Head-to-head
Hive vs Smartsheet
An honest, feature-by-feature look at Hive and Smartsheet for creative teams — where each is stronger, what they cost, and what neither includes.
IncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedFree forever for 5Statuses researched against each tool's official docs and pricing pages. “Limited” means the capability exists with meaningful restrictions.
Where Hive and Smartsheet differ
Of the 8 capabilities creative teams typically stitch together, Hive fully includes 4 and Smartsheet fully includes 5.
Video & Image Review
Smartsheet includes video & image review; Hive covers it partially.
Built-in Chat
Hive includes built-in chat; Smartsheet doesn't include it.
Free Guest Access
Smartsheet includes free guest access; Hive covers it partially.
What neither includes
Whichever you pick, you'll still be stitching tools around it for the rest of the workflow. kloudboard includes all of the below in the same workspace:
- Freelancer Payments
- AI Assistant (kloudie)
Frequently asked questions
Is Hive or Smartsheet better for creative teams?
Smartsheet covers more of the workflow out of the box (5 of the 8 capabilities we track fully included, vs 4), but the right pick depends on which capabilities your team actually uses. The comparison table above shows exactly where they differ.
How much do Hive and Smartsheet cost?
Hive's Free plan is $0 forever (up to 10 members, just 200MB storage, 10 projects), then Starter is $5/user/mo billed annually ($7 monthly, capped at 10 members) and the popular Teams plan is $12/user/mo annually ($18 monthly) — but proofing, timesheets, analytics, automations, and external-user access each cost roughly +$5/user/mo, and Buzz AI is a +$12/user/mo add-on on top of that. Smartsheet retired its free plan in 2025 — it now offers only a 30-day trial, with paid plans starting at Pro $9/user/mo ($108/yr, capped at 1-10 users, 250 automations/mo, 20GB storage, 30MB attachment limit) and Business at $19/user/mo ($228/yr, 3-user minimum, 1TB); AI tools are gated to the custom-priced Enterprise plan (10+ seats).
What do both Hive and Smartsheet lack?
Neither fully includes freelancer payments and ai assistant (kloudie). kloudboard includes all of these in one workspace, with a free plan for up to 5 members.
Is there one tool that replaces both Hive and Smartsheet?
kloudboard combines kanban boards, frame-accurate video and image review, built-in chat (with Slack, Discord, and WhatsApp bridging), freelancer payments, file storage, calendar, and a free AI assistant in one workspace — free forever for up to 5 members, with Pro at a flat $20/member/mo.
Skip the trade-off
Instead of choosing between Hive and Smartsheet, get boards, review, chat, and payments in one workspace. Free forever for up to 5 members — no credit card required.
Get started for free