Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

JIRA Portfolio vs Microsoft Project Server 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
7.3
JIRA Portfolio offers quick ROI with easy setup and effective project management features, enhancing execution and delivery times.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Project Server's ROI varies, influenced by existing processes and Microsoft's market dominance, affecting project visibility and efficiency benefits.
Microsoft Project provides significant return on investment through time savings, enhanced visibility, real-time reporting, and risk mitigation for projects.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
Users often find JIRA Portfolio support helpful but slow, preferring online forums for quicker, effective solutions.
Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Project Server support varies; quick resolutions exist, but efficiency and service quality depend on plans and local assistance.
The support was good with no challenges.
Their support tends to decline when not supporting cloud solutions.
It's challenging to navigate, often making it necessary to search for solutions externally.
Communication with two people, one was knowledgeable while the other was learning.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
JIRA Portfolio is highly scalable, integrates well with tools, but pricing and admin features may limit its potential.
Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Project Server is praised for scalability, especially in cloud versions, though some face challenges with older versions.
In terms of scalability, I would give JIRA Portfolio a ten out of ten.
The desktop version does not have scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
JIRA Portfolio is highly reliable, praised for stability, efficient functionality, and smooth integration, with minimal issues reported.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Project Server's stability varies, affected by integration and configuration, with 2019 cloud versions offering improved performance and reliability.
In comparison to Planisware, it is very stable.
I have never had to reach out to their support because the product works as expected.
 

Room For Improvement

JIRA Portfolio users request better integration, intuitive UI, faster performance, reduced pricing, customizable reports, automation, and improved documentation.
Microsoft Project Server struggles with usability, integration, and performance, needing enhancements in flexibility, interface, and training resources.
Making the report creation process faster and easier with drag-and-drop features would be beneficial.
Exporting data from Microsoft Project, especially Gantt charts, is overly complex and not user-friendly.
The lack of collaboration capabilities on the desktop version, unlike the cloud version, is a limitation.
Microsoft has become increasingly expensive, and there seems to be a push towards cloud solutions which can be challenging for some.
 

Setup Cost

JIRA Portfolio's pricing starts competitively but can increase with scale, add-ons, and infrastructure, impacting mid-sized firms' budgets.
Microsoft Project Server prices vary by model, with additional costs, and may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses.
It is not considered expensive in the market.
Considering the infrastructure commitments to SharePoint and SQL, the implementation costs are low if already set up.
Microsoft's products are expensive for individuals.
The pricing for Microsoft Project is fair, considering it is ahead of competitors and offers a comprehensive suite of features.
 

Valuable Features

JIRA Portfolio offers integration, customizable workflows, and agile alignment with user-friendly features like scalability and collaboration for effective management.
Microsoft Project Server excels in resource management, scheduling, and integration, offering seamless collaboration and customizable dashboards for effective planning.
The reporting feature is comprehensive and easy to use, which aids in planning and forecasting.
This setup allows for comprehensive reporting and management across multiple projects and portfolios.
The Gantt chart is also a very powerful tool for a visual presentation of sequences, critical paths, and execution processes, which simplifies comprehension for users.
The level of customization is significant, and there are ample resources available online about how to use it.
 

Categories and Ranking

JIRA Portfolio
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (4th)
Microsoft Project Server
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

JIRA Portfolio and Microsoft Project Server aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. JIRA Portfolio is designed for Enterprise Agile Planning Tools and holds a mindshare of 1.1%, down 2.3% compared to last year.
Microsoft Project Server, on the other hand, focuses on Project Portfolio Management, holds 6.9% mindshare, down 9.2% since last year.
Enterprise Agile Planning Tools
Project Portfolio Management
 

Featured Reviews

Gary Craven - PeerSpot reviewer
Powerful, flexible solution with a bit of a learning curve
The weakness of the solution is that the interface is a little nonstandard, meaning it's very flexible. It's got a lot of power and gives the user the ability to combine different projects into the portfolio and move user stories between projects and link them. What I have found in a couple of organizations that I've used it with, is that the uptake tends to be a little slow because it's got a bit of a learning curve. It can dump data out to Excel and those programs, but it also has a big ecosystem of plugins and add-ons that you can get. I guess it has some strength in that regard, but if you're going to run it on-prem, you have to have people that are pretty well-versed in the program and have the time and capabilities to handle integration and make sure they're adding those modules correctly. Their interface is a little unique and I think that's partly because the core of the product has morphed into several sub-products, but the underlying architecture has stayed the same on all of them in that it was originally a help desk ticketing system. Now they are moving into these new use cases, including systems development, business projects, business processes, and redevelopment projects, but there is a problem with the nomenclature that they use, and some of the documentation is a little techy for moving it into those more business-focused use cases. It's a very tech-focused product and that's fair given its origins, but if they really want to expand their community of users, then they're going to have to move beyond that a little bit and polish it up.
Sean Achim - PeerSpot reviewer
Unlock comprehensive reporting and management with robust data extraction
The major advantage for me in using Microsoft Project Server is the SQL Server component. Using Power BI and SQL Server, I can extract a lot more data. The combination of Microsoft Project with Project Server and SharePoint provides a perfect solution for me. This setup allows for comprehensive reporting and management across multiple projects and portfolios.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Enterprise Agile Planning Tools solutions are best for your needs.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about JIRA Portfolio?
The solution's tracking capabilities helped ensure we had full visibility into planned work and scheduled work.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JIRA Portfolio?
I am part of the delivery team and am not exposed to the commercial information. However, from what I understand, JIRA is competitively priced. It is not considered expensive in the market.
What needs improvement with JIRA Portfolio?
User experience should be more intuitive. Currently, it's not that intuitive. Additionally, a lot of querying and customization is needed for reporting. If there could be some templates out of the ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Project Server?
The ability to track a project's progress using Microsoft Project Server is the most valuable aspect. It depends, especially when managing multiple projects.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project Server?
The pricing model is currently a challenge since it seems aligned to push users cloud-based. Considering the infrastructure commitments to SharePoint and SQL, the implementation costs are low if al...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Project Server?
I am not convinced that the pricing model is the right one. Microsoft has become increasingly expensive, and there seems to be a push towards cloud solutions which can be challenging for some. Addi...
 

Also Known As

Portfolio for JIRA
MS Project Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Rosetta Stone, Sprint, UBS, Workday, Expedia, J.P. Morgan
Magnachip, Gwinnett County Schools, CLEAResult, Medbit Oy, Intelbras S.A., ETS, CORE Construction, Keller Foundations
Find out what your peers are saying about JIRA Portfolio vs. Microsoft Project Server and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.