ToolStack

Smartsheet vs Pendo

Side-by-side comparison · Updated 2026-03-30

Our VerdictSmartsheet wins overall

On G2 data, Smartsheet comes out ahead (4.4 vs Pendo's 4.4). But Pendo wins on price — so read the breakdown before deciding.

Choose Smartsheet if…

Choose Smartsheet if your team focuses on project tracking and resource management and fits a scaleup, enterprise profile. Starting at $9/user/mo/user/mo with a free tier. Spreadsheet-familiar interface makes adoption easy for teams transitioning from Excel — minimal training needed for basic use

Choose Pendo if…

Choose Pendo if your team focuses on product usage analytics and user onboarding and fits a scaleup, enterprise profile. Free tier available. Retroactive analytics — captures all user interaction data from install without requiring pre-defined event tagging, so PMs can answer questions about past behavior immediately

Smartsheet
by Smartsheet
4.4
out of 5 · 21k+ G2 reviews
Visit Smartsheet ↗
Pendo
by Pendo
4.4
out of 5 · 1k+ G2 reviews
Visit Pendo ↗

Feature Comparison

FeatureSmartsheetPendo
Category
work_management
product_analytics
G2 Score
4.4 / 5.0
4.4 / 5.0
G2 Reviews
21000
1300
Free Tier
Starting Price
$9/user/mo
—
Mobile App
AI Features
API Access
SSO / SAML
SOC 2
Learning Curve
moderate
moderate
Platforms
web, mac, windows, ios, android
web, ios, android

Pros & Cons

Smartsheet

Pros
✓ Spreadsheet-familiar interface makes adoption easy for teams transitioning from Excel — minimal training needed for basic use
✓ Extremely powerful Gantt chart and dependency tracking capabilities, ideal for traditional project management and waterfall methodologies
✓ Robust automation engine with conditional logic, approval workflows, and automated notifications that scale across the organization
✓ Strong portfolio-level dashboards and reporting allow PMOs to aggregate data across dozens or hundreds of projects
Cons
✗ Not designed for agile/Scrum teams — lacks native sprint planning, backlog management, and velocity tracking
✗ Pricing can escalate quickly at scale since every collaborator who edits needs a licensed seat
✗ Sheet-based architecture creates data silos — cross-sheet references and formulas become complex and brittle at scale

Pendo

Pros
✓ Retroactive analytics — captures all user interaction data from install without requiring pre-defined event tagging, so PMs can answer questions about past behavior immediately
✓ No-code in-app guide builder allows PMs to create onboarding walkthroughs, tooltips, and announcements without engineering involvement
✓ Combined analytics + feedback + in-app guidance in a single platform reduces tool sprawl compared to using separate point solutions
✓ Powerful user segmentation enables targeting analytics views and in-app guides by user attributes, behavior, account plan, or custom metadata
Cons
✗ Pricing is opaque and expensive at scale — MAU-based pricing with no public rates makes budgeting difficult, and costs escalate significantly for large user bases
✗ Analytics depth is shallower than dedicated tools like Amplitude or Mixpanel for complex event-based analysis, cohort modeling, and statistical rigor
✗ In-app guide design customization is limited — achieving pixel-perfect branding often requires CSS overrides and workarounds

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your needs. Smartsheet scores 4.4/5 on G2, while Pendo scores 4.4/5. Smartsheet is better for project_tracking and resource_management, while Pendo excels at product_usage_analytics and user_onboarding.
Smartsheet starts at $9/user/mo per user/month with a free tier. Pendo starts at N/A per user/month with a free tier.
Smartsheet supports 150 integrations, while Pendo supports 70.
Full Smartsheet Review →Full Pendo Review →
Data verified 2026-03-30. Some links may be affiliate links — see disclosure.