What is Smartsheet? Features, benefits, and alternatives

In today’s fast-moving business environment, having the right project management platform can make the difference between meeting deadlines and missing them. Smartsheet is one of the most recognized tools in this space—a spreadsheet-style platform that helps teams organize projects, track progress, and collaborate in real time. But while it offers flexibility and automation, it isn’t the perfect fit for every use case.

This guide explains what Smartsheet is, explores its main features and benefits, highlights when it may not be ideal, and introduces how Baserow—an open-source, no-code database and app builder—can provide a more customizable, scalable alternative.

What is Smartsheet?

Smartsheet is a cloud-based work-management and collaboration platform that combines the look of a traditional spreadsheet with advanced project management capabilities. Teams use it to streamline workflows, track deliverables, and improve transparency across departments.

Unlike simple spreadsheets, Smartsheet includes visual tools such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and Calendar views, letting users switch perspectives depending on the task at hand. You can assign owners, set due dates, track milestones, and receive automatic updates—all within one workspace.

Its real-time collaboration capabilities allow multiple users to work simultaneously. Automated notifications and reminders ensure everyone stays aligned, while integrations with apps like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and DocuSign make it easier to centralize operations.

However, Smartsheet’s structure and pricing model can become limiting for larger teams or data-heavy projects. For example, it caps each sheet at around 20,000 rows and 400 columns, which can restrict complex databases. Because it’s closed-source, organizations in tightly regulated industries often can’t self-host their data or customize the software to meet compliance requirements.

For these reasons, many teams look to open-source, self-hostable platforms like Baserow, which provide more freedom, control, and scalability while maintaining the same spreadsheet-style simplicity.

Smartsheet key features

1. Variety of views

Smartsheet supports multiple viewing formats to suit different working styles:

• Grid View for traditional spreadsheet layouts
• Card/Kanban View for agile task management
• Gantt View for visualizing timelines and dependencies
• Calendar View for scheduling and planning

These flexible views make it easier for teams to plan, track, and present projects clearly.

2. Automation

Smartsheet lets users create automated workflows without coding. You can trigger reminders, update records, or send notifications when specific conditions are met. Automation reduces manual effort and keeps processes consistent—ideal for approvals, recurring tasks, and follow-ups.

3. Integration capabilities

Smartsheet connects natively with leading business tools, including Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Salesforce, Box, and Dropbox. It also offers an API for custom integrations, enabling organizations to connect Smartsheet with their CRM, HR, or finance systems.

4. Collaboration tools

Collaboration is at the core of Smartsheet. Users can share files, tag colleagues with @mentions, comment directly in cells, and control access levels. Real-time editing helps cross-functional teams work simultaneously without version-control issues.

5. Dashboards and reporting

Smartsheet’s dashboards visualize project status, KPIs, and workload distribution. Managers can generate reports that consolidate data from multiple sheets—useful for monitoring timelines, budgets, and performance metrics.

6. Templates

The platform offers dozens of customizable templates to accelerate setup—covering project plans, marketing calendars, CRM pipelines, and IT task lists. These templates reduce onboarding time for new users.

Benefits of using Smartsheet

Smartsheet’s biggest advantage is how it centralizes planning, execution, and reporting in one place. It helps teams:

• Track projects in real time and identify bottlenecks early.
• Improve accountability by assigning clear ownership.
• Automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for strategic work.
• Gain instant visibility into progress via dashboards.
• Simplify communication through shared workspaces and notifications.

For small-to-mid-sized teams, these capabilities enhance productivity and reduce dependence on scattered spreadsheets or email updates.

Common Smartsheet use cases

Smartsheet adapts to a wide range of industries and workflows:

• Inventory tracking: Maintain supplier details, SKUs, and stock levels.
• CRM management: Track leads, client interactions, and sales pipelines.
• Content planning: Organize publishing calendars, campaigns, and assets.
• Budget tracking: Monitor spending, compare actual vs planned costs, and generate reports.
• Operations and IT: Oversee service requests, incident logs, or deployment schedules.
• HR and recruitment: Track candidates, onboarding steps, and employee records.

Teams that rely heavily on data linking, automation, or large datasets often reach Smartsheet’s structural limits. That’s where a tool like Baserow—which supports relational tables and scalable workspaces—can help extend capabilities without complex workarounds.

How Smartsheet handles data relationships

Smartsheet manages connected data primarily through links and references rather than through a traditional relational model.

• Cell linking: Connects data between sheets so values update dynamically.
• Cross-sheet references: Use functions like VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH to pull data across sheets.
• Reports: Aggregate information from multiple sheets into a single view.
• Forms: Collect data directly into sheets for structured input.
• Automations: Trigger updates or alerts based on data changes across sheets.

While these tools work for small-to-medium setups, they’re not true relational databases. They lack foreign keys and complex joins, which can limit scalability as data volumes grow.

Baserow, on the other hand, lets users link records across tables natively and query large datasets efficiently—ideal for teams that outgrow Smartsheet’s flat-sheet structure.

When Smartsheet may not be the best fit

While Smartsheet offers robust functionality for task and project management, it’s not ideal for every team. Here are some common limitations users encounter:

1. Handling large datasets

Smartsheet limits each sheet to around 20,000 rows, 400 columns, and 500,000 cells. Once a sheet nears these thresholds, users can experience lag, slower load times, and difficulties maintaining performance. For teams managing extensive datasets—such as product inventories, CRM databases, or analytical reports—these constraints can quickly become bottlenecks.

In contrast, Baserow supports hundreds of thousands of records per workspace and scales even further when self-hosted, making it better suited for data-heavy projects that require flexible expansion.

2. Lack of self-hosting

As a closed-source, cloud-based platform, Smartsheet stores all data on its own servers. This setup simplifies deployment but can raise challenges for organizations in regulated industries that must control their own infrastructure. Sectors like healthcare, government, and finance often need on-premise solutions to meet compliance standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, or ISO 27001.

Baserow’s open-source model solves this by allowing self-hosting, giving teams full control of data location, security, and uptime. It’s particularly valuable for companies prioritizing data governance and privacy.

3. Cost considerations

Although Smartsheet’s base plans start affordably, expenses increase as teams grow or require advanced features. Enterprise and premium modules—such as Data Shuttle, Dynamic View, or Control Center—come at additional cost.

By comparison, Baserow’s pricing is simpler and more predictable. Paid plans start at €10 per user per month, while self-hosted instances include unlimited databases, rows, and storage. This makes Baserow significantly more cost-efficient for growing teams.

4. Integration limitations

Smartsheet integrates with popular tools like Slack, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams, but deeper connections often require third-party automation services such as Zapier or Make, adding extra subscription costs. Custom API development may also be needed for niche integrations.

Baserow’s API-first architecture enables direct, flexible integration with any workflow automation platform. You can connect Baserow to n8n, Bubble, Zapier, or in-house tools to sync data automatically without complex workarounds.

5. Proprietary and vendor lock-in

Being closed-source, Smartsheet restricts modifications. Users depend on the company for product updates, security fixes, and feature releases. This dependency can create vendor lock-in—especially if your organization needs a unique customization or wants to migrate data later.

With Baserow’s MIT license, businesses have complete freedom to modify, extend, and host the platform as they choose, removing the risk of vendor dependency.

Hidden costs and limitations

Beyond subscription fees, teams may encounter hidden costs such as:

• Paying for automation and connector upgrades
• Purchasing third-party integration services
• Hiring technical support for complex workflows
• Managing fragmented data when hitting sheet limits

These expenses can make long-term ownership more expensive than it first appears. For businesses looking for a single, transparent pricing structure with scalability included, Baserow provides a more predictable alternative. These options give flexibility, but the total cost often increases with add-ons or scaling requirements.

To see a detailed comparison of plans, add-ons, and enterprise modules, check out our complete Smartsheet pricing breakdown

Why Baserow is a flexible alternative to Smartsheet

If you need an open-source, scalable, and customizable platform, Baserow is a modern solution that combines the power of databases with the simplicity of a spreadsheet interface.

• Open-source flexibility

Baserow’s source code is freely available, meaning teams can extend it, self-host it, or integrate it with internal systems without restrictions. This flexibility lets you adapt the tool exactly to your processes—whether for project management, CRM tracking, or operations.

• Self-hosting and compliance

Organizations that must comply with data protection laws can deploy Baserow on their own infrastructure. It ensures full control over data access and storage, meeting the strictest compliance requirements.

• Scalability and performance

While Smartsheet struggles with larger datasets, Baserow’s database foundation supports 250,000+ rows per workspace (and unlimited records when self-hosted). This makes it ideal for enterprise-grade use cases like multi-department project portfolios or multi-region CRM systems.

• Integration and automation

Baserow’s API-first design enables teams to connect it with automation platforms such as Make, Zapier, or n8n for real-time updates. Developers can also build plugins to extend functionality, while non-technical users can set automations through simple interfaces.

For a complete overview of its capabilities, visit the Baserow product overview.

Real-world community examples

Members of the Baserow Community often share how they’ve replaced tools like Airtable or Smartsheet. Common reasons include:

• Migrating to self-hosted setups to control sensitive business data.
• Using Baserow’s API to automate complex workflows.
• Building advanced dashboards with linked tables for reporting.

For example, one community user replaced multiple Smartsheet dashboards with a relational Baserow workspace that links project data, employee tasks, and client updates—improving visibility and cutting licensing costs.

FAQs about Smartsheet

• What is Smartsheet used for?

Smartsheet is used for managing projects, automating workflows, and tracking progress across teams. It’s ideal for planning, scheduling, and reporting in a centralized workspace.

• How is Smartsheet different from Excel?

While both tools look similar, Smartsheet adds collaboration, automation, and reporting features. Excel is a standalone spreadsheet, whereas Smartsheet focuses on project execution and team coordination.

• Is Smartsheet like Google Sheets?

Both allow online collaboration, but Smartsheet offers more workflow automation, dashboards, and templates for structured project management. Google Sheets is better suited for lightweight data analysis.

• Is Smartsheet free or paid?

Smartsheet offers a limited free version, but most advanced features—such as dashboards, automation, and reports—require paid plans starting at $9 per user per month.

Conclusion

Smartsheet remains a strong project management tool for teams that value automation and collaboration in a spreadsheet-like environment. However, for businesses that need scalable databases, advanced customization, or on-premise deployment, open-source platforms like Baserow deliver more control and flexibility.

With its modern architecture, no-code interface, and unlimited scalability, Baserow empowers teams to build custom tools for any workflow—without technical barriers or restrictive licenses.

Ready to experience a flexible alternative to Smartsheet?

Start building with Baserow today.