Smartsheet vs Zoho Projects: Complete Comparison (2026)
In comparing Smartsheet and Zoho Projects in 2026, Zoho Projects is the stronger choice for zoho ecosystem users wanting affordable project management due to very affordable pricing. Smartsheet excels for operations teams comfortable with spreadsheet-style tools with familiar spreadsheet feel. Smartsheet offers Grid, Gantt & card views, Automation workflows, Dashboards starting at $9/user/mo. Zoho Projects provides Gantt charts, Timesheets, Issue tracking from $4/user/mo with a free tier. For teams prioritizing value, Zoho Projects delivers a hiltonsoftware Score of 79/100. Smartsheet and Zoho Projects compete in the project management segment of the SaaS market, where cloud-native solutions, API integrations, and workflow automation drive enterprise and SMB adoption. Other leading project management tools include Asana, Monday.com, Jira. Smartsheet serves 90K+ orgs users globally (founded 2005) while Zoho Projects reports 10M+ active users (founded 2006).
Smartsheet vs Zoho Projects at a Glance
What are the main differences between Smartsheet and Zoho Projects?
Smartsheet and Zoho Projects differ across ease of use, features, value, support, integrations, scalability, and learning curve. Zoho Projects leads in 6 of 7 categories.
What are the pros and cons of Smartsheet vs Zoho Projects?
Which is better, Smartsheet or Zoho Projects?
After evaluating Smartsheet and Zoho Projects across features, pricing, integrations, and user satisfaction, Zoho Projects earns a higher hiltonsoftware Score of 79/100 versus Smartsheet at 71/100. Zoho Projects stands out for "very affordable pricing" and "deep zoho ecosystem integration". Smartsheet delivers competitive advantages in "familiar spreadsheet feel", making Smartsheet a viable alternative.
On pricing, Zoho Projects offers a free plan for SMBs and startups. Smartsheet starts at $9/user/mo with no free tier, but justifies the cost with grid, gantt & card views and automation workflows and enterprise-grade scalability.
Bottom line: Choose Smartsheet for operations teams comfortable with spreadsheet-style tools. Choose Zoho Projects for zoho ecosystem users wanting affordable project management. Both Smartsheet and Zoho Projects are established project management platforms.
Operations teams comfortable with spreadsheet-style tools.
Zoho ecosystem users wanting affordable project management.
Smartsheet vs Zoho Projects: Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by Alex Chen, SaaS & Productivity Analyst. Last updated: 2026-04-24. Pricing verified: March 2026.
Read our scoring methodology to understand how the hiltonsoftware Score is calculated.