SmartSuite vs Zendo: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of SmartSuite and Zendo to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
SmartSuite
7.3/10
SmartSuite is a no-code work management platform that teams use to build project, process and operations solutions with views, automations and AI agents.
Zendo
5.3/10
Zendo is a client portal and service delivery platform that freelancers and agencies use to sell productized, subscription and custom services, manage requests and get paid.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.3/10 | 5.3/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $20/user/mo Team | $29/mo Core |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $200/mo Team | $29/mo Core |
| Features | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Team messaging | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Client collaboration | ||
| File sharing | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Spreadsheet interface | ||
| Task management | ||
| Workflow automation | ||
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| Dashboards | Not listed | |
| Databases | Not listed | |
| Docs | Not listed | |
| Reporting | Not listed | |
| Scheduling | Not listed | |
| Task lists | Not listed | |
| Timeline view | Not listed | |
| Whiteboards | Not listed | |
SmartSuite vs Zendo cost by team size
Zendo costs less from 5 users.
| Team size | SmartSuite | Zendo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | $100/moTeam | $29/moCore |
| 10 users | $200/moTeam | $29/moCore |
| 25 users | $500/moTeam | $29/moCore |
| 50 users | $1,000/moTeam | $29/moCore |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose SmartSuite
- Higher Security score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 2/10)
- Includes Gantt charts, which Zendo lacks
Why choose Zendo
- Has a free plan (SmartSuite does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $29/mo vs $200/mo
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Includes Team messaging, which SmartSuite lacks
Pros & Cons
SmartSuite
Pros
- The same records can be shown as grid, Kanban, Gantt, timeline, calendar, map and dashboard views without duplicating data.
- Its compliance coverage is unusually strong for the category, with ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR audits plus a choice of US or EU data residency.
- Read-only users, commenters and form submitters are free, which lowers the cost of involving stakeholders.
- It ships more than 200 templates and an AI solution builder to speed up setup.
- Reviewers describe the support team as responsive.
Cons
- Team, Professional and Enterprise carry 3-, 5- and 25-seat minimums, and there is no free plan.
- The Team plan allows only 5,000 records per solution, and automation runs plus API calls are hard-capped each month.
- SAML SSO and SCIM are available only on Enterprise and Signature plans.
- There is no team chat or whiteboard, and external access is limited to read-only shared views.
- Reviewers say complex workflows and large data imports take real setup effort, and there are no native desktop apps.
Zendo
Pros
- Combines storefront, intake forms, request chat, invoicing and Stripe payments, so a small studio can run orders to payment in one tool.
- The free plan has no Zendo transaction fees and supports all service types.
- Clients can reply to email notifications, which makes communication easy for less technical clients.
- White-label options include a custom domain, logo and removal of Zendo branding.
Cons
- Reviewers say it has no Gantt charts, task dependencies or time tracking.
- It has no proposals, contracts, e-signatures or sales pipeline.
- There are few native integrations beyond Stripe, Zapier and Rewardful.
- Paid plans include only one internal user, so team costs rise with extra seats.
- Pricing has changed several times, in March and August 2026, which may unsettle long-term planning.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
SmartSuite scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 7.3/10 against 5.3/10 for Zendo. The largest gap is in Security: 9/10 for SmartSuite and 4/10 for Zendo.
Zendo costs less for 10 users: about $29/mo on its Core plan, against about $200/mo on its Team plan for SmartSuite, billed monthly.
Zendo has a free plan; SmartSuite does not list one.
SmartSuite is the better fit for mid-market: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 2/10 for Zendo.
SmartSuite has Gantt charts and Time tracking, which Zendo lacks. Zendo has Team messaging, which SmartSuite lacks.
