What is the difference between Todoist and Smartsheet?

Todoist is best for Individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager, while Smartsheet is best for Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management. Todoist starts at Free and Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo.

Is Todoist or Smartsheet cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to Smartsheet?

Yes, Todoist offers a free tier (Free for 5 active projects).

Todoist vs Smartsheet

Todoist is task management app with natural language input, labels, filters, and cross-platform sync, while Smartsheet is enterprise work management platform with spreadsheet interface, automations, and dashboards. The biggest difference up front: Todoist is free, while Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo. Todoist is built for individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager, whereas Smartsheet targets enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management.

At a glance

	Todoist	Smartsheet
Best for	Individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager	Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management
Starting price	Free	$7/user/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Automations	—	✓
Dashboards	—	✓
Filters	✓	—
Karma System	✓	—
Labels	✓	—
Natural Language	✓	—
Resource Mgmt	—	✓
Spreadsheet UI	—	✓

Todoist

Strengths

Natural language input lets you type tasks in plain English and auto-parse dates and priorities
Flexible label system makes it easy to filter and organize tasks your way
Free for 5 active projects — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 19+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
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 Todoist → 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: Todoist is completely free (Free for 5 active projects), 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: Todoist offers Filters, Karma System and Labels that Smartsheet lacks. Smartsheet brings Automations, Dashboards and Resource Mgmt that Todoist does not have.

Team fit: Todoist 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: Todoist's biggest strengths are: natural language input lets you type tasks in plain english and auto-parse dates and priorities. flexible label system makes it easy to filter and organize tasks your way. 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 Todoist, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Smartsheet, the main complaint is that no free plan — you need to pay $7/user/mo from day one to use it.

Choose Todoist if...

You need a tool built for individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager
Budget is a hard constraint — Todoist is free, Smartsheet is not
You specifically need Filters and Karma System
You care about flexible label system makes it easy to filter and organize tasks your way
Your team size fits the individuals profile Todoist 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