Looking for a Smartsheet alternative? This one is written for enterprise PMOs running a real evaluation. Eighteen requirements, the plan each capability actually ships in, both vendors’ published prices, and the places each product is the weaker choice.
Commercial disclosure: PPM Express produced and funded this comparison. Every assessment was drafted with AI from the vendors’ own published documentation, then reviewed and approved by PPM Express Analysts before publication. It evaluates publicly documented product capabilities against a defined requirement set; it is not independent analyst research or a benchmark test of both systems on the same dataset.Read the full method
Comparing Smartsheet at Enterprise rather than Business is the fair comparison, and it changes the picture: Portfolios, Scenario Planning and SAML SSO all arrive. What arrives with them is a quoted price and a set of premium applications that still sit outside the plan, including Resource Management for time and capacity, and the Jira and Azure DevOps connectors. Pick PPM Express if you want the portfolio layer in one subscription. Pick Smartsheet Enterprise if the no-code platform is the point and you are willing to assemble the rest.
Primary trade-off: Smartsheet is the more flexible everyday work surface, and unlimited free guests let people participate without a paid seat.
Primary trade-off: Enterprise is quoted and still per member, and several capabilities this requirement set treats as mandatory, time tracking, capacity planning and the delivery-tool connectors, are separately priced applications rather than plan features.
The default scenario is an enterprise hybrid PMO with 250 modeled users, 75 to 250 active initiatives, several delivery systems in play, and a need for centralized portfolio, resource, financial and executive reporting.
Wants everyone in the portfolio, governance across the tools teams already use, resource and financial control, and a cost that does not move when headcount does.
Leads at the default 250-user benchmark because the $25,000 annual plan includes unlimited users and broad participation is mandatory.
Enterprise covers portfolio roll-up and governance. Financials, time and the connector add-ons are what still cost it here.
| Customer requirement | Priority | PPM Express | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
Connect strategy, objectives, and execution Map initiatives to strategy and track progress against objectives or key results. Strategy | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraStrategy and OKR modules are included in the evaluated Enterprise Ultra plan.Sources [2] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterprisePortfolios and dashboards communicate alignment. Smartsheet documents no native objective or key-result hierarchy at any tier.Sources [8], [9] |
Manage portfolio and project hierarchy with roll-ups Centralize initiatives and provide governed portfolio-level health, status, dates, risks, and decisions. Portfolio governance | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraUnlimited portfolio, program, and project management are included in the evaluated Enterprise Ultra plan.Sources [2] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseThe Portfolios capability is included at Enterprise and provides portfolio-level roll-up.Sources [8], [10] |
Capture ideas and prioritize proposed work Collect requests, score them consistently, and move approved initiatives into delivery. Intake & prioritization | Important | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraInnovation and ideation plus standard prioritization frameworks are included in the evaluated Enterprise Ultra plan.Sources [2], [3] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseForms, workflows, formulas and approvals cover configurable intake.Sources [9] |
Compare advanced portfolio what-if scenarios Model competing investment mixes using strategy, budget, capacity, timing, targets, and dependencies. Portfolio modeling | Important | ◐ Partially meetsIn Enterprise Ultra; depth worth checkingPrioritization, optimization, roadmaps and resource what-if reporting are all documented. If you model several competing investment mixes side by side, check that depth against your own decision process.Sources [3], [4] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseScenario Planning is included at Enterprise for comparing portfolio options.Sources [8], [10] |
Plan resource capacity and utilization Balance demand and capacity across roles, named resources, teams, projects, and time periods. Resources | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraThe evaluated plan supports hours, percent, and FTE planning, capacity, availability, and proposed and committed allocations.Sources [4] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseWorkload tracking is included. Enterprise capacity, role and skills planning comes from the Resource Management application rather than the plan.Sources [8], [9] |
Manage budgets, forecasts, actuals, benefits, and ROI Provide portfolio and project financial control and connect spend to expected value. Financials & benefits | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraBuilt-in financials support budgets, forecasts, actuals, benefits, fiscal and non-fiscal values, and estimated ROI.Sources [5] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseBudgets can be modeled in sheets and dashboards. Integrated portfolio financials and benefits tracking are not documented at any tier.Sources [9] |
Support waterfall, agile, and hybrid delivery Allow teams to use native schedules or external delivery tools without losing portfolio governance. Delivery | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraNative task scheduling supports traditional, sprint, and task-list approaches; external schedules can be linked.Sources [1], [2] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseGrid, Gantt, board, calendar, timeline and workflows cover hybrid delivery.Sources [9] |
Track time and effort against work Capture actual effort for projects and tasks and use it in reporting and resource analysis. Time | Important | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraUnlimited time tracking, advanced approvals, and custom fields are included in the evaluated Ultra plan.Sources [2] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseTime tracking comes from the Resource Management application rather than the Enterprise plan itself. Price it separately.Sources [8], [11] |
Generate and distribute AI-assisted status reports Create standardized executive reports with AI narratives and scheduled PDF or email delivery. Executive reporting & AI | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraProject Story supports AI summaries, configurable single- and multi-page reports, scheduled PDF email, and unlimited recipients in the evaluated plan.Sources [6] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseAI can summarize and analyse work. Scheduled executive report distribution needs confirming.Sources [9] |
Use AI for portfolio and project decision support Ask portfolio questions, identify risk, generate plans, summarize health, and automate routine management work. AI | Important | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraPPM Insights, status prediction, project digest, task and risk AI, schedule generation, and advanced AI agents are included in the evaluated plan.Sources [1], [2] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseSmartsheet AI assists with analysis, formulas, charts and work automation, short of portfolio decision support.Sources [9] |
Consolidate delivery data from multiple work systems Roll up work from Jira, Azure DevOps, Planner, Project, Smartsheet, monday.com, and other systems into a portfolio view. Integrations | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise Ultra, with setup conditionsStandard integrations plus two-way Jira and Azure DevOps are covered by this plan. Confirm setup and the conditions on each connected system.Sources [1], [2], [7] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseReports, dashboards, APIs and integrations consolidate data. Premium data products such as Data Shuttle are priced separately.Sources [11] |
Synchronize Jira and Azure DevOps work in both directions Create or update connected tasks and work items while preserving team execution in the source system. Bidirectional integration | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraTwo-way Azure DevOps and Jira synchronization is included in the evaluated Ultra plan and uses vendor-assisted setup.Sources [7] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseJira and Azure DevOps connectors are premium applications. Confirm the synchronization scope and cost.Sources [11] |
Provide API, Power BI, and workflow automation Enable enterprise reporting, data export, integration, and repeatable process automation. Data & automation | Important | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraREST API, Power Automate and Zapier connectors, built-in dashboards, and Power BI report packs are included in the evaluated plan.Sources [1], [2] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseAPI, MCP-enabled integrations and unlimited automations are documented.Sources [9], [11] |
Configure the platform without custom software development Allow PMO administrators to adapt fields, views, templates, rules, and workflows as practices mature. Administration | Important | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise Ultra, configured by the PMOTemplates, custom fields, views, filters, layouts and modules are all administrator-managed.Sources [1] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseNo-code sheets, forms, workflows, reports and dashboards are the core of the product.Sources [9] |
Support enterprise permissions, audit, and controlled environments Provide access controls, auditability, protected work, sandboxes, and environment options where required. Security & governance | Important | ✓ MeetsIncluded in Enterprise UltraThe evaluated plan includes private projects, audit, advanced permissions, multiple tenants or sandboxes, dedicated hosting, and premium support options.Sources [2] | ✓ MeetsEnterpriseEnterprise adds SAML SSO, directory integration, domain control and the stronger administration controls.Sources [8], [9] |
Allow broad participation without per-seat price growth Give employees, executives, team members, and viewers access without annual cost increasing for every additional user. Commercial model | Mandatory | ✓ MeetsFlat annual plan, Enterprise UltraEnterprise Ultra is $25,000 per year with unlimited users. Enterprise is listed in the pricing reference table but is not used in the comparison calculations.Sources [1], [2] | ? Not verifiedEnterpriseEnterprise is quoted and still priced per paid member, so cost grows with the licensed population.Sources [8] |
Run professional services delivery and profitability Manage client delivery, billable utilization, time, costs, charges, and profitability as an integrated operating model. Professional services | Optional | ◐ Partially meetsComponents included in Enterprise UltraTime, resource planning, task costs, charges and profitability are all there. A complete native PSA operating model is not documented as one.Sources [1], [5] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseCore project workflows exist. End-to-end services delivery with rates, billing and margin is not the product's focus.Sources [9], [10] |
Map enterprise architecture and business capabilities Visualize initiatives, dependencies, capabilities, outcomes, and architecture relationships across the enterprise. Enterprise architecture | Optional | ◐ Partially meetsRoadmaps and strategy visualization in Enterprise UltraRoadmaps and strategy visualization are available. A dedicated enterprise architecture model is not.Sources [1], [2] | ◐ Partially meetsEnterpriseFlexible sheets can model architecture data. Dedicated enterprise architecture depth is not documented.Sources [9] |
How the score works: Meets = 1, Partially meets = 0.5, Does not meet = 0. Mandatory requirements weigh more than Important ones, and Important more than Optional. Read the table. The percentage is a summary of it, not the result.
Enterprise brings Portfolios, Scenario Planning and SAML SSO into the plan. Resource Management, Data Shuttle, Control Center and the Jira and Azure DevOps connectors stay outside it. Build the quote from the whole list, not the plan line.
Unlimited guests and contributors are a genuine advantage for broad collaboration and worth crediting. Anyone who owns or edits work still needs a paid member seat, and Enterprise is quoted per member, so the bill still tracks headcount.
Budgets, forecasts and benefits can be built in sheets and formulas, and many teams do exactly that. It stays a build rather than a product capability, and it needs an owner for as long as you run it.
A comparison that only lists strengths is a brochure. Check each of these against your own operating model, the integrations you actually need, and how much implementation capacity you have.
Packaged enterprise PPM. One price, no seat count.
A no-code work platform, quoted per paid member.
The short version: Smartsheet Enterprise if the no-code platform is the point and you will assemble the portfolio layer on top of it. PPM Express if you want that layer in one subscription at a published price.
Every figure here is an annual cost at 250 users. Enterprise Ultra is the plan being compared; PPM Express Enterprise appears as a price reference only. Smartsheet does not publish Enterprise pricing, so the rows below use a planning floor rather than a quote. Enterprise is still priced per paid member, and unlimited guests and contributors are free. The $100,000 figure is a planning floor for budgeting, not a quote, and it is the one number on this page that is an estimate rather than a published price.
Pricing was verified from each vendor’s public website on August 21, 2026.
Default summary scenario: 250 users. Official pricing sources: PPM Express [12] and Smartsheet [8].
Calculation assumption: Smartsheet does not publish a list price, so the rows above use a $100,000 annual planning floor rather than a quoted figure. The same floor is shown at 100, 250 and 500 users because a quoted enterprise agreement does not scale linearly the way a per-seat price does; your actual number depends on modules, users and term. PPM Express Enterprise Ultra remains $25,000 per year with unlimited users. Taxes, discounts, implementation, migration, integrations, support and professional services are excluded on both sides.
Illustrative product image from the PPM Express website. Product interfaces change over time.
Explore PPM ExpressThis is not a bake-off. Nobody loaded the same dataset into both products. What it does check is whether each vendor publicly documents a capability that meets the requirement, and what edition, integration or service you need to get it.
The full method is published. The eighteen requirements, the weightings, the three buyer scenarios, the evidence rules and the limitations are all set out on the comparison methodology page.
Requirement coverage, plans, integrations and published pricing.
They solve different problems that often compete for the same budget. Smartsheet is a work platform teams shape themselves; PPM Express is a portfolio platform with governance built in. If your gap is team execution, Smartsheet is the alternative. If it is portfolio control, PPM Express is.
Because Business cannot meet the requirement set. Portfolios, Scenario Planning and SAML SSO all start at Enterprise, so comparing Business would have measured Smartsheet against a plan no enterprise PMO would actually buy. Enterprise is the fair comparison, and it scores meaningfully better.
Smartsheet does not publish Enterprise pricing, so there is no arithmetic to show. Budget from a $100,000 annual floor, remembering it is still per paid member and that Resource Management, Control Center and the connectors are priced on top. PPM Express Enterprise Ultra is $25,000 a year with unlimited users.
The ones that matter most for this requirement set: Resource Management, which supplies time tracking and enterprise capacity planning; the Jira and Azure DevOps connectors; Data Shuttle; and Control Center. Price the whole list before comparing totals.
No. Enterprise closes the portfolio and security gaps, but several capabilities this requirement set treats as mandatory remain separately priced applications. The pricing rows compare a published subscription against a planning floor.
Where funding, scoring, gates and benefits live. Strategic portfolio management
The constraint most portfolios actually fail on. Resource capacity planning and utilization
Test a funding mix before you commit to it. Portfolio what-if scenario planning
All material feature and pricing statements are based on public vendor sources accessed on or before August 21, 2026. Product packaging and functionality may change.
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