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Microsoft Project vs Planisware comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Project
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
Project Management Software (3rd)
Planisware
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (6th)
 

Featured Reviews

Nurul Asyikin Wahab - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient project management with robust data tracking and an easy setup
When I have too many elements or items in a project, it becomes cumbersome, especially during printing. Non-technical users do not need all the data, so it's primarily for technical personnel. Without guidance, it's challenging to use the app. With guidance and expert knowledge, it becomes manageable, however, it's not for non-technical teams. The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing. Printing on A3 size is quite burdensome, so I prefer viewing it on a tablet or computer. On a tablet or phone, I can see the full project elements depending on the screen size.
John Andrew Kossey - PeerSpot reviewer
Capably brings single source of truth to enterprise project portfolio management; provides consequential, flexible data display with effective visualization; integrated use of Agile, Kanban
Historically, some releases--even with extensive delays from initial announcement--had minor, yet troubling glitches. Planisware Enterprise has been addressing this shortcoming with more frequent releases that include helpful improvements. 7.0.0 release was January 2021; 7.0.1 March 2021; 7.0.2 July 2021; 7.0.3 December 2021; 7.0.4 March 2022. 7.1 became available in September 2023. Documentation has become much more thorough and clearly illustrated. Release notes for 7.0.4 has 133 pages. In my experience, small irritations I reported in E7 have been fixed in several days. SaaS provisions that Planisware provides in relation to security are superior to what smaller organizations can afford. Planisware SaaS no longer relies upon third-party providers. Faster data response time is a user benefit. Availability of Planisware software as a service (SaaS) contributes to operational stability; your team still needs to keep the configuration responsive to evolving business needs. Each customer has responsibility for continuing to grow "know why" as well as "know how." Investing in local capabilities on your customer side is vital--both for technical configuration and functional administrators. Over-dependence on the vendor can be needlessly expensive. Discussions with fellow Planisware customers conclude that commitment to achieving and sustaining product proficiency across versions is a key best practice. At-cost Planisware certification courses can provide training for a corporate customer's advanced users (those responsible for maintaining L1 level changes). One function I have requested for P6 and continuing through E7 is a comprehensive, detailed listing of attributes across modules--somewhat similar to attribute display in OPX2 versions (pre-P5). Some few attributes (e.g., Z-order) are difficult to document completely. Pull-down list of hundreds of attributes is insufficient.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Time tracking and budget tracking are the most valuable features of the solution."
"One of the best features is that it is easy to use."
"The Gantt chart view is great."
"Microsoft offers good support."
"The solution is well established and runs very accurately."
"Microsoft Project is easy to use and helps our teams visualize the evolution of our projects."
"We have not had any problems with Microsoft's technical support. We are happy with the support."
"The setup is pretty simple."
"The solution is performance-oriented and easily customized accordingly to many areas, such as performance KPI."
"We have a variety of different modules, but it is mainly used for costs, risks, and resources."
"Overall, our company has all disintegrated systems, and with Planisware, we are getting a very integrated view of my portfolio reporting, cost and load, and everything else."
"There are two things in particular that I enjoy. The first is the portfolio planning section. Another advantage is that it is highly customizable."
"It has an inbuilt BI tool, which can be compared to Power BI or Tableau."
"It stands out by automating the intricate mechanics of project execution, eliminating the need for highly technical individuals to manage and reconfigure models."
"The area that could benefit from improvement in this Planisware is the project management tool. I have previously used Project Server, which is a Microsoft solution, and I found it to be more user-friendly as it included a client solution. In contrast, with this solution, the only option available is the online version, making it difficult to create activities, milestones, and other necessary components. This is in comparison to Planisware, which offers a more comprehensive solution."
"Planisware offers integration with multiple tools and provides a good level of customization."
 

Cons

"I would like to see both Time and Team based options improved."
"I'd like the solution to be less expensive."
"Collaboration is an area that needs improvements."
"Could be more user-friendly, and forecasting could be better."
"The packaging of Microsoft Project Professional is pretty simple as a product. But, the end-to-end enterprise is complex."
"Planview FLEX licensing gives us a central repository where all the projects are stored so you can check the finances, resources, etc. It's quite useful to have everything connected. We don't have that for Microsoft Project. It's disconnected. The reporting capabilities could also be better, especially with finance and resources. Everybody complains about reports. That's why we need another tool."
"It is a traditional Waterfall-based solution, so it doesn't lend itself particularly well to Agile development. You can record Agile sprints within it, but it is not really an Agile-based product. It can store the basic information about budgets that an Agile set of work is looking to use, but that's about it."
"I have no idea about the cost because it is a corporate decision."
"The solution's user experience and user interface need improvement because they are not that great and intuitive."
"The learning curve is steep and there could be more avenues for opening up learning materials to a broader audience, enabling individuals to gain practical experience with the tool."
"The area that could benefit from improvement in this Planisware is the project management tool. I have previously used Project Server, which is a Microsoft solution, and I found it to be more user-friendly as it included a client solution. In contrast, with this solution, the only option available is the online version, making it difficult to create activities, milestones, and other necessary components. This is in comparison to Planisware, which offers a more comprehensive solution."
"The UI and UX of Planisware are not that advanced."
"The biggest con for Planisware is that if you are not a Planisware partner, you don't have access to their functions, making it difficult for beginners and new team members."
"Its stability should be improved. Its stability is the main issue, but we sometimes also have issues with calculations."
"They do not have anything that can assist customers with multi-year roadmap planning."
"More integration is needed with other kinds of products for better collaboration."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Project is an expensive solution."
"We purchase perpetual licenses due to the high cost of subscriptions, which are about 1,000 Australian dollars."
"The licensing model is somewhat complex."
"The pricing is based on a licensing model and is reasonable."
"I am not aware of any additional costs apart from the standard licensing fees of the solution."
"I do not have personal experience with pricing or licensing of this product."
"I am not involved with this."
"The solution has a decent annual license subscription cost, which is not high."
"The solution is expensive and support is an extra cost. There are three license types to choose from, and we only pay for support and cloud services depending on our needs."
"The solution could be less expensive and the cost of scaling is expensive too."
"There are training and certification costs."
"It comes with a high cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
64%
Computer Software Company
5%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Government
4%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Energy/Utilities Company
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Has anyone moved from Microsoft Project to Smartsheet? How has your experience been with Smartsheet?
Hi @Eire Zimmermann, I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the mo...
What do you like most about Microsoft Project?
The product's initial setup phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project?
The issue with Microsoft is that the license is per personnel, making it expensive.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Planisware?
I don't have any specific details, however, it might be expensive.
What needs improvement with Planisware?
I haven't had the time to work with any other TPM tools, so I can't compare it to other tools just yet.
What is your primary use case for Planisware?
We actually use it for project planning and estimating the cost for the projects, in resource management, and as a timecard application. Users can log their time using the timesheet.
 

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aston Martin, ABANCA, Airbus Group, Capita, Cardiff University, City of Saskatoon, Intel, Pegasus Airlines, South Australia Power Network (SAPN), Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing
Apotex, Alstom Transport, HP, Stryker, Rexam, Jotun, Gelita, Kraton Performance Polymers, Abbvie, Rio Tinto Alcan, Maruho, Teva, SK Chemicals
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project vs. Planisware and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.