Smartsheet vs Backlog

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Our analysts compared Smartsheet vs Backlog based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Project Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Smartsheet is an enterprise-level SaaS management application that helps teams streamline processes through collaboration, project planning and task management. Users can set up tasks using a grid view, similar to a spreadsheet with automations, formulas, comments and mentions. 

It provides templates for projects and automations that can be modified and saved as a template to save time. Project views include a Kanban board, Gantt chart, timeline, calendar view, card view and a custom dashboard.

Its file and sheet sharing capabilities, comment feature and conversations remove team and data silos and give stakeholders insight into project details. A user-friendly interface helps managers and team members boost adoption rates, maintain consistency and increase efficiency. 

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Backlog is a cloud-hosted issue tracking and resource management solution that helps developers work with design, IT and marketing teams. Its core capabilities include subtasking, bug tracking, file sharing, Gantt charts, burndown charts and watchlists. Businesses can track overall work progress while prioritizing tasks and to-do lists through team collaboration.

Developers can integrate it with SVN and Git to manage project tasks and source codes. It offers businesses visibility into project workflows and daily timelines using Gantt charts, which get updated in real time. Managers can track and compare project modifications, monitor document changes and leave comments on pull requests. Users can dissect Gantt charts by milestone, assignee or category and export to Excel sheets.
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$9/User, Monthly
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$35 Monthly, Freemium
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Use Familiar Spreadsheet Formatting: Move from regular spreadsheets to spreadsheets with versatile views and much less formula knowledge required for formatting. Make adoption and training smoother because you’re not starting from scratch with processes. We especially liked the ability to enter data using a familiar cell view and then convert it to, say, a Kanban board.
  • Create No-Code Automations: Use templates or build from scratch with a trigger, condition and action automation format. Save time on admin tasks with automations for alerts, approvals, document creation and sheet changes. Choose from four starting cell-related triggers and build from there. We thought the automation building was intuitive and straightforward. Check out our test in the “See It In Action” section below.
  • Access Multiple Views: Add dynamic views to your projects and filter and customize views to meet task requirements. For example, we added a card view organized by status and a Kanban Board sorted by task assignee. Create a customizable dashboard to pull data like task progress, workload and duration using widgets.
  • Share Proofs and Additional Information: Collaborate on team documents, provide context and add proofs and files to individual tasks or the entire sheet. We set a piece of content as a task and added extra files like logos and docs along with comments for specific client requests.
  • Train As You Go: Kick your project off with a checklist outlining best practices and research material. Use pop-ups and explainer icons with video links as you work to get a better understanding of features and capabilities. We popped over to the help center to learn how to set up baselines for our Gantt chart (you need to edit the start date and end date columns).
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  • Gantt and Burndown Charts: Get a timeline view into the entire project for better planning. Track projects with details like tasks in progress, tasks assigned to each employee and completion dates. Automatically generate reports from both charts and drill them down for deeper insights. Update assignees, due dates and other details when required. 
  • Knowledge Sharing: Create accessible wikis that can be downloaded and edited by team members. Personalize capabilities and tools based on workflows. Store all team data and files while recording real-time conversations in a central place accessible by everyone. Retrieve files and customer information easily. 
  • Mobile App: Keep in touch with project progress and work updates, even when out of the office. Comment, create and update tasks on-the-go. Sync with online workspaces automatically using native Android and iOS apps. 
  • File Sharing: Store project files in a central location while adding comments for assigned employees. Upload files into folders created for a project, issue or team. Report issues by setting up an email address or through web forms. 
  • Notifications: Notify specific employees about tasks that require attention. Send notifications when posting a comment, creating a task, updating a wiki and more. 
  • Jira and Redmine Importer: Get step-by-step instructions on migrating data successfully from Jira and Redmine. Strengthen security with IP restrictions and manage workspace access for better information control. 
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  • Dashboards and Reports: Customize your dashboard by adding widgets like reports, project-specific charts, shortcuts, images and text. Consolidate data from multiple sheets into a summary view using system reports. Track sheet changes using bi-directional functionality. Send reports via collaborative tools and change statuses to recur.
  • Multiple Views: View your tasks using the grid view, akin to a spreadsheet, a Gantt view as an add-on to your grid view, a Kanban board where you can drag and drop tasks and group them by assignee or status, a timeline view, a card view with customizable lanes and a calendar view that displays your tasks across its duration or by start dates only.
  • Task Management: Add your tasks and subtasks into each cell and use the indent and outdent buttons to divide tasks into groups that can be minimized to provide a project overview. Create or modify custom fields with your own text, dropdown lists and symbols to show status, assignees, priority, dates and latest comment. Attach files and proofs, write comments and mention users and set reminders for tasks.
  • Automations and Workflows: Save time with custom processes and workflows you can build by modifying templates for reminders and alerts, document generation, row changes, sheet changes and updates, and approval requests. Build your own workflow automations from scratch by choosing your trigger, setting conditions and adding actions. Manage automations by deactivating, deleting, duplicating or unsubscribing.
  • Templates: Use pre-built templates ranging from event management to HR workflows and marketing to streamline project creation. View complexity, task management and process before you apply a template. Build and save your own templates by customizing pre-built templates or creating them from scratch.
  • Integrations: Drive productivity with integrations like Office 365, Dropbox, DocuSign and Google Workspace and use iCal or Google Calendar to track project statuses.
  • Team Collaboration: Communicate with team members by commenting and mentioning users in individual tasks, adding files for additional information and chatting via the conversations tool where everyone with access to the sheet can see your comments. Integrate with Slack or Microsoft Teams to receive updates about your sheet and send messages to channels.
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  • Project Management: Use burndown charts, Gantt charts or boards to monitor in progress or completed tasks and issues that require attention. Get a view of tasks within large projects and manage schedules with Gantt charts. Track team progress using Kanban boards.  
  • Task Management: Create task hierarchies to organize workflows. Split large projects into parent and child tasks. Divide child tasks or subtasks among team members, prepare checklists to monitor start and due dates, categories, project milestones, custom fields and more. Track project progress by monitoring assigned tasks while updating deadlines for clients. Use Gantt charts to get an overview of task status and status of task owners in one place. 
  • Bug Tracking: Identify bugs and prioritize the process to fix them. Collaborate with teams to fix bugs by logging them as issues, which act as a central hub to discuss and resolve each bug. Let managers and teams get a top view of progress on each bug. Understand bugs and fixes with the module's archives. 
  • Version Control: Discuss, organize and monitor all work progress in one location. Integrate with SVN and Git to manage source codes along with projects. Make codes better while discussing new features with the team before incorporating them into projects. View work on every branch, monitor changes and review team’s work. 
  • Team Collaboration: Eliminate confusion and get more done with enhanced team collaboration and communication. Set user roles and create guest accounts for non-technical teams and clients. Collaborate to edit, share and access wikis while getting notified about changes. Provide feedback, suggest changes and appreciate employees for good work. 
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Product Ranking

#5

among all
Project Management Software

#44

among all
Project Management Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Customizations Dashboards And Reporting Mobile Capabilities Platform Features Project Planning And Scheduling Project Tracking Task Management Team Collaboration Time Tracking And Management 83 80 88 92 78 96 85 77 56 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 22301 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 312 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Smartsheet has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 22301 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

90%
of users recommend this product

Backlog has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 312 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (20)
4.5 (14)
4.4 (17366)
4.5 (163)
4.5 (3333)
4.5 (122)
4.7 (728)
4.2 (6)
4.3 (854)
4.5 (7)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Smartsheet and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Mobile Capabilities and Project Tracking.

Mobile Capabilities Award
Project Tracking Award

Backlog stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Automation: Reviewers appreciated the no-code automation and said that it helps to eliminate productivity killers and saves time.
Collaboration: Users liked the sharing option with level-based permissions that allow collaboration with non-users and help coworkers and external stakeholders stay up-to-date on projects and processes.
Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface and templates make it easy to set up, customize and access multiple views, according to reviewers.
What Users Like
Customization: “We can customize it to fit various projects, whether we’re tracking client cases, managing document revisions, or planning team tasks. For instance, I created a project tracker for a major client contract negotiation. The ability to set deadlines, assign tasks, and update statuses in real time has streamlined our communication and kept everyone on the same page.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
Collaboration: “We had this one job in a high-rise condo that put Smartsheet to the test. The sliding door system was an older model with custom-sized panels that aren’t easy to source, and it needed specific adjustments due to the unique structure of the frame. Typically, coordinating the right parts, tools, and technician experience for something like this would require several phone calls and a lot of back-and-forth. With Smartsheet, we were able to set up the job details to track not only the special parts needed but also assign a technician who was experienced with that model. When the parts came in, the technician was notified directly through Smartsheet, so he knew the moment everything was ready. It saved us from potential delays and kept the customer fully updated on when the work could be done.” - Gal Cohen, Business Development Leader and Field Area Manager JDM Sliding Doors
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Visual Task Boards: Backlog provides Kanban-style boards that give teams a clear overview of project progress, allowing them to easily track tasks through different stages of completion.
Gantt Charts: Users appreciate the ability to visualize project timelines and dependencies using Gantt charts, which helps with planning and scheduling.
Custom Fields: Backlog allows users to create custom fields to store project-specific information, making it adaptable to various workflows and use cases.
Wiki Functionality: The platform includes a built-in wiki feature that enables teams to document project details, share knowledge, and collaborate effectively.
Version Control: Backlog integrates with Git and Subversion, providing version control capabilities for managing code and documents within projects.
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System Integration: Limited integrations and complex configurations were an issue for reviewers.
Premium Add-Ons: Reviewers noted that advanced features come with a price tag that can be prohibitive for some businesses.
Slow Loading Time: Users reported it takes time to display screens export formats occasionally.
What Users Dislike
Integration: “Despite its many benefits, integrating Smartsheet with other systems posed some challenges. Initially, we experienced issues with data syncing between Smartsheet and our CRM software, leading to discrepancies in our financial reporting. Recognizing this, I allocated specific time for thorough testing before our full implementation, allowing us to identify and resolve any integration issues early on.” - Austin Rulfs, Founder of Zanda Wealth Mortgage Brokers
Learning Curve: “While Smartsheet is powerful, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. I found that investing time in training sessions helped bridge that gap, making it easier for everyone to adapt and use the tool effectively.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
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Limited Customization: Backlog's interface and workflow options can feel restrictive for teams with unique or complex project management needs. The platform's opinionated approach may not align with all team preferences, potentially hindering adaptability.
Reporting Capabilities: Generating in-depth reports or extracting specific data points can be challenging due to Backlog's reporting limitations. Users often find themselves needing to export data and manipulate it externally to gain deeper insights, adding an extra step to the process.
Mobile App Functionality: The Backlog mobile app has received feedback for lacking the full functionality and intuitiveness of the web version. This can limit users' ability to effectively manage tasks and projects while on the go, potentially impacting productivity and responsiveness.
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Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform that helps users streamline and organize processes with a spreadsheet-esque interface, flexible templates, multiple views and team collaboration. Apart from the grid view, you can visualize projects using a Gantt chart, Kanban board, calendar view, card view or timeline view. No-code automations are another note-worthy feature, where you can build from templates or scratch.It streamlines project creation with templates suited to different industries and end goals, so you have a jumping-off point instead of going in blind. Team collaboration is another area where Smartsheet shines, with comments, conversations and file and sheet sharing (even with people outside your organization). It also offers a customizable dashboard view, although I did find some of the chart widgets a little tricky to work, without training.Highlights for me were definitely the familiarity of spreadsheet formatting (but with more views and automations), robust collaboration capabilities and guided explainers throughout the setup. However, user reviews noted limited filters and integrations, lags and expensive add-ons as downsides.Overall, Smartsheet is a great option for teams familiar with spreadsheets but are on the lookout for more visualization and collaboration, along with the budget to spend on advanced features.

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Don't get stuck in a project management "backlog"; streamline your workflow with Backlog: This software has garnered positive attention for its user-friendly interface, making it a breeze for teams to jump right in and start managing tasks. Backlog's diverse features, like Kanban boards and Gantt charts, cater to various team needs, while its integrations with other tools ensure a seamless workflow. Users appreciate its affordability, making it a cost-effective solution for project management. However, some users point out that Backlog lacks certain features, such as time tracking, and offers limited templates and customization options. Compared to competitors like Asana and Trello, Backlog shines in its simplicity and focus on core project management functionalities. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of some platforms, its straightforward approach resonates with teams seeking an uncomplicated solution. Backlog's strength lies in its ability to bring clarity and organization to projects without overwhelming users with excessive features. Backlog is best suited for small to medium-sized teams, particularly those in software development and project management, who value a user-friendly and affordable solution with robust task management and collaboration features. Its intuitive interface and focus on essential project management tools make it an ideal choice for teams looking to enhance their productivity and streamline their workflows without the complexity of more feature-rich platforms.

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