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 8.5, while Planview is ranked #11 with an average rating of 9.0. Orbus Software holds a 4.7% 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

2,505 Views
1,779 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Planview Portfolios

Read 63 Planview Portfolios reviews

3,071 Views
737 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: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios vs. iServer

February 2026

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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 (15th)

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 February 2026, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of iServer is 4.7%, up from 4.6% 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	4.7%
Planview Portfolios	2.3%
Other	93.0%

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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it_user1684173

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

"Good and effective reporting features, which help in decision making."

"The solution has wide use within Microsoft products. The integration with Microsoft products, and, in particular, Microsoft Office, is great."

"We like the governance."

"The solution is easily modified to suit your needs."

"The most valuable features of iServer are the integration with Microsoft Office and the interface is similar to Microsoft applications making them easy to use."

"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."

More iServer pros

"We have a fairly good picture of time tracking."

"We do a lot of big projects which are pretty expensive to structure the product development around and see the progress. Every time we start a project, we have to expense the spends for certain amounts. We need some baselines, like predictive versus actual."

"I like that it's an enterprise environment. I can look across everything that's going on and have a sense of what is going on within the organization."

"The data is the most valuable because the reporting that we provide out of Planview is priceless when compared to any other tool. The reporting has a variety of reports. It has the capabilities of Power BI. It gives us all these dashboards that we can show to our executive leadership, and they have been very well-received."

"With the lifecycles, it helps us step through our processes easier. We'll take a process and create it in Visio, then we'll go and implemented in Planview. Anytime that we have to do a new process, this is what we use. We just step it through the lifecycles and the configure screens are very easy to use. The fields that you need are easy to use."

"We are able to see where everyone in the team is in terms of hours, where there is capacity, and where we can actually add them, e.g., other projects that they're not currently staffed to."

"We use time reporting. We convert time reporting into financial costs and do contractor and capacity planning for our resources. We track our work. So, that's the module we use extensively. As a matter of fact, we have upwards of 300 open projects at this given moment. It is pretty close to 300 open activities that are working."

"The overall interface is very easy to use. It puts together strategy and execution across all your investments."

More Planview Portfolios pros

Cons

"There can be some performance issues using the solution that should be improved. When you make modifications modify to files there are embedded data within that can take a while to process."

"iServer is a solid tool. Occasionally, we needed to contact the vendor to clarify details such as porting issues, missing components, and model specifics."

"The migration tool needs to be included in the main package, and not as a separate license."

"There could be features for process mining, process simulation, and analytics."

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

"It runs relatively slowly."

"We could allocate permissions to use only specific components to the users rather than the entire instance."

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

More iServer cons

"I would like to see more documentation pieces. Right now, they do have the content repository. I would like to see more out-of-the-box features with document repository capabilities."

"There can be improvement on the sense of urgency because a lot of times we've exhausted everything that we can, and now, we're reaching out. So, it isn't a, "Well, have you tried to reboot this?" We've already done everything. Once we put in a ticket, there should be more of a sense of urgency on it."

"When it comes to reporting there are some challenges with integration."

"Recently, we have gotten on a newer version. We're currently on version 15. Some of the things that we've been running into roadblocks on, it looks like the solutions will be coming out in versions 17 or 18. So, we have to upgrade before somethings can get completed."

"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."

"We have almost like a third-party group who has to do a lot of our configurations. It's a bit painful for us anytime we want to make a change. The other issue is that we have different groups all in the same instance. So, if one group wants to make a change, it impacts everyone. Then, we all have to come together, to say, "Yes, we approve this change, or no, we do not." Thus, it has not been as flexible for us."

"The only area that I can see currently needing improvement is just the modernization of the look and feel of it."

"The technical support is a little overworked. At least, they have been in the past year. We need them to focus on somethings from time to time. You can tell that they're really focusing on many things. It has gotten better, but I think they could still use some relief."

More Planview Portfolios cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is cheaper than its competitors."

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

"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."

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

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

"The product has a moderate pricing."

"I don't think we have necessarily purchased everything that I would have liked to have seen."

"We are on the Flex licenses."

"With the costs, they were very understanding. Knowing that we were an existing customer, they were very much willing to work with us to make sure that we were able to transition to Enterprise One from PPM Pro."

"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."

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

"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."

"I think all in we are at $33,000 a year and that includes Projectplace and Planview. We used to have the integration to JIRA, but we don't pay for that anymore."

"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

21%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Marketing 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	2
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	59

Questions from the Community

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...

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What is your primary use case for iServer?

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

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering iServer?

I would recommend the solution to other users. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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...

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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...

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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

BiZZdesign HoriZZon vs iServer

Compared 14% of the time

MEGA HOPEX vs iServer

Compared 13% of the time

LeanIX vs iServer

Compared 11% of the time

OrbusInfinity vs iServer

Compared 9% of the time

Visio vs iServer

Compared 6% of the time

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Broadcom Clarity vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 9% of the time

Planview PPM Pro vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 7% of the time

Planisware vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 6% of the time

Planview AdaptiveWork vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 5% of the time

LeanIX vs Planview Portfolios

Compared 5% of the time

More Planview Portfolios Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Architecture Management

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios

January 2026

Download Planview Portfolios product report

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

February 2026

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