Smartsheet vs Trello: Which Is Better in 2026?
Smartsheet is project management for people who think in spreadsheets. Trello is the kanban board most people have already used: lists of cards that move left to right as work progresses. Smartsheet’s strength is portfolio-level planning and reporting in a format finance and operations already understand; Trello’s is simple, visible tracking for small teams and straightforward processes.
01Pricing
Smartsheet: the Pro plan costs $9/member/mo, about $90 a month for a team of ten. Trello: the Standard plan costs $5/user/mo, about $50 a month for a team of ten. At ten people Trello is cheaper by about $40 a month, or $480 a year. Smartsheet has no free plan; the trial runs 30 days. Trello has a free plan (up to 10 collaborators per Workspace).
| Team size | Smartsheet | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Up to 10 collaborators per Workspace; Up to 10 boards per Workspace; 250 Workspace command runs per month; Unlimited cards | |
| Standard | $5/user | $6/user | 1,000 Workspace command runs per month; 250MB per file | Unlimited boards; AI features; Planner; Card mirroring |
| Premium | $10/user | $12.50/user | Unlimited Workspace command runs | Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, Map views; Workspace-level templates; Collections; Observers |
| Enterprise | $17.50/user | n/a | Billed annually only ($210.00 per user per year) | Unlimited Workspaces; Organization-wide permissions; Multi-board guests; Power-Up administration |
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 Trello 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.
Trello
Trello is the kanban board most people have already used: lists of cards that move left to right as work progresses. Cards hold checklists, due dates, attachments and comments, and Power-Ups and the built-in Butler automation add what the basic board lacks. It takes minutes to learn, and that is the whole point.
- Best at
- Simple, visible tracking for small teams and straightforward processes.
- Falls short
- Boards do not scale gracefully. Reporting, dependencies and cross-project views are limited, and complex projects end up needing a different tool.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Trello | Free to start and understood in minutes, which matters when nobody has time to run a rollout. |
| Enterprise | Smartsheet | Portfolio roll-ups and reports in a grid that finance and operations already trust. |
| Freelancers | Trello | A free board per client is often all the structure solo work needs. |
| Startups | Trello | Good enough until the work gets complicated, and free to start. |
| Remote Teams | Trello | A board shows the state of work at a glance to anyone, in any time zone. |
04Verdict
Choose Smartsheet if you run a project office that lives in spreadsheets and needs roll-up reporting. Choose Trello if you want a board everyone understands on day one.
05FAQ
Is Smartsheet or Trello cheaper?
For a team of ten, Smartsheet comes to about $90 a month and Trello to about $50. Prices are per month on annual billing.
Do Smartsheet and Trello have free plans?
Smartsheet has no free plan; the trial runs 30 days. Trello has a free plan (up to 10 collaborators per Workspace).
Which is easier to learn, Smartsheet or Trello?
Trello 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 freelancers, Smartsheet or Trello?
Trello. A free board per client is often all the structure solo work needs.