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Smartsheet vs Trello 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
6.9
Smartsheet enhances productivity and collaboration, automates processes, manages timelines, and is cost-effective compared to Microsoft Project alternatives.
Sentiment score
4.3
Trello improves workflow and communication, offering high return on investment and user satisfaction despite unquantified financial benefits.
Compared to Microsoft Project, which is more expensive, we save costs using Smartsheet.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Sometimes we can have a back-and-forth conversation in the comments, which helps minimize some meetings.
VP Product at PeerSpot
I think it actually pretty much exceeded our expectations or at least met all of our expectations regarding task management and sprint management.
CEO at Infohob
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Smartsheet's customer service feedback is mixed, with praise for responsiveness and resources but concerns over response delays and ticket management.
Sentiment score
2.5
Trello users appreciate helpful online resources and community support, rating customer service highly despite limited direct interaction.
I tried to reach out to get answers before or even look on the web community support for things, such as the out-of-office notifications, without finding answers.
Senior Content Strategist at PeerSpot
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Smartsheet is praised for scalability, integration features, and cost-effectiveness, with some concerns over task tracking in larger projects.
Sentiment score
6.0
Trello is ideal for small teams; larger enterprises might prefer Jira for advanced features and extensive project management.
Smartsheet is pretty flexible and scalable.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Users find Smartsheet stable, with minor issues, high reliability ratings, and minimal disruptions enhancing overall satisfaction.
Sentiment score
6.9
Trello is praised for stability and reliability, with minor performance issues under heavy loads but generally performs well.
 

Room For Improvement

Users want better data management, UI, integration, security, support, and Excel-like features in Smartsheet.
Trello needs improvements in time-tracking, integrations, customization, security, analytics, Gantt charts, onboarding, AI, data handling, collaboration.
I have a novice understanding of Smartsheet, so I sought a solution more suited to repeatable projects and process-oriented governance.
Strategic Programs Vice President, Project Management Office at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
More control over email notifications would also be helpful.
VP Product at PeerSpot
A way to manage an overall project with all the specifications, and then managing all the sub-cards related to that project.
Frontend Web Developer at PeerSpot
Currently, notifications flood my inbox, making it hard to differentiate what I actually need to open.
CSM at PeerSpot
 

Setup Cost

Smartsheet pricing is user-based, varies by plan, and advanced features can increase costs compared to competitors like Microsoft Project.
Trello's pricing is tiered and scalable, attracting startups and mid-range companies with its cost-effective, flexible options.
Licensing might be cheaper per user.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Smartsheet offers real-time collaboration, customizable dashboards, automation, and integration, making it ideal for efficient project management.
Trello enhances task management with an intuitive interface, real-time updates, and collaboration, boosting productivity across devices.
Automation helps by simplifying some manual work, saving time and facilitating communication.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
What I appreciate best about Smartsheet is the straight Gantt chart and its flexibility.
Solution Architect at Think People
We were looking for a tool that allowed for repeatable projects and process-oriented governance.
Strategic Programs Vice President, Project Management Office at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
It replaces ping-ponging emails back and forth with a board where people can follow a task from start to finish and see when it's done.
CSM at PeerSpot
Trello's interface is aesthetically pleasing for project management, and it enhances collaboration with other team members.
Customer Success Manager at PeerSpot
In terms of notifications, in terms of managing our sprints, in terms of managing our tasks, Trello is most valuable for task management.
CEO at Infohob
 

Categories and Ranking

Smartsheet
Ranking in Project Management Software
9th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (5th)
Trello
Ranking in Project Management Software
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Smartsheet is 2.2%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trello is 2.1%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Management Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Trello2.1%
Smartsheet2.2%
Other95.7%
Project Management Software
 

Featured Reviews

DS
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.
Davina Becker - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Content Strategist at PeerSpot
Keeps requests better organized
The best feature Trello offers is that it keeps things better organized, so it makes things easier to collaborate with people. I can say that I really enjoyed using Trello for a lot of things, and it has some really good features, such as helping people write out descriptions and the comment section being absolutely one of the best parts of it.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
8%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Educational Organization
7%
Construction Company
7%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business36
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise11
 

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 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.
What needs improvement with Smartsheet?
Currently, I feel that Smartsheet fulfills all my needs. However, I need to investigate more about the product to identify specific areas for improvement.
What needs improvement with Trello?
Maybe some AI enhancements would be beneficial, but in terms of how we use Trello here, a lot of people seem to be really happy with Trello and that is always the go-to. Most people will just immed...
What is your primary use case for Trello?
I mostly do software development. I am building a SaaS platform for business process automation, so I mostly work with software now. That is why Trello is mentioned. I am not working much with netw...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sony Music, ESPN, Hilton, Unisource, Colliers, Extreme Networks, Groupon, Netflix
Pixar, Google, PayPal, Kickstarter, National Geographic, Viewbox Holdings
Find out what your peers are saying about Smartsheet vs. Trello and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.