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Microsoft Project Server vs RationalPlan comparison

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Executive Summary

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
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (5th)
RationalPlan
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.4
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Project Management Software (73rd)
 

Featured Reviews

Mouloud Fourali - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at Digital Research Alliance of Canada
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.
reviewer1976010 - PeerSpot reviewer
President at Jam Works LLC
Easy to understand with fair pricing and lots of unique features
We use the desktop version of RationalPlan, and It seems some desktop software has the ability to share a document as a web view. This would be a nice feature allowing us to share our plans with clients without needing additional software. This may be something that is offered in the RationalPlan cloud plan. However, it would be nice for the desktop version to have this ability to bring it one more step ahead of the competition. As a side note, RationalPlan does have a free viewer as well.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution, overall, is excellent for project planning."
"Microsoft Project Server is easy to use compared to other similar solutions, such as Primavera, and it functions similar to Excel or other Microsoft solutions which makes it simple for most people to be able to use right away."
"Microsoft Project Professional is the best client application (and is also used in competitors’ solutions) because it has a good scheduling engine and nice reports in the latest version of the product."
"The most valuable features are the gantt charts. It's easy to use for me."
"Resource allocation is the most valuable feature of Microsoft Project Server."
"It provides us with complete visibility of resource allocation on a global team."
"The solution is scalable and easy to expand."
"Demand workflow Resource management SharePoint site integration"
"RationalPlan has been very helpful in planning projects and resources through our shop and in communicating with clients on project timelines."
"Support is top-notch whenever help is needed."
 

Cons

"It should be more agile and more flexible when it comes to customization."
"When we started using this solution from scratch, we got lost. Microsoft should provide some templates for configurations for certain use cases."
"Risk and issues are stored in the project SharePoint but there is no real auto communication of assignments; there is no mechanism for automatic escalation (much needed)."
"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 could improve the ease of access could improve. It can be time-consuming."
"It's very expensive to scale out."
"Stability of the solution is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"There are formatting issues that haven't been resolved. This needs improvement as it's annoying."
"We use the desktop version of RationalPlan, and It seems some desktop software has the ability to share a document as a web view. This would be a nice feature allowing us to share our plans with clients without needing additional software. This may be something that is offered in the RationalPlan cloud plan."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Project Server is more expensive than other solutions on the market. We purchase the license annually."
"It is on the expensive side."
"There is an annual license required for this solution."
"There is a licensing cost."
"The price of the Microsoft Project Server could improve, it is expensive here in Africa. When comparing Microsoft Project Server to Oracle Primavera for us, Microsoft Project Server is quite cost-effective."
"Microsoft Project Server is relatively cheaper than other products."
"The licensing was procured before my involvement."
"There is a subscription model for different types of users for different types of roles."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business25
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise33
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project Server?
The pricing for Microsoft Project Server is standard, around $200-$250, but I think it's actually $80 to $100 per year. The pricing for Microsoft Project Server is relative; I would say it is cheap.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Project Server?
In order to improve Microsoft Project Server, collaborative features could be enhanced, as it is possible to improve it in a collaborative way similar to other office products, for example, using c...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Project Server?
Today, the use cases for Microsoft Project Server are for office tasks, such as writing in Word processors, worksheets in Excel, Word processors with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft ...
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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
James Cook University, NASA, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Teleflex, Garmin, University of Missouri, BEA, Eurocoating, Adidas Group, Termoemcali, Solid Power
Find out what your peers are saying about Broadcom, Planisware, monday.com and others in Project Portfolio Management. Updated: August 2026.
913,076 professionals have used our research since 2012.