Microsoft Project vs Microsoft Project Server comparison

Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server are both solutions in the Project Management Software category. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft Project users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Microsoft Project Server users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Project

Read 79 Microsoft Project reviews

5,714 Views
2,789 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Microsoft Project Server

Read 60 Microsoft Project Server reviews

1,609 Views
800 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project Server

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Project Management Software solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Project vs. Microsoft Project Server Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Project vs. Microsoft Project Server

December 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 823,875 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Project

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Management Software (2nd)

Microsoft Project Server

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Portfolio Management (4th)

Featured Reviews

Md. Kamruzzaman

It Officer at Ziska

A stable solution that very accurately runs projects

Project availability and speed could always be improved. Most of the time, we get the target from the system. If there is a chance to improve the interface, then it should be implemented. Otherwise, our end users are satisfied with using our own interface. Reports could be pushed more quickly.

Read full review

Hariharan Mahadevan

Program Director at Tata Consultancy

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…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"The most valuable features of this solution are dependency management, milestone progress, multiple resource rates, and RAG views."

"The solution is stable."

"The Gantt chart view is great."

"The reporting and national resource capacity planning are the most valuable features."

"It is very stable. I haven't had any kind of issues with it. It is also very scalable."

"The setup is pretty simple."

"Microsoft Project integrates well with the Microsoft Office family of applications. It has plugins that interact with it and you can use it with Microsoft Teams. We can use plugins to communicate with JIRA, Projectplace, and Planview. It's not widely used in the company, of course, but it's something that can interact with the official tools that we have."

More Microsoft Project pros

"Project schedule management is very good. Basically, it sits on SharePoint. So, every time we create a project, a new project site is created within that SharePoint environment, which is a very good document repository. It allows us to create issues and risks lists and additional functionality to keep track of what's going on with projects."

"This is a scalable solution. It is easy to set up and to add clusters to your environment."

"In the competitive landscape of project management and portfolio management solutions, Microsoft Project Server stands out significantly."

"The solution scales well."

"The ability to look at the resource loading is most valuable."

"It's fine to navigate for a layperson."

"The most useful feature of Microsoft Project Server is you can select a function to see the baseline."

"The level of customization is significant, and there are ample resources available online about how to use it."

More Microsoft Project Server pros

Cons

"Project is not easy to scale. It isn't a cloud-based solution where everybody can utilize it at the same time without version issues when you save your file. We use it at the enterprise level, but you have to share the files to others within your organization through Teams or SharePoint. One improvement would be to transition to cloud-based functionality. However, that might limit the functionality in other ways."

"The stability of the solution is an area with certain shortcomings that need improvement."

"When a project plan becomes huge, it is painful to arrange and structure the project in Microsoft Project. Currently, you require a separate product for managing agile projects, and people are using Jira and Rally to manage stories in agile. Primarily, on the software development side, people are kind of moving away from Microsoft Project."

"In a future release, the dashboard should improve because there isn't one, I had to create my own."

"The tool's most valuable feature is scheduling."

"When you start getting into the more advanced features, it can become unstable. The more you use the advanced features, the more exposure you have to an unanticipated result. I think we need to add the Kanban Board capability to the product that would help them advance that board into the project management methodology that's being used in the industry today. Being able to depend on Scrum management is key."

"I am not that close to it anymore, but I know that there were some cut and paste issues when we were trying to move one group of roles to another, and they used to muck up the interdependencies between the tiers, rows, and other things."

"Microsoft Project has much room for improvement. The solution is still stuck where it was in 2013. Not much has changed since then. There is a lot that can be changed in the enterprise segment."

More Microsoft Project cons

"This is a good product but we have struggled with stability from time to time. The service has stopped intermittently and it has been difficult to find a reason why."

"The reporting in the desktop version is not highly customizable or professional compared to other solutions."

"Microsoft doesn't always have all the answers, and they rely more on communities. Their support tends to decline when not supporting cloud solutions, and there is often an attempt to upsell alternate products rather than solve problems."

"When we started using this solution from scratch, we got lost. Microsoft should provide some templates for configurations for certain use cases."

"It may be considered expensive."

"The user interface looks quite old and needs to be improved."

"The solution's desktop version is not compatible with the MacBook."

"Microsoft is going to integrate the Co-Pilot features into Microsoft Project. The AI feature is an additional feature. It can look at the plan and identify risks early on from any part of your project."

More Microsoft Project Server cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."

"I do not remember the exact cost we paid but usually, they charge per user per month."

"I am not involved with this."

"I rate Microsoft Project's pricing a five out of ten."

"The product is not expensive. My company has opted for an annual subscription."

"Pricing-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten since I feel it is a bit costly."

"It probably was $30 per license on a monthly basis. There is no additional fee."

More Microsoft Project pricing and cost advice

"Microsoft Project Server is relatively cheaper than other products."

"It is an inexpensive product."

"A standard license is cheaper, but if you want more features, then there is a premium license or professional license."

"We pay an annual licensing fee for the solution."

"It's not subscription-based, we purchased the on-premises version."

"It has features that cannot be bought by other rivals, so cost does not matter."

"I cannot comment on the price as I was not responsible for purchasing the solution."

"The technical assistance is expensive but the solution is an open source software."

More Microsoft Project Server pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Project Management Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

823,875 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

67%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Project?

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project?

I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project Server?

The pricing for Microsoft Project is fair, considering it is ahead of competitors and offers a comprehensive suite of features. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Project Server?

Collaboration should be better integrated in the desktop version. Also, viewing multiple projects simultaneously can be difficult due to limited screen space. Exporting data from Microsoft Project,...

See all answers

Comparisons

Jira vs Microsoft Project

Compared 13% of the time

Asana vs Microsoft Project

Compared 11% of the time

Broadcom Clarity vs Microsoft Project

Compared 9% of the time

Freshservice vs Microsoft Project

Compared 8% of the time

Smartsheet vs Microsoft Project

Compared 7% of the time

More Microsoft Project Competitors

Planisware vs Microsoft Project Server

Compared 14% of the time

ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management vs Microsoft Project Server

Compared 13% of the time

Oracle Primavera Portfolio Management vs Microsoft Project Server

Compared 10% of the time

JIRA Portfolio vs Microsoft Project Server

Compared 8% of the time

Planview Portfolios vs Microsoft Project Server

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Project Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Project

November 2024

Download Microsoft Project product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Project Server

November 2024

Download Microsoft Project Server product report

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project

MS Project Server

Learn More

Microsoft

Overview

Microsoft Project helps you get started quickly and execute projects with ease. Built-in templates and familiar scheduling tools help project managers and teams stay productive.

Microsoft Project Server facilitates project portfolio management and everyday collaboration, enhancing decision-making processes. Its integration with SharePoint offers a flexible solution for enterprise project management, catering to complex project needs seamlessly.

Microsoft Project Server empowers project teams and managers with enhanced communication and comprehensive project visibility. It supports dynamic resource allocation, financial tracking, and risk assessment. A cloud-ready platform, it simplifies deployment and scalability, suitable for diverse project environments and needs robust integration with leading productivity tools and services.

What are the key features of Microsoft Project Server?

Resource Management: Allocate and track resources efficiently to optimize productivity.
Portfolio Analysis: Assess and prioritize projects based on strategic alignment and constraints.
Time Reporting: Streamline time tracking and reporting for accurate project insights.
Integration with Office: Seamlessly connects with Microsoft Office applications for enhanced productivity.
Security and Compliance: Ensures data security with customizable permissions and compliance standards.

What benefits can users expect from Microsoft Project Server?

Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates communication and collaboration among project teams.
Improved Decision Making: Offers comprehensive data analytics for strategic planning.
Efficiency Gains: Streamlines project management workflows for increased productivity.
Cost Management: Enables effective budget tracking and financial control.

Industries such as construction, IT services, and pharmaceuticals leverage Microsoft Project Server for managing large-scale projects with precision. Its adaptability to different industry standards ensures specific project requirements are met while maintaining operational control and regulatory compliance.

Sample Customers

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

Magnachip, Gwinnett County Schools, CLEAResult, Medbit Oy, Intelbras S.A., ETS, CORE Construction, Keller Foundations

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Project vs. Microsoft Project Server

December 2024

Free Report: Microsoft Project vs. Microsoft Project Server

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Project vs. Microsoft Project Server and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.

DOWNLOAD NOW

823,875 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Microsoft Project vs. Microsoft Project Server report.

See our list of best Project Management Software vendors.

We monitor all Project Management Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.