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It's a split decision.
Choose Smartsheet for connected project and portfolio work, resource planning, and intake workflows. Its Pro plan starts at $9 per member monthly with annual billing, or $12 with monthly billing. Choose TeamDesk to build a custom business database without technical knowledge; its Starter Edition costs $49 monthly for up to five users and includes unlimited tables, records, and storage. TeamDesk lists a 14-day trial; Smartsheet’s trial availability is not published. Neither lists a free plan.
01Side by side
| Smartsheet | TeamDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/member monthly annually; $12 monthly | $49/month for up to five users |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan; 14-day trial |
| Best for | Project teams and structured PMOs | Teams building custom business databases |
| Core strength | Project, portfolio, resource, and intake workflows | Custom databases with unlimited Starter records |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use score: 6/10 | Ease-of-use score: 8/10 |
| Integrations/data | Brings work from other apps into shared plans | Starter includes unlimited tables, records, and storage |
| Team/seat costs | Per-member pricing; Pro and Business have member minimums | $49 for five users; $99 includes ten |
| Support | Review support score: 5/10 | Customer support included; review score: 7/10 |
Smartsheet Choose Smartsheet if
- Choose Smartsheet if project and portfolio visibility matter.
- Choose Smartsheet if you need resource and capacity planning.
- Choose Smartsheet if centralized intake and approval workflows fit.
TeamDesk Choose TeamDesk if
- Choose TeamDesk if you need a custom business database.
- Choose TeamDesk if you want unlimited Starter records and tables.
- Choose TeamDesk if a fixed monthly price for up to five users fits.
02Pricing compared
Smartsheet Pro costs $9 per member monthly with annual billing or $12 with monthly billing. It covers 1–10 members, unlimited contributors, 250 monthly automations, and 20 GB of attachment storage. Business costs $19 per member monthly with annual billing or $24 with monthly billing, with 3+ members and unlimited automations. Enterprise pricing is custom.
TeamDesk starts at $49 per month for up to five users, with unlimited tables, records, and storage. Team Edition is $99 monthly for 10 included users; Enterprise is $249 monthly for 10 included users. TeamDesk lists no annual price and says there are no long-term commitments. It offers a 14-day trial. Neither product lists a free plan; Smartsheet trial availability is not published. These prices use different billing units, so compare the number of users you need.
03Features and depth
Smartsheet is built around project and portfolio work: it connects workflows, tracks milestones and dependencies, and provides visibility into plans and resources. Its feature set also covers workload and capacity planning, centralized intake and approvals, client collaboration, and AI work intelligence. Business adds unlimited automations; higher-tier and add-on options include Advanced Portfolios and Resource Management, with some offerings priced separately or custom.
TeamDesk takes a different route. It is a cloud-hosted custom database service for building databases around existing business processes, without technical knowledge. Starter includes unlimited tables, records, and storage. Team adds users, while Enterprise includes unlimited databases, rebranding, and enhanced security. TeamDesk says it handles hosting on its servers, so users do not manage the technical setup.
Choose based on the work to model: Smartsheet lists specific project, portfolio, resource, and intake capabilities. TeamDesk is oriented toward custom business databases and adaptable processes; the published feature list does not describe dedicated portfolio or resource-planning tools.
04Ease of use and learning curve
TeamDesk says users can create custom databases without technical knowledge, and its cloud service handles the technical setup. It works in a browser on PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android, and Windows Phone. The homepage also offers a free Quick Start. Its review score for ease of use is 8.
Smartsheet covers a broader set of project and portfolio workflows, which may mean more to configure for teams that only need basic tracking; the published materials do not specify setup time or training requirements. Its ease-of-use score is 6. Those scores are useful signals, not a guarantee of how either product will feel for your team. If you need a tailored database, TeamDesk’s stated focus is the closer fit; if you need connected project workflows, Smartsheet’s feature set is more directly aimed there.
Questions people ask
Is Smartsheet or TeamDesk better for project management?
Smartsheet is the more direct fit for project and portfolio work: its listed features include milestones, dependencies, portfolio dashboards, resource planning, and intake workflows. TeamDesk is positioned as custom database software for business processes. The choice depends on whether you need project-management capabilities or a database shaped around your own process.
Which is cheaper, Smartsheet or TeamDesk?
Smartsheet Pro starts at $9 per member monthly with annual billing, or $12 with monthly billing. TeamDesk Starter is $49 per month for up to five users. The billing units differ, so compare the total Smartsheet member cost with TeamDesk’s flat plan price for your team size.
Does TeamDesk offer a free plan or trial?
TeamDesk does not list a free plan, but it offers a 14-day trial. Smartsheet also does not list a free plan in the published pricing information. Its trial availability is not published, so check with Smartsheet before assuming a trial is available.
Can TeamDesk replace Smartsheet?
Possibly, if your main need is a custom database for business processes: TeamDesk offers tailored databases, unlimited tables and records on Starter, and browser access. The published TeamDesk feature list does not describe Smartsheet’s project and portfolio features, such as resource planning and milestone tracking, so those needs may favor Smartsheet.