Microsoft Planner vs Smartsheet
Microsoft Planner and Smartsheet are both evaluated in the CIOPages Project & Portfolio Management (PPM / SPM) Buyer's Guide. The guide groups Microsoft Planner under M365-Native and Smartsheet under Work Execution.
| Attribute | Microsoft Planner | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | M365-Native | Work Execution |
| Best for | Microsoft-committed organizations wanting capable project and work management bundled with M365 before adding heavyweight portfolio tooling | PMOs and operations teams wanting fast, flexible project execution that scales into portfolio reporting without a heavyweight rollout |
From the Project & Portfolio Management (PPM / SPM) Buyer's Guide, updated June 2026. 8 vendors evaluated.
Microsoft Planner
Reach is unmatched if you are already on M365: the new Planner unifies the former To Do, Planner, and Project for the web into one app inside Teams and Microsoft 365, with premium project capabilities via Project Plan licensing, Copilot assistance, and Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate available for custom portfolio reporting and workflow on the same stack. It is stronger at project and work management than at deep, dedicated portfolio governance and enterprise capacity planning. Portfolio-grade features are mid-transition as legacy Project Online and Project for the web retire, and serious SPM often means building roll-ups on Power Platform rather than buying them.
Smartsheet
Adoption first, portfolio second, and the grid is why: a familiar work-execution platform that earns broad adoption then scales to PPM through Control Center for standardized project provisioning, built-in Resource Management for capacity, and portfolio dashboards and roll-ups, flexible enough to model many processes without heavy consulting, with a large connector ecosystem. The spreadsheet-grid heritage means portfolio governance and financials are lighter than the dedicated SPM suites and depend on disciplined templates. Advanced capabilities sit in higher tiers and add-ons, and it is now privately held after the Blackstone and Vista Equity take-private that closed in early 2025, so watch roadmap and packaging direction.
Also evaluated in this guide
Adobe Workfront, Atlassian Jira Align, Broadcom Clarity, monday.com, Planview, ServiceNow SPM
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Editors choose the vendors and write the evaluations. Paying CIOPages does not change how a vendor is covered. Editorial policy