Google Sheets
Smartsheet
| Feature | Google Sheets | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $6/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | teams, students, startups, google-workspace-users | enterprise, pmo-teams, operations, construction, it-teams |
| Founded | 2006 | 2005 |
| Formulas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pivot Tables | ✓ | ✗ |
| Charts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Macros | ✓ | ✗ |
| Add Ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Grid View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gantt | ✗ | ✓ |
| Card View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reports | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dashboards | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resource Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Google Sheets Pros
- Free
- Real-time collaboration
- Extensive add-ons
- Google ecosystem
✗ Google Sheets Cons
- Slower with large datasets
- Fewer advanced features than Excel
- Formatting limitations
✓ Smartsheet Pros
- Familiar spreadsheet interface reduces learning curve
- Powerful automation with no-code workflows
- Enterprise-grade permissions and governance
- Excellent for resource management at scale
✗ Smartsheet Cons
- Can feel overwhelming for simple projects
- Expensive at enterprise scale
- Mobile experience is limited
The Verdict
Google Sheets is built for teams and students, with a focus on formulas and pivot-tables. Smartsheet targets enterprise and pmo teams and leads with grid-view and gantt.
Pricing is close: Google Sheets starts at $6/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, Smartsheet offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Google Sheets 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.
