Smartsheet vs Workzone (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Smartsheet grades higher than Workzone: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Smartsheet grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style project and work management for teams
Workzone
Project management for marketing, creative and operations teams
Which one is for you
Pick Smartsheet if
- Fits if your team works in spreadsheets and wants project views on top of them
- Works for companies that need Gantt charts, reports and dashboards across many projects
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to stay free, as there's only a 30-day trial
- Tight if you automate a lot on Pro, which stops at 250 automations a month, 20 GB and 10 Members, and is sold to new customers only
- Pricey if you need timeline view, workload tracking or the API, since those start at Business, $19 a Member with 3 minimum
- Pricey if you need single sign-on or portfolios, which are Enterprise only, from 10 Members and priced by quote
Pick Workzone if
- Fits if a marketing or creative team needs tasks and approvals in one place
- Works for teams of 5 to 25 starting on the Starter plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want monthly billing, as all plans are billed annually
- Tight if you grow: Starter stops at 25 users and 100 active projects
- Pricey if you need proofing, time and expense tracking, as they start on Team at $20
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as it has a 2-week trial only
How we grade them
| 3.0GPASmartsheetVery good | 2.2GPAWorkzoneFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $9 a Member a month billed yearly, between the $8 middle and the $10 dear end for project tools here, so an ordinary price. Contributors are free and unlimited, which helps. But Pro stops at 10 Members, and timeline view, workload tracking and the API all wait for Business at $19. | CStarter is $8 a user a month billed annually, which is above the $6 cheaper quarter. The proofing, time and portfolio features need Team at $20. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. You get 30 days with no credit card asked for, and then a paid plan is the only way to carry on. | C2-week free trial with no card needed. No free plan. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job: one sheet shown as a grid, a Gantt chart, cards or a calendar, rolling up into reports and dashboards, with forms for intake, automated workflows and Smart Assist for formulas. Airtable, monday and Wrike, its own named rivals, cover the same ground. | CList, Gantt, Kanban and portfolio views, plus proofing and capacity planning on Team. Starter lacks workload planning, proofing and time tracking. |
| Ease of use | A4.85 from about 120,000 App Store ratings, which is the top band. The sheets behave like spreadsheets, so anyone who already lives in one has little new to learn. | CNo store rating on record. Workspaces, templates and intake forms are yours to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | AThe full set: web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft Teams, Slack, Salesforce, Jira, Power BI and Tableau, and an API. The API is Business and up, mind. | BWeb only, with Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, Salesforce and Zapier links. |
| Best for | project plans for spreadsheet people | marketing and creative teams that share a project calendar |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Smartsheet and Workzone. How we grade
Price against what you get
Smartsheet starts at $9 a month for each person and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Workzone starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Smartsheet scores higher, and starts $1 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other project management tools on the chart, none scores higher than Smartsheet for less, and 22 score higher than Workzone for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Smartsheet also covers tasks, calendar and workflow automation.
- Workzone also covers templates, time tracking, reports and dashboards.
At a glance
| Smartsheet | Workzone | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9 per Member / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly) | $8 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 2-week free trial with a platform walkthrough, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Smartsheet Inc. | Workzone |
| Price read from | smartsheet.com | workzone.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Smartsheet
- There is no free plan; a paid plan is needed once the 30-day trial ends.
- Pro is limited to 10 Members and is only available to new customers; Business requires at least 3 Members.
- Pro is capped at 250 automations a month and 20 GB of storage.
- The API is offered from the Business plan, and SAML single sign-on needs Enterprise.
Workzone
- All plans are billed annually; there is no monthly option.
- Starter is capped at 25 users and 100 active projects, and the Team plan needs at least 5 users.
- Workload planning, proofing, time and expense tracking and portfolio view start on the Team plan at $20.
- Enterprise pricing is quoted by sales, and the non-profit and multi-year discounts are arranged through sales too.
Key features
Smartsheet
- Sheets with multiple views
- Work is stored in spreadsheet-like sheets that can be switched between grid, Gantt, card and calendar views. Timeline view starts on the Business plan.
- Reports and dashboards
- Reports pull together and filter rows from sheets, and dashboards summarize the results for stakeholders.
- Forms
- Forms gather structured input such as requests, field reports and feedback. Forms are unlimited on the Pro plan and above.
- Automated workflows
- Workflows can be built from templates or from scratch for tasks such as reminders. Pro allows 250 automations a month; Business and above are unlimited.
- Resource management
- Shows who is assigned to what, so managers can even out workloads and plan for upcoming demand. Workload tracking is listed from the Business plan.
- AI tools
- Smart Assist and Smart Columns help with formulas and data analysis, and Business adds connections to external AI tools through MCP.
Workzone
- List, Gantt, kanban and portfolio views
- Projects can be viewed as a list, a Gantt timeline or a kanban board, and the Team plan adds a portfolio view across projects.
- Proofing and approvals
- Reviewers can mark up PDFs and images and approve documents; advanced proofing and external approvals come with Enterprise.
- Time, expense and capacity planning
- Time and expense tracking and workload and capacity planning are part of the Team plan.
- Intake forms and templates
- Intake forms collect work requests, and the vendor says it ships more than 1,000 industry project templates.
- Department sites
- Team and Enterprise plans can set up customizable sites for individual departments.
- Included training and support
- The vendor says live support and training are unlimited and included at no extra cost on every plan.
Plans
Smartsheet
Pro$9
per Member / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)
1 to 10 Members with unlimited free Contributors. Gantt, table, board and calendar views, 250 automations a month and 20 GB of storage.
Business$19
per Member / month, billed yearly ($24 billed monthly)
3 or more Members. Adds timeline view, workload tracking, unlimited automations, proofing, admin controls and 1 TB of storage.
EnterpriseCustom
10 or more Members. Adds SAML single sign-on, portfolios, scenario planning, directory integrations and unlimited attachment storage.
Advanced Work ManagementCustom
Everything in Enterprise, plus Control Center, Dynamic View, Data Shuttle, DataMesh, connectors and premium support.
Workzone
Starter$8
per user / month, billed annually
1 to 25 users. List, Gantt and kanban views, unlimited tasks, up to 100 active projects, 3 workspaces, 5 custom project templates and 250 GB of storage.
Team$20
per user / month, billed annually
5 or more users. Adds portfolio view, unlimited projects, intake forms, proofing, approvals, time and expense tracking, capacity planning and 500 GB of storage.
EnterpriseCustom
Pay only for core users, with 5 free collaborators each and unlimited guest reviewers. Adds custom fields, critical path, SSO and 1 TB of storage.
Ways to pay less
Smartsheet
- Annual discount
Lower per-Member price with yearly billing
Pro is $9 per Member / month billed yearly against $12 monthly (25% less), and Business is $19 against $24 (about 21% less).
Workzone
- Nonprofit
Non-profit discount through sales
The pricing FAQ says non-profits can ask the team about a discount after requesting a demo.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Smartsheet or Workzone?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Workzone is cheaper to start with: $8 a month for each person, against $9 a month for each person for Smartsheet. Smartsheet starts at $9 per Member / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly), and Workzone starts at $8 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Smartsheet or Workzone?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Smartsheet nor Workzone has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Smartsheet and Workzone run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Smartsheet lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.