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Comparison · PM

Kanboard vs Smartsheet

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Kanboard and Smartsheet — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Kanboard vs Smartsheet: at a glance

FeatureKanboardSmartsheet
SectorPMCollab, PM
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themeskanban, self-hosted, security-hardening, phptable-view, ai-handoff, integrations, enterprise
Last editorial update12d ago3d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Kanboard?

Kanboard shipped three security releases in ten days, plus a PHP 8.5 move.

Kanboard is a self-hosted PHP kanban board whose releases are now almost entirely security work, and October tripled the pace. 1.2.55 blocked spoofed proxy IPs from bypassing CAPTCHA and login lockouts and enforced project authorization across several board actions; 1.2.56 moved the Docker image to PHP 8.5 to pick up two PHP CVE fixes; 1.2.57 disables PHP session upload progress against another CVE and stops API lookups from revealing that inaccessible projects exist. WebP attachments and exact-email user search are the only feature additions.

Read the full Kanboard trajectory →

What is Smartsheet?

Smartsheet becomes where plans drafted in Claude Sheets get executed.

Smartsheet is rebuilding its core around table view: a table view report builder, Enterprise sheets above 500,000 cells, reports above 1,500,000 rows and a new Gantt view with critical path. On November 10 it added a beta that sends a plan started in Claude Sheets into Smartsheet, ready for a team to act on. Earlier it retired card view for Enterprise and limited AI to Table, Board and Timeline views.

Read the full Smartsheet trajectory →

Kanboard vs Smartsheet: editorial side-by-side

K5.0

Kanboard shipped three security releases in ten days, plus a PHP 8.5 move.

◆ Current state

Kanboard is a self-hosted PHP kanban board whose releases are now almost entirely security work, and October tripled the pace. 1.2.55 blocked spoofed proxy IPs from bypassing CAPTCHA and login lockouts and enforced project authorization across several board actions; 1.2.56 moved the Docker image to PHP 8.5 to pick up two PHP CVE fixes; 1.2.57 disables PHP session upload progress against another CVE and stops API lookups from revealing that inaccessible projects exist. WebP attachments and exact-email user search are the only feature additions.

◆ Where it's heading

The audit that ran from LDAP escaping through API response shape is now reaching information leaks by error message: returning false instead of a 403 so the API doesn't confirm a project exists. The Docker image has become part of the security perimeter, with two of the three releases changing PHP runtime settings. Features remain small and incidental.

◆ Prediction

Expect further releases tracking upstream PHP and Alpine security fixes, since the Docker image now ships on PHP 8.5 and has needed two runtime changes in ten days.

Smartsheet logo
Smartsheet
COLLABPM
5.0

Smartsheet becomes where plans drafted in Claude Sheets get executed.

◆ Current state

Smartsheet is rebuilding its core around table view: a table view report builder, Enterprise sheets above 500,000 cells, reports above 1,500,000 rows and a new Gantt view with critical path. On November 10 it added a beta that sends a plan started in Claude Sheets into Smartsheet, ready for a team to act on. Earlier it retired card view for Enterprise and limited AI to Table, Board and Timeline views.

◆ Where it's heading

Two tracks are visible. The core product is consolidating onto fewer, larger views, and Smartsheet is positioning itself as the execution layer for work drafted elsewhere, starting with an AI spreadsheet. Imports from SharePoint and Workday sync point the same way: pull data in, run the work in Smartsheet.

◆ Prediction

Expect the Claude Sheets handoff to leave beta and similar send-to paths from other AI assistants, since the release frames Smartsheet as the destination rather than the drafting tool.

Kanboard alternatives

Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial trajectory or compare directly with Kanboard.

See all Kanboard alternatives →

Smartsheet alternatives

Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial trajectory or compare directly with Smartsheet.

See all Smartsheet alternatives →

Recent activity from Kanboard and Smartsheet

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 5d agoSmartsheetUse the Jira Smartsheet Connector with Jira v11.x
  2. 5d agoSmartsheetSort, filter, and find workspaces in Browse
  3. 5d agoSmartsheetSmartsheet adds bidirectional sync with Dynamics 365
  4. 5d agoSmartsheetSend to Smartsheet from Claude Sheets, now available in beta!
  5. 11d agoSmartsheetWork with large-scale sheets and reports in table view
  6. 11d agoSmartsheetVisualize your project schedule in the new Gantt view
  7. 14d agoKanboard1.2.57 hides inaccessible projects from API lookups
  8. 23d agoKanboard1.2.56 moves the Docker image to PHP 8.5
  9. 24d agoKanboard1.2.55 blocks proxy IP spoofing and adds WebP attachments
  10. 2mo agoKanboardPassword changes now kill sessions; API stops leaking private fields
  11. 3mo agoKanboardSecurity fixes and opt-in full-text task search
  12. 7mo agoKanboardComment visibility rules and timing-safe token checks

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Kanboard and Smartsheet?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Kanboard and Smartsheet are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Kanboard better than Smartsheet?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Kanboard and Smartsheet are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Kanboard?

Top Kanboard alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Kanboard alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kanboard for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Smartsheet?

Top Smartsheet alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Smartsheet alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/smartsheet for the full list with editorial commentary on each.