Microsoft Project vs Notion comparison

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Microsoft Project

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Microsoft Project and Notion compete in the project management sector. Microsoft Project appears to have the upper hand due to its extensive enterprise features essential for large organizations, while Notion stands out for its affordability and flexibility tailored to small teams and individuals.

Features: Microsoft Project includes detailed scheduling, resource leveling, and cost tracking, ideal for managing complex projects. Notion provides versatile note-taking, database management, and customizable task organization for better real-time collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Project's complexity makes it challenging for simple projects, requiring better integration and real-time data handling. Notion needs enhanced automation, more color options, and improved integration with external platforms.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Project offers various deployment models like on-premises and cloud but often needs technical support. Notion's online deployment is accessible, though complex scenarios require support due to limited mobile and integration support.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Project is costly, with pricing based on licenses, offering good ROI for enterprises needing extensive features. Notion provides a free plan and affordable paid options, delivering substantial ROI through flexibility and task management, suitable for smaller teams and individual users.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Project vs. Notion Report (Updated: July 2025).

Microsoft Project vs. Notion

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Helped 864,053 peers since 2012

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

Ranking in Project Management Software

4th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Notion

Ranking in Project Management Software

10th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Knowledge Management Software (2nd), Document Automation Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project is 7.2%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Notion is 2.1%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Project Management Software

Featured Reviews

Nurul Asyikin Wahab

Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd

Efficient project management with robust data tracking and an easy setup

When I have too many elements or items in a project, it becomes cumbersome, especially during printing. Non-technical users do not need all the data, so it's primarily for technical personnel. Without guidance, it's challenging to use the app. With guidance and expert knowledge, it becomes manageable, however, it's not for non-technical teams. The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing. Printing on A3 size is quite burdensome, so I prefer viewing it on a tablet or computer. On a tablet or phone, I can see the full project elements depending on the screen size.

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Iván Fanego

Founder at AppCritic

Creates customizable systems and improve team collaboration

Notion is a very flexible and customizable platform, allowing users to create whatever they need. The most impactful feature for project management is the ability to invite multiple client stakeholders without complication. Once I understand the basics, it's easy to use despite an initial learning curve. It also significantly improves team collaboration through customized views and visualizations of data.

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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

"The built-in dashboards are powerful because they show both project and overall progress."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Project is status reporting."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Project are you can create critical paths pretty easily, and you can import from an Excel spreadsheet to your task list as you create it during your working sessions with your team."

"I use Microsoft Project to manage project timelines."

"The solution is stable."

"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."

"The user interface is simple and it helps me in planning what needs to be accomplished."

"It is easy to use and pretty intuitive. User interfaces have stayed the same for the most part for the last 20 years. So, there is a familiarity."

More Microsoft Project pros

"I rate Notion a ten out of ten."

"Notion is a very flexible and customizable platform, allowing users to create whatever they need."

"The product is easy to use and has good responsiveness."

"The ability to create and organize notes, plans, and technical content in a single platform is the product's most valuable feature."

"We can install it on mobile phones, making it feasible to manage productivity."

"It is easy to use, and I love its UI."

"The product has a valuable feature for databases. It has a table and a calendar view and saves various documents in the system."

"Notion has very strong integration capabilities."

More Notion pros

Cons

"Microsoft's solution isn't really a collaboration tool, however. If you need a collaboration tool, you can use Slack, which can be integrated with your JIRA."

"The online version of Microsoft Project lacks some functionality compared to the on-premises version."

"Could be more user-friendly, and forecasting could be better."

"I find the setup a little bit cumbersome."

"I would like to have more access to templates and tools that could be used to teach project management best practices."

"It would be better if Microsoft Project were included in the DevOps stack. That is, I'd like to see this tool integrated to a different stack of the applications that we normally use in DevOps, such as in Jira, for example, to deploy a different version related to the different tasks that are included in Microsoft Project."

"The solution's interface seems to be an outdated one. So, I would like its interface to be improved."

"Tracking timeline, resource allocation, and monitoring are areas of concern for the tool where improvements are required."

More Microsoft Project cons

"User management needs improvement. It's difficult to determine what information is private. It's a bit complicated for me."

"Adding more color options to the application would enhance its usability and flexibility, allowing users to better customize their content"

"The only problem I experience is that it often hangs."

"The product could be integrated with external platforms."

"The platform's documentation feature needs improvement."

"The only problem I experience is that it often hangs. I might find myself trying to load a new page, but I am unable to move from one page to another due to frequent hanging."

"There could be an automation feature included in the product."

"User management needs improvement."

More Notion cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is not expensive. My company has opted for an annual subscription."

"I believe the licensing for the solution is based on an annual fee."

"The solution is less expensive than other options."

"The licensing model is somewhat complex."

"It was a three-year license deal that was reconciled on a quarterly basis. It is a reasonably priced product, and I consider that we got good value for money."

"It probably was $30 per license on a monthly basis. There is no additional fee."

"The solution has a decent annual license subscription cost, which is not high."

"Licensing costs vary depending on the user volume. The pricing is good, I'd rate it four out of five."

More Microsoft Project pricing and cost advice

"Notion is free to use."

"Notion offers a free plan that covers most functionalities. Clients are only prompted to upgrade if they require AI capabilities, priced at $10 for unlimited usage, or if they need to add team members, typically around $10 per member."

"The product's pricing depends on the usage plans."

"I pay around $100 per year."

"The product has good pricing."

"The solution's pricing can seem steep, especially when you work with a lot of people. If you are working on your own or for another business, the solution's price won't affect you much."

"I rate the product's pricing a three out of ten. We only need to pay for it if we use it in the workspace."

More Notion pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Project Management Software solutions are best for your needs.

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864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

University

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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'm not aware of the price as we use organization-wide licenses.

What do you like most about Notion?

I like the high level of customization in Notion.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Notion?

The licensing and setup cost for Notion is affordable for us as a small company.

What needs improvement with Notion?

The main problem with Notion is that it's not flexible enough for all of the use cases we intend to address. For instance, it is challenging to focus on a single KPI as it's mandatory to have a cha...

Jira vs Microsoft Project

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Broadcom Clarity vs Microsoft Project

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Tana vs Notion

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Zendesk vs Notion

Compared 13% of the time

Zoho Projects vs Notion

Compared 9% of the time

Smartsheet vs Notion

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Microsoft Project

Download Microsoft Project product report

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Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project

No data available

Overview

Microsoft Project helps you get started quickly and execute projects with ease. Built-in templates and familiar scheduling tools help project managers and teams stay productive.

Microsoft

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that enables teams to collaborate, organize, and manage their work effectively. Its primary use case is to streamline project management, knowledge sharing, and task tracking. With its versatile functionality, Notion allows users to create and customize databases, wikis, and documents, making it a powerful tool for organizing information.

The most valuable functionality of Notion lies in its flexibility and ease of use. Users can create and link various types of content, such as text, images, files, and even embed external resources. This enables teams to centralize their work and collaborate seamlessly, eliminating the need for multiple tools. Notion's drag-and-drop interface and intuitive editing features make it accessible to users of all technical backgrounds.

Notion helps organizations by fostering transparency, improving productivity, and enhancing knowledge management. By providing a centralized platform for collaboration, teams can easily access and contribute to shared projects, reducing communication gaps and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Notion's powerful search functionality and tagging system enable efficient information retrieval, making it easier to find and share knowledge within the organization.

Sample Customers

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

Startups like Loom, Mixpanel, Blinkist, Adobe, Deel and Education facilities such as USC, Dartmouth and The University of Chicago.

Microsoft Project vs. Notion