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Planning tool ships small collaboration and dashboard refinements, cadence slowing.
Comparison · PM
Ellie Planner vs SmartSuite
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Ellie Planner and SmartSuite — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Ellie Planner vs SmartSuite: at a glance
| Feature | Ellie Planner | SmartSuite |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | PM | PM |
| Velocity score | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 1 |
| Top themes | daily-planning, ai-assistant, calendar, integrations | no-code, ai-governance, forms, dashboards |
| Last editorial update | 1h ago | 1d ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
What is Ellie Planner?
Solo-built daily planner adds an AI assistant and more calendar/tool integrations.
Ellie is a solo-developer daily-planning app that combines calendar time-boxing, task capture, and a growing set of integrations. The most consequential recent addition is a built-in AI assistant on mobile and desktop; the changelog itself is candid and irregular, updated in bursts.
What is SmartSuite?
SmartSuite is building an AI control plane on top of its no-code core.
SmartSuite is advancing on two fronts. Its no-code fundamentals keep deepening with dynamic and static dashboard filters, lookup-field filtering, linked-record and Yes/No form defaults, configurable form styling, and automation run traceability. In parallel, its AI layer is maturing fast, with a refreshed model catalog and now a centralized control center for AI provider connections.
Ellie Planner vs SmartSuite: editorial side-by-side
Solo-built daily planner adds an AI assistant and more calendar/tool integrations.
◆ Current state
Ellie is a solo-developer daily-planning app that combines calendar time-boxing, task capture, and a growing set of integrations. The most consequential recent addition is a built-in AI assistant on mobile and desktop; the changelog itself is candid and irregular, updated in bursts.
◆ Where it's heading
Ellie is expanding along two lines: an AI assistant layered onto the planner, and a widening web of integrations (Todoist, Notion, Slack, Outlook/Apple calendars). The direction is a connected personal-planning hub, paced by a single maker's availability.
◆ Prediction
Expect the AI assistant to take on more planning and time-boxing work, and continued integration additions; release timing will stay irregular given the solo cadence.
SmartSuite is building an AI control plane on top of its no-code core.
◆ Current state
SmartSuite is advancing on two fronts. Its no-code fundamentals keep deepening with dynamic and static dashboard filters, lookup-field filtering, linked-record and Yes/No form defaults, configurable form styling, and automation run traceability. In parallel, its AI layer is maturing fast, with a refreshed model catalog and now a centralized control center for AI provider connections.
◆ Where it's heading
The directional move is AI governance. SmartSuite is centralizing LLM provider keys, scoping, testing, and usage logging into an admin-owned control center, positioning for compliance-conscious teams scaling AI across workspaces. The Forms 2.0 and Default Values programs show a parallel push to make the no-code surface enterprise-grade.
◆ Prediction
Expect the AI Control Center to gain budget and rate controls and deeper per-connection audit, while Forms 2.0 keeps filling remaining field-type and styling gaps.
Alternatives to Ellie Planner and SmartSuite
Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Ellie Planner or SmartSuite.
TimeCamp
TimeCamp's public feed is competitor-comparison marketing, not shipping news.
Hostaway
Hostaway is building the compliance and automation layer around rental invoicing
Harvest
Harvest rebuilt its interface and split off a Premium tier for profitability
Aha!
Aha! is extending from roadmapping into an AI app builder with real access controls.
Atlassian
Atlassian is rebuilding Jira around managing human-plus-AI-agent work.
See all Ellie Planner alternatives → · See all SmartSuite alternatives →
Recent activity from Ellie Planner and SmartSuite
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoSmartSuiteSmartSuite AI: Managed Connections ⚡
- 6d agoSmartSuiteFilter Widget: Support for Lookup Fields
- 6d agoSmartSuiteForms: Configurable Footer
- 13d agoSmartSuiteAutomations: Run Links in Activity History
- 13d agoSmartSuiteLinked Record: Default Value Support
- 13d agoSmartSuiteAI Center: Support for new models
- 6mo agoEllie Planner🧹 Todoist integration, improved Slack/Notion integrations and more
- 10mo agoEllie PlannerEllie AI, Task templates, "Add task" from calendar events and more ✨ ⚡
- 1y agoEllie PlannerNotion integration, Analytics, Rituals, Notifications and a ton more
- 2y agoEllie Planner🐹 Outlook Calendar Integration, iOS Widgets, Slack integration and more
- 2y agoEllie Planner📆 Mac menu bar, improved auto sync and more
- 2y agoEllie Planner🍎 Apple cal, Month view, zooming 🔎 and more!
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ellie Planner and SmartSuite?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SmartSuite is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 7.5 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Ellie Planner better than SmartSuite?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SmartSuite is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 7.5 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Ellie Planner?
Top Ellie Planner alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Ellie Planner alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ellie for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to SmartSuite?
Top SmartSuite alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "SmartSuite alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/smartsuite for the full list with editorial commentary on each.