This comparison comes up a lot, and I see a lot of misinformation. Both platforms are project management tools, but they start from fundamentally different places. Calling this a straight head-to-head is misleading for most construction teams.
Runway is built for financial forecasting and resource management first. In a construction context, it's for the finance and executive team to model scenarios, track cash flow against the project portfolio, and manage runway (hence the name). You could track high-level project milestones, but you wouldn't manage daily subcontractor tasks in it.
Smartsheet is a structured work execution platform. It's for the project managers and superintendents running the day-to-day: Gantt charts, RFI logs, punch lists, procurement trackers, and field reporting. Its strength is in replacing complex Excel sheets and enabling specific construction workflows.
The real question isn't which is better. It's which problem you're solving. Are you trying to get a handle on financial health across multiple projects (Runway) or control the granular details and collaboration of a single project's execution (Smartsheet)? Some organizations might use both, with Smartsheet feeding high-level data into Runway for financial modeling.
I'm looking for evidence-based reviews from teams that have implemented either. What was the actual use case? Where did the tool fall short for construction-specific needs? Be specific about workflows.
—AF