Are you considering whether you want to continue to use Microsoft Project or replace it? Or are you considering buying a new license all together? In this article, we at TrueNxus will review Microsoft Project and help you determine if Microsoft Project is worth buying for your team to plan and execute project management. We'll also shed light on the fifteen best Microsoft Project alternatives to try out instead.
Below is everything we will cover. Feel free to skip ahead.
- What is Microsoft Project?
- Who uses Microsoft Project?
- Advantages of Microsoft Project
- Disadvantages of Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Project pricing
- 15 best Microsoft Project alternatives
What is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is a powerful project management software that will help you:
- Organize and manage project plans
- Monitor and report project plans
- Perform resource management
It has everything you need for effective project management from a single online location.
Who uses Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is useful if you are a project-based leader that plans and executes projects with a fixed duration. While Microsoft Project advertises as a project management tool that you can use for any project size, it’s best used for small projects that are centrally managed by an individual or set of individuals.
Below outlines a set of users that benefit from Microsoft Project.
- Project managers
- Project coordinators
- Technology consultants
- Technology implementation specialists
Advantages of Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project has a lot of benefits to offer to its customers. Here is a closer look at MS Project pros.
1. It’s like a spreadsheet
Microsoft Project is a spreadsheet-like tool. It is essentially Microsoft Excel customized for project management as it has a Gantt chart. While it has some additional features that Microsoft Excel does not, its really just a customized spreadsheet.
If you are a Microsoft Excel power user, Microsoft Project will be a smooth transition. Additionally, suppose you are used to building and managing project plans in Microsoft Excel. In that case, MS Project will seem like a dream come true because you’ll now have online collaboration and standard project templates to leverage.
2. Coordinate the project in one location
Unlike traditional spreadsheet-based tools, you’ll coordinate with your project team in one online location. You’ll no longer have version control issues as every project team member will be able to access the same project plan from one place.
3. Gantt charts allow you to visualize the project across time
Microsoft Project provides you with a Gantt chart view of your project. Gantt charts are a bar chart visualization of a project schedule. As a result, you have a visual representation of the project.
Additionally, you’ll be able to document the following types of data:
- Phase: a group of tasks
- Milestones: a deliverable, or a significant end to a period of work
- Task: an activity or a body of work
- Sub-task: an activity broken down into smaller chunks of work
- Start date: when the activity will begin
- Due date: when the activity will end
- Duration: how many days (or hours) the activity will take to complete
- % complete: how much of the activity is finished in the form of a percentage
- Dependencies, or task links: a link between two tasks
Disadvantages of Microsoft Project
Unfortunately, Microsoft Project has a lot of drawbacks and limitations. Here is a closer look at Microsoft Project's cons.
1. There's a learning curve
MS Project is overly complicated and challenging to set up. Many reviews online mention that there is a steep learning curve for most. Microsoft Project in general is not intuitive.
Do you want to learn how to use something like this?
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Or, would you instead work with something intuitive like this?
2. Coordination is not collaboration
Like other spreadsheet-based applications, think Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, are excellent in their ability to do one-time or ad-hoc analysis and management. Microsoft Project takes it one step further and provides the ability to coordinate projects with one project plan.
However, given the steep learning curve, getting the entire project team bought into the tool is unlikely. As a result, with Microsoft Project, you’ll need someone to act as an official project manager, who knows all of the ins and outs of Microsoft Project. You’ll need a MS Project guru, or a power user to direct and coordinate everything.
Sure, Microsoft Project allows one person to coordinate everything by planning and executing in one location and uploading deliverables, but that’s not collaboration. Real collaboration is where there are dense interdependent connections, and stakeholders share power. MS Project's is for coordination, not collaboration.
3. Gantt charts are confusing and messy
Like many traditional project management software solutions, Microsoft Project has Gantt chart functionality to allow the project team to visualize the project across time. However, Gantt charts can be confusing to the rest of the project team, especially if the project team has many stakeholders. Typically, non-project managers are unwilling to take the time to learn a Gantt chart because they are not intuitive. More often than not, once you put together the first Gantt chart view, it’s not looked at again, and the project team moves onto another tool to manage the project.
Additionally, adding lots of detail, or only having a lot of tasks in a Gantt chart gets chaotic and difficult to understand quickly. With traditional Gantt charts, as is true in Microsoft Project, when there are many tasks, you have to scroll down (or up) and right (or left) simultaneously. In short, traditional Gantt charts are not intuitive. Furthermore, if you zoom out, you can’t make sense of the plan.
Again, do you want to learn how to use something like this?
Or, would you instead work with something intuitive like this?
4. Reporting is almost non-existent
Microsoft Project has reporting, but its basic at-best. Microsoft advertises that the reporting allows you to track progress, but it does not provide you with the insights necessary to tackle roadblocks and making decisions. It also does not provide you the foresight on what's next for the project. If you do decide you need reporting for Microsoft Project, you'll have to upgrade to the more expensive plan, which starts at $30/user/month.
Unlike, Microsoft Project, TrueNxus provides you with an out of the box status report that give you and senior leadership the insights you all need to know to clear roadblocks, make decisions and move the ball forward.
5. You cannot see everything you are responsible for
Microsoft Project allows you to visualize every task you are assigned to in a specific project. However, to do this, you have to go into the project and filter your name on the Assigned column. Then you have to do this every time.
While this is hugely inefficient in its own right, it’s even more annoying and unproductive if you want to see every task you are assigned to across multiple projects, because you can't. You should be able to see everything that you are responsible for completing. Additionally, you should be able to see how others impact your work, that is task dependencies. If a task is dependent on another task, you have to go into the project and find the task and see if anything has changed.
Who has time for such inefficiency? At TrueNxus have a section called My Work that provides you a view into everything you’re on the hook for, including any dependencies that you may, or may not be assigned.
Microsoft Project pricing
All pricing is based on an annual contract, and Microsoft Project pricing is expensive. The first plan, Project Plan 1, starts at $10/user/month. However, if you want reporting capabilities, you need the second pricing plan, Project Plan 3, which is $30/user/month. What’s the point of MS Project without the reporting, though? If you don't have reporting, MS Project is literally just an expensive Gantt chart.
15 best Microsoft Project alternatives
1. TrueNxus
TrueNxus is the most pragmatic project management software in the market. With TrueNxus, you’ll be able to manage all of your organization’s projects.
You’ll have all of the features you need to plan and execute projects successfully.
1. Multiple views
Your project management software needs to be able to provide personalized views. A view that makes sense to you may not make sense to your teammate. These views need to be in sync as well.
TrueNxus provides you with the following views:
List
A list is a table that allows you to manage your project plan easily. Organize the work into groups such as workstreams, or any logical way to categorize tasks.
Timeline
Visualize the project as a Timeline, a Gantt chart like view that lets you understand how the entire project fits together. Make updates to the project plan through an interactive interface.
2. Automated project status reports
Let TrueNxus analyze the project health real-time giving senior leadership and the project team the insights they need to make decisions and move the ball forward. Unlike with Microsoft Project there's no more herding cats with endless phone calls and countless emails.
3. My Work
Know what you’re on the hook for delivering. View every task, and every dependency, that is important to you, across every project, in one location. Unlike Microsoft Project, you no longer need to have multiple plans open.
4. Dependencies
Be accountable when others are reliant on you. Understand dependent tasks, change implications, and adjust course as needed.
5. Automated notifications
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Stay productive and get notified when changes occur. With TrueNxus’s 20+ out-of-the-box automated notifications, you will have the transparency you need to stay in-the-know. As a result, TrueNxus creates efficiency by informing you immediately when changes to the overall project plan occur, such as when roadblocks impact dependencies. You won't find this in Microsoft Project.
6. Comments
Collaborate directly in the app. Communicate with project team members and chat with one another directly in tasks.
7. Project charter
Unlike Microsoft Project, you can leverage OKR and create a project charter. Collaborate as one team and establish the project objectives, benefits, and risks from the very beginning.
8. Privacy
Ensure confidentiality when necessary. Make projects private to create a safe place for sensitive work.
Learn more and see all product features.
TrueNxus advantages
- Intuitive user interface
- Automated project status reports
- Collaborative with colleagues, clients and third parties
- Real-time notifications
- Role-based access controls
- Privacy when needed
- Great customer support
- Attractive pricing
TrueNxus disadvantages
- New to the market
- Only available in English
- Currently only a web app available
Nothing else. We’d love for you to sign up for a free trial (no credit card needed) and let us know what you think. We love feedback!
TrueNxus pricing
TrueNxus has flexible pricing so that you only pay for what you need. Both monthly and annual plans are available. If you sign up for a yearly plan, you get 2 months free.
Pricing is simple. For teams of up to 5 users, it’s only $10/month. Then, for teams larger than 5 users, you’ll only pay for each additional user - $9/user/month. If your team size changes, your bill will be prorated. As you can see, TrueNxus is significantly cheaper than Microsoft Project.
2. Asana
Asana is a project management and task management software. It's fantastic for smaller teams managing strategic initiatives or executing repeatable work. Unlike Microsoft Project, you'll be able to manage your small team online with mobile and tablet apps.
Asana advantages
- Different project-level views (e.g., lists, board, timeline)
- Fantastic Timeline
- Collaborative with colleagues, clients and third parties
- Ability to group projects for portfolio management
- Dependency tracking
- Reporting capabilities
- Automated notifications
- Privacy when needed
- Pre-built templates
- Variety of integrations
Asana disadvantages
- The free version is more or less a collaborative checklist
- Limited reporting capabilities
- Tries to be the solution for everything
Asana pricing
While there is a free version, you're limited to simple checklists, file storage, and no more than 15 users. As a result, you'll want the plan that starts at $13.49/user/month (annual billing is $10.99/user/month) to take advantage of the features you'll need to plan and execute projects.
3. Wrike
Wrike is a robust resource management and project management software solution with enterprise capabilities. If you're looking to coordinate multiple projects, especially marketing projects, Wrike is a top-option to consider with considering MS Project alternatives.
Wrike advantages
- Enterprise-level security
- Resource management capabilities
- Different project-level views (e.g., lists, Gantt charts)
- Collaborative with colleagues, clients and third parties
- Ability to group projects into a folder
- Dependency tracking
- Reporting capabilities
- Automated notifications
- Pre-built templates
- Proofing capabilities
Wrike disadvantages
- Dated and confusing user interface
- Limited reporting capabilities
- Expensive tier-based pricing
Wrike pricing
While there is a free version, it's nothing more than a checklist shared amongst most five users. Additionally, paid plans are all billed annually.
The first plan, Professional, is $9.80/user/month, but you have to purchase in blocks of 5 licenses, up to 15 users. After 15 users, you need to once again upgrade to Business. The Business plan starts at $24.80/user/month, which, similar to the cheaper plan, requires purchasing in blocks of 5 licenses.
4. Monday.com
Monday.com is a powerful work management platform. It's a simplified, yet easy to use spreadsheet-like application. You can manage anything, including projects. However, it may not have everything you'd want if you're a Microsoft Project power user.
Monday.com advantages
- Different project-level views (e.g., board, map, calendar, kanban, Timeline)
- Dashboards and reporting capabilities
- Workflow management
- Collaborative with colleagues, clients and third parties
- Automated notifications
- Pre-built templates
- Variety of integrations
Monday.com disadvantages
- Spreadsheets are not always intuitive
- There is a slight learning curve with reporting
- You cannot see everything you are responsible for in one location
- It can get expensive as they require you to purchase in blocks of 5 licenses
Monday.com pricing
The Basic plan starts at $10/user/month ($8/user/month if billed annually). However, keep in mind that you buy licenses in blocks of 5, so you're out-of-pocket by at least $50/month, or $40/month when billed annually. If you want features like Timeline or Calendar, you need to upgrade to the next package with a minimum of $60/month for five users, or $50/month for five users when billed annually.
Compare Monday.com to TrueNxus.
5. Smartsheet
Smartsheet was built to replace Microsoft Excel, and it has done its' job well. As its' name alludes, it's a spreadsheet. Smartsheet allows you to collaborate with your team, develop automated reports, and upload files. As a result, it's a top pick for project management software, especialy when considering MIcrosoft Project alternatives.
Smartsheet advantages
- It's a spreadsheet
- You can coordinate your projects in one online location
- Gantt charts allow you to visualize the project across time
- Reporting is powerful and flexible
- Automation enabled with workflows
Smartsheet disadvantages
- Spreadsheets are not always intuitive
- Other apps are better at collaborating
- Reporting requires you to be an analytics expert
- You cannot see everything you are responsible for in one location
- It's expensive
Smartsheet pricing
The Individual plan starts at $19/user/month ($14/user/month if billed annually). However, if you want reporting capabilities, you need the Business plan, which is $32/user/month ($25/user/month if billed annually), with a minimum of 3 licenses, resulting in a minimum of $96/month ($75/month if billed annually).
Compare Smartsheet to TrueNxus.
6. ClickUp
ClickUp claims to be "one app to replace them all". With a sleek user interface and an endless number of views, it is one of the best task management software solutions. Similar to other software listed, ClickUp has so much more than Microsoft Project.
ClickUp advantages
- Beautiful user interface
- Multiple views: list, board, box, calendar, Gantt chart, embed, form, doc, chat, activity, mind maps, Timeline, workload, and table view
- 1,000+ integrations
- Countless apps
- Real-time chat
- Slash commands
- Affordability
ClickUp disadvantages
- It's task management software, not project management software
- ClickUp tries to solve every problem, which is a bit overwhelming
- There are so many features and so many integrations, you're not sure where to start
- Reporting for project management needs improvement
ClickUp pricing
While there is a free version, you'll want the plan that starts at $9/user/month (annual billing is $5/user/month) to take advantage of the features you'll need to plan and execute projects.
7. Jira
Jira is the go-to project management software for software development. They pretty much own the market. However, if you're in a related domain, or you abide by an agile, SCRUM, or hybrid methodology, Jira is the best Microsoft Project alternative.
Jira advantages
- Great for Kanban boards
- Ability to roll up efforts of work into Epics
- Multiple integrations, which is especially great for product management
- Ability to do roadmaps
- File storage
- Reporting
- Security
- Affordability
Jira disadvantages
- It will be hard to use if you're not in software engineering
- If you don't know what agile or SCRUM is, don't bother
- Limited reporting capabilities
Jira pricing
There is a free version for up to 10 users. Additionally, there is a paid version, which starts at $10/month for a team of 10 users.
8. Celoxis
Celoxis is an excellent option if you require portfolio management, resource management, and project management. They have both an on-premise and a could-based product offering making it a great alternative to MS Project.
Celoxis advantages
- Good for portfolio management
- Resource management
- Project scheduling
- Project accounting
- Project request tracking
Celoxis disadvantages
- Too much going on if all you need is project management features
- Expensive with the required minimum number of licenses
Celoxis pricing
Celoxis' cloud-based product starts at $22.50/user/month billed annually, with a minimum of 5 licenses. As a result, you're looking at a minimum of $112.50/month for only five users.
9. Zoho Projects
Zoho offers an entire suite of products from CRM, Finance, HR, IT, and even project management. If you're already tied into the Zoho platform, you'll be hard-pressed not to purchase Zoho Projects. Alternative, if you're considering Zoho to replace many of your Microsoft suite, Zoho might be right for you.
Zoho Projects advantages
- Great if you use other Zoho products
- Good task management
- Time tracking
- Issue tracking
- Milestones
- Collaboration
- Gantt charts
Zoho Projects disadvantages
- Limited out-of-the-box project management reporting capabilities
- Clunky user interface
- Lots of clicks required to make updates
Zoho Projects pricing
While Zoho projects have a free version, you're limited to 3 projects with not many features. Also, once you need to upgrade to a paying plan or collaborate with a team, you'll find the pricing confusing. Features and the number of users differentiate pricing plans.
10. Planview
Planview is another portfolio management software built for the enterprise. It's great if you are an enterprise IT PMO or a professional services org. They uniquely advertise as an enterprise agile planning software. If you're looking to replace Microsoft Project with an enterprise-wide portfolio management software, Planview might be right for you.
Planview advantages
- Portfolio management
- Resource management
- Strategic planning
- Product portfolio management
- Enterprise agile planning
Planview disadvantages
- Overly complicated if all you need is project management features and you're not in IT
- Not easy to setup
- Software requires training
- Dated user interface
- Expensive
Planview pricing
Planview requires you to reach out to sales for a quote.
11. Sciforma
Sciforma is an excellent option if you require enterprise-wide portfolio management, resource management, and project management. They have both an on-premise and a could-based product offering. Great if you are a centralized PMO and can coordinate the entire organization. If you're looking for software to help you manage a centralized PMO, Sciforma might be the right MS Project alternative for you and your team.
Sciforma advantages
- Good for portfolio management
- Resource management
- Time management
- Idea and demand management
- Work management
Sciforma disadvantages
- If you are not a centralized PMO, this is not pragmatic for you
- Software requires training
- Dated user interface
- Expensive
Sciforma pricing
Sciforma requires you to reach out to sales for a quote.
12. Notion
Notion is one of the few no-code software solutions out there for collaboration. It is fantastic if you are a small team working together day-in and day-out and need to stay organized. It's like Evernote on steroids. It won't have everything you get from Microsoft Project in terms of Gantt-charts, but it's a good option to consider.
Notion advantages
- Announcements
- Shared notes
- Shared task lists
- File sharing
- Integrations
- Affordability
Notion disadvantages
- Difficult to use if you need more than a location for shared notes and collaborative checklists
- Zero reporting capabilities
- It's wiki overload
Notion pricing
There is a free version, but if you need more than a place to create a personal checklist, you're going to need to upgrade to a paid plan, which starts at $5/month. However, if you want to team and collaborate, you're going to need to pay $10/user/month.
13. Basecamp
Basecamp is an excellent project management and collaboration software for smaller teams. It offers a central location for teams to collaborate, plan, and execute work. Its definitely worth considering when thinking of Microsoft Project alternatives.
Basecamp advantages
- Message boards
- To-do lists
- Calendars
- Scheduling
- File sharing
- Group chats
- Affordability
Basecamp disadvantages
- Difficult to use if you need more than a location collaborate on checklists
- If you are on Google's GSuite, the features are somewhat duplicative
- Zero reporting capabilities
- The user interface is dated
Basecamp pricing
There is a free version for personal use. However, if you want to collaborate genuinely, you'll have to upgrade to a fixed price of $99/month.
14. Trello
Trello is a great project management tool for small software development teams that need a kanban board. So, if you're a software development team and use Microsoft Project, Trello is a good alternative toconsider. However, domains other than software development can use Trello as well, but its capabilities are limited.
Trello advantages
- Great for Kanban boards
- Lists
- File storage
- Affordability
Trello disadvantages
- Trello is just a friendly UI for task lists
- It will be hard to use if you're not in software engineering
- Zero reporting capabilities
Trello pricing
There is a free version, but if you need to collaborate with a team, you'll want to upgrade to a paid version, which starts at $12.50/user/month.
15. Airtable
Airtable is another no-code software solutions out there for collaboration. It is fantastic if you need to spin up a shared database. It will have a lot of what you need from Microsoft Project, but not everything.
Airtable advantages
- Collaborative and easy to use database
- Flexible in use cases
- Customizable
- File sharing
- Multiple views: Grid, calendar, form, Kanban, and gallery views
- Apps for all types of devices
- Affordability
Airtable disadvantages
- While the use cases are "endless", if you want to use for project management, you're going to have to become an Airtable expert and build out everything from scratch
- Templates are very generic
- No timeline view
- No reporting capabilities
Airtable pricing
Airtable has a free option, but if you want additional features, you will have to pay at least $12/user/month.
Conclusion
While MS Project is a great addition to the Microsoft Office suite, it has several drawbacks, as shown in this review. Fortunately, you can use a handful of Microsoft Project alternatives like TrueNxus to solve all of its limitations.
TrueNxus has everything you need to plan and deliver successful projects but at a fraction of the cost of Microsoft Project.
See for yourself, and sign up for a free trial today (no credit card needed).
