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Microsoft Project vs Planview PPM Pro comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

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
7.0
Microsoft Project improves efficiency and transparency, reduces costs, and consolidates tools, providing significant financial and time savings.
Sentiment score
7.3
Organizations report significant financial gains and improved project management efficiency with Planview PPM Pro, despite ongoing optimization efforts.
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
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Project's technical support is mixed; users value resource documentation, but some experience delays and expert accessibility issues.
Sentiment score
7.3
Planview PPM Pro's customer service is generally helpful, but experiences vary with responsiveness, offshore support, and complex issue resolution.
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
I would give somewhere around 10 for my overall experience with support.
Associate Director at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
There is a website and a connection to AI for support.
Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Microsoft Project is scalable, supports various project sizes and needs, but requires understanding for adaptation and licensing considerations.
Sentiment score
7.0
Planview PPM Pro offers scalability, effective mostly for SMEs, but faces challenges with large organizations and real-time global usage.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Project is stable and reliable but may face challenges with large projects and complex dependencies.
Sentiment score
7.7
Planview PPM Pro is stable but faces occasional update disruptions, with most users praising its reliability and customer support.
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
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Project requires enhanced intuitiveness, integration, agile support, user-friendliness, training resources, licensing flexibility, and cost-effective collaboration tools.
Planview PPM Pro requires improvements in reporting, integration, interface, resource management, and lacks efficient "What If" planning capabilities.
It would be beneficial to see enhanced reporting functionalities in future versions.
Project Lead at ABB
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
I believe Microsoft should bundle the license with Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Project offers flexible pricing for cloud and on-premise licenses, starting around $30, with favorable enterprise reviews.
Planview PPM Pro's flexible licensing offers value for large organizations, though costs can be high for smaller entities.
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
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Project offers a familiar interface, robust tools, and integrations enhancing project management through scheduling, tracking, and collaboration.
Planview PPM Pro excels in reporting, customization, integration, and resource management, enhancing visibility, planning, and decision-making capabilities.
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 integration with Teams and Outlook allows for notifications, which is a significant reason why people are using Microsoft Project.
Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Project
Ranking in Project Management Software
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Planview PPM Pro
Ranking in Project Management Software
19th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project is 2.2%, down from 7.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Planview PPM Pro is 1.4%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Management Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Project2.2%
Planview PPM Pro1.4%
Other96.4%
Project Management Software
 

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.
reviewer2004219 - PeerSpot reviewer
Management consultant at Sloan Consulting
Easy to use with flexible reporting, excellent visibility, and solid customer support
The status reporting is the most valuable feature as it's easy to use; it's simple for project managers to enter their information, and the reporting features are very flexible. Planview PPM enables us to create reusable project templates that reflect our project management life cycle. We were able to garner some best practices by using Planview templates, but they are also flexible enough to modify without having to customize the solution. The distinction between ''customize'' and ''configure'' is important here. When it comes to viewing projects and timelines, the solution is excellent. The views are easy to access and highly configurable. The solution provides managers with the insight they need to empower decision-making and help them manage risk, as it allows them to see when projects are over budget and behind schedule. Planview helped to reduce project delays because we can see when they occur and take proactive steps to remedy the situation.
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893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise42
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise24
 

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 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 needs improvement with Microsoft Project?
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 pla...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project
Innotas
 

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
The Weather Channel, corcs, Crayola, Scan Health Plan, Vermont, Bank of the West, North West Company, University of Southern Mississippi, Jeffries, Purdue University, Chesterfield County Virginia, City of Memphis
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project vs. Planview PPM Pro and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.