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Microsoft Project Server vs Smartsheet comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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
7.2
Microsoft Project Server's ROI varies, influenced by existing processes and Microsoft's market dominance, affecting project visibility and efficiency benefits.
Sentiment score
7.3
Smartsheet streamlines operations, reduces administrative tasks, enhances collaboration, and boosts productivity with an easy-to-use, cost-effective interface.
Microsoft Project provides significant return on investment through time savings, enhanced visibility, real-time reporting, and risk mitigation for projects.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Project Server support varies; quick resolutions exist, but efficiency and service quality depend on plans and local assistance.
Sentiment score
7.4
Smartsheet's customer support is praised for responsiveness and resources but criticized for ticket tracking and lacks phone/chat options.
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
7.9
Microsoft Project Server is praised for scalability, especially in cloud versions, though some face challenges with older versions.
Sentiment score
7.6
Smartsheet excels in scalability and integration but faces challenges with large tasks, depending on user proficiency and adoption.
The desktop version does not have scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Project Server's stability varies, affected by integration and configuration, with 2019 cloud versions offering improved performance and reliability.
Sentiment score
8.1
Users praise Smartsheet's stability and reliability, noting minor issues that don't significantly affect their overall satisfaction.
I have never had to reach out to their support because the product works as expected.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Project Server struggles with usability, integration, and performance, needing enhancements in flexibility, interface, and training resources.
Smartsheet requires UI improvements, better integrations, enhanced functionality, and increased user-friendliness, with superior training and support.
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

Microsoft Project Server prices vary by model, with additional costs, and may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses.
Smartsheet offers flexible pricing with various plans, seen as cost-effective compared to competitors, with customizable features and support.
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

Microsoft Project Server excels in resource management, scheduling, and integration, offering seamless collaboration and customizable dashboards for effective planning.
Smartsheet excels with cloud accessibility, real-time collaboration, and robust integrations, offering customizable project management and intuitive interfaces.
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

Microsoft Project Server
Ranking in Project Portfolio Management
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Smartsheet
Ranking in Project Portfolio Management
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Project Management Software (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Project Portfolio Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project Server is 7.6%, down from 9.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Smartsheet is 8.1%, up from 7.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Project Portfolio Management
 

Featured Reviews

Hariharan Mahadevan - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective resource allocation and collaboration tools with good flexibility
My clients use Microsoft Project Server since it is very useful and helpful, making their jobs and lives easier. It is particularly effective for program managers and is currently being used in my project Microsoft Project Server makes everything easier by providing a helpful and useful tool that…
Asma Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use, simple to set up, and great for non co-located environments
At one point we were trying to use it to organize a curriculum for students to just have the weekly stuff. We kind of ran into trouble doing this. It's not really designed for that. What we were trying to do is give them a real-time syllabus with pre-readings and activities and stuff embedded. It ended up getting really complicated. They also had access, and while there’s probably a way to not give them access, I didn’t know how to set that. I just wanted to let them download. It got complex. It wasn’t just people updating what they were working on. It was something else and it didn’t work. If there was some way to store more complex files in the system, or if there was a back-end structure where you could store files, that would be ideal. We use Box to store recordings, for example, of sessions and stuff. We’d like to store it in this solution. We already integrate Smartsheet into Teams for updates and stuff. That works well.
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824,145 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
43%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Healthcare Company
6%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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 Smartsheet?
The tool creates shareable dashboards. These dashboards allow us to display project deliverables' status, their position in the queue, expected delivery timelines, and more. The best part is that t...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Smartsheet?
The pricing is great and reasonable enough that I maintained my copy and bought it for my team independently.
 

Also Known As

MS Project Server
No data available
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Magnachip, Gwinnett County Schools, CLEAResult, Medbit Oy, Intelbras S.A., ETS, CORE Construction, Keller Foundations
Sony Music, ESPN, Hilton, Unisource, Colliers, Extreme Networks, Groupon, Netflix
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project Server vs. Smartsheet and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,145 professionals have used our research since 2012.