SharePoint Lists vs Smartsheet for team tracking
Short answer: if your company already pays for Microsoft 365 and you track status, owners and due dates, SharePoint Lists costs nothing extra and sits inside Teams. If you plan projects on a Gantt timeline, Smartsheet is the stronger tool, at $9 to $19 per member per month paid yearly.
Note: Prices change, so check each vendor before you buy. I build trackers on SharePoint, so I have a side. Below I say where Smartsheet wins.
(SharePoint Lists and Microsoft Lists are the same thing. Microsoft Lists is the app; the lists live in SharePoint.)
Price
| Plan | Price per user per month | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic (includes SharePoint) | $7.00, paid yearly | Up from $6.00 on July 1, 2026. SharePoint, and so Lists, comes with Business Basic, Standard and Premium. | Office Watch; Microsoft Learn SharePoint limits |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | $14.00 | Up from $12.50 on July 1, 2026 | Office Watch |
| Smartsheet Pro | $9 paid yearly, $12 paid monthly | 1 to 10 members, unlimited contributors. New customers only. 250 automations a month. | smartsheet.com/pricing |
| Smartsheet Business | $19 paid yearly, $24 paid monthly | 3 members or more. Unlimited guests and contributors. Unlimited automations. Timeline view and workload tracking. | smartsheet.com/pricing |
| Smartsheet Enterprise | Custom quote | 10 or more members | smartsheet.com/pricing |
Example: a 12-person team that already has Microsoft 365 pays $0 more for Lists. If all 12 are Smartsheet Business members, that is 12 x $19 x 12 = $2,736 a year, paid yearly.
Features side by side
| Need | SharePoint Lists | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Grid like a spreadsheet | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar view | Yes | Yes, all plans |
| Board (Kanban) view | Yes | Yes, all plans |
| Gantt view | Not in the Lists app. Classic SharePoint list settings offer a basic Gantt view. | Yes, all plans |
| Forms to add items | Built-in list form. Power Apps for custom forms. | Yes. Conditional logic on Business and up. |
| Automation | Power Automate for reminders, multi-step flows and approvals | Built in. 250 a month on Pro, unlimited on Business. |
| Dashboards | Grouped views. A SharePoint page or Power BI for more. | Yes. 10 widgets per dashboard on Pro, unlimited on Business. |
| Works inside Teams | Yes, as a tab, same login | Needs a separate Smartsheet account |
| Size | 30 million items per list. Keep each view at 5,000 items or fewer. | Not compared here |
Where Smartsheet wins
- Timelines. Gantt on every plan. Timeline view and workload tracking on Business.
- Less setup. Automation and dashboards work without a second tool such as Power Automate or Power BI.
- Outside people. Pro has unlimited contributors. Business adds unlimited guests.
Where SharePoint Lists wins
- Cost. No new license if you already pay for Microsoft 365.
- One place. The tracker sits in Teams and SharePoint, next to your files and chats. No second login.
- Approvals. Power Automate approvals reach people in Teams and Outlook, where they already work.
- Access. Your IT team controls access with the same Microsoft 365 accounts.
How to choose
- Check if your company already pays for Microsoft 365.
- Ask if your team needs a Gantt chart, or only status, owners and dates.
- Count the people who need to edit, and price both tools for that number.
- Try one real tracker in each tool for a week.
Want a SharePoint tracker built for you?
I am Al Davies. I build SharePoint and Power Automate trackers for companies of 20 to 300 people. The Delayed Shipments demo is one I built for a client, shown with made-up data.
- Free 45-minute call. Your team shows me how you track the work today.
- Free preview in 3 to 5 days. I send images of a potential tracker.
- Say yes, and I build it. One tracker: $5,000, 2 weeks. Two: $8,500, 3 weeks, the best fit for most teams. Three: $11,500, 4 weeks.
Or write to al@250highstreet.com or call (862) 205-4844 with the tracker you use today.
FAQ
Is SharePoint Lists cheaper than Smartsheet?
Usually, if you already pay for Microsoft 365. Lists comes with SharePoint. Smartsheet is $9 (Pro) or $19 (Business) per member per month, paid yearly.
Does SharePoint Lists have a Gantt chart?
Not in the Lists app. Classic SharePoint list settings offer a basic Gantt view. Smartsheet has Gantt on every plan.
Can I move a Smartsheet sheet into SharePoint Lists?
Yes. Export the sheet to Excel, format it as a table, then create a list from the Excel file. Rebuild the automations in Power Automate.
Can people outside my company use it?
Smartsheet Pro allows unlimited contributors, and Business adds guests. SharePoint Lists uses Microsoft 365 guest access, which your IT team controls.
Sources
- Smartsheet pricing (Pro $9/$12, Business $19/$24, member limits, contributors and guests, Gantt, board, calendar, forms logic, automations, widgets, timeline, workload): https://www.smartsheet.com/pricing
- Office Watch, Microsoft 365 business price increase 2026 (Basic $6 to $7, Standard $12.50 to $14, July 1, 2026): https://office-watch.com/2026/microsoft-365-business-price-increase-2026/
- Microsoft Learn, SharePoint limits (SharePoint included in Business plans; 30 million items): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/sharepoint-online-service-description/sharepoint-online-limits
- Microsoft Support, Create, change, or delete a view of a list or library (calendar, gallery, classic Gantt view): https://support.microsoft.com/topic/27ae65b8-bc5b-4949-b29b-4ee87144a9c9
- University of Kansas IT, Microsoft Lists (board view): https://howto.ku.edu/microsoft-lists
- Microsoft Learn, Get started with Power Automate approvals (Teams, Outlook): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/get-started-approvals