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: April 2025).

Microsoft Project vs. Notion

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Helped 849,686 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

3rd

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

14th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Knowledge Management Software (4th), Document Automation Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project is 7.8%, down from 11.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Notion is 2.5%, up from 0.9% 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 most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the product's GUI is very good...The product's scalability is good."

"The features I find the most valuable are scheduling and reporting."

"Microsoft Project is easy to use and helps our teams visualize the evolution of our projects."

"It can auto-connect based on the dates, which makes it easy. It auto-assigns people, and when you're starting to type in, it auto-fills and populates for you, which is great. It provides little time savers when you're typing everything out."

"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."

"A lot of valuable features have been added in the last three years, including scheduling automation and intelligence."

"The pricing is pretty good on the enterprise agreement we have."

"The solution is stable."

More Microsoft Project pros

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

"I like the high level of customization in Notion."

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

"Customer support is great, effective, and easy to reach."

"The ability to structure data is one of the most essential functions of Notion."

"It is easy to use and very intuitive compared to Microsoft Project."

"Notion has a lot of integrations."

"The initial setup is easy."

More Notion pros

Cons

"The new version has made it a bit more complicated."

"It's hard to reach technical people to get the help you need."

"The technical support could be improved. They are okay, however, they could be much better."

"Its user interface could be a little bit more intuitive. Not everybody has the luxury of going to training and understanding which button does what and the functionality. The user interface should be improved to make it a little bit more intuitive. It is not user-friendly. I've dealt with it for a number of years, so it is not hard for me to figure it out, but you would need a quick reference guide or something to say, "Here are the basics. This is how you do X.""

"The Microsoft license is relatively expensive."

"The Gantt set needs to be improved. The grid lines needs to be more interactive."

"When a project plan becomes huge, it is painful to arrange and structure the project in Microsoft Project. Currently, you require a separate product for managing agile projects, and people are using Jira and Rally to manage stories in agile. Primarily, on the software development side, people are kind of moving away from Microsoft Project."

"Microsoft Project tends to become very unstable on large project plans with more than 400 lines."

More Microsoft Project cons

"It is complicated to connect Notion with external systems."

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

"There are a lot of things, but one thing that is absolutely necessary is the mobile application."

"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."

"It can be difficult to contact the people at Notion."

"The linked view of database, along with the sharing and permission settings, are areas with shortcomings in the solution that need improvement."

"The product could be integrated with external platforms."

More Notion cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is less expensive than other options."

"I am not involved with this."

"Its price could be reduced a little."

"You do not have to invest much in terms of configuring this solution to suit your needs."

"The license is a one-time payment but it is expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

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

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

More Microsoft Project pricing and cost advice

"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."

"It's pretty affordable."

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

"Notion is free to use."

"I pay around $100 per year."

"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."

"The product has good pricing."

"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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849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

66%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

University

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?

The issue with Microsoft is that the license is per personnel, making it expensive.

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?

It's affordable and offers community support if I get stuck. I can find help through community forums like Google, where people share insights on navigating problems. Many people understand it, off...

What needs improvement with Notion?

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

Jira vs Microsoft Project

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Compared 14% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Product Reports

Microsoft Project

Download Microsoft Project product report

Download Notion product report

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