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Microsoft Project vs Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Project
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
85
Ranking in other categories
Project Management Software (3rd)
Oracle Primavera Portfolio ...
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
4.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (8th)
 

Featured Reviews

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.
reviewer2710611 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at a consultancy with 5,001-10,000 employees
Ensures data consistency and improves stakeholder transparency while needing pricing adjustments
It is beneficial to have the schedule updated so you can have control of the cost. When you have a change in the schedule, you can also make a change in the cost. For us, it is mostly important to control dates and to be on time, but also to know the cash flow. With both of our clients, they use Power BI extensively. Though it may not be the best solution, they have all the tools connected to Power BI, which they primarily use for reporting. The integration with Unifier, which is also an Oracle tool, ensures that the data is correct and timely. The connection between Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management and Unifier is not difficult to establish, and the information obtained is really reliable.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"I like that I can change the task and include different resources related to the task."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the scheduling, managing the resources, budgeting, tracking the progress, viewing the progress, reporting, and it is very easy to use."
"The most valuable features of this solution are dependency management, milestone progress, multiple resource rates, and RAG views."
"The scheduling part of Microsoft Project is easy; if you change one of the dates, the rest of the dates automatically get changed based on the dependency."
"The solution is well established and runs very accurately."
"The built-in dashboards are powerful because they show both project and overall progress."
"I especially like the reporting tools, which are visual tools and offer visual reports."
"Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management is a well-engineered product from an IT perspective."
"The ability to streamline the process of obtaining signatures from our contractors is valuable."
"The integration with Unifier, which is also an Oracle tool, ensures that the data is correct and timely."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management is accuracy."
"It is very, very good in planning for large projects."
"Delay analysis and extension of time claims are some of the key features."
"I like Primavera's planning capabilities."
"The most valuable features were the cost breakdown structure and work breakdown structure."
 

Cons

"The setup and scalability can be somewhat difficult for new users until they gain knowledge."
"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."
"I am not that close to it anymore, but I know that there were some cut and paste issues when we were trying to move one group of roles to another, and they used to muck up the interdependencies between the tiers, rows, and other things."
"We need more integration with Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools."
"The solution's interface seems to be an outdated one. So, I would like its interface to be improved."
"The only suggestion for improvement is the generative AI feature for task suggestions; this is the main concern so far, something nice to have."
"I would like to have more access to templates and tools that could be used to teach project management best practices."
"The dashboard could be improved."
"The solution's user interface is an area with shortcomings that need improvement."
"They should work on integrating the solution with ERP."
"There is scope for development in integrating with some AI products."
"The scalability has room for improvement."
"There is a need for improvement in the interfacing and possibly better integration with other programs."
"There is a need for improvement in the interfacing and possibly better integration with other programs."
"The reporting could improve project management. We need multiple source reports. If someone is new to the support it has a steep learning curve."
"Primavera could be better integrated with other products, and it needs more cost management features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You do not have to invest much in terms of configuring this solution to suit your needs."
"The solution is expensive."
"Its price could be reduced a little."
"I am not aware of any additional costs apart from the standard licensing fees of the solution."
"I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."
"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."
"The pricing is based on a licensing model and is reasonable."
"Microsoft Project is an expensive solution."
"Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management is an expensive solution. There is an upfront cost to purchase the solution and then there are annual fees to use the solution."
"My company has made an annual payment towards the costs of the solution. Price-wise, the solution is okay."
"The solution itself is cost-effective."
"The solution is highly priced compared to one of its competitors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
9%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Energy/Utilities Company
10%
Government
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise41
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise6
 

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 would say Microsoft Project is affordable, but the standalone Project license should be included in the Office price to increase adoption.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management?
Primavera appears to be more expensive than Microsoft Project but potentially less than Maximo. Pricing details from ten years ago are not committed to memory, and I would have to refer back to doc...
What needs improvement with Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management?
Because we use mostly P6 and we do not use OPC, which is the new cloud version that is visually easier to use, I would rate it as an eight.
What is your primary use case for Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management?
We try to use Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management combined with Unifier. Unifier is a cost control tool. It is mostly used in oil and gas, mining, and construction industries, but predominantly i...
 

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project
Primavera Portfolio Management, OPPM
 

Overview

 

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
Yarra Valley Water, John Wayne Airport, Hatch Mott Macdonald, Austrian Power Grid AG, EDF France, Chiyoda Corporation, Croatian Waters, Selex ES, Chicago Park District
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project vs. Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,515 professionals have used our research since 2012.