Introduction to Asana and Smartsheet
Asana and Smartsheet are leading project management tools designed to help teams organize work, improve transparency, and boost productivity. Asana is often favored by marketing and product teams for its visual task management and workflow flexibility. Smartsheet, on the other hand, stands out for operations and project portfolio management, offering a spreadsheet-like interface suited to data-centric teams. Choosing between the two requires evaluating your team’s specific needs, including collaboration style, reporting, automation, and compliance requirements.
Key Takeaways
- Asana is strong in flexible task views and user-friendly workflows; Smartsheet is better for data manipulation and reporting.
- Asana offers a free tier, while Smartsheet does not, which may impact small teams or new adopters.
- Smartsheet provides additional compliance (SOC 2) and security features critical for regulated industries.
- Pricing, security, and the depth of project tracking are notable differentiators.
| Feature | How Asana handles it | How Smartsheet handles it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Tiers | Free plan and paid tiers from $10.99/user/month | No free plan; paid plans from $7/user/month | Budget-conscious, smaller teams (Asana); Large or data-driven orgs (Smartsheet) |
| Task Views | List, board, timeline, calendar | Spreadsheet-like interface | Flexible workflow teams (Asana); Data/operations teams (Smartsheet) |
| Workflow Automation | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified | Depends on integration needs |
| Integrations | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified | Requires deeper evaluation |
| Security Compliance | 2FA, GDPR compliance | Enterprise-grade: SSO, 2FA, GDPR & SOC 2 | General business (Asana); Regulated/enterprise (Smartsheet) |
| Dashboards & Reporting | Reporting features (details not public) | Advanced reporting & data manipulation | Standard users (Asana); Data/reporting-heavy orgs (Smartsheet) |
| Mobile App Support | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified | Unknown |
| Team Collaboration | Core to platform (details not public) | Built for collaboration (details not public) | Both; details require trial/testing |
| Customer Support | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified | Unknown |
Pricing Tiers and Limitations
Asana offers a free basic plan, ideal for small teams and basic needs. Paid plans introduce advanced features and begin at $10.99 per user per month. However, Asana’s free plan comes with user and feature limitations, making it less suitable as needs grow.
Smartsheet doesn’t offer a free plan. Its entry-level pricing starts at $7 per user per month, unlocking more features from the outset. This approach favors organizations willing to invest immediately and may limit experiments by small teams or startups. Limits for both platforms’ highest tiers are not publicly specified.
Task and Project Management Features
Asana stands out with its variety of task views: list, board (for Kanban), timeline (Gantt-style), and calendar, offering flexibility for managing projects across multiple workflows and teams, such as marketing or product launches.
Smartsheet uses a familiar spreadsheet-like interface, making it a natural fit for operations, data-centric teams, and organizations focused on detailed project portfolio management. It supports advanced data manipulation and can scale for complex project tracking. Reporting in Smartsheet is designed for depth, supporting organizations with elaborate or data-heavy requirements.
Workflow Automation and Integrations
Details about the specific workflow automation and integration capabilities of both Asana and Smartsheet are not publicly specified in the available evidence. Both platforms are known for connecting with other business tools, but you’ll need to consult with each provider or conduct trials to evaluate precise integration capabilities for your team’s stack and processes.
Security and Compliance
Security and data protection are critical, especially for regulated businesses. Asana offers two-factor authentication and complies with GDPR standards, safeguarding user data for most organizations’ needs.
Smartsheet ups the ante for enterprise and compliance-heavy customers, offering enterprise-grade security: single sign-on (SSO), two-factor authentication, and compliance with GDPR and SOC 2 standards. This makes Smartsheet a stronger candidate in industries with high compliance requirements, such as finance, healthcare, or enterprise IT.
Dashboards and Reporting
Asana includes reporting features to monitor project status, but specific details are not publicly available. Teams using Asana get basics for tracking workflow and progress, but may need to test depth and flexibility firsthand.
Smartsheet is well regarded for its robust reporting and dashboard capabilities. Its spreadsheet-like structure makes handling complex data, aggregations, and custom reports straightforward. For organizations that need granular views into portfolios, resource use, or real-time project health, Smartsheet brings a clear advantage.
Mobile App Support and Team Collaboration
Publicly available details about mobile app functionality for Asana or Smartsheet are not specified in the evidence. Both tools are marketed for distributed and in-office teams, with features focused on collaboration—such as sharing tasks, commenting, and following progress. However, the depth of team chat or document sharing is not detailed. Similarly, customer support options are not publicly specified; evaluating the responsiveness and channels (like chat or phone) will require direct trials or vendor outreach.
Choosing the Right Platform
Choosing between Asana and Smartsheet comes down to key project needs:
- If visual workflows, multiple task views, and a flexible, modern UI are important, Asana fits best—especially for creative or cross-functional teams.
- If your organization prioritizes spreadsheet-like control, advanced reporting, and needs higher compliance standards, Smartsheet is more suitable—particularly for operations or enterprise PMOs.
- Budget-sensitive or small teams may favor Asana’s free tier to start; Smartsheet may appeal to organizations seeking scalability and regulatory security.
Before deciding, map your must-have integrations, reporting needs, compliance requirements, and budget constraints. Consider running pilot projects in both platforms to test fit and team feedback.
Conclusion
Asana and Smartsheet both deliver robust project management, but suit different styles and requirements. Asana appeals to teams looking for intuitive task management and workflow flexibility, while Smartsheet excels at complex data handling, reporting, and compliance. Weigh your organization’s priorities, trial both if possible, and connect with their sales/support teams to clarify any missing details essential to your decision.
FAQs
How does Asana compare to Smartsheet for project management?
Asana is suited to creative and cross-functional teams who prefer multiple visual task views. Smartsheet fits data-driven teams needing spreadsheet-style project management with powerful reporting and tracking.
Which offers better integrations: Asana or Smartsheet?
Specific integration lists are not publicly specified. You should review each vendor’s integration library or conduct pilot testing to assess fit with your stack.
What are the major feature differences between Asana and Smartsheet?
Asana features multiple task views and a user-friendly interface, while Smartsheet is built for data manipulation, advanced reporting, and enterprise compliance.
Is Smartsheet or Asana better for team collaboration?
Both platforms focus on enabling team collaboration. Exact feature depth (e.g., chat, shared docs) is not publicly specified, so direct testing is recommended.
How do Asana and Smartsheet pricing structures differ?
Asana offers a free basic plan with paid tiers from $10.99/user/month, while Smartsheet only offers paid plans starting at $7/user/month.
Which platform is more secure, Asana or Smartsheet?
Smartsheet offers SSO, two-factor authentication, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance, making it more suitable for regulated and enterprise environments.
Can you migrate from Asana to Smartsheet (or vice versa)?
Migration processes are not detailed in public documentation. Consult each provider’s support resources or third-party tools for migration guidance.