Celoxis, Microsoft Project, and Smartsheet all target structured project management for mid-size to large teams, but they solve it from different starting…
Subscription · From $10/user/month (Project Plan 1)
Best for: Organizations already standardized on Microsoft 365 that need industry-standard Gantt and critical-path scheduling tied into Teams and Power BI
subscription (per-user, tiered, plus enterprise) · From $9 per user per month (Pro plan, billed annually)
Best for: Teams that want a spreadsheet-familiar interface with a low learning curve that can scale into automation and lightweight custom apps
At a Glance
Celoxis
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Primary category
Project Management
Project Management
Project Management
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription
Subscription
subscription (per-user, tiered, plus enterprise)
Starting price
$10/user/month
$10/user/month (Project Plan 1)
$9 per user per month (Pro plan, billed annually)
Free plan
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web, Windows
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
A rare on-premise option
Celoxis is the only one of the three that can be deployed on self-managed Linux and PostgreSQL infrastructure instead of only as cloud SaaS, which matters for organizations with data residency or security requirements.
Celoxis
Deep Microsoft 365 integration
Microsoft Project ties natively into Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, and Entra ID authentication, making it the most natural fit for organizations already standardized on the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Project
Lowest-friction entry point
Smartsheet's Pro plan starts at 9 dollars per user per month with a spreadsheet-style grid that most business users already know, and it generates Gantt and calendar views automatically without manual chart building.
Smartsheet
Scenario modeling for PMOs
Celoxis offers what-if scenario forecasting across its paid tiers, while Microsoft Project reserves comparable portfolio optimization and demand management for its top-tier Plan 5, so the depth of PMO-grade analytics comes at different price points.
Celoxis, Microsoft Project
Enterprise trust at scale
Both Microsoft Project's decades-long history as the .mpp scheduling standard and Smartsheet's use by roughly 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies signal proven reliability for large, complex organizations.
Microsoft Project, Smartsheet
Feature-by-Feature
Scheduling and Views
Feature
Celoxis
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Gantt chart with critical path
Available
Available
Available
Multiple project views (grid, board, timeline)
Not documented
Available
Available
Resource, Time and Cost
Feature
Celoxis
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Built-in time tracking
Available
Available
Not documented
Resource capacity planning
Available
Available
Limited
Reporting, Analytics and Automation
Feature
Celoxis
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
What-if scenario / portfolio optimization
Available
Available
Not documented
Workflow automation
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Deployment and Access
Feature
Celoxis
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
On-premise deployment option
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Client-facing portal or lightweight app builder
Available
Not documented
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Celoxis
Core — $10/user/month Annual
Essentials — $25/user/month Annual
Professional — $35/user/month Annual
Business — $45/user/month Annual
Enterprise — Custom Annual
Microsoft Project
Project Plan 1 — $10/user/month Monthly or annual
Project Plan 3 — $30/user/month Monthly or annual
Project Plan 5 — $55/user/month Monthly or annual
Smartsheet
Pro — $9 per user per month annual (billed monthly at $12/user/month)
Business — $32 per user per month annual
Enterprise — Custom annual
Pros & Cons
Celoxis
Pros
Rare dual cloud/on-premise deployment option among modern project management tools
Deep analytics with trend analysis and what-if scenario modeling
Two decades of operating history with Fortune 500 and PMO customers
Granular per-role pricing (Team-Member, Timesheet users) can lower cost for mixed teams
Cons
Five full-access-user minimum makes it less accessible for very small teams
Interface and reporting depth can have a steeper learning curve than lighter task-management tools
Advanced features like risk tracking, billing, and client portal require upgrading to Professional or Business tiers
Deep integration with Microsoft 365 apps teams already use
Powerful, industry-standard Gantt and critical-path scheduling
Scales from small team task tracking to enterprise portfolio management
Familiar to generations of project managers trained on the .mpp format
Strong reporting via native Power BI connectors
Cons
Steep learning curve for advanced scheduling features
Desktop client requires Windows; no native macOS desktop app
Pricing per user can get expensive for large teams needing Plan 3 or 5
Less intuitive than modern visual PM tools like Asana or monday.com for simple task tracking
Enterprise portfolio features require add-on licensing and setup complexity
Smartsheet
Pros
Low learning curve for teams already comfortable with spreadsheets
Used at scale by a large share of Fortune 500 companies, indicating strong enterprise reliability
Flexible enough to support project management, resource planning, and lightweight app-building on one platform
Strong automation and reporting capabilities reduce manual status updates
Cons
Business plan pricing at 32 dollars per user per month can get expensive for large teams compared to some competitors
Pro plan's user cap limits its usefulness for larger deployments without upgrading
Spreadsheet-based interface can feel limiting for teams that need more visual, board-based project views without add-ons
Now privately held after the 2025 Vista Equity Partners and Blackstone acquisition, which may affect long-term public roadmap transparency
Use Cases
Choose Celoxis: PMOs and enterprise teams that want deep what-if scenario analytics and the option to deploy on-premise instead of only in the cloud
Choose Microsoft Project: Organizations already standardized on Microsoft 365 that need industry-standard Gantt and critical-path scheduling tied into Teams and Power BI
Choose Smartsheet: Teams that want a spreadsheet-familiar interface with a low learning curve that can scale into automation and lightweight custom apps
Celoxis
Enterprise Portfolio & PMO Management — PMOs use Celoxis' analytics, dashboards, and what-if scenarios to plan and monitor portfolios of projects across an organization.
Data-Sensitive On-Premise Deployment — Organizations with data residency or security requirements install Celoxis on-premise instead of using a cloud-only alternative.
Microsoft Project
Enterprise PMO portfolio management — Prioritize, sequence, and optimize a portfolio of competing projects with demand management and capacity tools.
Construction and engineering scheduling — Track detailed task dependencies, critical paths, and resource costs on large builds.
IT and software delivery scheduling — Coordinate cross-functional IT project timelines alongside Teams and SharePoint.
Smartsheet
Enterprise project and portfolio tracking — Project management offices use Smartsheet to track multiple projects, dependencies, and resource allocation across departments.
Marketing campaign management — Marketing teams use sheets, forms, and dashboards to plan campaigns, collect creative requests, and report on status to leadership.
IT and operations workflow automation — IT teams build lightweight WorkApps and automated workflows on top of Smartsheet data to manage tickets, approvals, and asset tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three tools can be deployed on-premise instead of the cloud?
Celoxis is the only one of the three offered as a self-hosted, on-premise deployment running on Linux and PostgreSQL, in addition to its cloud SaaS version. Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are both cloud-only, though Microsoft Project also ships an optional Windows desktop client for advanced offline scheduling.
Is Microsoft Project worth it if a team is not already using Microsoft 365?
Microsoft Project's biggest advantages, native Teams and SharePoint connections, Power BI reporting, and Entra ID authentication, are most valuable to teams already inside the Microsoft ecosystem. Teams outside that ecosystem may find Celoxis or Smartsheet easier to adopt standalone.
Which tool has the lowest starting price?
Smartsheet's Pro plan starts at 9 dollars per user per month, slightly below Celoxis's Core tier and Microsoft Project's Project Plan 1, both of which start at 10 dollars per user per month.
Which tool is easiest for non-technical business users to pick up?
Smartsheet's spreadsheet-style grid interface is generally the most familiar starting point for business users who already work in spreadsheets, whereas Celoxis and Microsoft Project both have steeper learning curves tied to their deeper scheduling and analytics features.
Which is best for a formal PMO managing a portfolio of projects?
Celoxis and Microsoft Project's Plan 5 tier both offer dedicated portfolio-level tools, what-if scenario modeling and portfolio optimization respectively, aimed specifically at PMOs managing competing projects across an organization.
Do any of these three offer a free plan?
No. All three are paid, per-user subscription products; none lists an ongoing free tier in its published pricing plans.