In the following sections, you’ll learn about the common features Smartsheet and Wrike share and their differences in several categories.
Task Management
Smartsheet is known for its powerful spreadsheets and linkable cells, which enable teams to track data across sheets. Less known is that Smartsheet also offers Kanban boards, Gantt charts, grids, calendars and timeline views. Smartsheet’s tools aren’t the most intuitive, and the Kanban boards and Gantt charts are quite basic. Still, assigning tasks, adding due dates, sharing files and adding comments to tasks can be done without much hassle.
Smartsheet offers Gantt chart, Kanban board, calendar and grid views.
Wrike is a do-it-all platform that aims to appeal to traditional and Agile project teams. As such, it was not built around one particular task management tool. You will find easy-to-use, visually appealing and customizable Kanban boards, calendars, Gantt charts and tables. Adding details such as due dates, task descriptions and time spent on the task is a breeze, as is uploading files and leaving comments.
Wrike’s Kanban boards are easy to use and customize.
Verdict: Wrike wins the task management section. While Wrike doesn’t beat Smartsheet’s spreadsheets, Smartsheet’s other task management tools lack the polish and finesse of Wrike’s offerings. Wrike’s tools are easier to use, which makes them ideal for new teams and startups. Still, Smartsheet will appeal to those who need to manage expansive data sets and are more familiar with Excel and Google Sheets.
Collaboration Tools
Regarding collaborative tools, Smartsheet offers an intuitive proofing tool that integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud. It allows team members and guests to discuss and approve images and documents. Smartsheet also has a commenting system for communication, and team members can share files and manage them in a digital asset manager (DAM). However, you won’t find instant messaging, collaborative documents or whiteboards.
Smartsheet’s image proofing tool is very intuitive.
Wrike is similar regarding collaboration tools. There’s no instant messaging (just a commenting system) or collaborative whiteboards. Along with Smartsheet, Wrike offers a proofing tool (that can integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud) where team members, stakeholders and clients can leave comments and approve images, a DAM and collaborative documents. However, for collaborative documents to work, you must download additional software.
While not a real-time collaboration tool, having a document editor in Wrike is still nice.
Once you have installed the software, you can edit an uploaded document. Wrike will launch the application the document was created in (Word, for example) so that changes can be made. Once it is saved, a new copy of the document will be uploaded. Similar to the image proofing tool, team members and guests can leave comments on the document. It’s not a fantastic tool, and I find it clunky to use, but it’s still better than nothing.
Verdict: It’s a draw. While Wrike does offer an antiquated document editor, both Smartsheet and Wrike are equally lacking in the collaborative tools department. Still, should you only need a commenting system for communication, a less-than-ideal document editor, a proofing tool for images and documents, or don’t mind relying on integrations for robust collaboration features, you’ll be fine with either platform.
Administration Features
If you manage large teams and need to set policies surrounding data and define user roles and permissions, Smartsheet will appeal to you. In Smartsheet, you can assign roles, create custom roles, add and remove users, grant and revoke access to items, set group management policies and work schedules, and transfer owner permissions.
Additionally, admins can create one-time passwords (OTP) and security assertion markup language (SAML) policies that enable users to sign in with one set of credentials through OKTA, Google, Apple and Microsoft Azure AD and require multifactor authentication for guests. Admins can also restrict access by domains and email addresses. Unfortunately, many advanced admin tools are for members of high-tier plans.
Smartsheet’s administration tools allow you to control user access and set security policies.
Wrike also offers an impressive suite of administration and security features. Admins can set and create user roles, set fiscal year settings, create work schedules and have access to many granular controls that limit what users can do and see. If you handle sensitive data or regularly deal with NDAs, Wrike’s administrative features will make your heart happy.
Administrators can also control security by restricting access to specific IP addresses, setting single sign-on and two-factor authentication policies, creating password policies and locking spaces. The major caveat is that most of Wrike’s advanced administration and security tools are for Enterprise and Pinnacle users only, which means many SMBs might be priced out of those features.
Wrike allows administrators to control access to everything you can think of inside the platform.
Verdict: Wrike wins the administration features section. Smartsheet and Wrike offer robust administration and security options, but Wrike wins this round because of how much control it gives administrators. Smartsheet still offers powerful administration tools and more admin features in its lower plans, but in terms of the sheer number of options to control access, it can’t quite compete with Wrike.
Reporting and Analytics
Smartsheet is a powerhouse when it comes to reporting. Users can generate reports that span multiple sheets (30,000 sheets maximum) and see the results on a single screen. The reports you generate can take an entire sheet into consideration, or you can narrow reports down to rows. Smartsheet can also quickly summarize data so that it can be shared with stakeholders and clients.
Smartsheet also offers customizable dashboards. While the dashboards aren’t the most intuitive or visually pleasing dashboards I have used, they’re functional and get the job done. Just be prepared to spend some time configuring where to pull data from. Still, once you get a dashboard configured, you’ll have key performance indicators at your fingertips.
Smartsheet’s dashboards aren’t the most pleasing visually, but they’re functional and can be packed with data.
Wrike also offers users many options regarding reports. Seven pre-made reports allow you to see active tasks, weekly status reports, overdue tasks, projects due this month, unassigned tasks, time spent on tasks and team utilization. Additionally, you can create custom reports and filter data as needed. Customizable dashboards are also present. I find Wrike’s dashboards easier to configure and more visually appealing than Smartsheet’s.
Wrike’s dashboards are easy to customize and show many project performance indicators.
Verdict: Smartsheet wins the reporting and analytics round. While Wrike is no slouch when it comes to reports, the sheer level of report customization in Smartsheet makes it hard to beat. Project managers who like knowing what’s going on will appreciate being able to dial in reports that get down to the smallest detail.
Integrations and Automation
Smartsheet connects to over 100 common applications used by SMBs. Integrations include Google Drive, Slack, Power BI and Microsoft Teams, to name a few. Smartsheet also offers bidirectional connectors with Jira and Salesforce, meaning data updated in one platform will be updated in the other. Users can also tap into Smartsheet’s API to create integrations. However, one caveat is that some integrations only work with specific Smartsheet plans.
Smartsheet supports automations and provides an automation builder, making it possible to create automated, cross-platform workflows. I like that Smartsheet offers the choice of creating custom automations or using templates for common scenarios, such as receiving notifications when specific criteria are met. You can also create recurring tasks.
In Smartsheet, you can create automations from scratch or use templates.
Not surprisingly, you can also integrate Wrike with many third-party applications. Configuring automations is straightforward and creating simple workflows is a cinch. However, you must subscribe to Wrike Integrate to create complex automated workflows. You’ll need to pay extra again to create bidirectional data sharing, as you’ll need to subscribe to Wrike Sync. On top of this, these add-ons will only work from the Business plan onward.
Wrike offers automation templates and allows users to create custom rules and recurring tasks. I find Wrike’s automation builder easier to use than Smartsheet’s, but it’s still leagues behind other automation builders on platforms such as ClickUp, monday.com and Asana. It would be remiss of me not to mention that Wrike also locks a few integrations (Adobe Creative Cloud, Power BI, Salesforce, QuickBooks) to specific plans.
Wrike can connect with many third-party applications.
Verdict: It’s a draw. Smartsheet and Wrike are similar in terms of integrations and automation. Neither pulls ahead due to apps being locked behind specific paid plans and unnecessary cash grabs. Wrike offers more integrations and a better automation builder but wants to nickel and dime you to death for capabilities that should be included, while Smartsheet’s automation builder is harder to use. It’s six of one and a half dozen of another.
Artificial Intelligence
Smartsheet offers an AI tool to help project managers and team members save time. You can use the tool to create formulas, which is handy if you’re unfamiliar with spreadsheets. It can also summarize data, perform calculations, create reports and charts, and draft and translate text. The tool isn’t the most powerful I have used in the project management space, but it’s still quite handy. Unfortunately, it’s only available in the Enterprise plan and up.
Smartsheet’s AI can create formulas, analyze data, translate text and create summaries.
Wrike’s artificial intelligence tool is more powerful than Smartsheet’s. It can create meeting agendas, project scopes, risk management plans and subtasks. It can also summarize comments left on tasks and suggest automations. Oddly, you must enable the tool as it’s not on by default. Most AI features are available from the Team plan, which is far better than how Smartsheet structures its AI tool.
Wrike’s AI tool can help you create meeting agendas, subtasks and other drafts.
Verdict: Wrike wins the artificial intelligence section. While Smartsheet’s AI tool is useful and will help users save time, Wrike’s implementation of AI is better. The tool can do much more than Smartsheet’s, and most of its capabilities are available to users from the affordable Team plan. In contrast, Smartsheet reserves its AI tool for Enterprise and Advanced Work Management plans.