Programs such as Microsoft Excel and Smartsheet are essential for any company's development and management. This software makes things like project management, resource management, project planning, project tracking, and statistical analysis possible.

Both spreadsheet programs have several common attributes. However, they also differ in many others – not only in the possibilities they offer but also in pricing and intuitiveness. Considering that, we decided to put Smartsheet and Excel head to head for comparison. That way, you will have a complete analysis helping you determine which project management tool is best for your business.

We can use several patterns to analyze how good a spreadsheet program can be, so we will start looking for those. As the article advances, you will see that the differences between Microsoft Excel and Spreadsheet are bigger than you think. Both address things like task management and multiple projects differently. Let’s talk about both programs' features.

Many people think that Google Sheets, the online platform everyone can access from Drive, is the only alternative to Microsoft Excel if they don’t want to spend a fortune on a Microsoft Office license. This may be true if you just want that simplified board view, but going for other programs, such as Smartsheet, may offer them much more.

Both programs present similarities in their essences. You can do things such as Charting, Multi-Use Collaboration, templates, and integration with both. You’ll notice that Smartsheet offers you almost unlimited possibilities in project management. But that’s not even close enough to determine whether Smartsheet is better for work management, and we will see why.

For sure, everybody has already familiarized themselves with the grid view that Microsoft Office offers, but many see how limited it is. When you go for Smartsheet, you can have multiple views, going from one to another until finding the one that suits you better. Among the possibilities you have when managing work, there are.

• Gantt Charts
• Kanban Boards
• Grid Views (Also available in Excel)
• Calendar View

They are important and very helpful in project management as they allow the team members to look and work with their key information and advance their tasks and reports the way they prefer. Gantt Charts are good for data analysis, while Calendar View is perfect for marketing teams and other employees who need to adjust the workflow to specific deadlines. This is a functionality that Excel certainly lacks.

Smartsheet is a web-based platform, which, among other things, is very good for collaboration and information sharing. Changes can be done simultaneously and are actualized in real time for everyone with access to the project. It allows automating notifications and sharing milestones.

Excel, on the other hand, struggles with that. It has its collaboration capabilities, but some of the features are limited when one team member opens space for other employees to co-authoring. 

At least, version control of any project will no longer be a problem, as Microsoft added co-authoring to Excel 2021. And the changes are done in real-time. Other things like conditional formatting were also lost when you upload an Excel file. You can run Excel online while doing your project management. Still, this website version of the software is very limited and full of gaps when compared to the traditional version.

Besides any collaboration functionality, Smartsheet is a tool developed to give freedom for users to create and customize any project. You can create custom dashboards by dragging widgets. Thus, whether you are doing a simple report or a complex data analysis, it’s a helpful tool. 

That way, the users will have all the necessary information at hand. Besides that, they will be able to create task lists, sub-tasks, conditional paths, and much more. All that without much manual work.

Once again, on this metric of work management, Microsoft Excel is left behind in this software comparison. You can’t organize things with such freedom, making your job easy and helping you save time. Many of the features Smartsheet has are only available in Microsoft Project. Unfortunately, this is not an MS Project comparison.

So far, it seems that Smartsheet surpasses Microsoft Excel in absolutely everything related to project or resource management. This is not true, as the MS software has its loved functions and features. 

These capabilities are the answer to why most people are more familiar with Microsoft's tool, which is installed on most devices. Let’s see some of the reasons that would make a company prefer to go with Excel over Smartsheet for its team members.

Here is where Excel shines most. Even though a program like Smartsheet has different visualization possibilities, such as the Kanban board, nothing surpasses Excel formulas, shortcuts, and macros so that users don’t have to make manual changes in different tasks or projects.

This is also why Excel is not only better for small data analysis but also for long and complex studies. One of the things that help is the capability of filtering information in one cell or different cells. The ability to use formulas for research or any other process is fundamental for the great majority of companies.

Besides using it online on your PC, Smartsheet also has mobile apps for Android and iPhone. Moreover, it has integrations with around 130 other programs and professional services that many other businesses take advantage of. Some of these services that integrate with the spreadsheet program are Google, DocuSign, Salesforce, Dropbox, and more.

Excel is more familiar to most people and used by many different businesses; thus, it has more than 800 different integrations, offering its customers far more possibilities and efficiency. Power Bi and Azure are two examples of platforms that an Excel software user can take advantage of. Your employees will surely like it if you give them all Excel platform integrations.

Another feature that makes Excel better than Smartsheet is the starting price and all the features and functions available after you start paying for them. The values of Smartsheet and Excel are similar at first glance, but that’s not exactly the truth. 

Smartsheet plans start at $7 per user/month, but you will see that there are other spreadsheet platforms with far more affordable values, and pricing is not even the only problem. Smartsheet demands that you pay for at least three users for any of its plans, which would already increase the mentioned price to $21 per month. The prices will be higher than they could be for businesses with small teams or that need only one or two users with access to their projects and files. 

Besides that, Excel integrates the Office suite, so you gain access to several other well-known programs, such as Word, PowerPoint, and many others. Due to that, the value over price Excel (and Office) bring to your business is far bigger than Smartsheet could. No wonder it is installed on millions of different Windows devices.

And the icing on the cake is that you can get your Office Key from a third-party seller for only a fraction of the official price.  At RoyalCDkeys, you will find several options for Office keys.

The last factor we have to point out is the interface and ease of use. And, once again, Excel has the lead. Smartsheet is a stronger platform for general project management, but that also makes it a little harder for new users to learn how the software works. 

Excel, on the other hand, is considered far more simple to learn. Of course, in the beginning, any user will have a hard time with all the formulas and shortcuts, but that isn’t necessary to start your reports or analyze your expenses and budget.

Another thing that counts in favor of Excel is the number of free and instructive tutorials on YouTube or any other platform. As one of the most popular tools since the internet itself, several experienced users have already posted their tutorials. That way, it is far easier to teach new employees and have the ground running with no extra cost.

After the complete comparison and all the analyses made over several different standalone points, we can say that Smartsheet is better software for general project development, co-working, and setting specific workflows. 

On the other hand, Excel is superior for data analyses and for the study of big projects, where the teams that use them can apply the formulas the table demand to provide information in the biggest detail possible. Besides that, prices make the Microsoft tool the answer for most organizations. 

I would say that, if you can afford both, that’s what you should do. It's not impossible to live and perform well without one of them but, together, the two software complement themselves, ensuring your spreadsheets, other documents, and tasks will be done the best way possible.

The Office suite is available to buy through Microsoft Store or traditional retail stores. But besides these well-known ways to buy the Office package, you can also get them with RoyalCDKeys, for prices you won't find anywhere else! Unfortunately, we don’t offer Smartsheet.

Now, you already have a full comparison between Excel and Smartsheet at hand. Both software has strong and weak points, and the one that suits you better depends on your needs. What we can ensure is that you will be well served no matter the choice you make.

If you want more information, texts, tips, lists, and guides about different software, operating systems, and antiviruses, check RoyalCDKeys! Besides the great content, we also offer safe and working keys for the best software. All of them for the best prices you will find in the market! There is no need to go for a retail store, just make an account with RoyalCDKeys and start doing some great business!