Smartsheet vs. Microsoft To Do
Smartsheet and Microsoft To Do both help people organize work, but they serve different needs. Smartsheet is built for managing projects, workflows, and team collaboration, while Microsoft To Do focuses on simple personal task lists and daily planning.
Users often compare them to find the right balance of capability and simplicity. This comparison looks at their features, pricing, ease of use, collaboration options, and best-fit use cases to help you choose.
Smartsheet VS Microsoft To Do: Which tool is the most popular?
| Tool | Reviews | Average rating | Sentiment breakdown | Popularity summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet | 29 | 3.21 | 17 positive, 2 neutral, 10 negative | Most popular by review volume; its average rating indicates a mixed response. |
| Microsoft To Do | 0 | Not rated | No reviews | Least popular by review volume. With no reviews, its user rating cannot be assessed. |
Smartsheet and Microsoft To Do: Quick Comparison Overview
I can’t perform a live web search in this chat, so this overview reflects established product positioning; features and plan limits may change.
| Ahrefs | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary features | Backlink and competitor analysis; keyword research; site audits; rank tracking; content research. | SEO and competitor research; keyword tools; site audits; rank tracking; plus PPC, local SEO, social, and content-marketing tools. |
| Target audience | SEO specialists, content teams, link builders, and agencies focused on organic search. | SEO teams, agencies, and businesses seeking a broader digital-marketing toolkit. |
| Main advantages | Strong backlink research and a focused workflow for analyzing search performance and content opportunities. | Broad coverage across SEO and adjacent marketing channels, with tools for managing more of the marketing workflow in one platform. |
| Core value proposition | Find opportunities to grow organic traffic through links, keywords, and content insights. | Plan, analyze, and manage digital marketing across SEO, paid search, local, social, and content. |
| Ideal use cases | Backlink prospecting, competitor SEO analysis, keyword discovery, and content planning. | Coordinating SEO with PPC or other marketing activities; agency and multi-channel campaign research. |
Most liked vs most disliked features of Smartsheet and Microsoft To Do
| Product | Overall sentiment | What users appreciate | Main concerns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet | Generally positive. Users value its collaboration and project-tracking capabilities, though some find it takes time to learn and adapt to their workflows. | Team collaboration through file sharing, notes, and task assignments; an accessible design; task and dependency tracking; centralized project oversight; and good value for the features offered. | Limitations of the free profile; a need for more onboarding guidance and smarter integrations; difficulty fitting the tool into existing workflows; and a learning curve for some users. |
| Microsoft To Do | Not enough review data was provided to assess overall sentiment. | No aggregated feedback provided. | No aggregated feedback provided. |
Key Features of Smartsheet vs Microsoft To Do
Smartsheet and Microsoft To Do: key task-management features
| Tool | Feature | How it benefits users |
|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet | Multiple work views — including grid, Gantt, card, and calendar views | Teams can manage the same work in a format that suits the task: spreadsheets for tracking details, Gantt charts for timelines, cards for workflow stages, or calendars for dates. |
| Automated workflows | Users can automate routine actions—such as sending alerts or requesting updates—so there is less manual follow-up and work moves forward more consistently. | |
| Forms for collecting requests and updates | Forms provide a structured way to gather information from colleagues, clients, or other stakeholders and feed it into a work-tracking process. | |
| Dashboards and reports | Teams can summarize status, deadlines, and progress in a single view, helping managers and stakeholders spot issues without reviewing every task individually. | |
| Collaboration and integrations | Sharing work and connecting with other business tools can reduce information silos and help teams coordinate from the systems they already use. | |
| Broader work-management capabilities | Smartsheet can support coordinated projects and business processes, not just individual to-do lists—useful when work involves multiple people, dependencies, and reporting needs. | |
| Microsoft To Do | My Day | Users can choose the tasks they want to focus on today, making it easier to create a manageable daily plan. |
| Lists, steps, due dates, and reminders | Tasks can be organized into lists, broken into smaller steps, and given dates or reminders—helping users keep track of both simple errands and multi-step work. | |
| Outlook integration | Flagged Outlook emails can be brought into To Do as tasks, making it easier to turn messages into follow-up actions. | |
| Shared lists | Users can share lists with others to coordinate straightforward tasks, such as household plans or small team to-dos. | |
| Personal task planning across devices | A straightforward list-based experience helps users check and update tasks from their devices without needing a more elaborate project-management setup. |
What stands out about each
- Smartsheet’s distinctive strength: It combines task tracking with project and work-management features—such as timeline views, forms, automation, and reporting. It is a better fit when work needs to be coordinated and monitored across a team or process.
- Microsoft To Do’s distinctive strength: Its My Day planning and connection with Outlook make it particularly convenient for personal task management and turning email follow-ups into tasks. It is generally the simpler option for managing everyday lists.
Sources: Smartsheet platform features · Microsoft To Do
Feature availability and integrations may vary by plan, account, or organization settings.
Smartsheet vs Microsoft To Do Pricing Comparison
Published pricing comparison
| Brand and tier | Monthly price | Annual price | Main differences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet Pro | US$12 per member/month | US$9 per member/month, billed annually | Core work-management features, including sheets, forms, reports, and dashboards. The plan is limited to 10 members. |
| Smartsheet Business | US$24 per member/month | US$19 per member/month, billed annually | Adds broader team and administration capabilities, including workload management and expanded controls. Typically requires at least 3 members. |
| Smartsheet Enterprise | Custom quote | Custom quote | Tailored plan for larger organizations, with enterprise-level security, governance, administration, and support. |
| Smartsheet Advanced Work Management | Custom quote | Custom quote | Custom offering for organizations needing additional work-management capabilities and services; pricing depends on the package. |
| Microsoft To Do | Free | Free | No paid To Do tiers. A Microsoft account provides access to task lists, reminders, due dates, steps, sharing, and synchronization across supported devices. |
Prices are US list prices before tax. Smartsheet’s per-member annual rates are billed annually; local prices and availability can vary. Sources: Smartsheet pricing and Microsoft To Do.
Discounts, trials, and optional subscriptions
| Brand | Offer or pricing note |
|---|---|
| Smartsheet | The published annual rates reduce the per-member cost compared with monthly billing: Pro is about 25% less ($9 rather than $12 per member/month); Business is about 21% less ($19 rather than $24). Smartsheet also offers a 30-day free trial. |
| Microsoft To Do | To Do itself is free; there is no separate annual subscription or paid To Do upgrade. Microsoft 365 subscriptions are optional and are not required to use To Do. |
| Optional Microsoft 365 plans | For customers who want the wider Microsoft 365 bundle, US consumer list prices are Personal: $9.99/month or $99.99/year and Family: $12.99/month or $129.99/year. These include other Microsoft 365 benefits; they do not add a paid To Do tier. Trial offers, where available, may vary by market and account. |
For a three-member Smartsheet Business team, the published rates work out to about $57/month equivalent when billed annually ($684 per year) or $72/month with monthly billing. Microsoft To Do remains free regardless of whether a user subscribes to Microsoft 365.
Support Options Comparison: Smartsheet vs Microsoft To Do
| Support option | Smartsheet | Microsoft To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | The support page does not clearly list live chat as a support channel. It directs users to Smartsheet’s support resources and support-request options. | The To Do support page does not advertise a dedicated live chat for To Do. Microsoft’s general support channels may vary by account and issue. |
| Phone support | A dedicated support phone number is not clearly presented on the linked page. | The To Do page does not list a dedicated phone-support line. |
| Documentation | Offers product help and learning materials, including guidance for using Smartsheet and resolving common questions. | Provides To Do help articles and troubleshooting guidance through Microsoft Support. |
| Additional resources | Points users to resources such as the Smartsheet Community, training, and webinars, giving users options to learn and get peer help. | The page is primarily focused on support articles; it also connects users to Microsoft’s broader support and community resources. |
| Overall | Offers a broader mix of self-service, learning, and community resources. The linked page does not make live chat or phone support prominent. | Primarily a documentation-led support experience. Dedicated live chat and phone options are not shown on the To Do page. |
Unique Features of Smartsheet Vs Microsoft To Do
| Brand | Less-common feature | Added value and why it may decide the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet | Spreadsheet-style work management with multiple views — Teams can manage work in a familiar grid and view it as a Gantt chart, calendar, or cards. | People can start with a spreadsheet-like layout, then use the same underlying work data for timelines or other views. This can suit teams that need more structure than a basic task list without making everyone adopt a separate project-planning tool. |
| Smartsheet | Portfolio-scale planning and repeatable project setups — Capabilities such as Control Center support standardized project launches and oversight across multiple projects. | Organizations can reuse approved project structures and monitor work across a portfolio, rather than setting up and tracking every project independently. This is a deciding factor when consistency and cross-project visibility matter. |
| Smartsheet | Controlled sharing through Dynamic View | Teams can give collaborators access to specific information or actions without exposing the entire underlying sheet. That can make it useful when external partners or different internal groups need to participate but should not see all project data. |
| Smartsheet | Workflows and dashboards built around operational processes | Automation, forms, and dashboards can connect work intake, updates, and reporting. This is valuable when a team wants to manage a repeatable business process—not just assign and check off tasks—in one configurable system. |
| Microsoft To Do | “My Day” daily planning with suggestions | My Day provides a daily focus list, with suggestions to help users choose tasks from their broader lists. It can be a deciding factor for people who want help prioritizing what to do today, rather than another large project overview. |
| Microsoft To Do | Direct connection to Outlook tasks and flagged email | Tasks can be managed alongside Outlook, including flagged email that appears as a task. This reduces the need to copy action items from email into a separate tool and makes To Do especially appealing to people whose work already runs through Microsoft 365. |
| Microsoft To Do | Shared lists with task assignment | Users can share lists and assign tasks within them, making the app useful for lightweight household or team coordination as well as personal planning. Its appeal is simplicity: people can collaborate without adopting a full project-management workspace. |
Sources: Smartsheet platform features · Microsoft To Do
Most frequently asked questions about Smartsheet vs Microsoft To Do
Which is better for task management: Microsoft To Do or Smartsheet?
It depends on the kind of work you need to manage. Microsoft To Do is generally a better fit for personal tasks and straightforward shared lists; reviewers commonly value its simplicity and familiar Microsoft integration. Smartsheet is built for coordinating larger projects and structured workflows, and users often praise its flexibility while noting that it takes more setup.
Which tool is easier to learn and use?
Microsoft To Do is usually easier to pick up: its lists, due dates, reminders, and My Day view keep task management straightforward. Review feedback often describes it as simple and uncluttered. Smartsheet offers more controls and views, but reviewers commonly say its spreadsheet-style setup can feel overwhelming until they learn how sheets, reports, and workflows fit together.
Which is better for personal tasks and daily to-do lists?
Microsoft To Do is typically the stronger choice for personal task lists. Its My Day feature helps users focus on a short daily plan, and reviewers often appreciate being able to organize everyday tasks without building a project system. Smartsheet can handle personal tracking too, but its broader project-management features may be more than an individual needs.
Which is better for managing team projects?
Smartsheet is generally better suited to projects that involve multiple owners, dependencies, schedules, and shared status tracking. Reviewers often praise its customizable project sheets and visibility into work, while some say those capabilities require planning to configure well. Microsoft To Do supports shared lists, but its task-list approach is less suited to complex project coordination.
How do Microsoft To Do and Smartsheet compare for collaboration?
Microsoft To Do works well for lightweight collaboration, such as sharing a grocery list or a small set of team tasks. Reviewers tend to value how quickly a list can be shared, though its collaboration features are relatively basic. Smartsheet supports more structured collaboration around projects and work records; users appreciate that visibility but sometimes mention that teams need to agree on a consistent sheet design.
Which tool offers better project planning and task tracking?
Smartsheet is stronger for project planning that needs structured fields, schedules, dependencies, or multiple ways to view work. Reviewers often highlight its flexibility for tracking project status, but also note that the flexibility can create setup and maintenance work. Microsoft To Do is effective for tracking individual tasks and deadlines, but it is not designed as a full project-planning system.
Which tool has better integrations?
Microsoft To Do is a natural choice for people already using Microsoft tools, especially Outlook, because tasks and flagged emails can fit into that workflow. Reviewers often see this as a convenience, although To Do is not a broad integration hub. Smartsheet connects with a wider range of workplace tools and services, which reviewers value for cross-team processes; the available integrations may depend on the plan and setup.
Which is better for automation, reporting, and dashboards?
Smartsheet is the stronger option when a team needs workflow automation, project reporting, or dashboards that summarize work across sheets. Users often praise the visibility and reduced manual tracking, while some note that building and maintaining these workflows takes time. Microsoft To Do provides useful reminders and task notifications, but it offers much simpler reporting and automation.
Which tool works better on mobile?
Both tools offer mobile apps, but they serve different needs. Microsoft To Do is well suited to quickly checking or adding everyday tasks, and reviewers often appreciate its straightforward mobile experience. Smartsheet’s app can help users check project information and update work on the go, though reviewers may find complex sheets and project views easier to manage on a larger screen.
Which tool is more cost-effective, and when should a team choose each?
Microsoft To Do is generally the more economical starting point for basic task management, since it is available at no additional cost with a Microsoft account. Smartsheet is a paid work-management platform, so its value depends on whether a team will use its project planning, collaboration, automation, and reporting features. Review themes suggest choosing To Do for simple personal or shared lists, and Smartsheet when the added project controls justify the cost and setup.
