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Microsoft Project Server vs Planisware comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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

Microsoft Project Server
Ranking in Project Portfolio Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Planisware
Ranking in Project Portfolio Management
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Project Portfolio Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project Server is 6.4%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Planisware is 10.5%, up from 7.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Portfolio Management
 

Featured Reviews

Mouloud Fourali - PeerSpot reviewer
Visual project planning enhances collaboration and proactive management
The dependency management in Microsoft Project is highly valuable, as it visually maps dependencies and impacts within a project plan. The online version facilitates easy collaboration without having to share multiple versions of the file. The Gantt chart is also a very powerful tool for a visual presentation of sequences, critical paths, and execution processes, which simplifies comprehension for users.
Avinash Padmanabhan - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced project and resource management with Agile integration
Primarily, Planisware is used for project, program, and portfolio management purposes. Projects can be scheduled, and budgeting, tracking, resource management, efforts, forecast, and scheduling can be executed using the Planisware application It offers capabilities to manage the complete project…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft Project Server helps organizations in collaboration."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is easy to understand and navigate."
"Capacity management and task baselining are the most valuable features of Microsoft Project Server."
"We are able to know what we are doing, how much we have spent, how much time we've taken, and it tells us how much money is left for the project. It also tells us whether we are below or above our expenditures, whether we are below or above our budget."
"It's fine to navigate for a layperson."
"Technical support is good."
"I like being able to manage the capacity in terms of the resources. I also like being able to share documents and information between teams. It's the best solution for collaboration."
"The solution's ease of use is its most valuable aspect."
"It has an inbuilt BI tool, which can be compared to Power BI or Tableau."
"Overall, our company has all disintegrated systems, and with Planisware, we are getting a very integrated view of my portfolio reporting, cost and load, and everything else."
"Planisware offers integration with multiple tools and provides a good level of customization."
"We have a variety of different modules, but it is mainly used for costs, risks, and resources."
"Planisware has introduced Agile concepts, making it capable of Agile management similar to Jira and other Agile tools."
"There are two things in particular that I enjoy. The first is the portfolio planning section. Another advantage is that it is highly customizable."
"It stands out by automating the intricate mechanics of project execution, eliminating the need for highly technical individuals to manage and reconfigure models."
"The area that could benefit from improvement in this Planisware is the project management tool. I have previously used Project Server, which is a Microsoft solution, and I found it to be more user-friendly as it included a client solution. In contrast, with this solution, the only option available is the online version, making it difficult to create activities, milestones, and other necessary components. This is in comparison to Planisware, which offers a more comprehensive solution."
 

Cons

"I am not convinced that the pricing model is the right one."
"Microsoft doesn't always have all the answers, and they rely more on communities. Their support tends to decline when not supporting cloud solutions, and there is often an attempt to upsell alternate products rather than solve problems."
"The solution's synchronization with Jira Projects should be improved."
"The user interface looks quite old and needs to be improved."
"The product is difficult to use for complex projects."
"We think that calculations are not working correctly, and there is a need to enter data a couple of times in order to give the correct calculations."
"This solution could improve by adding integration with Primavera schedules to allow the reading and management of them."
"The main drawback of Microsoft Project Server is that it is offline. Having it online would offer better access to other managers."
"The learning curve is steep and there could be more avenues for opening up learning materials to a broader audience, enabling individuals to gain practical experience with the tool."
"More integration is needed with other kinds of products for better collaboration."
"They do not have anything that can assist customers with multi-year roadmap planning."
"The UI and UX of Planisware are not that advanced."
"The solution's user experience and user interface need improvement because they are not that great and intuitive."
"I have experienced some issues, and that’s okay. It tends to be stable when the server's processing power and memory are adequate."
"The area that could benefit from improvement in this Planisware is the project management tool. I have previously used Project Server, which is a Microsoft solution, and I found it to be more user-friendly as it included a client solution. In contrast, with this solution, the only option available is the online version, making it difficult to create activities, milestones, and other necessary components. This is in comparison to Planisware, which offers a more comprehensive solution."
"The biggest con for Planisware is that if you are not a Planisware partner, you don't have access to their functions, making it difficult for beginners and new team members."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The technical assistance is expensive but the solution is an open source software."
"There are some payments related to the licensing cost of Microsoft Project Server."
"It's not subscription-based, we purchased the on-premises version."
"I would rate the price a six out of ten."
"A standard license is cheaper, but if you want more features, then there is a premium license or professional license."
"We have an enterprise agreement with Microsoft, and our licensing is based on the agreement."
"There is a licensing cost."
"I cannot comment on the price as I was not responsible for purchasing the solution."
"The solution could be less expensive and the cost of scaling is expensive too."
"There are training and certification costs."
"It comes with a high cost."
"The solution is expensive and support is an extra cost. There are three license types to choose from, and we only pay for support and cloud services depending on our needs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
10%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Energy/Utilities Company
15%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Project Server?
The ability to track a project's progress using Microsoft Project Server is the most valuable aspect. It depends, especially when managing multiple projects.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project Server?
Microsoft Project Server is on the expensive side due to high licensing costs, but it is mainly accessible to project managers. Online tools are cheaper and present competition.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Project Server?
The main drawback of Microsoft Project Server is that it is offline. Having it online would offer better access to other managers.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Planisware?
I don't have any specific details, however, it might be expensive.
What needs improvement with Planisware?
I haven't had the time to work with any other TPM tools, so I can't compare it to other tools just yet.
What is your primary use case for Planisware?
We actually use it for project planning and estimating the cost for the projects, in resource management, and as a timecard application. Users can log their time using the timesheet.
 

Also Known As

MS Project Server
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Magnachip, Gwinnett County Schools, CLEAResult, Medbit Oy, Intelbras S.A., ETS, CORE Construction, Keller Foundations
Apotex, Alstom Transport, HP, Stryker, Rexam, Jotun, Gelita, Kraton Performance Polymers, Abbvie, Rio Tinto Alcan, Maruho, Teva, SK Chemicals
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project Server vs. Planisware and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.