted for $200. The problem is if you have anyone else working on it or deploying on it, it's $200 a month for every single person who's deployed on it, that's working on it as an owner or an administrator, so owners and administrators are the only ones who can change, edit, and add data to worksheets and columns. Depending on the size of your organization, Smartsheet can be costly. As for implementing its Control Center, Smartsheet forces you to have three people come in: it's a minimum of three people from Smartsheet for three months who will provide you the solutions for the Control Center side, and that's $150 an hour, so it can become very expensive. For my company, not having the Control Center would save on the setup fees and then the $20,000 a year, because the Control Center of Smartsheet is a yearly subscription of $20,000."

"The solution is expensive."

"There would be more extensive usage if the solution were cheaper. It's really expensive right now, and that's why we provide a few licenses for admins. The rest of them are just users without admin privileges."

"I believe a licensed user costs between 300 to 400 euros."

"The solution is too expensive."

"I would assume there is a licensing fee. I don't think that it is free."

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. I was responsible for negotiating the price with the Smartsheet team, but I don't remember what the price was. Its standard license probably was around 5,000 to 6,000 a year. The enterprise version is significantly more expensive."

"Smartsheet only requires licenses for project managers. When we were using Asana, we had to purchase a license for everyone who wanted to access their tasks and use the system. That gets costly fast. It was one of the main reasons we left Asana. As Asana and these other tools scale, they become way more expensive."

More Smartsheet pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

16%

Healthcare Company

10%

Government

10%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	22

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with SAP Portfolio and Project Management?

The platform's support structure needs improvement.

What advice do you have for others considering SAP Portfolio and Project Management?

The platform integration with SAP finance systems has unified language and criteria, reducing the time for growth periods and ensuring international financial control and management. The resource m...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Portfolio and Project Management?

The product pricing varies based on whether the client is new or existing and the complexity of their business processes.

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 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?

Licensing might be cheaper per user. I rate it as seven or eight due to its demanding nature. For personal use, I have a monthly subscription, while the company uses an annual basis.

Jira vs SAP Portfolio and Project Management

Comparisons

Compared 19% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

Broadcom Clarity vs SAP Portfolio and Project Management

Compared 9% of the time

EcoSys vs SAP Portfolio and Project Management

Compared 9% of the time

ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management vs SAP Portfolio and Project Management

Compared 7% of the time

More SAP Portfolio and Project Management Competitors

monday.com vs Smartsheet

Compared 12% of the time

ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management vs Smartsheet

Compared 9% of the time

Planisware vs Smartsheet

Compared 7% of the time

Broadcom Clarity vs Smartsheet

Compared 7% of the time

Asana vs Smartsheet

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Project Portfolio Management

Download SAP Portfolio and Project Management product report

SAP Portfolio and Project Management report

Download Smartsheet product report

Also Known As

Portfolio and Project Management

No data available

Overview

Portfolio Management integrates information from existing project management, human resources, and financial systems to provide an overview of the project portfolio with easy drilldown to details for portfolio managers, project managers, and resource managers. This enables innovative and collaborative, cross-functional business processes. Project Management covers the entire range of project management activities in development and consultancy projects, from planning to implementation to project completion.

SAP

Smartsheet offers a comprehensive platform for project management, featuring real-time sharing, cloud accessibility, and a user-friendly interface, which enhance workflow efficiency and project tracking capabilities.

Smartsheet stands out in the realm of project management by integrating robust tools like Gantt chart creation and seamless compatibility with products like Jira and Microsoft Teams. Its dashboards, intuitive design, and flexible customization options support efficient collaboration and centralized management. Enhancements such as real-time change visibility without refreshing, advanced automation capabilities, and improved integration with APIs address user needs. Sectors spanning from strategic initiatives to operational tasks benefit from this customizable, cloud-based platform.

What are the key features of Smartsheet?

Real-Time Sharing: Facilitates immediate collaboration across teams.
Cloud Accessibility: Work from anywhere with cloud-based tools.
User-Friendliness: Simplified project management through an intuitive interface.
Gantt Chart Creation: Offers dynamic timelines for project tracking.
Integrations: Seamless connectivity with Jira, Microsoft Teams, and more.

What benefits or ROI does Smartsheet provide?

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamline workflows for quicker project completion.
Improved Collaboration: Centralized tools support teamwork and communication.
Project Tracking: Real-time updates keep projects on schedule.
Customizable Solutions: Adaptable to meet diverse management needs.

In specific industries, Smartsheet is leveraged for creating project plans, managing tasks, and compiling statistics. Teams use dashboards for data visualization to monitor multiple projects efficiently. The platform supports resource management, approvals, and collaboration, integrating features like automation and data export for comprehensive project oversight.

Sample Customers

Joy Global Inc., Citrix, EMC Corporation, Concho Resources, Concho Resources, RZD Russian Railways, Family Dollar Stores Inc., Lenovo

Sony Music, ESPN, Hilton, Unisource, Colliers, Extreme Networks, Groupon, Netflix

SAP Portfolio and Project Management vs. Smartsheet