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Adobe Workfront vs Microsoft Project 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Adobe Workfront
Ranking in Project Management Software
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
Digital Asset Management (1st)
Microsoft Project
Ranking in Project Management Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Adobe Workfront is 3.9%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Project is 8.7%, down from 11.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Management Software
 

Featured Reviews

Graham Sprague - PeerSpot reviewer
Centralized task management and simplified creative collaboration but interface is inconsistent
Adobe Workfront could improve its interface, which may benefit from an overhaul for better consistency between the web interface and the API. The current setup was not originally designed API-first, leading to some confusion and differences in available functions. Additionally, the low-code environment in Workfront Fusion is beneficial yet sometimes limiting, and it might be more powerful with enhancements.
Rod Organ - PeerSpot reviewer
Master complex project planning with superior scheduling and dependency mapping
The most valuable features of Microsoft Project include dependency mapping, completion ratios, and the ability to apply specific constraints or constraint types. 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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool is very user-friendly."
"Workfront is innovative and these were plenty of features that I found valuable while working at Logitech. Workfront had this feature of Project Schedule Templatization. This saves time and effort and even leads to the standardization of processes that are well-assorted. The Intelligent Graphical Interfaces of Workfront allow one to look at a specific type of resource and a specific phase for a specific family of products. You can get quite granular with the data and even zoom in or out of the timeline. It also categorizes projects according to classes and portfolios so that over time, you can more easily understand what are the various metrics involved in producing a specific portfolio Another important feature is Workfront allowing you to validate milestones and investigate the project. This also helped me to understand which projects are performing well and whether it was beneficial to invest in the same. The IT and the app configuration is quite secure and it is one of the benefits. One more valuable feature is the integration of communication systems inside Workfront. This helps you differentiate between normal business emails and project-specific conversations. This is also known as ‘queues’ and I absolutely find this feature extremely powerful."
"Instead of following everything on email, business users can track everything on Adobe Workfront when the other systems are integrated with it."
"I also like Workfront's integration. The solution integrates natively with other systems. It's easy to connect Workfront to any product that has a customer service database, such as a CRM or service ticket management solution."
"Feature-wise, I would say that its overall ability to be infinitely customizable is valuable...My experience with the support team has been amazing."
"I can say it is a powerful tool. We have everything in-house in that tool, like, creating reports, dashboards, creating various workflows, and everything we have inside one application."
"Monitoring the progress of projects and tasks is very effective."
"The intake feature is the most valuable in Workfront."
"I find the planning features the most valuable to me."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is time management."
"The solution is stable."
"Dependencies (not typically effectively used in "Agile" techniques) allow understanding of actual project status and challenges."
"Microsoft Project is user-friendly and easy to use to do very complex project plans."
"Microsoft Project is one of the only solutions you can use in just about any industry. It's difficult to do that with most other project management tools. There is a lot of flexibility within the product assets. Most sectors can utilize Microsoft Project successfully because it doesn't have any generic adapters."
"The tool helps us to check milestones. After doing tasks, our team updates them. Regarding functionalities in Microsoft Project, the number one feature is reminders. With so many projects, sometimes you forget; some projects might slip up or disappear. This feature is very useful."
"It is a complete and all-rounded enterprise product. From a portfolio management perspective and an individual project management perspective, it is a corporate-wide project management product. It can be used for resource planning, financial planning, task planning, etc."
 

Cons

"Sometimes there are glitches when we are reviewing an interactive proof."
"We were having some difficulties creating different kinds of reports and dashboards."
"Our product and graphic designers are working with various Adobe products, but Workfront has a no-frills interface. It's a useful tool with everything we need, but it could be a little more attractive and present information in a polished way. It's a web interface, so it's accessible, but the appearance could be a little slicker."
"I would say that the stability, honestly, has gone down since the Adobe acquisition, and the quality when they roll out their updates."
"The solution's visualization feature could be user-friendly."
"Workfront's reporting capabilities must be improved."
"The interface can also be customized to fit and accept many tools for better performance and customer service improvement."
"I have used the product and instantiated it, almost seven years back. The process was fairly complex, however, I don't know if they have changed the same now. But this is something I think, if not addressed can be improved. Another area that needs a little attention, is the change of implementation lead. Back when we had Workfront instantiated, we often had our timeline delayed due to the change in the implementation lead. Now Workfront is under Adobe and, in case, this issue, isn't fixed it should be given due attention. Also, Workfront is a universal tool, which can pose a difficulty for small businesses and companies, who don't have the required time, effort, and knowledge to configure it periodically."
"Microsoft Project tends to become very unstable on large project plans with more than 400 lines."
"Its reporting and its integration with some of the other related systems should be improved. It is not very easy to integrate."
"It is positioned at the more high end. Sometimes it's more complicated than we need."
"The solution's interface seems to be an outdated one. So, I would like its interface to be improved."
"They could also work on integrations with solutions like Teams. We have all of our project files in Teams and it is much easier to use for communication than MS Project, but there is no integration of the two solutions."
"The solution could be more flexible when it comes to integration."
"Microsoft Project could improve the interface, it should be more intuitive. It could be adjusted a little bit to make it a little easier to use and more user-friendly. It is a very powerful tool and it takes people a while to get used to it."
"I find the setup a little bit cumbersome."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Adobe Workfront is an expensive solution."
"The pricing of Workfront is completely license based."
"We are partners with Adobe, so we get the licensing at a cheaper rate."
"The pricing is a barrier to implementation. It is expensive compared to other competitors. Speaking about licensing, they have a private manager license for $1000, which you can use for administration as well. Then they offer a worker license for $500, and then a reviewer or contributor license which is free."
"Adobe purchased Workfront in the past year, and they're putting work into developing the platform, so I expect the price to rise. It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable for the value it provides. It isn't Monday.com where you pick a license with a set price, and you've got a project manager."
"Speaking about pricing, I wouldn't recommend it to a smaller company because I do think the price point is higher than other solutions that can work."
"The solution is expensive."
"The license is a one-time payment but it is expensive."
"The product is not expensive. My company has opted for an annual subscription."
"It gets expensive when having to add all of the plugins and everything that you need."
"I do not have personal experience with pricing or licensing of this product."
"The pricing is based on a licensing model and is reasonable."
"The solution is less expensive than other options."
"I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
70%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Computer Software Company
4%
Healthcare Company
3%
Educational Organization
68%
Computer Software Company
4%
Manufacturing Company
3%
Government
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Workfront?
I can say it is a powerful tool. We have everything in-house in that tool, like, creating reports, dashboards, creating various workflows, and everything we have inside one application.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Workfront?
Workfront incurs around a hundred thousand plus dollars per year. Licensing is strict, particularly with free accounts, however, it offers flexibility in project access, which could be enhanced fur...
What needs improvement with Workfront?
Adobe Workfront could improve its interface, which may benefit from an overhaul for better consistency between the web interface and the API. The current setup was not originally designed API-first...
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?
Microsoft Project is very expensive, costing roughly double what it should. We purchase perpetual licenses due to the high cost of subscriptions, which are about 1,000 Australian dollars.
 

Also Known As

AtTask, Workfront DAM
Project Pro, MS Project
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advance Autoparts, Emerson, Covario, Cisco, Caroma, TREK, Sapient Nitro, ATB, LexisNexis, CarPhone Warehouse
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Adobe Workfront vs. Microsoft Project and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.