A Smartsheet alternative for small teams that run client work
Short answer: Smartsheet is a strong spreadsheet-style work platform with Gantt charts, reports and enterprise controls, and since March 2026 an official MCP server for AI assistants on its Business and Enterprise plans. If you plan large programs in grids, stay. Flori is for small agencies and service teams that want their clients, deals and projects in one workspace, a free plan, and the AI assistant they already pay for doing the updates.
As of October 2026. Smartsheet details are limited to the sources linked below and can change. Written by Flori, not an independent review.
At a glance
| Area | Smartsheet | Flori |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Spreadsheet-style sheets with Gantt, reports and dashboards | CRM and project management in one workspace your assistants can update |
| Pricing | Pro $9 and Business $19 per member a month billed yearly ($12 and $24 monthly); Enterprise custom | Free plan; Core $10 and Premium $24 per person a month billed yearly ($12 and $29 monthly) |
| Free plan | No; 30-day trial | Yes: unlimited people, up to 3 active projects |
| Seat minimum | Business needs 3 or more members | None |
| CRM pipeline | None built in | Accounts, people, deals and leads beside projects |
| Outside assistants | Official MCP server on Business and Enterprise | MCP server on every plan, read-only or update, per workspace or project |
When is Smartsheet a better choice than Flori?
Smartsheet is the better choice when your work lives in grids and timelines. Its sheets behave like a spreadsheet, with Gantt views, cross-sheet reports and dashboards, and its pricing page lists unlimited sheets on every plan, unlimited free contributors, and unlimited automations from Business. Enterprise adds single sign-on, portfolios and scenario planning, and Advanced Work Management adds Control Center for repeatable programs. For a PMO running dozens of projects with formal reporting, that depth is hard to beat.
Smartsheet also takes AI seriously. Its MCP server became generally available on 24 March 2026 and works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other MCP clients through OAuth or a personal access token.
Where does Smartsheet create friction for small teams?
Small agencies hit three costs in Smartsheet: no free plan, a three-member minimum on Business, and client and sales work that sits outside the sheets.
1. The useful plan has a seat minimum. Business, which adds unlimited automations, free guests and the external AI connection, starts at three members (pricing). A two-person studio pays for a seat it does not use. Pro is limited to 10 members and 250 automations a month.
2. Assistant access is on the upper plans. The MCP server requires Business or Enterprise (announcement). On Pro, your Claude or ChatGPT cannot work in your sheets directly.
3. Sheets are not a client record. There is no built-in CRM. Leads, deals and the history of each client live in another tool, and someone re-enters them in a sheet when the project starts.
How does Flori handle client work compared with Smartsheet?
Flori keeps the client, the deal and the delivery project in one workspace, so the work starts from what was sold.
- Customers and pipeline next to delivery. Accounts, people, deals and leads, a deal pipeline board and saved views, in the same workspace as projects.
- Projects without a spreadsheet to maintain. Projects, tasks, subtasks and dependencies, boards, My work, goals, dashboards from a fixed set of widgets, and reusable project templates.
- Your assistant does the updating. ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Cursor or Codex connect through Flori's MCP server on every plan, with read-only or update access to one workspace or one project.
- One review queue. Review submitted work and proposed changes. Authorized direct updates can save immediately.
- Clients follow along. On Core and up, a client page shows only what you publish.
Moving over is a CSV export away: export each sheet, then import clients, deals and tasks into Flori.
Who should keep using Smartsheet?
Smartsheet remains the better fit for PMOs and operations teams that plan in grids and Gantt charts, need cross-sheet reporting and portfolio views, or have enterprise requirements such as single sign-on and governance.
- Teams that think in spreadsheets and want formulas in their project plan.
- Organisations running many parallel programs with formal status reporting.
- Companies on Enterprise or Advanced Work Management that rely on Control Center.
Who should try Flori as a Smartsheet alternative?
Flori suits agencies, consultancies and small teams under about 20 people whose projects come from client deals, who want a free start without a seat minimum, and who already use ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor every day.
- Teams of one or two who do not want to pay for a third seat.
- Agencies that want the pipeline and the delivery work in one record.
- Teams that want their own assistant to update projects, with a person approving the result.
A fair one-week trial
Pick one live client project. Import its tasks from a Smartsheet CSV export and add the client and deal. Connect the assistant you already use and ask it to plan the next week from the brief, then review its changes. At the end of the week, compare how often you had to copy information between tools.
FAQ
Does Smartsheet have a free plan? No. Smartsheet offers a 30-day free trial; its paid plans are Pro, Business, Enterprise and Advanced Work Management. Flori has a free plan with unlimited people and up to three active projects.
Can Smartsheet connect to ChatGPT or Claude? Yes. Smartsheet's official MCP server has been generally available since March 2026 and works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other MCP clients, but it requires a Business or Enterprise plan.
Is Flori a spreadsheet like Smartsheet? No. Flori is a CRM with project management: projects, tasks, dependencies, boards and dashboards next to accounts, deals and leads. If you need formulas and grid views across many sheets, Smartsheet is the stronger tool.
Can I move from Smartsheet to Flori? Yes. Export your sheets to CSV, then import companies, people, deals and tasks into Flori. Keep Smartsheet running until the first project is settled.