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Smartsheet vs Trello comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.9
Smartsheet enhances productivity and collaboration, automates processes, manages timelines, and is cost-effective compared to Microsoft Project alternatives.
Sentiment score
4.5
Trello's free version enhances workflow efficiency by improving organization, reducing miscommunication, and saving time, boosting productivity 20-30%.
Compared to Microsoft Project, which is more expensive, we save costs using Smartsheet.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The efficiency gain is not from a formal measurement tool but from observed reductions in coordination time, fewer delays, and smoother task tracking across semester-long projects.
Research Assistant at a university with 10,001+ employees
I think it actually pretty much exceeded our expectations or at least met all of our expectations regarding task management and sprint management.
CEO at Infohob
Sometimes we can have a back-and-forth conversation in the comments, which helps minimize some meetings.
VP Product at PeerSpot
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Smartsheet's customer service feedback is mixed, with praise for responsiveness and resources but concerns over response delays and ticket management.
Sentiment score
2.4
Trello users often bypass tech support due to its ease, while support experiences vary from effective to slow.
I tried to reach out to get answers before or even look on the web community support for things, such as the out-of-office notifications, without finding answers.
Senior Content Strategist at PeerSpot
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Smartsheet is praised for scalability, integration features, and cost-effectiveness, with some concerns over task tracking in larger projects.
Sentiment score
5.9
Trello is praised for scalability and flexibility, but faces limitations with larger projects and could better serve larger teams.
Smartsheet is pretty flexible and scalable.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Users find Smartsheet stable, with minor issues, high reliability ratings, and minimal disruptions enhancing overall satisfaction.
Sentiment score
6.9
Trello is highly regarded for its stability and reliability, with users praising its consistent performance despite occasional slowdowns.
 

Room For Improvement

Users want better data management, UI, integration, security, support, and Excel-like features in Smartsheet.
Trello users seek better integrations, advanced analytics, flexible automation, enhanced usability, and more scalable features for complex projects.
I have a novice understanding of Smartsheet, so I sought a solution more suited to repeatable projects and process-oriented governance.
Strategic Programs Vice President, Project Management Office at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
More control over email notifications would also be helpful.
VP Product at PeerSpot
A way to manage an overall project with all the specifications, and then managing all the sub-cards related to that project.
Frontend Web Developer at PeerSpot
Support for larger projects with many tasks and team members could be enhanced. More advanced filtering, reporting, and project overview features would help users manage complex projects more efficiently.
Research Assistant at a university with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Smartsheet pricing is user-based, varies by plan, and advanced features can increase costs compared to competitors like Microsoft Project.
Trello offers a fair pricing model with a valued free version, but some find paid options costly for additional features.
Licensing might be cheaper per user.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Smartsheet offers real-time collaboration, customizable dashboards, automation, and integration, making it ideal for efficient project management.
Trello optimizes task management with Kanban boards, automation, and collaboration tools, streamlining productivity and facilitating seamless integration.
Automation helps by simplifying some manual work, saving time and facilitating communication.
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
We were looking for a tool that allowed for repeatable projects and process-oriented governance.
Strategic Programs Vice President, Project Management Office at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
What I appreciate best about Smartsheet is the straight Gantt chart and its flexibility.
Solution Architect at Think People
Trello's interface is aesthetically pleasing for project management, and it enhances collaboration with other team members.
Customer Success Manager at PeerSpot
If I had to quantify it, I would say it improved our workflow efficiency by around twenty to thirty percent, mainly because it reduced confusion, duplicate work, and time spent on status updates during meetings.
Research Assistant at a university with 10,001+ employees
It replaces ping-ponging emails back and forth with a board where people can follow a task from start to finish and see when it's done.
CSM at PeerSpot
 

Categories and Ranking

Smartsheet
Ranking in Project Management Software
9th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (7th)
Trello
Ranking in Project Management Software
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Smartsheet is 2.0%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trello is 1.9%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Management Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Trello1.9%
Smartsheet2.0%
Other96.1%
Project Management Software
 

Featured Reviews

DS
Project Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Automation simplifies manual tasks and facilitates team communication
There are many useful features in Smartsheet. One can easily share plans with the entire team, and it functions similarly to Microsoft Project. Creating dependencies across all tasks is smooth, and team members can make adjustments if necessary. Automation helps by simplifying some manual work, saving time and facilitating communication.
reviewer2837325 - PeerSpot reviewer
Research Assistant at a university with 10,001+ employees
Visual task boards have structured academic research projects and improve team coordination
There are several areas where Trello could be improved based on our academic research and team project usage. One improvement would be more advanced built-in analytics, such as better progress tracking dashboards or productivity insights without relying on third-party tools. Another area is scalability for complex projects where boards get very large with many cards and dependencies. It can become harder to manage without additional structure or hierarchy features. Overall, it works very well, but these enhancements would make it even stronger for larger or long-term projects. One additional area of improvement in Trello is automation and integrations. While Trello does support basic automation through Butler, more advanced and flexible automation rules would be helpful, especially for academic research workflows where tasks often move between stages in more complex forms. It would help if automation rules were easier to set up and more flexible for different project workflows. Additionally, smoother integrations with tools such as Google Drive or other study applications would save time and reduce switching between platforms. I think one additional improvement for Trello would be support for larger projects with many tasks and team members. As boards grow, they can become crowded and harder to navigate. More advanced filtering, reporting, and project overview features would help users manage complex projects more efficiently.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
8%
Construction Company
7%
Construction Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business36
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

Has anyone moved from Microsoft Project to Smartsheet? How has your experience been with Smartsheet?
Hi @Eire Zimmermann, I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the mo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Smartsheet?
Licensing might be cheaper per user. I rate it as seven or eight due to its demanding nature. For personal use, I have a monthly subscription, while the company uses an annual basis.
What needs improvement with Smartsheet?
Currently, I feel that Smartsheet fulfills all my needs. However, I need to investigate more about the product to identify specific areas for improvement.
What needs improvement with Trello?
Maybe some AI enhancements would be beneficial, but in terms of how we use Trello here, a lot of people seem to be really happy with Trello and that is always the go-to. Most people will just immed...
What is your primary use case for Trello?
I mostly do software development. I am building a SaaS platform for business process automation, so I mostly work with software now. That is why Trello is mentioned. I am not working much with netw...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sony Music, ESPN, Hilton, Unisource, Colliers, Extreme Networks, Groupon, Netflix
Pixar, Google, PayPal, Kickstarter, National Geographic, Viewbox Holdings
Find out what your peers are saying about Smartsheet vs. Trello and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.