Smartsheet vs Todoist: Which Is Better in 2026?
Smartsheet is project management for people who think in spreadsheets. Todoist is a to-do list that scales up to small teams. Smartsheet’s strength is portfolio-level planning and reporting in a format finance and operations already understand; Todoist’s is capturing and organizing tasks with almost no friction, for one person or a handful.
01Pricing
Smartsheet: the Pro plan costs $9/member/mo, about $90 a month for a team of ten. Todoist: the Pro plan costs $5/user/mo, about $50 a month for a team of ten. At ten people Todoist is cheaper by about $40 a month, or $480 a year. Smartsheet has no free plan; the trial runs 30 days. Todoist has a free plan (5 personal projects with 5 people on each).
| Team size | Smartsheet | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $45 | $25 |
| 10 users | $90 | $50 |
| 25 users | $475 (Business) | $125 |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $9/member | $12/member | 1-10 Members; 250 automations per month; 20 GB attachment storage | Unlimited free Contributors; Gantt, table, board, and calendar views; Unlimited sheets, forms, and reports; Conversational AI features |
| Business | $19/member | $24/member | 3-seat minimum; 3+ Members; 1 TB attachment storage | Unlimited free Guests; Timeline view; Unlimited automations; Admin capabilities |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | 10-seat minimum; 10+ Members; Unlimited attachment storage | Scenario Planning; Portfolios; SAML-based SSO; Enterprise Plan Manager |
| Advanced Work Management | Custom | Custom | Control Center; Dynamic View; Data Shuttle; Connectors |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 5 personal projects; 5 people per project; 5 MB file uploads; 3 filter views | |
| Pro † | $5/user | $7/user | 300 personal projects; 100 MB file uploads; 150 filter views | Calendar layout; Task duration; Custom reminders; Unlimited activity history |
| Business † | $8/user | $10/user | Up to 500 team projects; 250 people per team project; Up to 1,000 team members | Shared team workspace; Shared templates; Team activity logs; Team roles and permissions |
Prices are per month on annual billing. † marks prices taken from the vendor’s documentation or page data instead of its visible pricing page. Smartsheet pricing and Todoist pricing have the full detail.
02The Two Tools
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is project management for people who think in spreadsheets. Sheets gain Gantt charts, forms, automated workflows and dashboards, and reports roll data up across many projects. Large organizations use it for portfolio tracking where a familiar grid matters more than a modern interface.
- Best at
- Portfolio-level planning and reporting in a format finance and operations already understand.
- Falls short
- It still feels like a spreadsheet, collaboration is less fluid than in newer tools, and capabilities such as resource management cost extra.
Todoist
Todoist is a to-do list that scales up to small teams. Tasks are typed in plain language, sorted into projects, and filtered by labels, priorities and due dates, with boards and calendars as alternative views. It is quick and unobtrusive, and it does not pretend to be a full project manager.
- Best at
- Capturing and organizing tasks with almost no friction, for one person or a handful.
- Falls short
- There are no Gantt charts, dependencies or workload views, and reporting is minimal.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Todoist | Enough for a small team whose work is a shared list of tasks. |
| Enterprise | Smartsheet | Portfolio roll-ups and reports in a grid that finance and operations already trust. |
| Freelancers | Todoist | A quick personal task list that costs little and needs no setup. |
| Startups | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for startups. |
| Remote Teams | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for remote teams. |
04Verdict
Choose Smartsheet if you run a project office that lives in spreadsheets and needs roll-up reporting. Choose Todoist if you mostly need a shared task list, not a project-management system.
05FAQ
Is Smartsheet or Todoist cheaper?
For a team of ten, Smartsheet comes to about $90 a month and Todoist to about $50. Prices are per month on annual billing.
Do Smartsheet and Todoist have free plans?
Smartsheet has no free plan; the trial runs 30 days. Todoist has a free plan (5 personal projects with 5 people on each).
Which is easier to learn, Smartsheet or Todoist?
Todoist is quick to set up; Smartsheet is moderately involved to set up. It still feels like a spreadsheet, collaboration is less fluid than in newer tools, and capabilities such as resource management cost extra.
Which is better for enterprise, Smartsheet or Todoist?
Smartsheet. Portfolio roll-ups and reports in a grid that finance and operations already trust.