Smartsheet vs Asana: Work Management Software Compared (2026)
Smartsheet and Asana are both mature work management platforms used by project teams and PMOs.
- Verified 27 Oct 2026Sources are dated on this page
- 7 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- No winner declaredFit depends on your criteria
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
Smartsheet vs Asana: the short answer
Smartsheet and Asana are both mature work management platforms used by project teams and PMOs. Smartsheet is built around a spreadsheet-style grid with Gantt, card and calendar views, sold per member in Pro, Business, Enterprise and Advanced Work Management plans, with free viewers. Asana is built around tasks, projects, portfolios and goals, sold per user from a free Personal plan.
The sources reviewed describe a trade between spreadsheet familiarity and task-based collaboration. Smartsheet is described as stronger for structured, grid-based planning and teams moving work out of Excel, with Jira, Salesforce and Microsoft Teams integrations. Asana is described as having the cleaner, more intuitive task management and a free plan. Smartsheet has no free plan for new sign-ups and was acquired by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners in January 2025.
We compare what Smartsheet's own pages and independent 2026 sources support and mark the rest Unknown. One source is Smartsheet's own comparison page, so we treat its claims as vendor-authored. No winner is declared: the better fit depends on whether your team thinks in grids or in tasks.
Choose Smartsheet if you- PMOs and project managers who want Gantt and dashboards in a spreadsheet-style tool
- Teams moving shared tracking out of Excel
- Organisations that need Jira, Salesforce and Teams connectors and many free viewers
Choose Asana if you- Teams that want intuitive task management and a free plan to start
- Cross-functional teams that use portfolios and goals
- Teams that prefer list and board views over a grid
Smartsheet and Asana at a glance.
One card per product, drawn from each full profile. Open a profile for features, pricing plans, limits and sources.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet Inc. · Project Management Software
Smartsheet is a cloud work management and project management platform that combines a spreadsheet-like grid with Gantt, board, calendar and timeline views, forms, reports, dashboards, workflow automation and AI features.
- Pricing
- No free plan for new sign-ups; Pro reported at $9 per member per month billed annually.
- Best for
- PMOs and project managers who want Gantt and dashboards in a spreadsheet-style tool
Asana
Asana, Inc. · Project Management Software
Asana is a work management and project management platform from Asana, Inc. that organises tasks, projects, workflows, portfolios and goals, sold per user in Personal, Starter, Advanced, Enterprise and Enterprise+ plans.
- Pricing
- Free Personal plan; Starter reported at $10.99 per user per month billed annually.
- Best for
- Teams that want a free start and a clear upgrade path
Smartsheet vs Asana: feature-by-feature comparison.
Every row is drawn from the sources listed below. Rows that differ are marked, and you can filter the table to show only those.
- YesDocumented
- PartialAvailable with limits or on some plans
- NoDocumented as unavailable
- UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed
| Dimension |  Smartsheet |  Asana |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ||
| Core approach | YesSpreadsheet-style grid with card, calendar and Gantt views, dashboards and workflows. | YesTask-first work management with list, board, timeline and calendar views, portfolios and goals. |
| Pricing | ||
| Free planDiffers | NoNo free plan for new sign-ups; a 30-day trial is reported. | PartialPersonal plan is free; sources report a cap of 2, 10 or 15 users, so confirm the current limit. |
| Entry paid price (annual) | YesPro at $9 per member per month billed annually; $12 billed monthly; for one to ten members. | YesStarter at $10.99 per user per month billed annually; $13.49 billed monthly. |
| Mid-tier price (annual) | YesBusiness at $19 per member per month billed annually; $24 billed monthly; for three or more members. | YesAdvanced at $24.99 per user per month billed annually; $30.49 billed monthly. |
| Enterprise | PartialCustom pricing, reported for ten or more members; one guide cites $39 for the top self-serve tier. | PartialCustom for Enterprise and Enterprise+. |
| Access | ||
| Viewers and guestsDiffers | YesViewers are free; unlimited free guests on Business and Enterprise. | UnknownViewer and guest policies were not documented in the sources reviewed. |
| Views | ||
| Project views | YesFour main views: grid, card, calendar and Gantt. | YesList, board, calendar, timeline and Gantt; timeline and Gantt on Starter. |
| Automation | ||
| AutomationsDiffers | Yes250 automations a month on Pro, with more on higher plans. | PartialRules engine; sources conflict on allowances, with one reporting unlimited on Starter and above. |
| Planning | ||
| Portfolio and resource management | PartialResource management is listed as a separate Resource Management by Smartsheet product on G2; placement by plan varies by source. | PartialPortfolios, goals and workload on Advanced; Smartsheet's page lists resource management on Enterprise, which is a vendor claim. |
| Integrations | ||
| Key integrationsDiffers | YesJira, Salesforce and Microsoft Teams connectors are described as strengths; Adobe Creative Cloud is listed. | PartialNative integrations with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Slack; Adobe Creative Cloud is not listed per one guide. |
| AI | ||
| AI features | PartialAI features such as formula generation and content summarisation are listed; plan availability was not documented. | PartialAsana AI reported on paid plans; confirm what your plan covers. |
| Ownership | ||
| Company statusDiffers | YesAcquired by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners in January 2025, per Smartsheet's press release. | UnknownOwnership was not assessed in the sources reviewed. |
Smartsheet vs Asana pricing.
Smartsheet pricing
Per member per month by plan (Pro, Business, Enterprise, Advanced Work Management), billed annually or monthly. Viewers are free, and guests are free on Business and Enterprise.
- Pro$9 per member per month billed annually; $12 billed monthly
- Business$19 per member per month billed annually; $24 billed monthly
- EnterpriseCustom pricing
- Advanced Work ManagementCustom pricing
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 17 Oct 2026.
All Smartsheet plans and sources
Asana pricing
Per user per month by plan, with a free Personal plan and custom Enterprise pricing. Paid plans have a minimum seat count.
- PersonalFree
- Starter$10.99 per user per month billed annually; $13.49 billed monthly
- Advanced$24.99 per user per month billed annually; $30.49 billed monthly
- EnterpriseCustom
- Enterprise+Custom
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
All Asana plans and sourcesSmartsheet is cheaper at the entry tier for small teams, but its plans are sized by team. Our arithmetic on reported annual prices for 10 members gives about $1,080 a year on Smartsheet Pro ($9 x 10 x 12) against $1,319 on Asana Starter ($10.99 x 10 x 12). Pro is only for one to ten members, so a 25-person team moves to Business: about $5,700 a year ($19 x 25 x 12) against $3,297 on Asana Starter or $7,497 on Asana Advanced ($24.99 x 25 x 12).
Free users change the picture. Smartsheet viewers are free and Business adds unlimited free guests, so a team where many people only read dashboards pays only for editors. Asana's free plan covers small teams, with the user cap reported at 2, 10 or 15 depending on the source, so a team that stays within the cap can pay nothing.
Compare tiers by feature rather than by name. Features such as portfolios, goals and resource management sit on different tiers of each product, and sources disagree on placement. Smartsheet's Enterprise and Advanced Work Management plans are quote-based. Confirm current terms with both vendors.
Prices and plans change. Confirm current terms with each vendor before you decide.
Smartsheet vs Asana: implementation, ecosystem, AI and security.
Ease of implementation and usability
We did not test setup or migration for either product. Guides describe Smartsheet as familiar to spreadsheet users and Asana as easier for task-based collaboration, with some users finding Smartsheet less intuitive to organise. Pilot one real project plan in each.
Integrations and ecosystem
Smartsheet is described as strong on Jira, Salesforce and Microsoft Teams connectors and lists Adobe Creative Cloud. Asana integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack and Power BI. Integration depth was not assessed, so check the specific tools you use.
AI capabilities
Both vendors list AI features on paid plans, but plan placement and limits were not documented consistently in the sources reviewed. We did not test output quality, so run both on a real project before treating AI as a deciding factor.
Security, deployment and administration
Smartsheet lists enterprise plan management and access controls on Enterprise. Asana lists SSO, SCIM and audit controls on Enterprise and advanced compliance on Enterprise+. We did not review certifications or data residency for either product, so request current security documentation.
Smartsheet and Asana: each option, in balance.
Smartsheet
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- A spreadsheet-style grid with Gantt, board, calendar and timeline views lowers the learning curve for teams coming from Excel.
- Documented AI features cover plain-language formulas, charts, summaries and intelligent form fill.
- Free viewers, and free guests on Business and Enterprise, let stakeholders follow progress without a paid seat.
- Integrations with Jira, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Tableau suit enterprise tool stacks.
- Pro and Business have published per-member prices of $9 and $19 billed annually.
- The free plan is legacy and closed to new sign-ups, so new teams start with a trial rather than a free tier.
- Pro is limited to one to ten members and Business requires at least three, which constrains plan choice for very small or growing teams.
- Enterprise and Advanced Work Management are custom-quoted, so enterprise costs are not published.
- Reviewers note a steeper learning curve for enterprise features, and advanced automation such as Bridge is a separate module.
- Smartsheet is privately owned by Blackstone and Vista funds since January 2025, so future pricing and packaging may change.
Asana
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- A free Personal plan lets small teams start without paying.
- A clear plan ladder ties specific capabilities, such as timelines, portfolios and goals, to named tiers.
- Automation and AI allowances scale by plan, with unlimited automations on Enterprise.
- Enterprise plans add SSO, SCIM and audit logs for organisations with security requirements.
- Paid plans have a seat minimum and no single-user option.
- Per-user pricing grows quickly with team size, and Advanced costs more than twice Starter.
- Key reporting, workload and goal features are limited to higher-tier plans.
- Starter rules are single-trigger, so complex multi-step automation needs Advanced.
Smartsheet or Asana: which fits which situation?
No overall winner is declared. The better choice depends on the criteria that matter most to you, so test both against your own requirements.
Choose Smartsheet if you…
- PMOs and project managers who want Gantt and dashboards in a spreadsheet-style tool
- Teams moving shared tracking out of Excel
- Organisations that need Jira, Salesforce and Teams connectors and many free viewers
Choose Asana if you…
- Teams that want intuitive task management and a free plan to start
- Cross-functional teams that use portfolios and goals
- Teams that prefer list and board views over a grid
Switching between Smartsheet and Asana.
Moving between Smartsheet and Asana means converting sheets and rows to projects and tasks (or the reverse), rebuilding formulas and automations, and recreating dashboards. Grid formulas have no direct Asana equivalent. Export a sample project, rebuild it in the other tool, and run one live project in parallel.
- Export a sample of your data and test an import into the other product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms and notice periods with both vendors.
General guidance, not specific to either vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
Smartsheet vs Asana: questions and answers
Is Smartsheet cheaper than Asana?
At the entry tier, slightly: $9 per member for Smartsheet Pro against $10.99 per user for Asana Starter, billed annually. Pro is limited to one to ten members, so larger teams move to Business at $19.
Does Smartsheet have a free plan?
No for new sign-ups; a 30-day trial is reported. Asana has a free Personal plan with a user cap sources put at 2, 10 or 15.
Which is better for Gantt charts?
Both offer Gantt. Guides describe Smartsheet's grid and Gantt as its strength, while Asana adds timeline and Gantt on Starter.
Are Smartsheet viewers free?
Yes. Viewers are free, and Business and Enterprise add unlimited free guests.
Who owns Smartsheet?
Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners completed their acquisition of Smartsheet in January 2025, per Smartsheet's press release.
Which is easier to use?
Guides describe Asana as more intuitive for task collaboration and Smartsheet as familiar to spreadsheet users.
Which is better for resource management?
Placement by plan differs between sources, and Smartsheet lists Resource Management as a separate product on G2. Check your required plan with each vendor.
Where this comparison comes from.
- General Smartsheet FAQs Smartsheet Official Accessed 17 Oct 2026 Used for views, AI features and integrations.
- Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners Complete Acquisition of Smartsheet Business Wire (Smartsheet press release) Official Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Asana vs. Smartsheet: Comparison & Expert Reviews For 2026 The Digital Project Manager Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Asana vs Smartsheet: Pricing Comparison 2026 CompareTiers Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Asana vs. Smartsheet Nira Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Smartsheet vs. Asana (vendor comparison page) Smartsheet Official Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Asana Pricing: Free & Paid Plans in 2026 Cloudwards Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
Comparison rows summarise the sources listed and the two profiles. Confirm current details with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested either product. One or both profiles are secondary-source profiles: vendor pages were not reviewed directly, so verify figures with the vendors.
Ready to test Smartsheet and Asana?
Check each vendor's current pricing and terms, run both against a real scenario from your business, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
Logos provided by Logo.dev. Product names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners and appear for identification only; they do not imply endorsement.