Hive, Microsoft Project, and Smartsheet all manage projects and tasks, but they are built for different working styles: Hive bundles native chat, email, and…
subscription (per-user, tiered, plus enterprise) · From $9 per user per month (Pro plan, billed annually)
Best for: Teams that prefer a spreadsheet-style interface and want to scale from simple sheets into automation and lightweight custom apps
At a Glance
Hive
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Primary category
Project Management
Project Management
Project Management
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Subscription
subscription (per-user, tiered, plus enterprise)
Starting price
Free; paid plans from $5/user/month
$10/user/month (Project Plan 1)
$9 per user per month (Pro plan, billed annually)
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web, Windows
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
The only free tier of the three
Hive's Free plan supports up to 10 workspace members with unlimited tasks at no cost, while Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are both paid, per-user subscription products from their first tier.
Hive
Communication built into the workspace
Hive includes native team chat, direct messaging, and two-way email integration inside the same workspace as tasks, reducing the need for a separate messaging app that Microsoft Project and Smartsheet users typically rely on Teams or an email client for.
Hive
An AI assistant from the Starter tier
Hive's AI Assistant, available from its 5 dollar per user Starter plan, can summarize project status and draft updates; neither Microsoft Project nor Smartsheet documents a comparable built-in AI assistant.
Hive
The Microsoft 365-native scheduling standard
Microsoft Project's decades-long history as the .mpp critical-path scheduling standard, plus native Teams, SharePoint, and Power BI integration, makes it the strongest fit for enterprises already inside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Project
Spreadsheet-native scale
Smartsheet's grid interface is familiar to spreadsheet users out of the box, and its Business tier adds WorkApps for building lightweight custom applications on top of the same sheet data.
Smartsheet
Feature-by-Feature
Views and Interface
Feature
Hive
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Kanban / board view
Available
Available
Not documented
Gantt chart scheduling
Available
Available
Available
Collaboration and Communication
Feature
Hive
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Native team chat
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Built-in email integration
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Automation and AI
Feature
Hive
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
AI assistant
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Workflow automation
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Pricing and Access
Feature
Hive
Microsoft Project
Smartsheet
Free plan available
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Dedicated API for custom integrations
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Hive
Free — $0 forever
Starter — $5/user/month monthly or annual
Teams — $12/user/month monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom pricing annual/custom
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
Hive
Pros
Flexible switching between Gantt, Kanban, table and calendar views on shared data
Native chat and email reduce the need for separate communication tools
Generous free tier supports up to 10 members with unlimited tasks
Transparent, relatively affordable per-user pricing compared to some competitors
14-day free trial with full features and no credit card required
Cons
Free plan storage is limited to 200MB, restrictive for file-heavy teams
Advanced features like time tracking and portfolios require the higher Teams tier
Enterprise pricing is not publicly listed and requires a sales conversation
Smaller integration marketplace than larger competitors like Asana or Monday.com
AI Assistant is gated behind paid Starter tier and above
Microsoft Project
Pros
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 Hive: Small to midsize teams that want native chat, email, and an AI assistant built into the same workspace as their project views
Choose Microsoft Project: Organizations already standardized on Microsoft 365 that need industry-standard critical-path scheduling and enterprise portfolio management
Choose Smartsheet: Teams that prefer a spreadsheet-style interface and want to scale from simple sheets into automation and lightweight custom apps
Hive
Cross-functional project management — Marketing, product and operations teams use Hive's flexible views to plan and track projects across departments in one workspace.
Agency and creative workflows — Creative and marketing agencies use Hive's proofing, approval and forms features to manage client deliverables and intake requests.
Remote team collaboration — Distributed teams use Hive's native chat and email integration to coordinate work without switching between separate communication tools.
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
Does Hive have a free plan, and what does it include?
Yes. Hive's Free plan costs nothing forever and supports up to 10 workspace members with 200MB of storage, unlimited tasks, collaborative notes, and native chat and email integration. Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are both paid from their first tier.
Which of these three includes native chat or email without a separate integration?
Hive is the only one of the three with native team chat, direct messaging, and two-way email built directly into the same workspace as tasks. Microsoft Project instead integrates with Microsoft Teams, and Smartsheet does not document a native chat feature.
Which tool makes the most sense for a company already running Microsoft 365?
Microsoft Project is the strongest fit for Microsoft-standardized organizations, since it connects natively to Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, and Entra ID authentication in ways Hive and Smartsheet do not document.
Can Smartsheet do more than track projects in a spreadsheet grid?
Yes. Beyond its spreadsheet-style grid, Smartsheet's Business tier adds WorkApps for building lightweight custom applications and Data Shuttle for automating recurring data imports and exports, on top of its workflow automation and dashboard reporting.
Which tool has a built-in AI assistant?
Hive is the only one of the three that documents a built-in AI Assistant, available from its 5 dollar per user Starter plan, which can summarize project status and draft updates.
Which is the cheapest way to get started?
Hive's Free plan costs nothing for up to 10 members, making it the lowest-cost entry point of the three. Among the paid tiers, Smartsheet's Pro plan at 9 dollars per user per month undercuts both Hive's Starter tier and Microsoft Project's Project Plan 1, which start at 5 and 10 dollars per user per month respectively.