Basecamp vs. Smartsheet

With the recent coronavirus pandemic that forces government lockdowns and spatial distancing, businesses have become creative in remaining productive. Some of the top winners amid the crisis are the project management solutions providers like Basecamp and Smartsheet. Both platforms offer features that allow employees to work as a team and remain productive and on track despite the limits of geographical distance.

If you’re looking for project management and collaboration software solutions for your business, try using our Product Selection Tool. It simplifies your search process by entering your desired features, company size, and user requirements. We’ll send you a list of options tailored to your needs. 

Basecamp vs. Smartsheet: An overview

Basecamp is a web-based productivity and team collaboration toolkit designed for businesses and people working remotely. Since its early development, Basecamp has been operating remotely for 20 years, and it has offices in 26 cities across different countries and time zones.  

An online project management software, Smartsheet features a dynamic, spreadsheet-like platform for managing various projects, data and communications, and team collaboration. More than 40,000 businesses in 160 countries around the world use Smartsheet.

Managing projects  

Basecamp has everything you need for project management: streamlining processes, keeping communications and files organized, connecting with the team, or assigning tasks. And it does so in a unique way. It lets you split your work into separate individual projects. Each project is your digital workspace complete with all the tools and data you need — message board, to-do list, calendar, storage, check-in questions, templates, and more. And you can add team members to join the project and assign tasks and responsibilities to make everyone accountable. With the tool, you can track the work’s status, team performance, schedules, and even interact with team members and receive feedback.

Smartsheet has streamlined workflows where you can manage your projects, processes, tasks, to-do lists, customer information, sales sources, schedules, and events. Its customizable Gantt chart helps you to manage projects, organize data tools, upload information, request and share files, and track issues. Smartsheet also offers a launch plan feature to help you with the processes of the different stages of launching your project — before, during, and after. It assists you in creating a launching plan, tracking the project’s progress, monitoring the budget and expense, and assessing team performance. And it lets you share information on the status of your project with your team and stakeholders.    

Customizing the platform

Basecamp simplifies processes and organizes all the tools and data in one accessible place. And you can customize each project or workspace to fit your needs and preferences. It has automation features in the message board and notifications. To keep updated with your team’s activities, you can take advantage of its automated, customizable check-in questions feature.

Smartsheet delivers an intuitive platform with powerful tools you can customize to suit your needs and preferences in managing all of your work data. It lets you customize the management tools, create projects, share calendars, visualize complex data, track budget and expenses, perform cost analysis, and assess team performance. It also provides templates you can use for quick solutions. It provides flexibility by allowing you to adjust its tools and features to fit your requirements for keeping your team organized and productive.

Collaborating with a team  

With Basecamp, team collaboration is easy and engaging. You can communicate with your team easily and more efficiently via the platform’s message board. And with its customized workspace, you can have a big picture of your project as well as the details at a glance. It helps you keep your team on track and better organized in achieving your goals.

Smartsheet makes working with your team simple, secure, and fun. It streamlines the complex processes of project management and fosters team collaboration. You can share files and documents and allocate resources to your team in real-time. Smartsheet also helps you balance your team’s workload, so everyone is both happy and accountable for their tasks.

Integrating other platforms 

Basecamp lets you integrate applications and platforms you’re already using like Twitter, Unito.io, Project Buddy, Pleexy, Automate.io, TaskClone, Calamari, MinterApp, and Ganttify. And it has Zapier integrations allowing you to access some more tools. Basecamp runs on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC.

Smartsheet works seamlessly with other tools and applications you love such as Slack, Google Apps, Box, Dropbox, VMware, Amazon Web Services, and Salesforce. It also has Zapier integrations. And since Smartsheet is web-based, it is accessible on browsers running on Mac, Windows, or Linux OS.

Basecamp or Smartsheet? 

If you’re in software development, design, freelancing, agency, or consultancy industries, Basecamp suits you. It works well with people or businesses thriving in non-office-based setups. 

Smartsheet’s applications, however, are scalable. It offers a wider range of applicability, from small businesses to large enterprises and any type of organization. Plus, it also allows people working remotely to be members of your team. 

Haven’t yet decided on a project management software? Our Product Selection Tool will be helpful. It’s simple, fast, and free.