Microsoft Project vs Notion comparison

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Microsoft Project

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Microsoft Project and Notion compete in the project management sector. Microsoft Project appears to have the upper hand due to its extensive enterprise features essential for large organizations, while Notion stands out for its affordability and flexibility tailored to small teams and individuals.

Features: Microsoft Project includes detailed scheduling, resource leveling, and cost tracking, ideal for managing complex projects. Notion provides versatile note-taking, database management, and customizable task organization for better real-time collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Project's complexity makes it challenging for simple projects, requiring better integration and real-time data handling. Notion needs enhanced automation, more color options, and improved integration with external platforms.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Project offers various deployment models like on-premises and cloud but often needs technical support. Notion's online deployment is accessible, though complex scenarios require support due to limited mobile and integration support.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Project is costly, with pricing based on licenses, offering good ROI for enterprises needing extensive features. Notion provides a free plan and affordable paid options, delivering substantial ROI through flexibility and task management, suitable for smaller teams and individual users.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Project vs. Notion Report (Updated: April 2025).

Microsoft Project vs. Notion

April 2025

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Helped 847,772 peers since 2012

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

Microsoft Project

Ranking in Project Management Software

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Notion

Ranking in Project Management Software

14th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Knowledge Management Software (4th), Document Automation Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Project Management Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft Project is 7.7%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Notion is 2.4%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Project Management Software

Featured Reviews

Nurul Asyikin Wahab

Management Design Civil Structure at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd

Efficient project management with robust data tracking and an easy setup

When I have too many elements or items in a project, it becomes cumbersome, especially during printing. Non-technical users do not need all the data, so it's primarily for technical personnel. Without guidance, it's challenging to use the app. With guidance and expert knowledge, it becomes manageable, however, it's not for non-technical teams. The worst part is handling too many items, like 1,000 items, which Microsoft Project struggles with, especially when printing. Printing on A3 size is quite burdensome, so I prefer viewing it on a tablet or computer. On a tablet or phone, I can see the full project elements depending on the screen size.

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Iván Fanego

Founder at AppCritic

Creates customizable systems and improve team collaboration

Notion is a very flexible and customizable platform, allowing users to create whatever they need. The most impactful feature for project management is the ability to invite multiple client stakeholders without complication. Once I understand the basics, it's easy to use despite an initial learning curve. It also significantly improves team collaboration through customized views and visualizations of data.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is well established and runs very accurately."

"The ability to break down project phases is most valuable. Being able to align the tasks and reporting with project milestones and progress is also valuable."

"In my experience, this solution is one of the best for the waterfall management model."

"Technical support has been very helpful."

"Microsoft Project offers comprehensive project overviews and the ability to rate down what we have and what we need in terms of software."

"Being able to get a milestone schedule or a breakdown out of it is valuable. It can integrate into Visio, which is helpful."

"The Gantt chart view is great."

"The solution is stable."

More Microsoft Project pros

"It is easy to use, and I love its UI."

"Customer support is great, effective, and easy to reach."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its flexibility...The initial setup of Notion is easy."

"We can install it on mobile phones, making it feasible to manage productivity."

"The product has a valuable feature for databases. It has a table and a calendar view and saves various documents in the system."

"Notion has very strong integration capabilities."

"The product is easy to use and has good responsiveness."

"The ability to structure data is one of the most essential functions of Notion."

More Notion pros

Cons

"There are a few bugs that can affect the stability. This is typical of most applications."

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

"This solution needs more templates focused on types of projects to ease setup."

"It would be ideal if the solution integrated more with Azure DevOps and other work management platforms like Jira."

"Could be more user-friendly, and forecasting could be better."

"When moving resources between projects, it could be a bit more clear."

"It's hard to reach technical people to get the help you need."

"Its user experience can be improved while configuring it. Its reporting can also be better. Reporting is not very easy. Reports do not always work. I was trying to download some reports, and they didn't work. I don't know if it was related to the configuration that I was using. I didn't go too deep to check if something was missing."

More Microsoft Project cons

"Adding more color options to the application would enhance its usability and flexibility, allowing users to better customize their content"

"One area for improvement in the solution is the absence of integrated charts."

"Notion has one big downside: the lack of an offline mode. If the internet or Notion's servers are down, I cannot access information. This is a big disadvantage."

"The only problem I experience is that it often hangs. I might find myself trying to load a new page, but I am unable to move from one page to another due to frequent hanging."

"Notion's UI needs improvement."

"The product could be integrated with external platforms."

"It can be difficult to contact the people at Notion."

"There could be an automation feature included in the product."

More Notion cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"Licensing costs vary depending on the user volume. The pricing is good, I'd rate it four out of five."

"You only need a Team's license in order to use Microsoft Project within Teams, which is very helpful."

"I am not involved with this."

"The solution is expensive."

"I do not have personal experience with pricing or licensing of this product."

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

"Microsoft Project is an expensive solution."

More Microsoft Project pricing and cost advice

"The product has good pricing."

"The solution's pricing can seem steep, especially when you work with a lot of people. If you are working on your own or for another business, the solution's price won't affect you much."

"The product's pricing depends on the usage plans."

"I rate the product's pricing a three out of ten. We only need to pay for it if we use it in the workspace."

"It's pretty affordable."

"Notion is free to use."

"I pay around $100 per year."

"The pricing structure is quite reasonable, and the basic plan covers the most essential features."

More Notion 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.

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847,772 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

67%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

20%

University

Media Company

Comms Service Provider

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...

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?

The issue with Microsoft is that the license is per personnel, making it expensive.

What do you like most about Notion?

I like the high level of customization in Notion.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Notion?

It's affordable and offers community support if I get stuck. I can find help through community forums like Google, where people share insights on navigating problems. Many people understand it, off...

What needs improvement with Notion?

It is easy to use, and I love its UI. The only problem I experience is that it often hangs. I might find myself trying to load a new page, but I am unable to move from one page to another due to fr...

Jira vs Microsoft Project

Comparisons

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Project Server vs Microsoft Project

Compared 12% of the time

Planisware vs Microsoft Project

Compared 8% of the time

Freshservice vs Microsoft Project

Compared 7% of the time

Planview Portfolios vs Microsoft Project

Compared 4% of the time

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AFFiNE vs Notion

Compared 34% of the time

Zoho Projects vs Notion

Compared 15% of the time

Zendesk vs Notion

Compared 14% of the time

Smartsheet vs Notion

Compared 11% of the time

Tana vs Notion

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Microsoft Project product report

Microsoft Project

March 2025

Download Notion product report

March 2025

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project

No data available

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

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that enables teams to collaborate, organize, and manage their work effectively. Its primary use case is to streamline project management, knowledge sharing, and task tracking. With its versatile functionality, Notion allows users to create and customize databases, wikis, and documents, making it a powerful tool for organizing information.

The most valuable functionality of Notion lies in its flexibility and ease of use. Users can create and link various types of content, such as text, images, files, and even embed external resources. This enables teams to centralize their work and collaborate seamlessly, eliminating the need for multiple tools. Notion's drag-and-drop interface and intuitive editing features make it accessible to users of all technical backgrounds.

Notion helps organizations by fostering transparency, improving productivity, and enhancing knowledge management. By providing a centralized platform for collaboration, teams can easily access and contribute to shared projects, reducing communication gaps and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Notion's powerful search functionality and tagging system enable efficient information retrieval, making it easier to find and share knowledge within the organization.

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

Startups like Loom, Mixpanel, Blinkist, Adobe, Deel and Education facilities such as USC, Dartmouth and The University of Chicago.