What is the difference between TickTick and Smartsheet?

TickTick is best for Productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar, while Smartsheet is best for Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management. TickTick starts at Free and Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo.

Is TickTick or Smartsheet cheaper?

TickTick starts at Free with a free tier. Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo.

Is there a free alternative to Smartsheet?

Yes, TickTick offers a free tier (Free with limits).

TickTick vs Smartsheet

TickTick is task manager with built-in calendar, habit tracker, Pomodoro timer, and Kanban boards, while Smartsheet is enterprise work management platform with spreadsheet interface, automations, and dashboards. The biggest difference up front: TickTick is free, while Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo. TickTick is built for productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar, whereas Smartsheet targets enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management.

At a glance

	TickTick	Smartsheet
Best for	Productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar	Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management
Starting price	Free	$7/user/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Automations	—	✓
Calendar View	✓	—
Dashboards	—	✓
Habits	✓	—
Kanban	✓	—
Pomodoro	✓	—
Resource Mgmt	—	✓
Spreadsheet UI	—	✓

TickTick

Strengths

Built-in calendar view shows tasks alongside your schedule for easier planning
Habit tracking is built in — no need for a separate app to track daily routines
Free with limits — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan has meaningful restrictions: free with limits
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Migrating existing projects from another tool can be time-consuming
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try TickTick → Full review

Smartsheet

Strengths

Spreadsheet-style interface is familiar to anyone who has used Excel
Built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments
Affordable at $7/user/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the project management category
Established product with 20+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

No free plan — you need to pay $7/user/mo from day one to use it
Enterprise-focused design means the interface can feel heavy for smaller teams
Migrating existing projects from another tool can be time-consuming
Overkill for freelancers or small teams who need something lightweight

Try Smartsheet → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: TickTick is completely free (Free with limits), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: TickTick offers Calendar View, Habits and Kanban that Smartsheet lacks. Smartsheet brings Automations, Dashboards and Resource Mgmt that TickTick does not have.

Team fit: TickTick is geared toward individual users and small setups, while Smartsheet is aimed at enterprise teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: TickTick's biggest strengths are: built-in calendar view shows tasks alongside your schedule for easier planning. habit tracking is built in — no need for a separate app to track daily routines. Smartsheet's biggest strengths are: spreadsheet-style interface is familiar to anyone who has used excel. built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments.

Watch out for: With TickTick, users commonly note that free plan has meaningful restrictions: free with limits. With Smartsheet, the main complaint is that no free plan — you need to pay $7/user/mo from day one to use it.

Choose TickTick if...

You need a tool built for productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar
Budget is a hard constraint — TickTick is free, Smartsheet is not
You specifically need Calendar View and Habits
You care about habit tracking is built in — no need for a separate app to track daily routines
Your team size fits the individuals profile TickTick is designed for

Choose Smartsheet if...

You need a tool built for enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management
You specifically need Automations and Dashboards
You care about built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments
Your team size fits the enterprise profile Smartsheet is designed for