SmartSuite vs Zoho Projects Comparison
Compare SmartSuite vs Zoho Projects features, pricing, and more.
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.
Zoho Projects
7.3/10
Cloud project management software with tasks, Gantt charts, timesheets, issue tracking and automation, built for small and mid-sized teams using the Zoho suite.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | Z Zoho Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.3/10 | 7.3/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $20/user/mo Team | $4/user/mo Premium |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $200/mo Team | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Team messaging | ||
| Whiteboards | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Client collaboration | ||
| Dashboards | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Task lists | ||
| Task management | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Timeline view | ||
| Workflow automation | ||
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| Databases | Not listed | |
| Docs | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Scheduling | Not listed | |
| Spreadsheet interface | Not listed | |
SmartSuite vs Zoho Projects cost by team size
Zoho Projects costs less at 5 users.
| Team size | SmartSuite | Zoho Projects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | $100/moTeam | FreeFree |
| 10 users | $200/moTeam | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | $500/moTeam | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | $1,000/moTeam | Contact for pricing |
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 7/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 8/10)
- Better fit for marketing teams (7/10 vs 5/10)
ZWhy choose Zoho Projects
- Has a free plan (SmartSuite does not)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 6/10)
- 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.
ZZoho Projects
Pros
- Paid plans start at $4 per user per month on annual billing, which reviewers rank among the cheapest in the category.
- The free plan supports 5 users and 3 projects, enough for very small teams to run real work.
- Built-in timers, timesheets with approvals, and budgeting serve teams that bill for their time.
- Blueprints, automation rules and custom functions allow detailed workflow control.
- Integrates closely with other Zoho apps such as Desk, Analytics and Sprints.
Cons
- Reviewers say the learning curve is steep, especially for blueprints and custom functions.
- Client and guest access cost extra on top of the plan price.
- Users report weaker portfolio and multi-project management than enterprise-focused rivals.
- Some reviewers find the configuration screens crowded and say support can be slow to respond.
- The free plan has no project templates, and its automation limit is low at 50 actions per month.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
SmartSuite and Zoho Projects both score 7.3/10 on our Project Management criteria. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for SmartSuite and 9/10 for Zoho Projects.
Zoho Projects has a free plan; SmartSuite does not list one.
Zoho Projects is the better fit for startups: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 4/10 for SmartSuite.
Zoho Projects has Team messaging and Whiteboards, which SmartSuite lacks.
