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Microsoft Project vs Planview Portfolios 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Project optimizes resource use and efficiency, enhancing project management, reducing costs, and improving transparency and completion timelines.
Sentiment score
6.4
Planview Portfolios boosts visibility, efficiency, and decision-making, supporting strategic alignment and enhancing collaboration and operational performance.
If I can eliminate delays, I achieve good ROI because resources can be utilized to their maximum capacity.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Microsoft Project does help save time and money due to its completeness as a project management solution.
Principal: Cyber Security, Information Security Management, Data Privacy at Astrum
It also delivers a set of shared metrics focused on customer value, such as speed and quality, to achieve business results while being able to roll up objectives and key results in the system where work gets done to ensure strategy informs execution and vice versa.
Project Manager at 3M
Reports and real-time analytics enhance real-time data-driven decision making.
Customer Service Representative at Roche
I also love the ability to provide visibility and transparency across an organization; it allows us to create custom reports and dashboards for easy data analysis, hence making data-driven decisions easily.
Project Manager at AT&T
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Project support receives mixed reviews, with responsiveness varying by location, support type, and specific customer needs.
Sentiment score
8.3
Planview Portfolios customer service is mixed, with proactive support but occasional slow resolutions and varying assistance quality.
Currently, there are more support personnel who speak English, and Microsoft has increased its Spanish language support compared to previous years.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
There is a website and a connection to AI for support.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
I would give somewhere around 10 for my overall experience with support.
Associate Director at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
The customer support for Planview Portfolios has been quick to respond and very proactive since I have reached out to them several times.
Project Manager at AT&T
The customer support for Planview Portfolios is very proactive and responsive.
System Engineer at BNY
The customer support for Planview Portfolios is very proactive and responsive.
Project Manager at AT&T
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Microsoft Project is scalable and adaptable, integrating well with Microsoft tools but needing better external system integration.
Sentiment score
8.1
Planview Portfolios scales effectively for enterprise use, integrating well with tools, despite performance issues with large data loads.
The scalability of Planview Portfolios is very effective, and it handles all of my organization's projects and tasks.
System Engineer at BNY
Planview Portfolios is very scalable because it grows with the organization.
Customer Service Representative at Roche
Planview Portfolios is very scalable because it handles my organization's growth, allowing us to work with both small projects and big projects at the same time.
Project Manager at AT&T
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Project is generally stable and reliable, with occasional issues in complex projects, rated 8-9 for stability.
Sentiment score
9.1
Planview Portfolios is reliable and stable, with minor performance issues often linked to external factors or large configurations.
Microsoft Project is a stable tool, and when using it in different projects, it works perfectly.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
Microsoft Project is a stable product.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate the stability of Microsoft Project as an eight out of ten.
Project Lead at ABB
Planview Portfolios is very stable; I have not experienced any downtime.
Project Manager at 3M
Planview Portfolios is very stable.
Project Manager at AT&T
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Project users seek improved usability, integration, real-time data, reporting, automation, collaboration features, and better pricing with Office apps.
Improving Planview Portfolios' integration, customization, automation, documentation, metrics, and UI could enhance user adoption and streamline management.
The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
It would be beneficial to see enhanced reporting functionalities in future versions.
Project Lead at ABB
Microsoft Project tends to become very unstable on large project plans with more than 400 lines.
Principal: Cyber Security, Information Security Management, Data Privacy at Astrum
An important improvement would be to add more automation features and provide more online documentation videos that would make it much easier to use for non-technical users.
Customer Service Representative at Roche
Additionally, there should be plenty of resources online, such as tutorials and videos on how to guide and how to use Planview Portfolios, especially with its robust features, explaining each feature and how it works.
Project Manager at 3M
Reporting flexibility is needed so that end users can create their own quick ad hoc reports for analysis and for better data-driven decisions.
Project Manager at AT&T
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Project offers varied pricing; value in bundles but standalone licenses may be costly, seen as competitive overall.
Planview Portfolios is costly but valued for large enterprises; the FLEX model offers flexibility, benefiting strategic alignment.
The issue with Microsoft is that the license is per personnel, making it expensive.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
I believe it's usually included in the Microsoft 365 package.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
Microsoft Project is affordable, but the standalone Project license should be included in the Office price to increase adoption.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Planview Portfolios has been cost effective and affordable.
Customer Service Representative at Roche
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Planview Portfolios has been cost-effective and fairly pocket-friendly.
Project Manager at 3M
Planview Portfolios is one of the best and a very cost-effective tool.
Project Manager at AT&T
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Project offers intuitive scheduling, resource management, and integration with Office Suite for streamlined and efficient project planning.
Planview Portfolios enhances productivity and decision-making through flexible reporting, resource management, and integration with Power BI.
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.
Principal: Cyber Security, Information Security Management, Data Privacy at Astrum
The collaboration features are valuable for controlling the project and transmitting information to other team members when working in a team.
Desarrollo de negocios at SEGEN GROUP SAS
The most valuable features are in the successor and predecessor determination and the tracking tools, such as obtaining data on the S curve financial curve.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
This enhanced visibility in Planview Portfolios ensures that all users can easily track progress, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions to optimize workflow efficiency.
Project Manager at 3M
End-to-end visibility enables us to analyze performance data across the organization to measure the success of strategic initiatives with key performance indicators and make timely decisions to ensure outcome realization.
Project Manager at AT&T
The comprehensive set of features empowers users to allocate resources strategically, analyze costs accurately, and align project timelines with available resources seamlessly.
Project Lead at Wells Fargo
 

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)
Planview Portfolios
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Architecture Management (8th), Project Portfolio Management (4th)
 

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.
Monabi Kingsley - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at 3M
Centralized planning has improved resource visibility and supports data‑driven financial decisions
The best features Planview Portfolios offers are visibility enhancement, robust system performance, and comprehensive resource management. This enhanced visibility in Planview Portfolios ensures that all users can easily track progress, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions to optimize workflow efficiency. When discussing robust system performance, the system's robust performance in meeting our various work requirements effectively and efficiently stands out. It is very stable and reliable, contributing to a seamless user experience, which enables users to focus on their tasks without disruptions. I also love the financial breakdown, planning and prioritization, and attribute collection on projects in Planview Portfolios. Planview Portfolios has positively impacted my organization since I started using it. It has enabled me to gain insights into the full scope of work consuming resources. I am able to know where the resources are being consumed more, especially which resources are consuming the most. I have been able to leverage resources management and resource time reporting, which enabled the generation of $90 million in annual revenue through labor billing to customers.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
7%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
 

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 Business2
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise66
 

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 Planview Portfolios?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been that Planview Portfolios is one of the best and a very cost-effective tool.
What needs improvement with Planview Portfolios?
Planview Portfolios can be improved as the user interface defaults to the last opened portfolio, which can waste a lot of time loading a large portfolio if that is not what I need at that moment. J...
What is your primary use case for Planview Portfolios?
My main use case for Planview Portfolios is to ensure governance and decision auditability by incorporating embedded workflows, approval management, and key document retention supporting a single c...
 

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project
Planview Enterprise One, Troux
 

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
UPS, NatWest, Ingram Micro, Canadian Tire, Viessmann, Volvo, NASCO, UNESCO
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project vs. Planview Portfolios and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,789 professionals have used our research since 2012.