Smartsheet vs. Workzone

Microsoft Project, ProofHub, Smartsheet, Workzone — with so many project management solutions to choose from, how can you find the best option for your business? Smartsheet and Workzone are reputable project management solutions that can offer robust features and ease of use at the same time.

Smartsheet is an intuitive online project management software that has high customer satisfaction ratings from users from numerous industries. Workzone is an easy-to-use project management software with dependable security for transferring data. DKNY, Kansas State University, and Western Kentucky University trust Workzone for their project management needs.

We’ll compare the main features of Smartsheet and Workzone in this article to help you find out what each software can contribute to your business.

If you want to explore five more options, use our Product Selection Tool to get a free list of other reliable project management solutions.

An overview of Smartsheet vs. Workzone

Smartsheet was created in 2005 and officially released in 2006. This award-winning project management software has a familiar spreadsheet-like interface. Aside from project management, Smartsheet has features for task tracking, resource management, budget tracking, strategic planning, reporting, and mobile access. This software is ideal for any business size and has average-priced plans.

Workzone is a cloud-based project management software founded in 2002. The software aims to provide the perfect balance of power and simplicity so that users can get more work done. It has useful features including automated reports, expense tracking, group calendar, individual to-do lists, dashboards, secure file sharing, time tracking, and mobile access. Workzone is suited for any-sized businesses and offers average-priced plans.

Comparing the features

Smartsheet and Workzone have features for collaboration, reporting, and mobile access.

Collaboration

Smartsheet lets colleagues, vendors, and clients collaborate to review content proofs without sheet access. Users can provide detailed feedback via pinned annotations, conversations, and individual approvals. The system allows simultaneous proof reviewers. The software has a proofing capability that lets teams upload content, request feedback from stakeholders, control versions, and get approvals in a simple, streamlined approval process. Additionally, users can leave markups and annotated comments on images and PDFs.

Workzone lets users interact with multiple levels of clients through its versatile and secure file-sharing capability. Folder or document permissions can be set for added security so that each individual sees only the appropriate information. Every document and project task in Workzone has its own comment area where users can discuss changes, record meeting notes, or detail phone conversations. The entire team stays informed and has an organized, time-stamped record of all relevant discussions.

Reporting

Smartsheet’s reporting feature allows users to compile information from multiple sheets and show only items that meet specific criteria. With the software, two kinds of reports can be created: row reports and sheet summary reports. Row reports let each individual see all tasks that are assigned to them, tasks that are labeled as high priority, and tasks that are not complete. Sheet summary reports let users display summary data from multiple sheets. With sheet summary reports, users get a high-level overview on multiple projects or highlight portfolio-level stats in a dashboard.

With Workzone, key reports can be generated and emailed to team members automatically. Automated reports include Project To-Do-List, Status By Project, Totals By Status, Projects By Responsible, and Completed Tasks reports. Usage reports, time reports, and custom reports can also be created in Workzone. These reports can be saved as PDFs or exported to Excel.

Mobile access

Smartsheet has mobile applications that can be downloaded from the App Store and the Google Play Store and that enable users to work while outside the office. Users can enter their location in a sheet or form field, take a photo with their device and upload it directly to a sheet, and scan a barcode or QR code to search for or update sheet data. Forms can be accessed from Home or Recents. View attachments, take action on alerts, update requests, and submit approvals.

Workzone’s mobile applications are available on the App Store and Google Play Store as well. The app allows users to access the employee portal from any location. Workplace documents such as pay slips, company policies, and payment summaries can be viewed from the app. Employees can also perform activities such as submitting leave requests, timesheets ,and expenses. Features accessible from the app also include document management and roster management. Users receive a notification when a timesheet, leave request, or expense claim is approved. Alerts are sent to users, too, whenever a pay slip or payment summary becomes available and when a new shift is assigned to them.

Integrations

Smartsheet has seamless integration with tools and platforms for cloud storage, customer relationship management, electronic signature, issue tracking, and chatting:

• Microsoft Teams
• DocuSign
• Jira
• Google Drive
• Salesforce Sales Cloud

Workzone readily integrates with applications for team collaboration, issue tracking, file syncing, accounting, and time tracking:

• QuickBooks Online
• Slack
• Jira
• Harvest
• DropBox Business

The better choice

Smartsheet and Workzone both offer robust features that can make project management easier for any business. The better choice might depend on some of your specific business needs.

For example, the summary report feature of Smartsheet can give you an overview of the status of multiple projects at once — which is great if you handle multiple projects and don’t want to move through different reports just to get information. However, if you want scheduled reports to be automatically sent to you and your team, Workzone is the better choice. Its automated reporting feature can help ensure that important reports are delivered at the right time.

Use our Product Selection Tool to explore more project management software options you can use for your business.