Notion
Smartsheet
| Feature | Notion | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, students, freelancers, small-teams | enterprise, pmo-teams, operations, construction, it-teams |
| Founded | 2016 | 2005 |
| Databases | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kanban | ✓ | ✗ |
| Docs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Wikis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Assistant | ✓ | ✗ |
| Grid View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gantt | ✗ | ✓ |
| Card View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reports | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dashboards | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 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
Notion is built for startups and students, with a focus on databases and kanban. Smartsheet targets enterprise and pmo teams and leads with grid-view and gantt.
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.
Notion edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 4.2). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Notion has a slight overall edge — but if familiar spreadsheet interface reduces learning curve matters most to you, Smartsheet may still be the right call.
