Smartsheet alternative
The Smartsheet alternative with time and billing built in.
Time tracking, timesheets and billing in the base plan, not a separate paid add-on.
Quick answer
57 wordsIf your team runs projects in Smartsheet grids and pays extra for Resource Management to track time, switch to Airtask. Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-style work platform with no native time tracking; time, approvals and bill rates live in its separate paid Resource Management add-on. Airtask logs hours on each task, approves timesheets and calculates cost in the base plan. Airtask puts time, timesheets and billing in the base plan, at one flat price, with no second license to buy.
The short version
Four reasons teams go looking for a Smartsheet alternative.
Time and billing are a paid add-on.
Native time tracking, approvals and bill rates live in Resource Management, a separate product with its own license on top of your Smartsheet seats.
It is a grid, not a task tool.
Everything starts as a sheet. Task management, boards and automations are built on top of rows and columns rather than tasks.
Per member, and members pay.
Only paid Members create and edit. Pricing scales per member, and the real project features sit on the higher tiers.
Two licenses to run one project.
A project with real cost tracking means paying for Smartsheet and for Resource Management, and keeping them in sync.
Head to head
Where each platform is stronger.
Four places teams feel the difference, every day.
01Time tracking on tasks
Airtask wins02Billing in the base product
Airtask wins03One tool, not two licenses
Airtask wins04Flat pricing, not per member
Airtask winsComparison
Smartsheet vs Airtask.
What changes when time and billing are in the base plan, not an add-on.
Task structure
- Smartsheet
- Sheets, rows, columns
- Airtask
- Projects, tasks, child tasks
Time tracking
- Smartsheet
- Resource Management add-on (separate license)
- Airtask
- On every task with a timer, in the base plan, reconciled with timesheets
Timesheets with approval
- Smartsheet
- In Resource Management only
- Airtask
- Weekly view, submit, approve or reject, in the base plan
Billing and bill rates
- Smartsheet
- Bill rates in Resource Management only
- Airtask
- Non-billable, time-based, fixed, mixed, inherited
Cost tracking
- Smartsheet
- In the add-on
- Airtask
- Calculated from approved timesheet time, in the base plan
Sprints
- Smartsheet
- Not a native agile tool
- Airtask
- Scrum and Kanban, sprints, backlog
Grids and formulas
- Smartsheet
- Deep spreadsheet engine
- Airtask
- Task-shaped, not grid-shaped
Docs / notebook
- Smartsheet
- No linked notebook
- Airtask
- Project Notebook, linked to tasks
Pricing
- Smartsheet
- Per member, plus Resource Management license
- Airtask
- Flat per workspace, the whole team in
Pricing
Flat per workspace. No second license.
Smartsheet charges per member, and time and billing need a separate Resource Management license. Airtask charges for the workspace.
200 members on Smartsheet Business is about $3,800 a month, before the Resource Management license for time and billing. On Airtask Plus it's $49.
* Smartsheet list prices checked October 2026 (annual billing per member); native time tracking and bill rates require the Resource Management add-on.
Tasks, not rows. Real hours underneath.
Instead of running projects as sheets, you get projects, tasks and child tasks, with logged time and approved timesheet hours beneath them. No second product to license for the hours and the cost.
Will my team have to relearn the grid?
The shift is from rows and columns to tasks. Most teams find task, assignee, status and dates more natural than maintaining a sheet, and time and billing come with it.
What powers the reports?
Logged time and approved timesheet hours, in the base product. The number in the report is the number the team worked, with no add-on to reconcile.
What do I gain over Smartsheet?
Time, timesheets and billing in one base plan instead of a separate Resource Management license, task-shaped projects instead of grids, and one flat price instead of a per-member bill.
The platform
Three things built into Airtask that Smartsheet keeps in a paid add-on.
Time tracked on the task, in the base plan.
Open a task and see every hour logged against it: who, when, how long. A real timer and approved timesheets, with no separate Resource Management license to buy and sync.
- SmartsheetNative time tracking and approvals live in the Resource Management add-on only.
- AirtaskTimer and approved timesheets in the base product. Every hour reconciles with the task.
Billing that lives inside the project.
Pick a billing model per project: non-billable, time-based, fixed, mixed or inherited. Override the rate per team member. Project cost calculates from approved time.
- SmartsheetBill rates sit in Resource Management, a separate licensed product.
- AirtaskFive billing models, a per-member rate override, cost from approved time, in the base plan.
Four views and a visual filter builder.
Build filters visually with Where, Field, Condition and Value. Switch views without leaving the grid behind: List for tracking, Board for flow, Calendar for planning, Notebook for notes.
- SmartsheetSmartsheet is sheet-first, with Gantt, Card and Calendar views on top of the grid.
- AirtaskList, Board, Calendar and a linked Notebook, task-shaped from the start.
Who switches
Who actually needs to switch.
Teams paying twice for time and billing.
If you license Smartsheet and Resource Management to track hours and cost, having both in one base plan removes a product and a bill.
Teams that think in tasks, not rows.
If running projects as spreadsheets is friction, task, assignee, status and time come shaped for the work.
Teams watching the per-member bill.
Flat per workspace means the price is the same whether 20 or 200 people log in.
Migration
From Smartsheet grid to your first project.
Set up your workspace.
Create projects and invite your team. No second license needed to start.
Recreate your sheets as projects.
Rows and columns map to projects, tasks and child tasks.
Turn on billing and time tracking.
Set a billing model per project and start logging real hours, with no Resource Management add-on.
Fast for the default view. Full team and billing configuration takes one to two days.
Ready to see what your tasks actually cost?
Put time, tasks and billing on one board, at one flat price.
Book a demoFAQs
The questions teams evaluating Smartsheet alternatives actually ask.
Does Smartsheet have native time tracking?
Not in the core product. Time tracking, approvals and bill rates live in Resource Management, a separate licensed add-on. Airtask puts time tracking on every task in the base plan.
Does Airtask include billing and cost tracking?
Yes. Five billing models, per-member rates and project cost from approved time are in the base product, with no add-on to license.
Can Airtask handle sprints natively?
Yes. Scrum and Kanban boards, sprints, a backlog and sprint reports all ship natively. Smartsheet is not a native agile tool.
How does Airtask pricing compare to Smartsheet?
Smartsheet charges per member, from about $9 on Pro, plus a Resource Management license for time and billing. Airtask is flat per workspace: Plus is $49 a month for up to 200 people, time and billing included.
Why do teams switch from Smartsheet to Airtask?
To stop paying for Smartsheet and a separate Resource Management license just to track time and bill, and to get it all in one base plan at one flat price.