freemium · From Free plan available; Team plan starts at 9.80 US dollars per user per month billed annually
Best for: Cross-functional and creative teams that want deep Gantt and dependency management with AI Agents included on every paid tier.
At a Glance
Smartsheet
Teamwork
Wrike
Primary category
Project Management
Project Management
Project Management
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
subscription (per-user, tiered, plus enterprise)
freemium
freemium
Starting price
$9 per user per month (Pro plan, billed annually)
Free (paid plans from $9.99/user/month billed yearly)
Free plan available; Team plan starts at 9.80 US dollars per user per month billed annually
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Yes
Yes
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Standout Differences
A Spreadsheet Interface at Enterprise Scale
Smartsheet's grid-based interface gives teams already fluent in spreadsheets a low learning curve, and the platform reports use by a majority of Fortune 500 companies.
Smartsheet
Billing and Time Tracking for Client Work
Teamwork is the only one of the three built specifically around client billing and invoicing alongside project planning, a fit for agencies and consultancies.
Teamwork
AI Agents Come Standard on Wrike
Wrike includes AI Agents and a Priority Inbox on all of its plans rather than selling them as a paid add-on, alongside 400-plus third-party integrations.
Wrike
Free Plans Split the Field
Teamwork and Wrike both offer an ongoing free plan for small teams, while Smartsheet's lowest tier, Pro, starts at 9 dollars per user per month with no free option.
Teamwork, Wrike, Smartsheet
Feature-by-Feature
Views and Planning
Feature
Smartsheet
Teamwork
Wrike
Gantt chart with dependencies
Available
Available
Available
Spreadsheet-style grid interface
Available
Not documented
Not documented
Reporting and Automation
Feature
Smartsheet
Teamwork
Wrike
Real-time dashboards
Available
Not documented
Available
Workflow automation engine
Available
Available
Limited
Resource and Client Management
Feature
Smartsheet
Teamwork
Wrike
Resource or capacity planning
Not documented
Available
Available
Client billing and invoicing
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Pricing and AI
Feature
Smartsheet
Teamwork
Wrike
Permanent free plan
Unavailable
Available
Available
AI features included
Not documented
Available
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Smartsheet
Pro — $9 per user per month annual (billed monthly at $12/user/month)
Business — $32 per user per month annual
Enterprise — Custom annual
Teamwork
Free — $0 monthly
Basics — From about $9.99/user/month billed yearly (monthly billing also available at a higher rate)
Accelerate — From about $24.99/user/month billed yearly (monthly billing also available at a higher rate)
Optimize — Custom annual contract
Enterprise — Custom annual contract
Wrike
Free — $0 Free forever
Team — $9.80 per user per month Annual billing
Business — $24.80 per user per month Annual billing
Enterprise — Custom pricing Custom contract
Pinnacle — Custom pricing Custom contract
Pros & Cons
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
Teamwork
Pros
Combines project management with native time tracking and invoicing, reducing the need for separate billing tools
Strong fit for agencies and client-services teams managing many concurrent projects and budgets
Multiple project views (Gantt, board, list, table) suit different planning styles on the same data
Resource and capacity planning tools help prevent team over-allocation
Generous free tier for very small teams to evaluate the platform
Cons
Per-user pricing can get expensive for larger teams once advanced features are needed
Some advanced features such as CRM integration and multi-currency budgeting are locked behind custom-priced Optimize and Enterprise tiers
Automation actions are capped by plan, which can be limiting for heavy automation users on lower tiers
Interface has a learning curve for teams new to full-featured project management software
Mobile app is generally reported as less capable than the desktop web experience
Wrike
Pros
Deep Gantt chart and dependency management rivaling dedicated scheduling tools
Highly configurable, real-time dashboards with shareable external views
AI Agents and Priority Inbox included on all plans rather than sold as a paid add-on
Very strong Adobe Creative Cloud integration for creative teams
Free plan supports unlimited users for basic use cases
Cons
Business and higher tiers can get expensive per user compared to lighter competitors
Feature depth and configurability create a steeper learning curve for new users
Resource management and proofing are locked behind the Business plan or higher
Complex ownership history (Vista to Citrix and back to Vista) has occasionally raised questions about long-term product direction
Use Cases
Choose Smartsheet: Large organizations and enterprise teams already comfortable with spreadsheets that want deep automation and reporting at scale.
Choose Teamwork: Agencies and client-services teams that need project management combined with time tracking, budgeting, and client billing.
Choose Wrike: Cross-functional and creative teams that want deep Gantt and dependency management with AI Agents included on every paid tier.
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.
Teamwork
Agency client delivery — Agencies use Teamwork.com to plan client projects, track billable hours against budgets, and invoice clients directly from tracked time.
Software and IT consultancy delivery — Consultancies track project scope, resource allocation, and profitability across multiple concurrent client engagements.
Internal cross-functional project management — Teams use Gantt and board views to plan internal initiatives, track dependencies, and manage team capacity without client billing.
Wrike
Marketing and Creative Project Management — Marketing and creative teams use Wrike's proofing tools and Adobe Creative Cloud integration to manage campaign production and review.
Cross-Functional Portfolio Tracking — Operations and PMO teams use Gantt charts and dashboards to track multiple projects and dependencies across departments.
Resource and Capacity Planning — Managers use workload views to balance task assignments and prevent overallocation across team members.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Smartsheet have a free plan like Teamwork and Wrike?
No, Smartsheet's lowest published tier is the Pro plan at 9 dollars per user per month billed annually, with no permanent free option. Teamwork offers a free plan for up to 5 users and Wrike offers a free plan with unlimited users for basic use cases.
Which of the three has the deepest Gantt chart and dependency features?
Wrike and Smartsheet both offer detailed Gantt chart functionality, with Wrike specifically documenting dependency management as a core strength. Teamwork also includes Gantt views alongside board, list, and table views on the same data.
Which tool is built for agencies that need to bill clients?
Teamwork is the clearest fit, combining project planning with native time tracking, budgeting, and client invoicing. Smartsheet and Wrike do not document built-in client billing features.
Are AI features included in the base price on any of these platforms?
Wrike includes AI Agents and a Priority Inbox on all of its plans without an extra add-on fee, and Teamwork includes Teamwork AI. Smartsheet does not document a specific AI feature set in its published plans.
Which platform suits a team that already works in spreadsheets?
Smartsheet is built specifically around a spreadsheet-style grid interface, making it the most familiar starting point for teams used to rows-and-columns planning. Teamwork and Wrike both use more traditional board and Gantt-first interfaces.