Smartsheet vs PMPeople:Which PPM Platform Works Harder for You?
Introduction: Comparing Smartsheet and PMPeople for Modern Project ManagementFor Project Managers, PMO Leads, and Business Decision-makers evaluating collaborative project platforms, this page offers a structured comparison between Smartsheet and PMPeople to help you choose the right tool for visibility, governance, and agile scalability.
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Quick Comparison Snapshot
| Category | PMPeople | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Methodologies | Agile, Hybrid & Traditional | Grid-first; Agile add-ons required |
| Ease of Use | Built for instant use, minimal learning | Familiar to Excel users, less Agile-native |
| Governance & PMO | Built-in governance & role-based views | Light governance via permissions |
| Collaboration | Real-time, role-specific collaboration | Commenting, workflows, @mentions |
| Pricing | Predictable SaaS per-user pricing | Tiered pricing, usage-based features |
Why Teams Move Beyond Spreadsheets
Smartsheet is great for spreadsheet lovers, but when scaling projects, users often face:
Methodology Support
Lack of Agile/Hybrid methodology support out of the box
View Limitations
Poor native portfolio and role-based views
AI Limitations
Limited AI, forecasting, or governance features
Dashboard Disarray
Collaboration scattered across dashboards
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Functionality Area | PMPeople Features | Smartsheet Features |
|---|---|---|
| Project Methodology | Supports unified Agile, Hybrid, Predictivet | Spreadsheet-based primarily. Agile applied via templates.q |
| UX & Adoption | No learning curve, usable at first interaction | Excel styled user interface. |
| Team Collaboration | Role-based task views, comments, alerts | Basic commenting with asks for updates |
| Governance & Visibility | Role based permissions with automated visibility of progress. | Basic permissions types requiring manual updates to report. |
| Resource Planning | Visual representation of workloads, capacity planning | Requires setup and licenses or manual configuration |
| Integrations | Slack, Jira, GitHub natively, using native REST API. | Microsoft 365, Google Drive, 3rd party apps |
| Pricing Model | Transparent SaaS pricing model, includes all features | Tiered models, you only get features you pay for (provider imposes limits) |
PMPeople vs Smartsheet: Implementation, Scaling, and Governance
| Area | PMPeople | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Set Up | Instant, natively cloud-based | Fast, based on a spreadsheet interface |
| Team Size Fit | Perfect for scaling across a portfolios | Fit for small teams who can handle less governance |
| Agile Frameworks | Native support for Agile workflows (Kanban, Sprints, etc.) | Not natively supported, requires adaptation using templates |
| Training Required | Low-to-none | Low for simple tasks; higher for managing workflows |
When to Use Each Product
Use PMPeople if:
- Your managing Agile or Hybrid projects across multiple teams
- You require project governance, real-time visibility, and reporting
- You want to quickly have collaboration built-in and roles separated out
Use Smartsheet if:
- Your managing grid-style task tracking templates for small projects
- You prefer an Excel style UI and manual workflows
- You are not managing portfolios and have complex dependencies
What Our Users Are Saying!
“We loved Smartsheet’s ease of use but we quickly maxed it out. PMPeople gives us true project visibility, support for Agile projects, and stakeholder dashboards in one platform.”— Sandeep Kulkarni, PMO Manager, VisionNext
FAQs (Optimized for Voice and Snippets)
Is PMPeople better than Smartsheet for Agile project management?
Yes! PMPeople supports Agile, Hybrid, and Traditional frameworks out of the box. Smartsheet relies strictly on templates and no inherent support for PM Governance or multiple frameworks.
Can I migrate from Smartsheet to PMPeople?
Yes. PMPeople has tools to easily bring over your task lists, timelines, and user lists.
How do prices compare?
PMPeople has easy per user pricing with all features included. Smartsheet has tiered pricing with limited features in their cheapest plans.
Is PMPeople built for PMO governance?
Yes! PMPeople includes role-based visibility, portfolio views, and built-in governance logic.
Does PMPeople integrate with other tools such as Smartsheet?
Yes. PMPeople integrates with Slack, Jira, GitHub, and we also offer an open REST API.