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Jira 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 enhances efficiency and productivity, offering quick ROI and integration, though opinions on updates and support are mixed.
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
6.7
Atlassian's documentation and forums often suffice, but customer support has mixed reviews on responsiveness and problem-solving effectiveness.
Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Project Server support varies; quick resolutions exist, but efficiency and service quality depend on plans and local assistance.
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
7.3
Jira is scalable with planning, though some face performance issues and integration concerns as demands grow.
Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Project Server is praised for scalability, especially in cloud versions, though some face challenges with older versions.
The desktop version does not have scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Jira is praised for its stability and performance, with occasional issues mostly related to server setups or customizations.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Project Server's stability varies, affected by integration and configuration, with 2019 cloud versions offering improved performance and reliability.
I have never had to reach out to their support because the product works as expected.
 

Room For Improvement

Jira's complex interface, limited features, and high costs hinder usability, requiring improvements in performance, integration, and customization.
Microsoft Project Server struggles with usability, integration, and performance, needing enhancements in flexibility, interface, and training resources.
Exporting data from Microsoft Project, especially Gantt charts, is overly complex and not user-friendly.
Microsoft has become increasingly expensive, and there seems to be a push towards cloud solutions which can be challenging for some.
The lack of collaboration capabilities on the desktop version, unlike the cloud version, is a limitation.
 

Setup Cost

Jira offers flexible, moderately priced licensing with subscription options, but costs can rise with plugins and large deployments.
Microsoft Project Server prices vary by model, with additional costs, and may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses.
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 provides robust project management, Agile support, and integrations, enhancing team collaboration with customizable workflows and a user-friendly interface.
Microsoft Project Server excels in resource management, scheduling, and integration, offering seamless collaboration and customizable dashboards for effective planning.
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
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
274
Ranking in other categories
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites (1st), Application Requirements Management (2nd), Project Management Software (3rd)
Microsoft Project Server
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Project Portfolio Management (4th)
 

Featured Reviews

Saroj Ekka - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good repository integration, sprint board and easy to set up
There are some features and reports we need that are not there. For example, if I have to find out the capacity of the current sprint by user and compare it with the previous sprint, that visibility isn't there. We can know the capacity and what happened with the whole sprint, but not for an individual person to see where it's falling and how it's tracking. Report and analytics capabilities are important for a product manager. That visibility is important, so we use Jira. Some of the features are there, and I use my own Excels or other data things to compensate for that.
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 Project Portfolio Management solutions are best for your needs.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
52%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Is Jira better or would you go with Micro Focus ALM Octane?
Hi Netanya, Basically , it all depends on the use cases for your environment and the business needs. Hope the below data may be relevant to you for identifying your needs and deciding on the approp...
Which is better - Jira or Microsoft Azure DevOps?
Jira is a great centralized tool for just about everything, from local team management to keeping track of products and work logs. It is easy to implement and navigate, and it is stable and scalabl...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Jira?
We operate under a nonlimited license with Jira, allowing a number of users to access it with a single enterprise license.
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

Jira Software
MS Project Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Square, Nasa, eBay, Cisco, SalesForce, Adobe, BNP Paribas, BMW and LinkedIn, Pfizer, Citi.
Magnachip, Gwinnett County Schools, CLEAResult, Medbit Oy, Intelbras S.A., ETS, CORE Construction, Keller Foundations
Find out what your peers are saying about Jira vs. Microsoft Project Server and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.