What is Smartsheet?

Smartsheet is a cloud-based collaboration and project management software. Smartsheet uses an easy-to-understand spreadsheet interface supporting a wide range of functionality that includes:

• Manage Projects: You can create projects and tasks which can then be shared with team members and colleagues.
• Collaborate: You can invite other project team members to collaborate on a sheet, which means they can either view or edit the sheet.
• Set up alerts: You can set up notifications and reminders for tasks within the sheet.
• Attach files: You can attach files to the overall sheet or to a row (or task) in the sheet. The files are stored in the cloud and are accessible when you or collaborators log in to Smartsheet and view the sheet.
• Have discussions: You can set up discussions for the project as a whole or for certain tasks. These discussions are stored within the sheet.
• Request updates: You can request updates from collaborators on the progress of their assigned tasks from within the sheet.
• Set up web forms: This enables you to set up feedback or survey forms and have the responses users give to automatically populate into a sheet.
• Publish the sheet: You can make the sheet available via an external URL so that anyone can see it.
• Create Dashboards and Reports: You can create dashboards and reports based upon existing sheets, and share those reports with colleagues.

. For most work, Excel is the preferred spreadsheet software and should be used whenever possible in order to control the escalating cost of Smartsheet licensing at PATH. 

Do I need a license to

use Smartsheet?

You only need a license if you are going to be creating , administering sheets, modifying sheet structures (add/move/delete/re-format columns), managing resourcesautomation, and/or creating/modify webforms.

If you are working with a user that will only need to view and/or update content on existing sheets, they are not required to purchase a license.

An example of this would be a licensed user creating a sheet and then sharing the it with other users - the free account will allow team members to view and edit the Sheet without a license. 

Licensing Costs and Features

The current cost for a Smartsheet license for PATH employees is $396 billed annually in November to each department.  With a license, users will have access to:

Many Smartsheet License Requests initially come in with the requestor not being aware that they can use Smartsheet without a premium license. The standard (free) licenses that are adequate for most PATH users allow users to participate on sheets that have been created by another user. Free users can view, edit, and update sheets and reports within the platform. They can add new rows or update data on existing rows. But, they cannot create new sheets or add new columns on an existing sheet, or design automation and intake forms. Premium licenses are currently $400 per user per year, so we really try to limit how many are allocated. (If PATH licensing for Smartsheet reaches 1000 users – the annual cost to PATH will be over $400,000 and still will not address all PATH staff). For this reason, we try to have a premium license holder be “on point” for a group of users – to create new sheets, and add/remove columns or automation as needed. Then the other users in that group can participate on the sheets (add rows, update data, etc.). Many templates are available enabling a point person to quickly create a sheet on behalf of a standard user who can then modify the content (add and update rows within the sheet). 

If you just need to view and/or update content on existing sheets, you should not request a premium license.

Before requesting a license

Please review all materials to ensure you need and will qualify for a premium license. When requesting a license, please be prepared to explain the specific premium Smartsheet features you need to use and for what duration.

You do not need a license if:

1. You need to add or modify rows on an existing sheet
2. You need a simple intake form for data collection
3. You can use Excel to create and manage a worksheet
4. You can use a SharePoint list with Power Automate to route for approvals or notify about assignments

Licensing Cost

The current annual cost for a Smartsheet license per premium license is $400 annually. If PATH licensing for Smartsheet reaches 1000 users – the annual cost to PATH will be over $400,000 and still will not address all PATH staff. 

Smartsheet licenses are paid through the PATH Technology Charge. The Technology Charge is comprised of costs and volume of software licenses, hardware, and labor needed to support PATH as an institution. Inclusion of these components is based on the global benefit to all PATH staff, though the global usage and allocation varies.

To keep the Technology Charge rate as low as possible, PATH will continue to manage technology costs by minimizing costs while providing the best service and value possible. PATH will not be purchasing premium Smartsheet licenses for every PATH employee.  This means that the license limitations for Smartsheet (and other software included in the Technology Charge, such as Salesforce) will continue to be managed prudently, with analysis around usage, need, and roles, before additional licenses are purchased.

The Global Accounting and the Information Technology teams ask that careful consideration be taken before making a request for a specific software license.

Smartsheet Training

• Smartsheet Webinars
• Individual Training
• Group Training
• Self-Paced Training & Certification

Smartsheet Fundamentals

• Getting Started with Smartsheet
• Smartsheet Basics
• Personal Account Management
• Formulas and Functions
• Sharing and Collaboration
• Formatting
• Project Management and Gantt Charts
• Center of Excellence
• Alerts: Notifications and Reminders
• Reports and Dashboards
• Apps and Integration
• Tips and Troubleshooting
• Smartsheet for Android
• Smartsheet for iOS

Smartsheet FAQs