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JIRA Portfolio vs Microsoft Project 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.6
JIRA Portfolio boosts ROI by enhancing project management, collaboration, execution efficiency, and providing agile insights into team activities.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Project optimizes resource use and efficiency, enhancing project management, reducing costs, and improving transparency and completion timelines.
The tool provides tracking for projects and activities, with detailed insights into which team members worked on activities and the time invested in each task.
Subdirector of Support for Production at Servicios Electrónicos Globales -Oficial
If I can eliminate delays, I achieve good ROI because resources can be utilized to their maximum capacity.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Microsoft Project does help save time and money due to its completeness as a project management solution.
Principal: Cyber Security, Information Security Management, Data Privacy at Astrum
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
JIRA Portfolio's support experiences vary, with users reporting both helpful interactions and delays, suggesting improvements in access and speed.
Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Project support receives mixed reviews, with responsiveness varying by location, support type, and specific customer needs.
The support was good with no challenges.
Delivery Leader : Digital Productivity Studio at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
We are satisfied with the support from our provider.
Subdirector of Support for Production at Servicios Electrónicos Globales -Oficial
Currently, there are more support personnel who speak English, and Microsoft has increased its Spanish language support compared to previous years.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
There is a website and a connection to AI for support.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
I would give somewhere around 10 for my overall experience with support.
Associate Director at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
JIRA Portfolio efficiently scales for diverse team sizes, though some users find pricing and licensing complexities challenging.
Sentiment score
6.9
Microsoft Project is scalable and adaptable, integrating well with Microsoft tools but needing better external system integration.
In terms of scalability, I would give JIRA Portfolio a ten out of ten.
Delivery Leader : Digital Productivity Studio at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
JIRA Portfolio is stable and reliable, receiving high ratings for performance, with minimal issues during cloud updates.
Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Project is generally stable and reliable, with occasional issues in complex projects, rated 8-9 for stability.
In comparison to Planisware, it is very stable.
Delivery Leader : Digital Productivity Studio at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Project is a stable tool, and when using it in different projects, it works perfectly.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
Microsoft Project is a stable product.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate the stability of Microsoft Project as an eight out of ten.
Project Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

JIRA users seek better reporting, integration, UI simplification, resource management, and improved dashboards with affordable add-ons.
Microsoft Project users seek improved usability, integration, real-time data, reporting, automation, collaboration features, and better pricing with Office apps.
Making the report creation process faster and easier with drag-and-drop features would be beneficial.
Delivery Leader : Digital Productivity Studio at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
The setup process for JIRA Portfolio is complex.
Subdirector of Support for Production at Servicios Electrónicos Globales -Oficial
The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
It would be beneficial to see enhanced reporting functionalities in future versions.
Project Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Project tends to become very unstable on large project plans with more than 400 lines.
Principal: Cyber Security, Information Security Management, Data Privacy at Astrum
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise users find JIRA's Advanced Roadmaps affordable initially, but costs increase with scaling, particularly for additional users or features.
Microsoft Project offers varied pricing; value in bundles but standalone licenses may be costly, seen as competitive overall.
It is not considered expensive in the market.
Delivery Leader : Digital Productivity Studio at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
The issue with Microsoft is that the license is per personnel, making it expensive.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
I believe it's usually included in the Microsoft 365 package.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
Microsoft Project is affordable, but the standalone Project license should be included in the Office price to increase adoption.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

JIRA Portfolio offers integration, customization, and ease of use for effective project management and team progress tracking.
Microsoft Project offers intuitive scheduling, resource management, and integration with Office Suite for streamlined and efficient project planning.
The reporting feature is comprehensive and easy to use, which aids in planning and forecasting.
Delivery Leader : Digital Productivity Studio at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
The cloud accessibility and quick task creation capabilities make collaborating with the tool a great feature for working with my team.
Subdirector of Support for Production at Servicios Electrónicos Globales -Oficial
This tool is the most accurate project management tool, allowing me to run a full set of project activities without having to switch between different tools for scheduling and other tasks.
Principal: Cyber Security, Information Security Management, Data Privacy at Astrum
The collaboration features are valuable for controlling the project and transmitting information to other team members when working in a team.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
The most valuable features are in the successor and predecessor determination and the tracking tools, such as obtaining data on the S curve financial curve.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
 

Categories and Ranking

JIRA Portfolio
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (5th)
Microsoft Project
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
85
Ranking in other categories
Project Management Software (3rd)
 

Featured Reviews

Gus Mtz - PeerSpot reviewer
Subdirector of Support for Production at Servicios Electrónicos Globales -Oficial
Collaborative features improve task management and project tracking
All the business areas are comfortable with JIRA Portfolio. JIRA Portfolio has many features that we have not yet explored or utilized fully, but the power of JIRA Portfolio at this moment for the several areas in the business has been a very comfortable experience. The cloud accessibility and quick task creation capabilities make collaborating with the tool a great feature for working with my team. Users can assign tasks to one or two people who can collaborate and document their work. That feature is amazing in terms of collaboration. While the tool does not currently support meetings, if JIRA Portfolio incorporates meeting functionality in the future, it would greatly enhance the process, especially for tasks requiring teams from different areas.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
17%
Marketing Services Firm
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
9%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise32
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise41
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about JIRA Portfolio?
The solution's tracking capabilities helped ensure we had full visibility into planned work and scheduled work.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JIRA Portfolio?
I am part of the delivery team and am not exposed to the commercial information. However, from what I understand, JIRA is competitively priced. It is not considered expensive in the market.
What needs improvement with JIRA Portfolio?
The setup process for JIRA Portfolio is complex.
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.
 

Also Known As

Portfolio for JIRA
Project Pro, MS Project
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Rosetta Stone, Sprint, UBS, Workday, Expedia, J.P. Morgan
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 JIRA Portfolio vs. Microsoft Project and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
882,637 professionals have used our research since 2012.