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Most buyers should pick Notion.
Choose Notion for a shared knowledge workspace with cited answers and work agents. Its Plus plan is listed at €9.50 per member/month, but the pricing page does not say whether that rate requires annual billing. Choose Smartsheet for structured project and portfolio work, including resource planning. Its Pro plan is $9 per member/month billed annually or $12 monthly, and it has no free plan. The prices use different currencies, so they are not directly comparable.
01Side by side
| Notion | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | €9.50/member/month on Plus; billing cadence unspecified | $9/member/month annually; $12 monthly on Pro |
| Free plan | Yes; includes limited AI trial | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Teams building a shared information system | Teams coordinating projects, portfolios, and resources |
| Core strength | Cited answers and agents for automating work | Portfolio visibility, resource planning, connected workflows |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use review score: 6 | Ease-of-use review score: 6 |
| Integrations/data | Shared system of record with answers and citations | Brings work from other apps into shared plans |
| Team/seat costs | Per member; Plus €9.50; billing cadence unspecified | Per member; Pro $9/$12, Business $19/$24 annual/monthly |
| Support | Review support score: 4 | Review support score: 5 |
Notion Choose Notion if
- you need a shared system of record with cited answers.
- you want agents for feedback triage or weekly reporting.
- you need a free plan for individual projects.
Smartsheet Choose Smartsheet if
- you manage projects and portfolios with shared visibility.
- you need cross-team resource and capacity planning.
- you need intake approvals, milestones, and dependencies.
02Pricing compared
Notion’s pricing page lists a free plan, plus paid plans at €9.50 per member/month for Plus and €19.50 for Business. The page does not say whether those rates require monthly or annual billing. Free includes 5 MB maximum file uploads, 7-day page history, 10 external guests and a limited AI trial. Business adds 90-day page history, SAML SSO and granular database permissions.
Smartsheet has no free plan. Pro costs $9 per member/month billed annually or $12 monthly, with 1–10 members, 250 automations per month and 20 GB of attachment storage. Business is $19 annually or $24 monthly, with unlimited automations and 1 TB of storage. Optional costs include Notion Custom Agents at $10 per 1,000 monthly Notion credits after the free try, and Smartsheet Dynamic View starting at $125/month. The currencies and billing terms differ, so the listed prices are not directly comparable.
03Features and depth
Notion is built around a shared system of record: teams can capture information, find answers with citations and use agents to automate work. Its homepage highlights product-feedback triage, support-ticket resolution in Slack and weekly reporting. That makes it the closer fit when the main need is shared team knowledge alongside lightweight workflow automation. The published pricing lists SAML SSO and granular database permissions on Business, with SCIM and an audit log on Enterprise.
Smartsheet is more explicitly focused on structured project and portfolio work. Its feature set includes project and portfolio visibility, connected workflows, resource and capacity planning, workload balancing, milestone and dependency tracking, and centralized intake and approvals. It also describes client collaboration portals, resource forecasting and AI-powered customer reporting. Business includes unlimited automations, while Pro caps them at 250 per month. Larger portfolio requirements may call for Advanced Work Management, which lists Advanced Portfolios and Dynamic View. Choose by the work you need to organize: knowledge and cited answers point to Notion; plans, dependencies and resource allocation point to Smartsheet.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Both reviews score ease of use at 6/10, so neither gets a clear usability win from our ratings. Notion’s review calls it a capable shared workspace, but warns that its flexibility can turn into extra work if a team does not keep it organized. That is the trade-off: the same workspace can hold different kinds of team information, but teams need to decide how to structure it.
Smartsheet’s description is more centered on formal project processes, including intake, approvals, dependencies and resource planning. That focus can suit teams already working with plans and portfolios, but the published material does not establish that it is easier to learn. If your priority is a shared knowledge base, start with Notion; if your team needs project controls and visibility, assess Smartsheet’s workflow needs before switching.
Questions people ask
What is Smartsheet best for?
Smartsheet is best suited to structured project and portfolio work. Its described capabilities include connected workflows, portfolio dashboards, resource and capacity planning, milestone and dependency tracking, and centralized intake and approvals. Pro and Business also specify automation and attachment limits.
Is Notion still relevant in 2026?
The published 2026 pricing and product information describes Notion as a shared system of record with answers that include citations and agents for automating work. It may fit teams that want knowledge and workflows together; whether it is right for you depends on how much structure your team needs.
Is anything better than Notion?
There is no universal winner in our comparison. Smartsheet may be a better fit if you need project and portfolio visibility, resource planning, milestones and approvals. Notion is the closer match for shared team information, cited answers and agents. Compare the work you need to manage, not just the starting price.
Can Power Automate work with Smartsheet?
The published Smartsheet information says it brings work from other apps into a shared plan and lists Connectors as an add-on, but it does not name Power Automate or confirm a specific integration. Check Smartsheet’s current connector documentation before choosing it based on that workflow.