Rockhopper vs Smartsheet

The Smartsheet alternative
built for finance.

Smartsheet manages projects. Rockhopper controls the Excel models your forecast, close, and board reporting depend on, with version control, cell-level change tracking, and approvals in the files you already use.

Book 30-min meeting See the comparison

Finance team collaborating around a laptop in a modern office reviewing a financial model

Up to 75% Faster variance detection (customer-reported)

SOX-ready Audit trail workflows by version

0-day Typical learning curve in Excel workflows

10x Faster change reviews on material edits

WHY TEAMS EVALUATE ROCKHOPPER VERSUS SMARTSHEET

Smartsheet is strong for project management. Finance teams evaluating it against Rockhopper usually need deeper spreadsheet controls: cell-level traceability, versioned approvals, and audit-ready workflows.

Rockhopper vs Smartsheet: feature comparison

Capability	Rockhopper	Smartsheet
Primary design focus	Built for CFO teams and spreadsheet finance workflows	General project management across industries
Excel integration	Native Excel add-in in existing files	Separate platform with import and export workflow
Cell-level tracking	Every cell change with user attribution and timestamps	Row-level tracking oriented to sheet records
Version control	Version lineage with review checkpoints and rollback	Version history without finance-specific governance

01 — Core

Purpose-built for finance operations

Built for budgeting, forecasting, close, and board reporting workflows.

CFO office Finance models Controlled collaboration

02 — Workflow

Native Excel add-in

Operate in existing spreadsheets without moving to a new planning interface.

In-spreadsheet No forced migration Fast adoption

03 — Audit

Cell-level traceability

Track user-attributed, timestamped changes across versions.

User attribution Timestamps Cell-level history

04 — Control

Versioned approvals

Use structured review checkpoints and rollback with preserved lineage.

Approvals Rollback Evidence workflows

Frequently asked questions

Is Rockhopper a replacement for Smartsheet?

For finance work that lives in Excel, yes. For project and task management across the company, many teams keep Smartsheet and use Rockhopper for budgeting, forecasting, close, and board reporting files so they can maintain the use of Excel when they share files.

Do we have to rebuild our Excel models?

No. Rockhopper is an Excel add-in that works in your existing files, formulas, and tabs. There's nothing to import or rebuild. Share your models, and get back the control to revert back to previous changes and see what changes someone made.

How does Rockhopper help with SOX and audit requests?

Every cell change is recorded with the user and timestamp, and every version has a documented review and approval. Rockhopper is SOC 2 Type II compliant.

Can my team discuss specific cells in an Excel model?

Yes. In the Rockhopper Excel add-in, you can start a discussion on a single cell, a range, a row, a column, or a group of cells. The conversation stays attached to those numbers, next to their change history and approvals.

Does Smartsheet track changes?

Smartsheet offers an activity log for data stored in Smartsheet and does not track changes. Rockhopper tracks changes inside your Excel files and ties them to versions built for finance review.

Smartsheet Alternative

Evaluate your Smartsheet alternative
with finance-specific controls.

See how your current spreadsheet review flow maps into Rockhopper in one working session.

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Ready to See How CFO Teams Adopt Greater Trust and Control with their Spreadsheets?

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The Smartsheet alternative built for finance.