What is the difference between Wrike and Smartsheet?

Wrike is best for Professional services teams needing resource management, while Smartsheet is best for Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management. Wrike starts at Free and Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo.

Is Wrike or Smartsheet cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to Smartsheet?

Yes, Wrike offers a free tier (Free for basic use).

Wrike vs Smartsheet

Wrike is enterprise work management with Gantt charts, resource management, and proofing tools, while Smartsheet is enterprise work management platform with spreadsheet interface, automations, and dashboards. The biggest difference up front: Wrike is free, while Smartsheet starts at $7/user/mo. Wrike is built for professional services teams needing resource management, whereas Smartsheet targets enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management.

At a glance

	Wrike	Smartsheet
Best for	Professional services teams needing resource management	Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-style project management
Starting price	Free	$7/user/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Automations	—	✓
Custom Workflows	✓	—
Dashboards	—	✓
Gantt Charts	✓	—
Proofing	✓	—
Resource Management	✓	—
Resource Mgmt	—	✓
Spreadsheet UI	—	✓

Wrike

Strengths

Gantt charts visualize project timelines with task dependencies at a glance
Includes Resource Management as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
Free for basic use — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 20+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
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 Wrike → 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: Wrike is completely free (Free for basic use), 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: Wrike offers Custom Workflows, Gantt Charts and Proofing that Smartsheet lacks. Smartsheet brings Automations, Dashboards and Resource Mgmt that Wrike does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target enterprise teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Wrike's biggest strengths are: gantt charts visualize project timelines with task dependencies at a glance. includes resource management as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows. 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 Wrike, 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 Wrike if...

You need a tool built for professional services teams needing resource management
Budget is a hard constraint — Wrike is free, Smartsheet is not
You specifically need Custom Workflows and Gantt Charts
You care about includes resource management as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
The free tier works for you: free for basic use

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