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Basecamp vs Microsoft Project comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

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

Basecamp
Ranking in Project Management Software
26th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Project
Ranking in Project Management Software
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
85
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Basecamp is 1.3%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Project is 2.8%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Management Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Project2.8%
Basecamp1.3%
Other95.9%
Project Management Software
 

Featured Reviews

Abenazzer Tadesse - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Operations Officer at BeOnline ICT
An easy-to-use project management solution with good stability and scalability
The recent update on the solution has made it a little bit complex. For example, to create a team and a project, there is a separate button that you need to click. Recently they updated it with only one button making it difficult for us to create teams or supply teams other than a project. Hence the solution could be more user-friendly. Additionally, some additional features need to be integrated so it'll be easy for other companies or project managers to manage software projects.
Jacob-George - PeerSpot reviewer
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Improved project scheduling has maximized resource utilization and has reduced delays
I think the licensing structure presents a significant area for improvement. The full features are not offered on the standard E4 license. This becomes problematic when distributing the project plan. I can export the plan as Excel and CSV files, but then I lose all the rich features, including dependency mapping. To recreate all that functionality without proper licensing is challenging. Microsoft Project offers a light version available for free, but when I try to distribute a project plan, it requires separate licensing. Microsoft Project Central used to be more of an enterprise product. Microsoft Project currently focuses on very low-level task management, and it could do much more. I do not see significant advancement happening because there is confusion about where Microsoft Project is heading. I believe Microsoft should bundle the license with Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This approach would result in more people using Microsoft Project. That is my opinion on how to improve adoption and the product offering.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ease of use is valuable."
"The ability to network informally is great for communicating with colleagues."
"We have not had any problems with Microsoft's technical support. We are happy with the support."
"It served the purpose. It was pretty user-friendly."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Project is scheduling. The solution is useful on a daily basis."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Project include dependency mapping, completion ratios, and the ability to apply specific constraints or constraint types."
"The resource allocation features, which help allocate resources to tasks, are quite valuable."
"The most valuable features of this solution are dependency management, milestone progress, multiple resource rates, and RAG views."
"Technical support has been very helpful."
"The standard project planning features and charts are most valuable."
 

Cons

"The product isn't easy to use. It's not very intuitive."
"The solution could be more user-friendly."
"I find that MS Project has limited control in comparison to other solutions in the same sphere."
"I would like Microsoft Project to better align with our business needs, with improved consultant support for setup and integration features that show all relevant aspects at the top level."
"The only suggestion for improvement is the generative AI feature for task suggestions; this is the main concern so far, something nice to have."
"There have been some drawbacks with customization. Some users want it to be an automation tool."
"It would be better if there were more access to Agile implementations."
"What could have been better is the integration with Office 365 so that if you're discussing a project on Teams or there's an email related to the project, it can be tagged to the project in Microsoft Project. That functionality is currently not there."
"Collaboration is an area that needs improvements."
"The tool's most valuable feature is scheduling."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"You only need a Team's license in order to use Microsoft Project within Teams, which is very helpful."
"The pricing is based on a licensing model and is reasonable."
"I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."
"The product is not expensive. My company has opted for an annual subscription."
"The cost for an on-premises-based license is a one-time fee, and the cloud-based is an annual payment plan."
"Microsoft Project is an expensive solution."
"I do not remember the exact cost we paid but usually, they charge per user per month."
"The solution is less expensive than other options."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
11%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise41
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
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?
I would say Microsoft Project is affordable, but the standalone Project license should be included in the Office price to increase adoption.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Project Pro, MS Project
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Ashland Addison Florist Co., Victory Auto Wreckers, Ideal Box Co., Hollymatic Corp.
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Basecamp vs. Microsoft Project and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,797 professionals have used our research since 2012.