Asta Powerproject vs Microsoft Project (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Asta Powerproject grades higher than Microsoft Project: 1.8 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Asta Powerproject grades higher on platforms. Microsoft Project grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Asta Powerproject
Gantt-based planning software built for construction projects
Microsoft Project
Desktop project scheduling for Windows with Gantt charts
Which one is for you
Pick Asta Powerproject if
- Fits if you plan construction programmes and need 4D BIM links
- Works for contractors who want a free viewer for colleagues
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are a small team, as one licence is £1,530 a year with VAT
- Not for you if you use a Mac, as the desktop software is Windows only and Mac needs the SaaS edition
- Watch out: the iOS and Android app is licensed separately
- Watch out: the price read is the UK shop's in pounds, and Enterprise has no published price
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a 14-day trial is listed
Pick Microsoft Project if
- Fits if you build detailed schedules with dependencies, baselines and resource leveling on Windows
- Works for organizations that prefer a perpetual license, at $679.99 per PC, to a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or want it on your phone, as the desktop app is Windows only
- Pricey if you just need a Gantt chart, at $30.00 a user a month or $679.99 one-time for a single PC
- Not for you if you want to plan in a browser, because Project for the web was retired and web plans now live in Planner
- Watch out: there's no trial of the one-time licenses, and the subscription trial needs a credit card
- Watch out: Project Server has no list price and needs SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, bought separately
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAsta PowerprojectWeak | 1.6GPAMicrosoft ProjectWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D£1,530 per licence a year with UK VAT, about £128 a month, far above the dearest tenth of the category. It is a specialist tool, but the figure is the UK shop price. | DPlanner and Project Plan 3 is $30.00 a user a month paid yearly, nearly four times this category's middle price and well into its dearest tenth. Buying outright is $679.99 for Standard 2024 on one PC, where the category's typical one-time price is about $200. Professional is $1,129.99. |
| Free plan and trial | D14-day free trial download, no free plan, and card terms are not stated. | DNo free plan, and the one-month trial of Planner and Project Plan 3 wants a credit card. No trial at all is listed for the one-time licences, so a $679.99 purchase is made unseen. |
| Features | CGantt scheduling, 4D BIM, resources, costs and scenario planning. It does the construction planning job fully, which is a narrower job than general project management. | BScheduling that works dates out from effort, lead and lag times and dependencies and redoes them when something moves, with Gantt, Calendar and Network Diagram views, baselines, critical path, resource leveling, costs and reports like Burndown. Timesheets need Professional, and collaboration now lives over in Planner. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Construction scheduling software takes training. | CNo store rating on record. It installs like any Windows program and fills in dates for you, but this is the tool with resource leveling and lead and lag times: nobody is productive in it on day one, and each one-time licence covers one user on one PC. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows desktop with iOS and Android apps, which are licensed separately. Mac use needs the SaaS edition. | DOne operating system. The requirements list Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, with no Mac, no phone and, since Project for the web was retired, no browser. It works with Excel, Teams, Planner and SharePoint Server and nothing outside Microsoft's world. |
| Best for | construction planners who need Gantt programmes | detailed scheduling on a Windows PC |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Asta Powerproject and Microsoft Project. How we grade
Price against what you get
Asta Powerproject starts at about $170.84 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft Project starts at $30 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Asta Powerproject scores higher, and starts $140.84 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other project management tools on the chart, 65 score higher than Asta Powerproject for less, and 102 score higher than Microsoft Project for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Microsoft Project can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Asta Powerproject also covers dashboards.
- Microsoft Project also covers templates and tasks.
At a glance
| Asta Powerproject | Microsoft Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | £1,530 per licence / year, VAT included, UK shop price | $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial download | One-month free trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, credit card required. No trial is listed for the one-time licenses |
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Eleco Software Limited | Microsoft Corporation |
| Price read from | shop.eleco.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Asta Powerproject
- The desktop software runs on Windows PC; Mac use needs the SaaS edition.
- The iOS and Android companion app is licensed separately.
- The price read is the UK shop's GBP figure with VAT; US and other-country prices were not seen.
- Enterprise has no published price, and licences are single-user, concurrent or SaaS.
Microsoft Project
- Project desktop's requirements list only Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, and no Mac or mobile version appears on the pricing page.
- Project for the web was retired in August 2025 and Project Online's retirement date was September 30, 2026; browser-based plans now live in Microsoft Planner.
- Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 are each licensed for one user on one PC.
- Project Server Subscription Edition has no list price and needs SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, which is not included.
Key features
Asta Powerproject
- Gantt scheduling
- Tasks are drawn and linked inside the Gantt chart for critical path analysis, with codes, calendars, resources and costs assigned there too.
- 4D BIM integration
- The product page lists 4D BIM integration, which ties the schedule to a building model for visual planning.
- Resource and cost management
- Resources are allocated across projects, and planned spend is compared with actual spend to forecast costs.
- Scenario planning and reporting
- Scenarios are compared for profit, and dashboards and reports are produced for stakeholders.
- Enterprise collaboration
- Asta Enterprise lets several users work in the same programme at once, with organization-wide views of schedules, resourcing and costs.
- Free ProjectViewer
- Stakeholders can open a project in the free ProjectViewer without holding a licence.
Microsoft Project
- Automated scheduling
- Tasks are scheduled from start and end dates, effort, lead and lag times and dependencies, and dates fill in automatically as those dependencies change.
- Gantt, calendar and network views
- Project Standard 2024 includes Gantt Chart, Calendar, Network Diagram and Task Sheet views, plus multiple timelines for presenting a complex schedule.
- Baselines and critical path
- Baselines compare actual progress with the original plan, and the critical path shows the tasks that form the longest path through a project.
- Resource management
- Resource leveling resolves conflicts and overallocations automatically. Project Professional 2024 adds fuller resource management and timesheets for payroll and invoicing.
- Built-in reports
- Prebuilt reports such as Burndown and Resource Overview summarize project and resource data, and a project file can be saved as a PDF.
- Project Server connection
- Project Professional 2024 can connect to Project Server Subscription Edition, an on-premises portfolio management server that runs on SharePoint Server.
Plans
Asta Powerproject
Annual Subscription£1,530
per licence / year, billed annually, VAT included
One user per licence on Windows PC, with 14-day activation support. Buying 2 licences gets 5% off. UK shop price in GBP.
EnterpriseCustom
Shared real-time access to projects, shared resources and visibility across all projects; contact the team or a reseller.
Microsoft Project
Planner and Project Plan 3$30.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Subscription that includes the Project desktop client on up to five PCs, plus premium plans in Microsoft Planner on the web and in Teams.
Project Standard 2024$679.99
one-time purchase, licensed for 1 PC
Perpetual desktop license with schedule, task and cost management, Gantt Chart, Calendar and Network Diagram views, baselines, critical path and resource leveling.
Project Professional 2024$1,129.99
one-time purchase, licensed for 1 PC
Everything in Standard plus fuller resource management, timesheets and the ability to connect to Project Server Subscription Edition.
Project Server Subscription EditionCustom
On-premises project and portfolio management server built on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, bought through a Microsoft partner.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Asta Powerproject or Microsoft Project?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Microsoft Project is cheaper to start with: $30 a month for each person, against about $170.84 a month for each person for Asta Powerproject. Asta Powerproject starts at £1,530 per licence / year, VAT included, UK shop price, and Microsoft Project starts at $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024).
Which has a free plan, Asta Powerproject or Microsoft Project?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Asta Powerproject nor Microsoft Project has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Asta Powerproject and Microsoft Project run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Asta Powerproject lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.