# Alternative to Smartsheet *Source: https://ketosoftware.com/compare-keto/alternative-to-smartsheet/* [Keto vs Legacy Vendors](https://ketosoftware.com/compare-keto/) Alternative to Smartsheet ## Work management or strategic portfolio steering? Smartsheet manages projects and workflows. Keto AI+ helps leadership steer portfolios, aligning strategy, capacity, and investment decisions. See how Keto compares [Get a migration deal](https://ketosoftware.com/blog-article/strategic-migration-from-legacy-systems/) Smartsheet is a powerful work management platform used by thousands of teams to organize projects, automate workflows, and track execution across departments. Its spreadsheet-style model makes it flexible and accessible for teams that need structure beyond email and spreadsheets. Keto AI+ serves a different purpose. It sits higher in the operating model, helping leadership steer the portfolio itself. Instead of coordinating tasks and workflows, Keto focuses on portfolio alignment, capacity constraints, and investment prioritisation across initiatives. #### Who uses Keto AI+ Strategy & Transformation teams needing real-time portfolio alignment Finance and PMOs managing investment priorities across initiatives IT and R&D leaders balancing capacity across competing programs Enterprises moving from project reporting to strategic portfolio steering ### Why teams move beyond Smartsheet ##### Execution visibility vs portfolio steering Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform used to coordinate projects, automate workflows, and track execution across teams. Keto AI+ operates at a different level. Instead of managing tasks and schedules, it helps leadership steer the portfolio, aligning strategy, investments, capacity, and delivery to support better prioritisation and faster decision-making across initiatives. ##### Task planning vs initiative architecture Smartsheet structures work around rows, tasks, and project plans. Gantt charts, dependencies, and templates help teams standardize execution. Keto focuses on initiatives and portfolios, how strategic themes, investments, risks, and capacity interact across the organization. The goal is not to perfect every project schedule, but to ensure the portfolio as a system moves in the right direction. ##### Resource utilisation vs capacity bottlenecks Smartsheet Resource Management provides detailed visibility into allocations, availability, timesheets, and utilization. Keto approaches capacity differently. Rather than optimising individual schedules, it highlights structural capacity constraints that affect the entire portfolio, allowing leaders to rebalance investments before overload slows delivery. ##### Workflow automation vs decision support Smartsheet is strong at operational workflow automation, approvals, update requests, notifications, and standardized project templates. Keto is built for decision support at the leadership level: prioritisation models, scenario views, and portfolio-level trade-offs across strategy, capital, risk, and capacity. ### Keto vs. Smartsheet #### Keto AI+ #### Smartsheet Strategic Focus Strategic portfolio steering and prioritisation Work management and project execution visibility Planning Model Initiative and portfolio-level planning aligned with strategy Task and project-level planning using sheets, Gantt, and templates Resource Management Capacity visibility and portfolio bottleneck management Allocation, timesheets, utilisation tracking Financial Model Portfolio budget envelopes and funding trade-off decisions Project budgets and resource-based cost tracking Governance Decision gates and portfolio governance Workflow approvals and standardized project templates Analytics Portfolio prioritisation insights and scenario modelling Project dashboards, status reports, workload views Implementation SaaS platform typically implemented in weeks SaaS; quick team adoption but significant configuration for enterprise PMOs ### Switching made simple, not stressful Guided onboarding and migration support Change management support for PMOs and leadership teams Modules for portfolio governance, strategy alignment, and capacity views Integration pathways for legacy systems, Jira, SAP, and more ### What you leave behind #### With Keto #### With Smartsheet One system designed for portfolio steering Execution reporting without portfolio trade-off support Clear visibility into initiatives, capacity, and funding Project-level planning as the primary management layer Prioritisation models that support leadership decisions Workflow automation without strategic prioritisation Real-time portfolio views across strategy, capital, and delivery Portfolio roll-ups dependent on configuration and dashboards ### What Keto AI+ unlocks ##### Portfolio-level steering Connect strategy, investments, risks, and delivery in a single model. ##### Better prioritisation decisions Evaluate initiatives using scoring models, scenario views, and portfolio trade-offs. ##### Capacity-aware planning Identify structural bottlenecks before they slow the entire organisation. ##### Faster strategic adaptation Reallocate funding and focus when priorities change, without rebuilding the portfolio. ### What to choose #### When Keto may be the better choice #### When Smartsheet may be the better choice Keto AI+ becomes valuable when organisations struggle with: Smartsheet is a strong fit when organisations need: • too many initiatives competing for the same capacity • task-level project scheduling • weak alignment between strategy and delivery • workflow automation across teams • leadership decisions slowed by fragmented portfolio visibility • repeatable project templates and approvals • difficulty prioritising investments across programs In those environments, the challenge is no longer coordinating work. It is steering the portfolio itself. • services/resource operations with timesheets and utilisation tracking It is particularly effective for teams that want a configurable work management system teams can adopt quickly. ### Smartsheet coordinates work. Keto steers the portfolio. Both tools solve real problems. The question is which problem your organisation needs to solve next. [Book a call](https://ketosoftware.com/enquire-now/) No rebrands. No hidden fees. No waiting.