A Full Microsoft Project Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing, and More

Our Microsoft Project review aims to decide once and for all whether the well-established project management program stands up to newer competitors on the market. It’s one of the most widely used project management software platforms worldwide, but is it the best for project planning?

Read on to discover the plans, pricing, features, pros, and cons of Microsoft Project.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Microsoft Project Pricing
2. Microsoft Project Features
3. Microsoft Project Integrations
4. Microsoft Project Customer Reviews
5. What is Microsoft Project Good For?
6. Microsoft Project vs. Top Competitors
7. How We Test Project Management Tools
8. How to Choose the Best Project Management Solution
9. FAQs
10. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Microsoft Project Pricing
2. Microsoft Project Features
3. Microsoft Project Integrations
Show Full Guide
4. Microsoft Project Customer Reviews
5. What is Microsoft Project Good For?
6. Microsoft Project vs. Top Competitors
7. How We Test Project Management Tools
8. How to Choose the Best Project Management Solution
9. FAQs
10. References

Microsoft Project Pricing

With Microsoft Project, you can choose to host the program on your desktop or opt for a cloud-based solution. There are three cloud-based plans and two on-premises plans available.

Below, we’ve broken down the various Microsoft Project plans so you can understand each option’s differences.

Microsoft Project Features

Microsoft Project has many features to help upscale your project management, including various project views, timesheet submission, resource management, pre-set reporting, and team messaging via Microsoft Teams.

Below, we’ll discuss some of the key features in more depth.

Project Views

Microsoft Project offers a rather humble range of views: Gantt chart, grid, and Kanban board. While it’s nowhere near as many views as competitors like monday.com and ClickUp, we’d say these are the three most essential project views you’d need from a project management tool, and sometimes less is more.

Within the project overview, we found it very straightforward to add new tasks and also add custom columns to include more information on each task like dependencies, due dates, completion rate, and so on.

Roadmaps

As well as the grid, board, and Gantt chart views, Microsoft Project also allows you to create roadmaps.

This acts as an overarching view of the status of multiple ongoing projects and can be a valuable addition for individuals responsible for delivering simultaneous projects or presenting a top-level update to stakeholders.

This feature is only fully accessible in Project Plans 3 and 5, while in Project Plan 1, it is read-only.

Resource Management

Another vital feature included in Project Plans 3 and 5 is resource management, which allows you to stay on top of your resources to ensure shortages don’t delay the delivery of your projects.

With this feature, you can manage resource requests, view heatmaps to identify under-used and over-used resources, and create reports to better track resource use.

Timesheet Submission

Timesheet submission is another handy feature included with Microsoft Project, which can be used to track time spent on individual tasks and projects. Not only does this help improve time management and efficiency, but it is also convenient for sending invoices and making data-driven resource allocation decisions.

Microsoft Project Integrations

As expected, Microsoft Project works seamlessly with the rest of Microsoft’s software suite, including Teams, Sharepoint, and Planner.

From any Microsoft Teams channel, you can add a link to a project so that relevant team members can view the status and progress from the top bar of your channel. All project tasks will be available to view from within the Teams app, so you don’t have to open Microsoft Project itself.

Beyond that, Microsoft Project is somewhat limited in the integrations department and is not as compatible with third-party apps as its competitors. This is a serious shortcoming compared to other project management tools on the market that integrate with CRM, accounting, social media, and marketing tools.

Microsoft Project Customer Reviews

Microsoft Project earns positive feedback from online user reviews. Common complaints relate to the steep learning curve, with some users suggesting that it’s far too complicated and expensive for most projects and most suitable for high-volume project managers.

That being said, users vouch for Microsoft Project being one of the best tools for resource management, tracking budgets, and predicting project outcomes once users overcome the learning curve.

Users also praised Microsoft Project’s integration with Outlook, Teams, and calendars, which can help connect calendar events with project timelines and is particularly useful in film or TV production environments.

Another sentiment is that many users are finding that newer tools like Smartsheet, Trello, Asana, and monday.com are proving more accessible project management tools for small teams – but that Microsoft Project is still an extremely reputable name in the industry and, if properly utilized, can offer tons of benefits for the most complex project management needs.

What is Microsoft Project Good For?

Microsoft Project can be an excellent investment for project managers who must simultaneously stay on top of multiple complex projects. For example, those working in energy, sustainability, automotive, or engineering industries may benefit from the level of depth that Project provides. For those seeking a solid method of project planning, analyzing productivity, and managing resources – MSProject can be a good option.

Due to the steep learning curve and a rather hefty price tag, however, we don’t recommend it for less complex projects as it simply may not be worth the hassle of onboarding and paying a subscription fee when you can gain the same benefits from a free tool.

We also don’t recommend it for collaboration-heavy or particularly creative projects, as it lacks integration with third-party apps. Read on for recommendations of more suitable contenders if these factors are essential to you.

Microsoft Project vs. Top Competitors

Now we’ve heard what Microsoft Project has to offer, let’s see how it compares with its competitors. We compared Microsoft Project with some of the best project management software on the market, taking into consideration price, compatibility, and features:

Microsoft Project vs Smartsheet

At a much cheaper price point than Microsoft Project, Smartsheet is an affordable yet scalable solution that we recommend for various team sizes and requirements. For just $25 per month, you can also have unlimited users on the Business plan, while Microsoft Project charges between $10-$55 per user.

Smartsheet’s USP is its spreadsheet-style interface, which will be familiar to Excel fans and mean a smoother set-up process. You can create as many spreadsheets as you want and access other project views, like Gantt charts, boards, and calendar views. Read more about this in our full review of Smartsheet.

Another main difference is that Smartsheet supports third-party integrations, with which Microsoft Project falls flat. So, if you don’t want to stray too far from your beloved spreadsheets and want a project management tool that fits your existing tech stack – Smartsheet might be a good option.

Microsoft Project vs Asana

Both Microsoft Project and Asana’s plans start from around $10 per month and offer robust project management capabilities such as Gantt charts and portfolio management features.

Asana is one of the best free project management software platforms, which can be a permanent solution for project managers with less complicated needs. That being said, you may run into limitations for more complex projects.

Regarding templates, Asana offers 80+ options, while Microsoft Project offers 8-20 options. Asana also outshines Microsoft in the integrations department, with an impressive 1000+ third-party integrations, while Project only integrates with other Microsoft programs.

Read our full review of Asana.

Microsoft Project vs Monday

While Microsoft Project is a huge name in the industry, monday.com is a relative newcomer that has quickly built its reputation in the project management space thanks to its intuitive UX design and customizability, not to mention its intelligent advertising strategy.

Starting from $9 per month, monday.com is slightly cheaper than Microsoft Project, and it also has a free plan, which is always a plus.

As we found in our review of monday.com, this tool makes automation very accessible, with simple-to-use ‘if/when’ rules, which can speed up mundane tasks and help reduce missed deadlines. Microsoft Project, on the other hand, has much less automation. The closest comparison is its automated scheduling, which is not as customizable as monday.com.

Another significant difference, again, is Microsoft Project’s lack of third-party integrations. This makes monday.com a more suitable option for creative, collaborative teams who need a software platform that works with an existing tech stack or supports sharing media.

How We Test Project Management Tools

For over 13 years, Techopedia has established itself as a trusted voice in technology, including the best project management software. You can trust our analysis as we extensively test market-leading project management solutions. We meticulously examine the core functionalities, including mobile apps, automation capabilities, collaboration tools, and third-party integrations.

We also consider user reviews across multiple platforms to ensure we provide a comprehensive, well-rounded assessment that considers real-world experiences. With our comprehensive methodology, you can rely on our recommendations when deciding which project management software is for you.

How to Choose the Best Project Management Solution

Simply adopting project management software will vastly improve your workflow, but be mindful that not all project management software is created equal. Therefore, it’s important to understand how to choose the best project management software before choosing.

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