Why Agencies Start Looking Beyond Smartsheet
Smartsheet isn't a bad tool. The problem is it's built for everyone, which means it's not really optimised for anyone in particular. Agencies have specific needs that general-purpose tools often miss.
Some of the most common frustrations we hear from agency teams:
- No free plan - agencies can't trial it properly without committing to a paid subscription
- Spreadsheet-style interface alienates team members not comfortable with grid-based layouts
- No native Agile or sprint management features, making it unsuitable for dev-adjacent agency work
- Collaboration feels awkward compared to purpose-built tools - comments and updates get buried
- Pricing jumps significantly between tiers, with many essential features locked behind Business plans
If any of that sounds familiar, keep reading.
What to Actually Look for When Switching
Before diving into the list, it helps to be clear on what an agency actually needs from a project management tool. Not every feature matters equally.
| Feature | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Time tracking | You can't bill accurately without knowing where the hours went |
| Client portal | Clients need a way to check in without getting full access to everything |
| Budgeting and invoicing | Keeping an eye on project profitability in real time saves a lot of pain later |
| Resource management | Knowing who's overloaded before it becomes a problem |
| Reporting | Something you can actually show clients, not just internal dashboards |
| Easy onboarding | If it takes a week to train someone, that's a problem |
10 Smartsheet Alternatives Worth Considering in 2026
#1 Top Pick
1. Worklenz - Best Free and Open-Source Alternative to Smartsheet
Good fit for: Agencies that want something built specifically for how they work, without a bloated price tag
Worklenz was built with agencies in mind from the start. Unlike Smartsheet, it's not trying to be a tool for every team on the planet. The focus is on the things agencies actually care about: tracking billable hours, managing client projects, balancing team workloads, and keeping an eye on financials.
What makes it stand out is the combination of being genuinely free to start and open-source. If your agency handles sensitive client data, the self-hosted version gives you full control over where that data lives - something very few tools offer.
What you get:
- Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and task list views
- Time tracking with billable hours built in
- Client portals so your clients can see what they need to see
- Workload and resource views across projects
- Reporting and analytics that actually give you useful numbers
- A self-hosted version if data privacy is a priority
- A free plan with no credit card needed to get started
Over 11,000 agencies are already using it. For teams tired of paying Smartsheet rates for features they don't use, it's a genuinely strong option.
Try Worklenz free2. Asana Best for Teams That Want to Keep Things Simple
Good fit for: Agencies that found Smartsheet too complex
Asana has been around long enough to get the fundamentals really right. It's clean, it's reliable, and most people on your team will figure it out without needing a tutorial. Task dependencies work well, automation is straightforward to set up, and the reporting is good enough for most teams. It also connects with just about every tool you're already using.
What you get:
- List, board, timeline, and calendar views
- Task dependencies and milestone tracking
- Workflow automation
- Reporting dashboards
- Integrations with Slack, Google Workspace, Zoom, and 200 others
Where it falls short: No built-in time tracking or budgeting. For agencies that bill by the hour, that's a real gap.
3. Monday.com Best for Visual Thinkers Managing Multiple Clients
Good fit for: Marketing and creative agencies juggling several campaigns at once
Monday.com is hard to ignore if your team responds well to visual layouts. The boards are flexible, the automations are genuinely useful, and it's one of the easier tools to get clients involved in without confusing them. The customisation options are strong too - you can build workflows that match how your agency actually operates.
What you get:
- Kanban, Gantt, calendar, and timeline views
- Custom workflow automation
- Time tracking
- Budgeting and financial tracking
- Client and external access controls
- 40-plus native integrations
Where it falls short: Requires a minimum of three seats, and some of the more useful features like time tracking are only available on higher plans.
4. Wrike Best for Larger Agencies with Complex Workflows
Good fit for: Agencies with dedicated project managers and multiple approval stages
Wrike is built for teams that need serious structure. It handles cross-team projects well and has solid proofing and review tools, which is a big deal for creative and marketing agencies dealing with multiple rounds of client feedback. The reporting is detailed and the security features are enterprise grade.
What you get:
- Customisable dashboards and workspaces
- Advanced workflow automation
- Time tracking and resource management
- Budgeting and financial tracking
- Client and external access
- Gantt charts and task dependency tracking
Where it falls short: The interface takes some getting used to. Smaller teams or agencies without a dedicated project manager may find it more tool than they need.
5. Teamwork Best for Agencies That Need to Track Every Billable Hour
Good fit for: Client services agencies where profitability per project matters a lot
Teamwork is one of the few tools on this list that was genuinely built for client services work. It combines project management, time tracking, client portals, and invoicing in one place, which means fewer tabs open and less copying data between systems. If you've ever had to explain to a client why a project went over budget, you'll appreciate being able to track budget burn in real time against actual hours logged.
What you get:
- Task and project management
- Native time tracking with billable hours
- Client portal for external collaboration
- Budget and invoice tracking
- Resource management and workload views
- Retainer management
Where it falls short: Pricing scales up quickly as your team grows beyond the starter tier.
6. Notion Best for Agencies That Live in Documents
Good fit for: Content, strategy, and consulting agencies that need a knowledge base as much as a task manager
Notion doesn't really fit neatly into the 'project management tool' category. It's part wiki, part database, part task tracker. For agencies where a lot of the work involves creating and organising information - like strategy decks, content briefs, research, or internal process docs - it can be genuinely useful. It's highly flexible, which is part of why people love it.
What you get:
- Flexible databases with table, board, calendar, and gallery views
- Document and wiki management
- Project and task tracking
- Team collaboration tools
- A huge template library
Where it falls short: No time tracking, no client portal, no invoicing. If your agency does anything billable, you'll need something alongside Notion to manage that side of things.
7. Smartsheet Best for Teams That Think in Spreadsheets
Good fit for: Agencies where the team is deeply comfortable with spreadsheet-style layouts
Smartsheet looks and feels like a spreadsheet but has the power of a proper project management tool underneath. If your team has been managing projects in Excel or Google Sheets and keeps hitting the limits of what a spreadsheet can do, this is a natural next step. The automation is solid, the reporting is detailed, and it scales well for enterprise teams.
What you get:
- Grid, Gantt, board, and calendar views
- Automation and workflow builder
- Time tracking and resource management
- Budgeting and financial tracking
- Reporting dashboards and custom reports
- Client access controls
Where it falls short: No free plan. Interface can feel rigid compared to modern PM tools.
8. Jira Best for Dev and Product Agencies
Good fit for: Software development agencies running Agile or Scrum workflows
Jira is the standard for software development project tracking and has been for years. If your agency builds digital products, the sprint management, backlog tools, and issue tracking are hard to beat. The GitHub and Bitbucket integrations alone make it worth considering for dev-heavy teams. That said, it's genuinely not the right tool for purely creative or marketing agencies.
What you get:
- Sprint and backlog management
- Scrum and Kanban boards
- Issue tracking
- Time tracking and logging
- Customisable workflows
- Native integrations with GitHub, Bitbucket, and Confluence
Where it falls short: Not designed for client-facing project management or billing. Creative teams tend to find it more trouble than it's worth.
9. Basecamp Best for Small Teams That Just Need to Stay Organised
Good fit for: Small agencies that want one simple place for communication and task tracking
Basecamp is refreshingly simple. It's been doing the same things well since 2004: messages, to-do lists, file sharing, and scheduling. There are no Gantt charts, no time tracking, no budgeting tools. What you get instead is a clean, fast tool that pretty much anyone can use on day one without training.
What you get:
- To-do lists with task assignments
- Team messaging and group chat
- File and document sharing
- Project scheduling
- Client access on all plans
Where it falls short: No Gantt charts, no time tracking, no budgeting tools.
10. Zoho Projects Best for Getting a Full Feature Set on a Smaller Budget
Good fit for: Cost-conscious agencies that don't want to compromise on core features
Zoho Projects punches above its weight. You get time tracking, budgeting, client access, reporting, and Agile tools without the premium pricing that comes with some of the bigger names on this list. It also connects well with the rest of the Zoho ecosystem, which is useful if your agency is already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Books.
What you get:
- Task and project management
- Gantt charts and milestones
- Time tracking and timesheet management
- Budget and expense tracking
- Client and external access
- Agile sprint management
- Integration with other Zoho products
Where it falls short: The interface isn't as polished as some competitors, but the functionality is genuinely solid for the price.
Quick Feature Comparison
| Tool | Time Tracking | Client Portal | Budgeting | Agile | Free Plan | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Teams that think and work in spreadsheet layouts | |
| ✓ Worklenz | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Open-source agency PM - free to start, self-host option |
| Asana | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Teams wanting simple, clean task management | ||
| Monday.com | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Visual project tracking across multiple clients |
| Wrike | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Large agencies with complex approval workflows |
| Teamwork | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Client billing, time tracking and retainer management |
| Notion | ✓ | ✓ | Documentation-heavy content and strategy agencies | |||
| Smartsheet | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Teams that think and work in spreadsheet layouts | ||
| Jira | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Software development and product agencies | |
| Basecamp | ✓ | Small teams needing simple communication and tasks | ||||
| Zoho Projects | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Budget-conscious agencies wanting full features |
So Which One Should You Pick?
Honestly, it depends on what's actually bothering you about Smartsheet right now.
If the main issue is cost and complexity, Worklenz is worth trying first. It's built specifically for agencies, free to start, and covers the features that matter most for client work without piling on everything else. The open-source and self-hosted options are a genuine differentiator if data privacy matters to your clients.
If simplicity is the priority, Asana will feel like a breath of fresh air after Smartsheet. If you're managing a large team with complex approvals, Wrike is worth a look. And if you're a dev agency, Jira is probably where you belong anyway.
The best move is to pick one, run a real project through it, and see how your team actually responds. Most of these tools have free trials, so there's no reason to commit before you've kicked the tyres.
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