Notion
Smartsheet
| Feature | Notion | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, students, freelancers, small-teams | enterprise, project-managers, operations-teams, it-teams |
| Founded | 2016 | 2005 |
| Databases | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kanban | ✓ | ✗ |
| Docs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Wikis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Assistant | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sheets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gantt Charts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dashboards | ✗ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Resource Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Notion Pros
- Extremely flexible
- Great free tier
- Powerful databases
- Template marketplace
✗ Notion Cons
- Slow with large pages
- Steep learning curve
- Offline support limited
✓ Smartsheet Pros
- Familiar spreadsheet interface
- Powerful automation
- Enterprise-grade
- Good dashboards
✗ Smartsheet Cons
- Can be confusing
- Expensive for small teams
- Learning curve
The Verdict
Notion is built for startups and students, with a focus on databases and kanban. Smartsheet targets enterprise and project managers and leads with sheets and gantt-charts.
Pricing is close: Smartsheet starts at $9/mo versus $10/mo for Notion — 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, Notion offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Smartsheet takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Notion has a slight overall edge — but if familiar spreadsheet interface matters most to you, Smartsheet may still be the right call.
