Hive
4.4Freemium240
Editorial matchup · June 2026
Hive vs Smartsheet: Which AI Tool Is Better in 2026?
Side-by-side comparison of Hive and Smartsheet — pricing, features, and use cases. Reviewed by our editorial team in Jun 2026.
Use-case score 1–1Updated Jun 2026
Productivity
Smartsheet
4.3Free Trial300
Hive is a project management and collaboration tool with HiveMind AI for content drafting, task generation, and meeting summaries in one app, while Smartsheet unveiled a sweeping AI agent-first overhaul at its 2025 ENGAGE conference, with new generative and agentic AI capabilities built for scalability, security, and speed.
The platforms diverge fundamentally in philosophy.
Hive bundles PM, native messaging, email, time tracking, and proofing in one app with HiveMind AI across it, whereas Smartsheet is excellent for managing structured work with a flexible, spreadsheet-like interface, offering multiple views like Grid, Gantt, and Kanban to fit different project methods.
For AI capabilities, Smartsheet's Smart Assist is an AI companion that helps users accelerate time-to-value, Smart Flows streamlines complex, intelligent, multi-step automated workflows through natural language prompts, and Smart Columns are AI-powered column types that assess, categorize, label, translate or summarize data automatically.
HiveMind takes full advantage of AI to make every team's workday run more efficiently and streamline workflows by automatically creating a project plan in a matter of seconds, with AI models increasingly integrated into content and note-taking platforms.
Smartsheet would be best for larger companies with an industry-specific niche because of their hugely customizable platform and unique service add-ons, while Hive would be best for smaller, more focused teams who want to focus on ease-of-use and communication/collaboration above all else, and has a free plan for up to 2 users, making it great for freelancers, NGOs, and small teams.
Users report that Smartsheet excels in its centralized platform functionality, scoring 9.0, which allows for seamless tracking and organization of projects, while Hive's centralized platform score is slightly lower at 8.3. Hive shines in task management, particularly with its task prioritization feature, which received a score of 9.5, while Smartsheet scored 8.8 in the same area.
Hive wins for teams prioritizing integrated team communication and rapid project launch; Smartsheet for data-heavy work and complex portfolio management across enterprises.
Small teams needing all-in-one collaboration
Hive
Hive combines flexible project views, native messaging, time tracking, and proofing with AI that drafts content, generates tasks and subtasks, summarizes notes, and automates routine project work. All Hive plans offer a 14 day free trial of Hive Teams, with no payment details required.
Enterprise data analysis and formula automation
Smartsheet
Smartsheet turns plain-language requests into working formulas with AI, building accurate formulas faster without needing to memorize syntax, handling simple calculations to complex logic. Smartsheet reports that 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies already utilize the platform to manage projects, budgets, and strategy execution.
Teams avoiding vendor lock-in with spreadsheet familiarity
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a dynamic platform with features like real-time data sharing, Gantt charts, and integration with Jira and Microsoft Teams, combining Excel-like functionality with cloud accessibility, making it efficient for tracking, reporting, and workflow management.
Section 01
Best for what
4 use cases scored. Hive wins 1, Smartsheet wins 1.
- EvenPricing value
Neither tool publishes a starting price.
- HiveFree tier
Hive offers a free tier; Smartsheet is paid only.
- EvenUser ratings
Both sit near 4.4 / 5 across user reviews.
- SmartsheetReview volume
Smartsheet has 320 ratings vs 258 on the other.
Section 02
Pros & cons
Where each tool earns its rating — and where it falls short.
Hive
ProductivityPros
- Hive offers a free tier for small teams, with Starter, Teams, and Enterprise plans unlocking HiveMind AI, automation, time tracking, and proofing features.
- The platform combines flexible project views, native messaging, time tracking, and proofing with AI that drafts content, generates tasks and subtasks, summarizes notes, and automates routine project work.
- G2 users highlight the ease of setup as a significant advantage for Hive, with a score of 9.3, while users feel well-supported with a quality of support score of 9.3.
- Hive lets you flexibly switch between views of your project: Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, and Table, with updates in one layout automatically reflected in the three others.
- Hive is distinctive for building its roadmap democratically from user feature requests, and serves teams at companies including Comcast, Toyota, and Starbucks.
Cons
- Hive's mobile application is rated 7.7, which may limit its usability on the go.
- Inconsistent mobile performance and frequent bugs are common drawbacks of Hive.
- Two out of the five core features are add-ons that you'll have to pay extra for.
- Hive's analytics score is lower at 8.0, suggesting that users may find it less effective for data analysis.
- Hive is strongest in workflow automation and has the most room to grow in agentic ai.
Hive
ProductivityPros
- Hive offers a free tier for small teams, with Starter, Teams, and Enterprise plans unlocking HiveMind AI, automation, time tracking, and proofing features.
- The platform combines flexible project views, native messaging, time tracking, and proofing with AI that drafts content, generates tasks and subtasks, summarizes notes, and automates routine project work.
- G2 users highlight the ease of setup as a significant advantage for Hive, with a score of 9.3, while users feel well-supported with a quality of support score of 9.3.
- Hive lets you flexibly switch between views of your project: Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, and Table, with updates in one layout automatically reflected in the three others.
- Hive is distinctive for building its roadmap democratically from user feature requests, and serves teams at companies including Comcast, Toyota, and Starbucks.
Cons
- Hive's mobile application is rated 7.7, which may limit its usability on the go.
- Inconsistent mobile performance and frequent bugs are common drawbacks of Hive.
- Two out of the five core features are add-ons that you'll have to pay extra for.
- Hive's analytics score is lower at 8.0, suggesting that users may find it less effective for data analysis.
- Hive is strongest in workflow automation and has the most room to grow in agentic ai.
Smartsheet
ProductivityPros
- Smartsheet's Project Manager Smart Agent continually monitors progress and keeps teams on task, suggesting ways to improve project plans, proactively flags and prioritizes project risks and makes recommendations.
- Turn plain-language requests into working formulas with AI, building accurate formulas faster without needing to memorize syntax.
- Smartsheet's powerful no-code workflow builder lets project managers create complex, automated rules for alerts, approvals, and status updates without any code.
- Smartsheet reports that 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies already utilize the platform to manage projects, budgets, and strategy execution.
- Users benefit from Smartsheet's scalability and enterprise-grade security, making it ideal for large-scale projects.
Cons
- Smartsheet does not offer a permanent free plan in 2026, with the lowest-cost entry point being the Pro tier.
- The Business plan requires a minimum of 3 seats, meaningfully increasing costs for small teams.
- Scaling with Smartsheet gets expensive fast, and essential features like automation, dashboards, and collaboration views are tier-locked, with add-ons like Resource Management, Brandfolder, or Dynamic View being separate purchases.
- Smartsheet's steep learning curve and less responsive support make it challenging for smaller teams.
- Users report the slowest app to load, sometimes takes several reloads for app to become available, slower than any other app.
Section 03
At a glance
Every spec on one page. Live-pulled from each tool's detail page.
- PricingFreemiumFree Trial
- Pricing modelFreemiumFree Trial
- Free tierYesNo
- Free trialNoYes
- Rating4.4 / 5 (258 ratings)4.3 / 5 (320 ratings)
- Saves240300
- CategoriesProductivity, Workflow AutomationProductivity, BI & Analytics
- VerifiedNoNo
- Top 100 tier——
- Last updatedJun 2026Jun 2026
Frequently asked
Hive vs Smartsheet FAQs
Quick answers to the questions readers ask before picking between these two.
Can I use Hive or Smartsheet for free?
Hive offers a free tier for small teams, with Starter, Teams, and Enterprise plans unlocking HiveMind AI, automation, time tracking, and proofing features. Smartsheet does not offer a permanent free plan in 2026, with the lowest-cost entry point being the Pro tier.
What AI features does each tool have?
HiveMind is Hive's built-in AI assistant — it drafts content, generates tasks and subtasks, summarizes notes, and automates routine project work across the platform. Smartsheet's Smart Assist is an AI companion that helps users accelerate time-to-value, Smart Flows streamlines complex, intelligent, multi-step automated workflows through natural language prompts, and Smart Columns are AI-powered column types that assess, categorize, label, translate or summarize data automatically.
Which is better for small teams?
Hive would be best for smaller, more focused teams who want to focus on ease-of-use and communication/collaboration above all else, and also has a free plan for up to 2 users, making it great for freelancers, NGOs, and small teams. G2 users highlight the ease of setup as a significant advantage for Hive, with a score of 9.3.
Does Smartsheet work well for formula generation and data analysis?
Yes. Smartsheet turns plain-language requests into working formulas with AI, building accurate formulas faster without needing to memorize syntax. More than a third of elements created with Smartsheet's Dashboards tool are now generated by AI, and customer inquiries around complex formula creation dropped nearly 50%.
What are Hive's main collaboration features?
The platform combines flexible project views, native messaging, time tracking, and proofing with AI that drafts content, generates tasks and subtasks, summarizes notes, and automates routine project work. Hive has native messaging functionality that reinforces collaboration between team members, and Hive Notes allows users to use as a template during meetings and planning sessions, allowing users to convert notes into action items easily integrated into tasks or projects.
Which tool is better for enterprise portfolios?
Smartsheet. Smartsheet reports that 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies already utilize the platform to manage projects, budgets, and strategy execution. Smartsheet allows users to quickly create and manage multiple projects using standardized templates that minimize risk, automate project creation and provide a bird's-eye view with portfolio reporting.
Bottom line
Hive is the better choice for smaller, more focused teams who want to focus on ease-of-use and communication/collaboration above all else, especially those seeking a comprehensive suite of features to customize and optimize project management processes with unlimited workspace members and unlimited customization.
Its integrated messaging, native AI assistant for content and task generation, and free tier make it ideal for startups, agencies, and cross-functional teams under 50 people who need rapid setup and don't require complex data analysis.
Smartsheet is built for technical teams handling data-intensive projects, offering superior portfolio management and sophisticated forms functionality, making it ideal for large enterprises with complex data needs.
It excels when teams need to turn plain-language requests into working formulas with AI, building accurate formulas faster without needing to memorize syntax and require governance, compliance, and portfolio-level visibility across dozens of projects.
The tradeoff is clear: Hive optimizes for collaboration speed and ease-of-use with bundled communication; Smartsheet optimizes for data structure, automation at scale, and enterprise compliance. For teams managing basic-to-moderate projects with tight budgets and strong communication needs, Hive wins. For data-heavy operations, structured workflows, and enterprise-scale portfolios, Smartsheet wins.
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