Planview Portfolios vs iServer comparison

Orbus Software and Planview are both solutions in the Enterprise Architecture Management category. Orbus Software is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.0, while Planview is ranked #11 with an average rating of 9.0. Orbus Software holds a 4.3% mindshare in AM, compared to Planview’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Orbus Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Planview users who would recommend it.

iServer

Read 18 iServer reviews

2,253 Views
1,577 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Planview Portfolios

Read 63 Planview Portfolios reviews

2,633 Views
658 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

iServer

Planview Portfolios

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Planview Portfolios and iServer are competitive players in the project management and enterprise architecture categories. While Planview shines in areas of resource management and reporting, iServer gains an edge with its strong data integration capabilities and user adaptability, especially with Microsoft products.

Features: Planview Portfolios integrates strategy with execution, offering a comprehensive view of demand and resources, customizable architecture, and robust resource planning capabilities. iServer stands out with strong integration capabilities, especially with Microsoft Office, customizable architecture modeling, and intuitive UI that aligns with Microsoft applications.

Room for Improvement: Planview Portfolios could improve its agile integration and reduce the steep learning curve. Enhancements in intuitive interface design and customizability are desired. iServer could improve its visualization techniques, performance speed, and integrate more options while enhancing UI usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Planview Portfolios provides flexible deployment options across cloud solutions but garner mixed customer service reviews, where technical support consistency is a concern. iServer mainly offers on-premises solutions indicating stability and control with favorable customer service reviews, praised for quick responsiveness and expertise.

Pricing and ROI: Planview Portfolios is seen as costly but provides flexible licensing options like FLEX, offering value in strategic alignment and resource management. iServer, moderately priced, is perceived as offering a substantial ROI with competitive pricing, improving process efficiency and integration capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Planview Portfolios vs. iServer Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios vs. iServer

December 2025

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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

iServer

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

8th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Process Design (16th)

Planview Portfolios

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Portfolio Management (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of iServer is 4.3%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Planview Portfolios is 2.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Architecture Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
iServer	4.3%
Planview Portfolios	2.3%
Other	93.4%

Enterprise Architecture Management

Featured Reviews

Antonios Lazanakis

Senior IT Solution Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Flexible, easy to use, and easy to import data

We use iServer to establish an enterprise architecture function in our organization iServer is a very flexible platform for defining your own enterprise architecture model. It is very easy to import data, and we also have good integration with Visual Drawing Tools and SharePoint. The solution is…

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Raghavender Benkal

PM Systems Analyst at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Increases our on-time completion rate and helps in managing the demand and capacity, and we get excellent service in terms of feature requests and support

We've been encouraging our users to manage their schedules directly in the Work and Assignments module. So far, it has been good, but we've been in conversation with the vendor product team to improve the performance of the Work and Assignments module. Right now, it is a bit slower. We don't use the Progression feature. We will use it at some point in time. Until then, we want to have a way to set time to help decide what's in the past, present, and future. It is one of the things we've been discussing with Planview. It provides flexibility for configuring assignments, but one of the things about which we've been talking to Planview is related to certain resources that are associated with a project. When the project extends, their demand also equally goes up. There are also resources where if a particular task has to crash, it may need additional effort. So, it is between the fixed effort versus fixed duration. Planview is more duration-based. For example, if you crash a task, the system rightly thinks that you're crashing the task, and you need to finish the work by doing overtime or working additional hours. If you are taking 30 hours to finish a task in three weeks, and for whatever reason, you have to crash the task into two weeks, 30 hours need to be fulfilled within those two weeks. If the task moves to four weeks, instead of three weeks, you still have 30 hours that get distributed among four weeks, so you will be able to finish the task. That makes sense for those resources that are associated with the task, but there are certain resources, such as a project manager or project administrator, for whom when a project extends, the demand also equally goes up. So, if somebody is assigned 50% for a project, and assuming that the project is moving out by a month or two or three months, the effort shouldn't go down. Currently, the allocation goes down, and our resource managers have to go and update the effort back up to 50% or whatever the demand is. We are interacting with Planview to provide a solution. Right now, we have to go and update the additional demand because of the change in the project.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This flexibility is the most helpful part in the standard version."

"iServer is a very flexible platform for defining your own enterprise architecture model."

"The product has a valuable customized model."

"It has helped having data lineage in the business cluster, which is used as control artifacts."

"Tech support is very responsive. They solved issues within a prompt response time."

"The initial setup is easy."

"iServer has valuable features for workflow and document management."

"There were lots of different requirements, and collaboration and review is one of the biggest things. There is also Office 360 integration, and there's flexibility to use it as a database as well."

More iServer pros

"The most valuable features are the resource management, the time sheet entry and usage, and the financial planning. With our projects, we primarily focus on resource assignments, as far as determining the actual forecast and actuals of our projects. A lot of it is based off of the resources utilized on those projects. The time based helps us capture the actuals. The amount of time people are spending on working on their project tasks. Because they've built this into the schedule, so we can build the forecast. With financial planning, we're able to look back on what our variance is and if there is anything between the scheduled forecasted hours, dollars against the actual hours, and the costs that they utilize."

"The financial planning capabilities are very useful. We have integration for an SAP system, and so we load financial data from SAP into Planview for prior months. And then we use the forecasting capabilities to get a complete picture of the cost of a specific project. The financial management is very useful."

"It has been effective for our delivery. It's given us much better visibility into what is being delivered and when."

"Our reporting is much better. There is much more visibility on projects, schedules, tasks, and in our milestones. Now, we have a consistent way of reporting out to the committees and getting all of our schedules and milestones."

"The biggest impact has been the visibility into our IT assets."

"The solution is flexible. Planview is always introducing new releases and functionality, which ends up being beneficial to the company. We are able to do some customizations on our own along with our IT department, and that's very helpful."

"When it comes to managing project plans, Enterprise One is awesome at enabling us to see what stage work is at. I've always thought it was awesome because it's good whether we're doing a traditional WBS or we're linking in epics into projects that are supporting the programs and the strategies, I've always thought it was an excellent tool."

"Enterprise One has enabled us to eliminate Excel. We don't track financials anymore in an Excel format, which the company was doing before. Even now, being a new portfolio manager four months in, I'm able to just pick up my project. I'm able to see where I am right now. That improvised it to be more automated. The only missing part is the integration between tools. I'm not able to see my full schedule, but I know what are my important milestones are like watching the financials and all that stuff."

More Planview Portfolios pros

Cons

"The one issue is that if you want to import predefined work, you need to put the licensing model in. So if you wanted to import work that was done before, you then need to buy a separate product for that."

"The performance is slow, which is something that should be improved."

"I haven't used this solution long enough to know what areas could be improved."

"More visualization techniques and ways to report the data might be helpful."

"The modelling needs improvement, specifically forecasting capabilities and scenarios."

"Cannot see which activities are control activities."

"It definitely needs help to improve the visual aspect of the solution."

"iServer should invest in enhancing the capabilities of the embedded drawing tool, draw.io."

More iServer cons

"Visualization and reporting areas could use improvements by having canned reports."

"The financial piece of the tool could be better. While it may have to do with the complexity of the work that we do, it seems that the tool should be able to drill down a bit deeper into the financial area."

"When we first deployed, there were some issues. We never got to the root cause of why they happened. Since we didn't have any history with it, we weren't quite sure if this was a standard operating procedure or it truly was a glitch."

"The administrative tabs are very confusing, especially in terms of configuring screens and users. It's not very intuitive versus many other applications that I have worked in the past. I have to go to separate sections than I think I have to in order to get to the place that I need to adjust something."

"The lack of templates harden the initial learning curve."

"Their off-shore support is something new that they're laying out and the team just needed some development in terms of skill and experience."

"We don't use the Progression feature. We will use it at some point in time. Until then, we want to have a way to set time to help decide what's in the past, present, and future. It is one of the things we've been discussing with Planview."

"When you think of planning at a PI level, roadmap planning, or release planning, I think they should make a little more headway into how agile delivery works, tying it back into the financials and the planning to Planview. I think it would be good."

More Planview Portfolios cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of iServer is reasonable compared to other solutions."

"It's about 13K to set up and 9K for the license for three months. I think it's about 20K a year, but we haven't firmed up on pricing yet because the price depends on how long we commit to the solution."

"The product has a moderate pricing."

"Aim for the exact number of people who shall define/review approve and view the processes, as it will impact the cost."

"They offer annual subscriptions for developing countries, which are not affordable for small or medium businesses."

"The solution is cheaper than its competitors."

"In the time that I've used it, we've doubled up the amount of dollars on our intended projects."

"The cost of other pieces and integrating them in needs improvement."

"Planview is a little pricey. From a licensing perspective, for just a simple timesheet user who does nothing in the system but reports time, the licensing is a little pricey, but you have to look at it from what it is that you get. We have 6,000 users, and I don't manage the system at all. I just have to do add them to the system. The servers, maintenance, OS levels, security patching for the OS, and all other things are not something that we maintain. So, you have to look at it from an operational perspective. It is not just the product itself. A holistic view has to be taken when you look at the product and how you're going to support it. I would have to hire an entire operation staff to bring it in-house, and at the end of the day, that might cost me more."

"The licensing part is a bit costly in comparison with the other available PPM tools."

"We have unlimited licenses for all of our functionalities. Since we went global, we went with that model."

"We overbought our licenses. We looked at our needs three to four years down the road and tried based our contract on that. However, we were over aggressive. We use about a third of the licenses that we have. We're looking to adjust the makeup so we can start utilizing the amount of money that we are spending. Right now, we're overspending, and my organization is not seeing the value in Planview because we are paying so much for licenses that we're not using."

"When we went through that process, I believe it is competitive with others on the market. However, there are less expensive options available. It's a more premium offering at a higher price."

"Our licensing fees are approximately $50,000 USD annually."

More Planview Portfolios pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	58

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about iServer?

iServer has valuable features for workflow and document management.

See all answers

What needs improvement with iServer?

iServer should invest in enhancing the capabilities of the embedded drawing tool, draw.io. draw.io is a drawing tool used to draw architectural diagrams, flow diagrams, etc. It is an alternative to...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iServer?

We use iServer to establish an enterprise architecture function in our organization.

See all answers

What do you like most about Planview Portfolios?

Planview Management integrates seamlessly with other tools and systems used within the organization, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, customer relationship management (CRM) syst...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Planview Portfolios?

Enhancements are needed in: Advanced reporting and analytics: While Planview Management provides robust reporting and analytics capabilities, further enhancements could include more advanced data v...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Planview Portfolios?

We use Planview Management to assess the current project portfolio, evaluate resource availability, and prioritize projects based on strategic objectives, ROI, and risk factors. Planview Management...

See all answers

Comparisons

LeanIX vs iServer

Compared 14% of the time

OrbusInfinity vs iServer

Compared 12% of the time

MEGA HOPEX vs iServer

Compared 9% of the time

BiZZdesign HoriZZon vs iServer

Compared 9% of the time

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs iServer

Compared 7% of the time

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Broadcom Clarity vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 8% of the time

Planisware vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 6% of the time

LeanIX vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 5% of the time

Planview PPM Pro vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 5% of the time

Smartsheet vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 4% of the time

More Planview Portfolios Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Architecture Management

November 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios

December 2025

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Also Known As

No data available

Planview Enterprise One, Troux

Overview

iServer is a unified software platform and enterprise modeling environment that extends and enhances the familiar, market leading Microsoft Visio and Office products. Core capabilities provided by iServer include an enhanced Microsoft Visio diagramming interface, a powerful central repository for all enterprise architecture or business process models and documentation, and a range of tools for visualization, analysis and decision making.

Orbus Software

Planview Portfolios equips leaders in strategic portfolio management to enhance investment confidence and market responsiveness through seamless strategy connection, planning, delivery, and outcomes, offering both cloud and on-premises options.

Planview Portfolios supports executives and portfolio managers by improving strategic execution with automated and adaptable processes. It integrates strategy and outcomes by aligning business and technology plans to optimize funding and resource capacity. Features include end-to-end visibility, which allows tracking of strategic initiatives and the ability to analyze performance data using key metrics. It also provides dynamic planning and funding via scenario modeling, allowing businesses to adapt funding based on outcomes while ensuring balanced investments against capacity.

What are the key features of Planview Portfolios?

Strategic Alignment: Connects OKRs with execution processes.
End-to-End Visibility: Assesses performance with KPIs for strategic decision-making.
Dynamic Planning and Funding: Scenario modeling for incremental funding.
Flexible Capacity Planning: Balances resources and dependencies.
Connected Technology Strategy: Aligns tech investments with priorities.
Adaptive Program Management: Integrates planning and cross-functional teams.

What benefits do users gain from using Planview Portfolios?

Customization and Interface: Offers tailored layouts and an intuitive interface.
Centralized Management: Manages projects and resources effectively.
Robust Reporting: Features Power BI integration for comprehensive reports.
Agile Integration: Supports agile practices alongside traditional methods.
Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates team collaboration across departments.

Planview Portfolios sees extensive use across industries like IT, financial planning, and resource management. Global companies implement it for managing projects, resource allocation, and strategic planning. It's crucial for end-to-end project management, including investment planning, capacity management, and connecting agile with traditional resource planning, supporting departments worldwide in project execution.

Planview

Sample Customers

Barclays, Cathay Pacific, Deloitte, British Gas, MasterCard

UPS, NatWest, Ingram Micro, Canadian Tire, Viessmann, Volvo, NASCO, UNESCO

Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios vs. iServer

December 2025

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