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It's a split decision.
Pick ClickUp if you want projects, docs, chat, and time tracking in one workspace, and value its free plan. Pick Smartsheet if your work centers on structured PMOs, portfolio visibility, resource planning, and intake workflows. Both list a $9 entry price, but it is not a clean like-for-like: ClickUp's Core billing term is unspecified, while Smartsheet's Pro is $9 per member/month billed yearly or $12 monthly. Neither wins outright; fit and seat costs decide.
01Side by side
| ClickUp | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Core: $9/user/month; billing term unspecified | Pro: $9 annual or $12 monthly/member |
| Free plan | Yes; 60 MB storage, 100 monthly automation actions | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Teams wanting projects, docs, chat, and time together | Structured PMOs managing projects and portfolios |
| Core strength | One workspace for project management and collaboration | Portfolio visibility, resource planning, and connected workflows |
| Learning curve | Review notes complexity; ease-of-use score: 5 | Ease-of-use review score: 6 |
| Integrations/data | Combines projects, docs, chat, and time tracking | Brings work from other apps into shared plans |
| Team/seat costs | Business: $17/user/month; billing term unspecified | Business: $19 annual or $24 monthly/member; 3+ members |
| Support | Review support score: 4 | Review support score: 5; premium support add-on available |
ClickUp Choose ClickUp if
- Choose ClickUp if you need docs, chat, time tracking, and projects together.
- Choose ClickUp if a free plan and 60 MB storage fit.
- Choose ClickUp if workspace automation limits match your needs.
Smartsheet Choose Smartsheet if
- Choose Smartsheet if you manage structured PMO portfolios.
- Choose Smartsheet if resource planning and workload balancing matter.
- Choose Smartsheet if you need centralized intake and approval workflows.
02Pricing compared
Both list a $9 entry price, but the billing terms differ. ClickUp’s Core plan is $9 per user/month, with the billing term unspecified on the pricing page. Its Free plan includes 60 MB of storage, five spaces, and 100 automation actions per workspace/month. Business is $17 per user/month, also with no billing term specified; Max is $100 per user/month billed yearly, with a listed regular price of $120.
Smartsheet Pro costs $9 per member/month billed yearly or $12 monthly. It has no free plan. Pro includes 1–10 members, unlimited contributors, 250 automations per month, and 20 GB of attachment storage. Business is $19 per member/month billed yearly or $24 monthly. Smartsheet’s Dynamic View add-on starts at $125/month for Business and Enterprise, so compare the full setup—not just the entry price.
03Features and depth
ClickUp is the broader single-workspace pitch: its listed tools cover project management, Docs, chat, time tracking, automations, and dashboards. Its homepage also highlights AI agents that can find answers, delegate tasks, and work across workflows. The Free plan has 100 automation actions per workspace/month and five active automation rules; higher plans raise those caps.
Smartsheet is more focused on structured work across projects and portfolios. Its listed capabilities include portfolio visibility, resource and capacity planning, milestone and dependency tracking, intake and approval workflows, and client collaboration portals. Its AI work intelligence is framed around project intelligence, portfolio visibility, and answers in AI tools teams use. Business includes unlimited automations, while Pro includes 250 per month.
The practical distinction: ClickUp bundles more day-to-day work types in one workspace; Smartsheet’s feature set is aimed at coordinating plans, people, and portfolios. The published review summaries give both products a 6.7 overall score, so neither is a clear winner on that measure.
04Ease of use and learning curve
ClickUp’s breadth comes with a trade-off: users report complexity and reliability concerns, and its our review scores give ease of use a 5 out of 10. Teams adopting projects, Docs, chat, time tracking, automations, and AI together should account for setup and change-management work; the pricing and feature details don’t establish how quickly a team will adapt.
Smartsheet’s review summary rates ease of use 6 out of 10 and describes it as worth considering for structured PMOs, but less compelling for simple, low-cost project tracking. That is a useful distinction, not proof it will be easier for every team. Choose based on how your work is organized: a multi-tool workspace or structured project and portfolio plans.
Questions people ask
Does ClickUp have a free plan?
Yes. ClickUp lists a Free plan for individuals and small teams. It includes 60 MB of storage, five spaces, 100 automation actions per workspace per month, and five active automation rules. Smartsheet’s listed plans are paid; the published pricing information does not show a free plan.
Is ClickUp or Smartsheet cheaper?
At the listed entry price, both reach $9 per user or member per month. Smartsheet’s Pro rate is $9 when billed yearly or $12 monthly. ClickUp’s Core price is $9, but the pricing page does not specify its billing term, so the prices are not a clean comparison.
Which is better for a PMO?
Smartsheet is the more directly aligned option for structured PMO work: its listed features include portfolio visibility, resource planning, milestone tracking, and intake workflows. ClickUp may fit teams that also want Docs, chat, and time tracking in the same workspace. The better choice depends on which work needs to be centralized.
Which product has more AI features?
The published materials describe different AI offerings rather than a like-for-like feature count. ClickUp highlights agents that can find answers, delegate tasks, and work across workflows. Smartsheet describes AI work intelligence for project intelligence, portfolio visibility, and answers in AI tools teams use. Compare the specific workflows you need.