Smartsheet vs Todoist

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Our analysts compared Smartsheet vs Todoist 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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Todoist is a task management software designed to enhance productivity and organization for individuals and teams. Its user-friendly interface simplifies task creation, assignment, and tracking, making it ideal for those seeking a straightforward solution to manage their workload. Key benefits include its ease of use, diverse features, and integrations with other applications, promoting seamless workflow management. Todoist offers features like task prioritization, recurring due dates, and progress visualization, enabling users to stay on top of deadlines and track their accomplishments effectively.

Todoist provides a range of pricing options, including a free plan with basic features and paid plans with more advanced functionalities such as team collaboration and project management tools. The paid plans are generally considered affordable, making Todoist a cost-effective solution for individuals and businesses seeking to improve their task management processes. While user experiences with similar products may vary, Todoist is often praised for its intuitive design and comprehensive features, making it a strong contender in the task management software market.

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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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  • Project Peace of Mind: Track the status of multiple projects at a time using organized lists for each individual assignment. Ensure no details fall through the cracks with visual dashboards to track progress. 
  • Streamline Projects: Turn complex projects into simple to-do lists with custom boards or ready-to-use templates. Manage projects among team members by assigning responsibility to tasks. 
  • Kickstart Productivity: Use dozens of readily available templates to quickly create lists depending on purpose and task. 
  • Cost Effective: Explore a free version and low-cost premium package to ensure value to any business at any price point. 
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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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  • Task Prioritization: Use color-coded categories to organize tasks in order of importance and create structure in projects with multiple phases. Receive alerts for time-sensitive tasks to ensure users complete high-priority responsibilities on time. 
  • Project Delegation: Assign individual tasks to different members of a shared project. Customize assignments and use project sharing to add comments and have conversations with team members. 
  • Productivity Visualization: Interpret group productivity through line graphs and progress wheels used to visualize progress. Track and compare team project progress with comparable graphs. 
  • Widespread Integration: Bundle with other productivity, communication and scheduling software such as Dropbox, Google Calendar and Amazon Alexa. Turn emails into tasks by connecting to an email provider. 
  • Communication: Designate tasks and responsibilities to individual team members. Simplify teamwork and collaborative processes with a centralized plan. 
  • Notifications: Receive optional desktop, phone or email notifications for completed tasks, comments and new activity on a project. 
  • Personalized Boards: Rearrange the structure of lists to fit the needs of individual projects and support the workflow of team members. 
  • Activity History: Monitor the history of activity for all collaborative projects filtered by team member and project. 
  • Reward System: Gain points for achieving goals and using advanced features. Use those points to unlock Karma Levels, ranging from Beginner to Enlightened, to motivate project members. Maintain productivity to avoid breaking a streak and losing points. 
  • File Uploads: Attach text and multimedia files to add context to project tasks. Pair files with individual tasks to keep team members informed and connected. 
  • Free Access: Keep up to five active projects with up to 300 active tasks with the program’s free access option. Use up to three filters and upload up to five MB of content to projects.
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Product Ranking

#5

among all
Project Management Software

#33

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 3242 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.

91%
of users recommend this product

Todoist has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 3242 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (20)
4.6 (14)
4.4 (17366)
4.4 (761)
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4.6 (2268)
4.5 (3333)
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4.7 (728)
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4.3 (854)
4.4 (199)

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

Todoist 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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Intuitive Interface: Todoist is often praised for its clean and user-friendly design, making task management simple and efficient. The platform's layout is straightforward, allowing users to easily navigate and find the information they need.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Todoist is accessible on a wide range of devices and operating systems, including web browsers, desktop applications, and mobile apps. This flexibility ensures users can manage their tasks seamlessly regardless of their location or preferred device.
Collaboration Features: Todoist facilitates teamwork through features like shared projects, task assignments, and comments. Team members can collaborate effectively, stay updated on project progress, and communicate within the platform.
Productivity Tools: Todoist offers various tools to enhance productivity, such as recurring due dates for repetitive tasks, priority levels to focus on important items, and progress tracking to monitor completion rates. These features help users stay organized and efficient in managing their workload.
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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 Free Plan: The free version of Todoist lacks several key features, such as reminders, labels, and filters, which can hinder effective task management for users with more complex workflows.
No Time Tracking: Todoist does not offer native time tracking functionality, making it difficult for users to monitor the time spent on tasks and projects, which is crucial for accurate project management and billing purposes.
Collaboration Challenges: While Todoist allows for task sharing, it lacks robust collaboration features like in-app communication and real-time editing, which can impede seamless teamwork and communication.
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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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Let's "to-do" this! Todoist has garnered a reputation as a productivity powerhouse, but it's not without its quirks. Users rave about its clean and intuitive interface, making task management a breeze. The platform's flexibility shines through with features like recurring due dates, priority levels, and project organization, allowing users to tailor their workflow. Todoist's cross-platform compatibility is a major plus, keeping users in sync across devices. However, some users find the free version limiting, desiring features like reminders and labels, which are exclusive to the premium plan. In comparison to competitors like Microsoft To Do and TickTick, Todoist strikes a balance between simplicity and functionality. While Microsoft To Do offers basic task management, it lacks the robust features of Todoist. TickTick, on the other hand, boasts similar features but with a more playful interface. Ultimately, Todoist is best suited for individuals and small teams seeking a straightforward yet powerful task management solution. Its intuitive design and flexible features make it ideal for those who value organization and efficiency without the need for extensive collaboration tools.

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