SmartSuite vs monday.com: Airtable Clone or Template Machine?

SmartSuite is basically what would happen if Airtable and Notion had a baby that grew up to be more business-focused. It launched around 2020 and positioned itself as a no-code work platform that doesn't treat you like an idiot. You get relational databases, multiple views (grid, kanban, calendar, timeline, map), and deep customization options.

The pitch is simple: build exactly the workflow you need instead of cramming your process into someone else's template. Pricing is reasonable too - $10/user/month gets you unlimited solutions (their term for workspaces/databases). The catch? You'll spend days setting it up because everything is a blank canvas.

monday.com came out around 2014 and went all-in on being the polished, professional project management platform. They raised a ton of VC money, spent it on slick design and marketing, and built something that looks impressive in demos. You get gorgeous templates for every department (marketing, sales, HR, dev), powerful automations, and that classic colorful board interface everyone recognizes.

The onboarding flow actually guides you through setup instead of dumping you in an empty workspace. It's built for teams that want to be productive tomorrow, not next month. You'll pay for that convenience though - starts at $9/user/month but you'll realistically need Pro at $16+ to avoid constant paywalls.

SmartSuite thinks like a database first, project manager second. You create solutions (think: databases or apps), define fields with specific types (text, numbers, dates, relationships), then view that data through different lenses - grid for data entry, kanban for workflow, calendar for scheduling, timeline for project planning. The relational database features are genuinely powerful. Link a client record to multiple projects, roll up totals across related records, create lookups that pull data from connected tables.

If you've used Airtable, this will feel familiar. If you haven't, expect a learning curve. I spent a solid week just figuring out how to structure things properly for a content pipeline. But once configured? It handles complexity really well.

monday.com thinks boards first, everything else second. You create boards (projects), add items (tasks), fill in columns (properties). It's more straightforward than SmartSuite's database approach. The board view is what you see in all the screenshots - colorful status columns, timeline columns, people columns. You can create dashboard views that pull data from multiple boards, which is slick for executives who want the 30,000 foot view.

The structure is less flexible than SmartSuite's database model but way easier to grasp. Your team can jump in and be productive within hours. The downside? Complex data relationships get messy fast. It's built for project tracking, not data management.

The customization depth is both SmartSuite's biggest strength and biggest pain point. You can customize damn near everything - field types, views, workflows, automations, permissions down to individual fields. Want certain team members to see project budgets while others can't? Easy. Need a formula that calculates project profitability based on time tracked and hourly rates? Build it.

The formula engine is robust, the field options are extensive (30+ types), and you can create truly custom business applications. I built a full client management system with project tracking, invoice generation, and contract workflows. Took about two weeks of evening work, but now it does exactly what we need. The flexibility is real - you just have to work for it.

monday.com's customization is more 'configure within guardrails' than 'build whatever you want.' You pick a template, adjust the columns, set up automations from their library, customize the colors and board appearance. It's customization with training wheels, which is either limiting or helpful depending on your perspective. The automation builder is actually quite powerful and visual - if this happens, do that. Send notification when status changes, create item when form submitted, that sort of thing.

Most teams can get 90% of what they need without touching code. The last 10%? You'll either find a workaround or realize monday.com just doesn't do that. The template library is massive though - there's probably a template close to your use case already built.

Free plan exists for 2 users with limited features - basically a trial. Standard is $10/user/month and gets you unlimited solutions, automations, and integrations. Business tier is $20/user/month with advanced permissions, time tracking, and premium support. Enterprise is custom pricing for bigger teams. The value proposition is solid - $10/month for unlimited solutions when competitors charge per project/board/workspace.

For a 10-person team doing Standard, that's $100/month total. The catch is you'll probably need Business tier ($200/month for 10 people) if you want the granular permissions and advanced features. Still cheaper than monday.com's equivalent though. No hidden fees, no surprise charges for going over limits.

Free plan for up to 2 seats with 3 boards - barely useful beyond testing. Basic is $9/user/month (minimum 3 seats) with unlimited items but limited boards and basic features. Standard is $12/user/month with timeline and calendar views. Pro is $16/user/month and this is where most teams end up - it unlocks time tracking, dashboards, and integrations that feel essential. Enterprise starts around $20+/user/month with more security and admin controls.

For that same 10-person team, you're looking at $160/month on Pro, and that's billed annually. Monthly billing adds 18% on top. The board limits on lower tiers feel artificial - they're clearly trying to push you up to Pro. Hidden costs everywhere if you start on Basic thinking you'll make it work.

The interface is... functional. Not ugly, not beautiful, just functional. Everything is where you'd expect it to be, but it doesn't wow you. The grid view looks like a spreadsheet, which is fine for data nerds like me but might bore others. Performance is generally good - no major lag even with large datasets. The mobile apps work okay for viewing data but feel clunky for actual work.

This is really a desktop-first platform. The onboarding is minimal - they give you some empty templates and expect you to figure it out. Documentation exists but I found myself googling specific questions and not finding great answers. Smaller user base means fewer tutorials and community resources. Once you're set up though, daily use is smooth enough.

The UX is monday.com's secret weapon. Everything looks polished and professional - the colors, the animations, the way boards update in real-time. It feels like a premium product. The interface is intuitive enough that new team members get it fast. The mobile apps are solid - you can actually do real work on your phone, not just view stuff.

Notifications are well done and don't overwhelm you. The onboarding flow asks what you're trying to accomplish, then sets up relevant boards and walks you through the features. It's that rare software where the UI doesn't get in your way. The occasional lag when loading heavy dashboards is the main UX complaint, and honestly that's nitpicking.