SoftwareDuel

Smartsheet vs Insightly

A head-to-head comparison to help you pick the right tool

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a work management platform that combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with powerful project management and collaboration features. It is widely used by enterprise teams for project tracking, resource management, and automated workflows. Smartsheet is particularly popular with teams comfortable with Excel who need more collaboration and automation capabilities.

Paid pricing · Get Pricing →

Insightly

Insightly is a CRM and project management platform designed for growing businesses. It uniquely combines sales pipeline management with post-sale project delivery so teams can manage the full customer lifecycle in one place. Insightly is popular with professional services firms and companies that need to track complex projects alongside their sales pipeline.

Freemium pricing · Get Pricing →

Pros

  • Familiar spreadsheet interface reduces learning curve for Excel users
  • Powerful automation and workflow capabilities
  • Strong enterprise security and compliance features
  • Excellent for managing large portfolios of projects

Cons

  • Pricing is higher than many competitors
  • Interface feels dated compared to modern tools
  • No free plan — 30-day trial only
  • Less intuitive for teams unfamiliar with spreadsheet-style tools

Pros

  • Unique combination of CRM and project management in one tool
  • Good free plan for up to 2 users
  • Strong workflow automation on paid plans
  • Good fit for professional services businesses

Cons

  • Interface feels dated compared to modern CRM tools
  • Customer support can be slow on lower tiers
  • Mobile app is less polished than competitors

Our Take

Choose Smartsheet if enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-familiar project management with powerful automation. Choose Insightly if growing businesses that need crm and project management in one platform.

Best For

Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-familiar project management with powerful automation

Best For

Growing businesses that need CRM and project management in one platform