ClickUp
Smartsheet
| Feature | ClickUp | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $7/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, small-teams, agencies, freelancers | enterprise, project-managers, operations-teams, it-teams |
| Founded | 2017 | 2005 |
| Tasks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Docs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Goals | ✓ | ✗ |
| Whiteboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dashboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sheets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gantt Charts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resource Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ ClickUp Pros
- Feature-rich
- Affordable
- Great free plan
- Customizable
✗ ClickUp Cons
- Can be overwhelming
- Mobile app needs work
- Occasional performance issues
✓ Smartsheet Pros
- Familiar spreadsheet interface
- Powerful automation
- Enterprise-grade
- Good dashboards
✗ Smartsheet Cons
- Can be confusing
- Expensive for small teams
- Learning curve
The Verdict
ClickUp is built for startups and small teams, with a focus on tasks and docs. Smartsheet targets enterprise and project managers and leads with sheets and gantt-charts.
Pricing is close: ClickUp starts at $7/mo versus $9/mo for Smartsheet — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, ClickUp offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Smartsheet takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.
