Insightly
Smartsheet
| Feature | Insightly | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $29/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | growing-businesses, project-based-companies, professional-services, mid-market | enterprise, pmo-teams, operations, construction, it-teams |
| Founded | 2009 | 2005 |
| Contact Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pipeline Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflow Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Grid View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gantt | ✗ | ✓ |
| Card View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reports | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dashboards | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resource Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Insightly Pros
- CRM plus project management
- Good workflow automation
- AppConnect integration platform
- Affordable pricing
✗ Insightly Cons
- Interface feels dated
- Limited marketing features
- Reporting could be stronger
✓ 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
Insightly is built for growing businesses and project based companies, with a focus on contact-management and pipeline-management. Smartsheet targets enterprise and pmo teams and leads with grid-view and gantt.
On pricing, Smartsheet is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $9/mo compared to $29/mo for Insightly. That $20/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
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 Insightly 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.