- Monday.com offers faster onboarding thanks to visual boards, drag-and-drop functionality, and guided templates, making it ideal for teams new to workflow management.
- Smartsheet is more spreadsheet-oriented, appealing to Excel users, but may require extra time to understand dependencies, formulas, and sheet hierarchies.
- Visual usability favors Monday.com, with multiple views (Kanban, calendar, timeline) that simplify daily task tracking and reduce the learning curve.
- Automation is easier in Monday.com, with accessible recipes for notifications, task updates, and repetitive processes, whereas Smartsheet requires more technical setup.
- Customization is more intuitive in Monday.com, allowing teams to adjust boards, dashboards, and workflows quickly without coding knowledge.
- Collaboration is smoother in Monday.com, with task-level comments, tagging, and real-time updates, while Smartsheet offers robust but less visual collaboration tools.
- Smartsheet excels in complex projects, especially those requiring formulas, cross-sheet dependencies, and advanced reporting, making it better for data-heavy workflows.
Project management tools have become essential for teams of all sizes, helping streamline workflows, keep tasks organized, and improve productivity. Among the most popular platforms are Monday.com and Smartsheet, each offering a robust suite of features. But if you’re wondering which tool is easier to set up and manage for daily workflows, this guide will break it down step by step.
In this article, we’ll compare both platforms in terms of onboarding, interface, usability, automation, and real-world team experiences. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of which platform suits your daily work style.
What Makes Workflow Management Easy?
Before diving into the tools themselves, it’s worth asking: what actually makes a workflow management platform easy to use?
Some key factors include:
- Intuitive interface – Can new users navigate it without extensive training?
- Quick onboarding – How fast can you get started with tasks and projects?
- Customizable workflows – Can you adapt templates to match your team’s needs?
- Automation capabilities – Does it reduce repetitive tasks automatically?
- Collaboration features – Are updates, comments, and file sharing seamless?
These factors will be our guide as we look at Monday.com vs Smartsheet.
Getting Started: Onboarding and Setup
How Easy Is Monday.com to Get Started?
Monday.com prides itself on a visually clean and flexible interface. New users are greeted with:
- Templates for any workflow – Marketing campaigns, software development, HR tasks, and more.
- Guided setup – Step-by-step onboarding guides walk you through boards, columns, and automations.
- Drag-and-drop boards – Organizing tasks and projects is as simple as moving cards around.
- Quick import options – Bring in spreadsheets from Excel or Google Sheets without losing structure.
Overall, teams can often start managing their first workflow within an hour of signing up.
How Easy Is Smartsheet to Get Started?
Smartsheet uses a spreadsheet-like interface, which appeals to teams familiar with Excel. Its onboarding includes:
- Pre-built templates – Covering project management, IT, operations, and marketing workflows.
- Sheet creation wizard – Guides you through creating new sheets, columns, and dependencies.
- Import capabilities – Convert existing spreadsheets into actionable sheets quickly.
While Smartsheet is powerful, new users may need a bit more time to understand dependencies, formulas, and the hierarchy of sheets, reports, and dashboards.
Verdict: Onboarding
If simplicity and visual setup are your priority, Monday.com has a slight edge. Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-style interface is familiar to Excel users but can feel more technical for those new to workflow management.
Interface and Usability: Which Feels More Intuitive?
Monday.com Interface
Monday.com’s interface is colorful, modular, and highly visual. Key usability highlights:
- Boards and views – Kanban, timeline, calendar, and map views make it easy to track projects.
- Customizable columns – Status, text, people, dates, and formulas can all be added in a click.
- Notifications and updates – Alerts are clear and centralized, reducing email clutter.
- Mobile app – Allows teams to manage workflows on the go with minimal friction.
The interface encourages exploration and reduces the learning curve for daily use.
Smartsheet Interface
Smartsheet takes a spreadsheet-first approach. Key features include:
- Grid-based layout – Familiar to Excel users, but can appear dense for newcomers.
- Gantt charts and card views – Offer visual alternatives for project tracking.
- Cell linking and formulas – Powerful for cross-sheet calculations, but requires some technical know-how.
- Alerts and reminders – Work similarly to Monday.com but may need setup per sheet.
While Smartsheet excels in complex project management, casual users might find it less visually intuitive for day-to-day workflow tracking.
Verdict: Usability
For teams looking for immediate visual clarity and ease of navigation, Monday.com is easier to pick up. Smartsheet shines for data-heavy, structured projects but can feel more complex initially.
Customizing Workflows: How Flexible Are They?
Monday.com Customization
Monday.com allows extensive customization without coding:
- Boards tailored to any workflow – Each board can be designed for tasks, sprints, or client projects.
- Custom automations – Trigger notifications, due date reminders, or status updates automatically.
- Widgets and dashboards – Visual summaries of tasks, workload, and project progress.
- Integrations – Connects with Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, and more for a seamless workflow.
The customization is visual and intuitive, so teams can adjust boards on the fly without breaking their setup.
Smartsheet Customization
Smartsheet offers strong customization but leans toward structured configurations:
- Formulas and cell linking – Powerful for task dependencies and calculations.
- Conditional formatting – Highlights overdue tasks or important milestones automatically.
- Automation rules – Alerts, reminders, and approvals can be configured, though setup may take time.
- Reports and dashboards – Aggregate data from multiple sheets into comprehensive reports.
Smartsheet is highly flexible but requires more planning, especially if your workflows involve multiple interdependent sheets.
Verdict: Customization
For visual, drag-and-drop flexibility, Monday.com wins. Smartsheet offers more power under the hood but is less intuitive for everyday workflow adjustments.
Automation: Can You Reduce Repetitive Tasks?
Monday.com Automations
Monday.com’s automation recipes are simple and visual:
- Notify team members when a status changes.
- Move tasks automatically when deadlines are approaching.
- Integrate with email or other apps to reduce manual work.
Automation setup is quick, and you don’t need programming knowledge to get started.
Smartsheet Automations
Smartsheet also supports robust automation:
- Approval requests routed automatically.
- Alerts and reminders sent based on rules.
- Cross-sheet updates using workflows.
However, creating complex workflows may require some learning, especially for conditional logic and multi-step automations.
Verdict: Automation
Monday.com offers more accessible automation for teams looking to save time on daily repetitive tasks. Smartsheet is powerful but slightly more technical to implement fully.
Collaboration: How Easy Is Team Communication?
Monday.com Collaboration Tools
- Comment directly on tasks for context.
- Tag team members for notifications.
- Share boards or dashboards with external stakeholders.
- Mobile and desktop apps keep everyone synced in real-time.
Smartsheet Collaboration Tools
- Commenting on rows and sheets.
- Alerts and notifications for updates.
- Shared sheets and reports for external partners.
- Collaboration works well but is less visual than Monday.com.
Verdict: Collaboration
For real-time collaboration and visual clarity, Monday.com edges ahead. Smartsheet supports collaboration robustly but feels more traditional.
Pricing and Plans: Does Cost Affect Ease of Use?
While both platforms have similar starting points, pricing can influence your choice if ease of setup is a priority:
Monday.com
- Free plan available for small teams.
- Paid plans start at $10–$12 per user per month.
- Offers unlimited boards and templates on higher tiers.
Smartsheet
- No free tier, only a 30-day trial.
- Paid plans start around $7–$25 per user per month depending on features.
- Advanced reporting and automation are on higher tiers.
If your team is small or just testing workflows, Monday.com’s visual simplicity and free plan make it easier to get started.
Real-World Use Cases: Who Benefits Most?
Monday.com is best for:
- Teams seeking a visual, drag-and-drop interface.
- Quick onboarding for new employees.
- Daily task tracking and team collaboration without technical barriers.
Smartsheet is best for:
- Teams managing complex, data-heavy projects.
- Organizations needing spreadsheet-style structure with formulas.
- Projects with multi-sheet dependencies and reporting needs.
Common Questions About Monday.com vs Smartsheet
Q: Which platform requires less training?
Monday.com generally requires less training because of its visual interface and guided templates.
Q: Can both platforms handle remote teams?
Yes, both are cloud-based, but Monday.com’s interface is more intuitive for distributed teams.
Q: Which tool is better for beginners?
Monday.com is more beginner-friendly due to drag-and-drop boards and simple automations.
Q: Are integrations easy to set up?
Both platforms support integrations, but Monday.com’s app marketplace is more visual and easier to navigate.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to ease of setup and managing daily workflows, Monday.com tends to have the advantage. Its visual, intuitive interface, simple onboarding, drag-and-drop boards, and accessible automation make it ideal for teams looking to hit the ground running.
Smartsheet is powerful and highly flexible but leans toward users who are comfortable with spreadsheet logic and more structured project management. If your workflows involve complex dependencies and extensive reporting, Smartsheet may be worth the learning curve.
For most teams looking for quick setup, visual clarity, and simplified daily workflow management, Monday.com is the clear winner.
