Float
Float is a dedicated resource management software that helps you plan projects, track team capacity, and manage budgets in one visual interface to keep your agency or team profitable.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a flexible work management platform that combines the familiar interface of a spreadsheet with powerful project management features to help you automate workflows and track complex projects.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Float | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Website | float.com | smartsheet.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $6/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2011 | 2005 |
| Headquarters | New York, USA | Bellevue, USA |
Overview
Float
Float is a visual resource management platform designed to help you get a clear view of your team's capacity and project schedules. Instead of messy spreadsheets, you get a high-level timeline where you can drag and drop tasks, manage time off, and see exactly who is working on what. It helps you avoid overbooking your team while ensuring every project has the right people assigned to it.
You can also track actual time spent against your original estimates to keep your projects on budget. Whether you are managing a small creative shop or a large global agency, the platform provides the data you need to make informed hiring and scheduling decisions. It simplifies the complex task of balancing workloads so you can focus on delivering great work.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet gives you a dynamic workspace where you can manage projects, automate workflows, and build new solutions without writing code. You can switch between grid, card, Gantt, and calendar views to visualize your work exactly how you want. It bridges the gap between simple spreadsheets and complex project tools, allowing you to track individual tasks or manage massive enterprise portfolios in one centralized location.
You can eliminate manual data entry by setting up automated alerts, status updates, and approval requests. The platform scales with your needs, whether you are a small team organizing a launch or a large corporation managing global operations. It helps you increase transparency across your organization by sharing real-time dashboards and reports with stakeholders, ensuring everyone stays aligned on key goals and deadlines.
Overview
Float Features
- Visual Resource Scheduling Manage your team's schedule with a drag-and-drop timeline that shows you everyone's availability and task assignments at a glance.
- Capacity Management Set custom work hours and track time off to see exactly how much bandwidth your team has for upcoming projects.
- Multi-Project Planning View all your projects in one place to identify potential bottlenecks and ensure your most important work stays on track.
- Time Tracking Log hours directly from your schedule or use the mobile app to compare actual time spent against your initial estimates.
- Budget Tracking Monitor your project spend in real-time with alerts that notify you before you exceed your allocated hours or dollar amounts.
- Reporting and Analytics Generate detailed reports on team utilization and project performance to help you make smarter business and hiring decisions.
Smartsheet Features
- Flexible Work Views. Switch instantly between Grid, Gantt, Card, and Calendar views to manage your tasks from any perspective you prefer.
- Automated Workflows. Create visual automated actions to send alerts, request approvals, and update sheet rows without manual intervention.
- Real-time Dashboards. Build custom widgets and charts to give your team and executives a live look at project health and performance.
- Dynamic Reports. Consolidate information from multiple sheets into a single report to identify trends and risks across different departments.
- Proofing and Approvals. Streamline content reviews by uploading files directly to rows and collecting feedback through dedicated proofing workflows.
- Resource Management. Track team availability and allocate hours effectively to ensure your projects stay on schedule and under budget.
Pricing Comparison
Float Pricing
- Resource scheduling
- Unlimited projects
- Capacity management
- Real-time reporting
- iOS and Android apps
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Built-in time tracking
- Log time from schedule
- Compare estimates vs actuals
- Workflow integrations
Smartsheet Pricing
- 1 user and 2 editors
- Up to 2 sheets
- Gantt, Grid, Card views
- 500MB attachment storage
- 100 automations per month
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited viewers
- Up to 10 sheets
- Unlimited reports and dashboards
- 20GB attachment storage
- Forms and branding
Pros & Cons
Float
Pros
- Highly intuitive drag-and-drop interface for quick scheduling
- Clear visibility into team over-allocation and burnout risks
- Seamless integration with popular project management tools
- Flexible enough to handle complex, multi-phase projects
Cons
- Mobile app functionality is limited compared to desktop
- Reporting filters can feel restrictive for complex data
- No built-in task-level communication or chat features
Smartsheet
Pros
- Familiar spreadsheet interface reduces the initial learning curve
- Highly customizable views for different project management styles
- Powerful automation engine saves hours of manual work
- Excellent reporting capabilities across multiple different sheets
- Strong mobile app for managing tasks while traveling
Cons
- Advanced features require a significant time investment
- Real-time collaboration lacks the speed of Google Sheets
- Pricing can become expensive as you add more members