Trello and Smartsheet are two widely-used challenge administration instruments that allow customers to arrange, plan and collaborate on tasks with groups or people. Freelancers, small companies, and enterprise groups all use challenge administration software program like Trello or Smartsheet to maintain observe of duties, assign tasks, and measure progress inside their companies. Each platforms can be used for non-business duties, together with household occasion planning, budgeting, each day scheduling, and residential enchancment tasks.

Trello is a Kanban-style challenge administration instrument that makes use of boards, lists, and playing cards to assist customers set up duties. It’s perfect for managing the smaller tasks related to agile methodologies. Trello has a number of options, corresponding to pre-built templates, crew collaboration instruments, customized boards, and extra, making collaborating simpler on tasks. You can get started with Trello for free today.

Smartsheet is a versatile cloud-based spreadsheet challenge administration instrument. It has a extra conventional strategy to process and challenge administration, creating sheets and rows that assist customers observe their duties and assets. Smartsheet is nice for bigger tasks with a number of groups or stakeholders concerned. It additionally has superior automated workflows, which permit customers to create customized guidelines for his or her duties. Proper now, you can try Smartsheet free of charge.

Trello vs. Smartsheet

Trello and Smartsheet In comparison with the Greatest Mission Administration Software program

After rigorously researching and testing quite a few totally different instruments, we narrowed it all the way down to the six best project management tools. Each Trello and Smartsheet made our high listing, however others on the market could also be higher suited on your actual wants.

Monday.com is the perfect challenge administration software program for many. It’s free and simple for people to make use of, and it has highly effective AI, automation, and customizability options for big groups. You can sign up with Monday.com for free today.

ClickUp is the perfect distant work platform. Its easy interface makes it simple for groups to collaborate on tasks from anyplace. You can start using ClickUp for free right now.

Teamwork is the perfect for shopper providers companies. Businesses, consultants, and freelancers alike use it to assist handle their shopper’s tasks. You can set up a Teamwork account for free anytime.

Trello In comparison with Smartsheet

Trello and Smartsheet are each stable challenge administration instruments, and every does its job effectively and can be utilized for numerous tasks. The important thing distinction between the 2 is that Trello follows a Kanban-style strategy, whereas Smartsheet depends on spreadsheets to arrange duties and assets. Trello is best for small tasks and agile methodologies, whereas Smartsheet is greatest for bigger groups and complicated workflows.

Trello Highlights

Trello is well-known for its ease of use, which makes it nice for a lot of small companies and freelancers. Customers can handle groups and observe process progress via movable and customizable playing cards, boards, and lists. Utilizing Trello’s pre-built templates, you possibly can shortly arrange a challenge and collaborate with crew members or shoppers.

Even with out Trello’s pre-built templates, customers can simply create and customise their very own boards to suit their wants. Trello additionally gives crew collaboration instruments, corresponding to feedback and file sharing, which make it simple for teams to work collectively on tasks.

Trello’s free plan is likely one of the greatest in the marketplace, however its paid plans give much more visualization choices. Calendars, timelines, and superior filters can be found with the paid plans, in addition to extra storage and safety choices.

Smartsheet Highlights

Smartsheet is in style for its spreadsheet-style strategy to challenge administration. The intuitive interface makes organizing duties and assets simple, making it nice for bigger tasks with a number of stakeholders or groups. Smartsheet additionally gives superior automation capabilities in order that customers can create customized guidelines for his or her duties and actions.

Along with process monitoring, Smartsheet has superior Gantt chart capabilities, which give highly effective visible insights into challenge progress. Smartsheet’s paid plans supply superior reporting, enterprise intelligence options, and bigger file storage limits.

Firms that rely closely on spreadsheets for his or her tasks, budgeting, and forecasting will discover Smartsheet to be the higher selection. Because it consolidates all of their information into one easy-to-understand format, it makes making selections and monitoring progress a lot simpler. And with automation and BI instruments, recognizing potential points and taking corrective actions is simple.

Trello vs. Smartsheet: Execs and Cons

Like several instrument, neither Trello nor Smartsheet is ideal, and a few companies will desire one over the opposite, whereas others might discover a stability between the 2. Listed here are a few of the professionals and cons to contemplate when selecting between Trello and Smartsheet.

The place Trello Shines

Example of Trello Agile board

Good Visible Overview: Trello’s predominant power is its Kanban-style boards, which give a transparent visible overview of duties and assets. Nearly anybody can work out how you can use it, that means you received’t should spend worthwhile time and assets coaching workers. With out digging an excessive amount of, administration can even see progress at a look.

Versatile Mission Customization: As a result of Trello is so versatile, you possibly can customise it for any kind of challenge or crew workflow. You’ll be able to add pictures and recordsdata to duties, tag members in feedback, and assign duties with ease. For instance, an internet growth crew can use Trello to arrange duties by consumer story and observe progress as they go.

Example of Trello home interface with notifications

Dependable Notifications: Trello’s in-app, desktop, cell, and newsfeed notifications guarantee everyone seems to be within the loop. Customers can customise notifications to concentrate on solely the objects and occasions which can be vital to them, making it simpler to remain on high of duties with out being overwhelmed by pointless data. With a dependable notification system, Trello helps customers guarantee they by no means miss a deadline. And in case your crew makes use of Slack, you possibly can even combine your Trello boards with it and obtain notifications there.

Simple Pricing: Trello’s free plan is sufficient for small tasks and groups. For extra superior options, its paid plans are among the many greatest when it comes to worth for cash. Both method, the prices are simple to grasp, that means budgeting for the instrument is painless.

Three views of Trello on mobile app

Intuitive Cellular App: Most challenge administration instruments supply cell app assist, however Trello takes it to the following degree. Its app is well-designed and simple to make use of, so even those that usually are not tech-savvy can shortly rise up and working on their telephones. Its drag-and-drop options translate properly to the cell interface—shifting playing cards round, monitoring progress, and creating new objects are simple from anyplace.

The place Trello Wants Enchancment

No Process Dependencies: Trello doesn’t assist process dependencies, which implies that it’s not appropriate for bigger tasks that contain lots of planning and collaboration. You should utilize checklists and labels to point dependencies, but it surely’s not as intuitive or environment friendly as having an built-in function.

Example of comment threads in Trello's activity dashboard

Complicated Remark Threads: With Trello, every remark is a standalone merchandise, which makes it tough to comply with a full dialog thread. The dearth of remark threads will be particularly problematic for corporations that rely closely on them for communication. With out an easy-to-follow dialog stream, groups must spend extra time discovering the suitable data and getting in control with every process.

Restricted Views: Some challenge administration software program gives a number of views of the identical board, corresponding to a listing or timeline view. Trello has a couple of preset views, however the choices are restricted in comparison with different instruments. Groups that want a better diploma of customizability must look elsewhere.

Lacks Funds Administration and Shopper Portals: Trello is a good instrument for collaborating on duties and monitoring progress, but it surely lacks options like price range administration and shopper portals. Groups that have to invoice shoppers or hold observe of bills can hold observe of these items in Trello, however they may nonetheless have to manually enter their information.

The place Smartsheet Shines

Permission-Based mostly Crew Collaboration: Smartsheet’s permission-based crew collaboration makes it simple to assign duties, share recordsdata, and create interactive checklists. You may as well prohibit entry to particular sheets or rows of knowledge, which is nice for anybody who must safe delicate data.

Ease of Including Duties and Dependencies: Smartsheet makes it simple so as to add duties and dependencies proper from the sheet. You may as well view them in Gantt chart type for a extra visible illustration of how duties are associated. And when you’re utilizing Smartsheet’s cell app, you possibly can even replace progress on the go.

Easy Database and SaaS Integrations: Smartsheet’s database and SaaS integrations make it simple to import data or information from Salesforce, QuickBooks, and different in style enterprise software program. If what you are promoting depends closely on these instruments, Smartsheet can assist you mix all the information in a single handy place.

Example of a project budgeting spreadsheet in Smartsheet

Customized Reporting: Smartsheet’s reporting options make it simple to generate customized stories that may be revealed in PDF or Excel format. That is nice for protecting stakeholders knowledgeable, in addition to monitoring progress on a challenge over time and reporting profitability. You may as well publish your content material on-line and regulate the assets accessible based mostly on who’s viewing it.

Idea Familiarity: Since Smartsheet is constructed on a spreadsheet-like interface, it’s simple to study and use for most individuals. Using a instrument that’s already acquainted to the crew saves organizations effort and time in onboarding new workers. It allows them to start out working from day one with out going via coaching or orientation periods.

The place Smartsheet Wants Enchancment

Example of a project task list in Smartsheet

Probably Clunky Person Interface: Though acquainted, Smartsheet’s consumer interface wants enchancment. In some methods, it seems like a clone of Microsoft Workplace, making it exhausting for some organizations to justify the extra value. Spreadsheets additionally are usually clunky, which might make it tough to navigate shortly in comparison with different drag-and-drop functions. For those who discover spreadsheets unsettling, Smartsheet just isn’t for you.

Restricted Native Integrations: Its supported integrations are useful, however there aren’t a lot of them. Smartsheet customers can combine something utilizing Zapier (a paid third-party instrument), but it surely’s not a local function. Paying extra and spending time establishing integrations will be prohibitive in some instances.

No Free Plan: Smartsheet has a 14-day free trial, however there’s no choice for a fundamental free plan. Particularly in comparison with different challenge administration instruments on our high listing, this might be seen as a downside.

Add-Ons Required for Useful resource Administration and Time Monitoring: Useful resource administration and time monitoring are important for corporations that work with distant groups or invoice shoppers hourly. Sadly, these options aren’t included within the fundamental plan and require extra add-ons.

The Final Phrase on Trello In comparison with Smartsheet

Trello and Smartsheet are two of the preferred challenge administration instruments accessible at the moment. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, so weighing your choices rigorously earlier than deciding which one is true on your crew is vital.

Trello is nice for monitoring duties and its consumer interface is intuitive and simple to make use of. It additionally gives a free plan, so it’s a super selection for smaller groups on a decent price range. Smartsheet resembles a spreadsheet greater than a conventional challenge administration instrument, that means it’s a well-recognized choice for a lot of groups. Nevertheless, most challenge administration instruments have been developed particularly to get away from spreadsheets, and consequently, Smartsheet will be clunky and gradual to make use of.

Each Trello and Smartsheet are stable selections for people, however bigger companies with a number of advanced duties and operations want to contemplate the variety of integrations and customizable options when selecting a instrument. To study extra about different challenge administration instruments accessible, check out our comprehensive comparison guide.


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