Redmine vs Smartsheet
A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — Redmine is pricing not verified, Smartsheet is from $9/user/mo.
- How to start: Redmine is pricing not verified, Smartsheet is from $9/user/mo.
- Where they differ: only Redmine has open source / self-hostable.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.
What Redmine is
Redmine is an open-source project management and issue tracking application that has run reliably for over a decade.
What Smartsheet is
Smartsheet manages work in a spreadsheet-like grid with automations, dependencies and reporting layered on. The grid is deliberate: teams that already run projects in spreadsheets can move across without learning a new mental model, then gain Gantt views, approval workflows and cross-sheet reporting they could not build in a spreadsheet. It suits operational and portfolio work more than software development, where board-based tools fit the rhythm better.
Side by side
| Redmine | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management | Project Management |
| How to start | Not verifiednot a monthly price | $9/user/moverified |
| Public API | not checked | Yes |
| Mobile app | not checked | Yes |
| Open source / self-hostable | Yes | No |
| SSO (SAML) | not checked | Yes |
| Visit | Redmine ↗ | Smartsheet ↗ |
What Smartsheet is built to do
- Grid, Gantt and card views
- The same data shown as a sheet, a timeline or a board without duplicating it.
- Cross-sheet reporting
- Roll many project sheets into one portfolio view for reporting upward.
- Automated workflows
- Approval chains, reminders and status updates triggered by field changes.
- Forms
- Collect structured requests from people who never open the sheet itself.
Choose Redmine if
- Organisations that want issue tracking without licence costs.
Choose Smartsheet if
- Teams that think in spreadsheets but need automation, forms and dashboards on top
- Small groups: Pro starts at $9/member/month billed annually
- Trying it fully first — 30 days with no card
Skip Smartsheet if
- You need unlimited automations or timeline view; those start at Business, $19/member/month annual
- You want a free tier; Smartsheet has none, only a trial
- You are an existing customer hoping to move to Pro — the vendor lists Pro as available to new customers only
Evidence and freshness
Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.
Redmine
Open source, free — vendor page verified · reviewed 2026-09-03
Redmine: pros & cons
- Free and self-hostable with no seat limits
- Plugin ecosystem covers most needs
- Stable and predictable
- Interface looks its age
- Plugins vary in quality and maintenance
- Ruby stack needs someone to maintain it
Smartsheet: pros & cons
- Familiar to anyone comfortable in spreadsheets
- Handles dependencies and resource views
- Strong automation and forms
- Interface is dense
- Per-user pricing with feature gates
- Spreadsheet metaphor breaks on complex work
Our verdict on Redmine
Unfashionable and still working. If the dated interface is acceptable, it costs nothing but hosting.
Our verdict on Smartsheet
The easiest migration path off spreadsheets. Teams that never liked spreadsheets will not like this either.