Head-to-head
Monday.com vs Smartsheet
An honest, feature-by-feature look at Monday.com and Smartsheet for creative teams, where each is stronger, what they cost, and what neither includes.
IncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded14-day free trial, then $29/member/moStatuses researched against each tool's official docs and pricing pages. “Limited” means the capability exists with meaningful restrictions.
Where Monday.com and Smartsheet differ
Of the 8 capabilities creative teams typically stitch together, Monday.com fully includes 3 and Smartsheet fully includes 5.
Video & Image Review
Smartsheet includes video & image review; Monday.com covers it partially.
File Storage & Drive
Smartsheet includes file storage & drive; Monday.com covers it partially.
AI Assistant (kloudie)
Monday.com includes ai assistant (kloudie); Smartsheet covers it partially.
Free Guest Access
Smartsheet includes free guest access; Monday.com 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:
- Built-in Chat
- Freelancer Payments
Frequently asked questions
Is Monday.com 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 3), but the right pick depends on which capabilities your team actually uses. The comparison table above shows exactly where they differ.
How much do Monday.com and Smartsheet cost?
Monday.com's free plan caps you at 2 seats, 3 boards, and 3 docs; paid plans start at Basic $9/seat/mo (annual, $10 monthly), Standard $12, and Pro $19 - but every paid plan carries a 3-seat minimum and sells seats in multiples of 5 above that, so the real floor is ~$27/mo on Basic even for a solo user, and AI runs on a metered credit budget (1,000/2,000/3,000 credits per month by tier). 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 Monday.com and Smartsheet lack?
Neither fully includes built-in chat and freelancer payments. kloudboard includes all of these in one workspace, with a 14-day free trial that unlocks everything.
Is there one tool that replaces both Monday.com 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 the included kloudie AI assistant in one workspace. Every new workspace starts with a 14-day free trial with everything unlocked, then Pro is $29/member/mo, or $20/member/mo billed annually.
Skip the trade-off
Instead of choosing between Monday.com and Smartsheet, get boards, review, chat, and payments in one workspace. Try everything free for 14 days; client guests never take a paid seat.
Start your 14-day free trial