Microsoft Lists vs Microsoft Planner
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Lists
Information-tracking lists app included with Microsoft 365
Microsoft Planner
Task and project planning app built into Microsoft 365
Where they differ
- Microsoft Lists starts at $5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams). Microsoft Planner starts at $5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams).
- Only Microsoft Planner lists iOS and Android apps.
- Microsoft Lists also covers databases and workflow automation.
- Microsoft Planner also covers tasks, kanban boards and Gantt & timelines.
At a glance
| Microsoft Lists | Microsoft Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams) | $5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 business plans; a credit card is required to sign up | One-month free trial of Planner Plan 1 or Planner and Project Plan 3; a credit card is required and it converts to a paid plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Microsoft Corporation |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Microsoft Lists
- Organizations already paying for Microsoft 365 that need shared trackers
- Teams that want a tracker beside the conversation in a Teams channel
- Tracking issues, assets, events and onboarding from ready-made templates
Microsoft Planner
- Organizations already paying for Microsoft 365
- Teams that plan and track work inside Microsoft Teams
- Project managers who want Gantt timelines, sprints and baselines on a Microsoft stack
Worth knowing
Microsoft Lists
- Lists is not sold on its own: it comes with Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans, which are priced per user.
- The iOS and Android apps were retired in mid-November 2025. On a phone, Lists runs in a mobile browser or inside Teams.
- A list can hold up to 30 million items, but a view that shows more than 5,000 can run into the list view threshold.
- Help pages direct users to a work or school account. Lists for personal Microsoft accounts is offered only as a preview.
Microsoft Planner
- Basic Planner is not sold on its own: it comes with Microsoft 365 business, enterprise, education and frontline subscriptions.
- Timeline (Gantt), sprints, dependencies and goals need Planner Plan 1; baselines, critical path and task history need Planner and Project Plan 3.
- Copilot and Planner Agent features need a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license, listed at $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly.
- Microsoft lists a web app, a Teams app and iOS and Android apps. The only desktop software is the Project desktop app that comes with Plan 3.
Key features
Microsoft Lists
- Templates and imports
- Ready-made templates such as Issue tracker, Asset manager, Event itinerary and Onboarding checklist. A list can also start from an Excel workbook, a CSV file, an existing list or a blank page.
- Grid, calendar and gallery views
- The same items can be shown as a list, a calendar or a gallery, and saved views can sort, group and filter them. A single view can display at most 5,000 items.
- Conditional formatting
- View formatting highlights rows that meet a condition, such as a status set to Blocked, and alternating row styles are built in. An advanced mode accepts JSON.
- Rules
- A rule pairs a trigger, such as an item being modified or a column value changing, with an action such as emailing someone. Date-approaching rules are limited to two per list.
- Lists in Microsoft Teams
- A list can be added as a tab in a Teams channel, next to the conversation. Lists are created in the desktop or web version of Teams; on mobile, members can view and edit but not create them.
- Power Apps and Power Automate
- Forms can be extended with Power Apps and workflows built with Power Automate, using a list as the data source for a custom app.
Microsoft Planner
- Grid, Board, Schedule and Charts views
- Basic plans, included with Microsoft 365, show tasks as a grid, a kanban board, a schedule or charts, with labels, checklists and file attachments on each task.
- My Day, My Tasks and My Plans
- Personal views gather the tasks assigned to you across plans, along with assignments from meeting notes, Microsoft Loop and flagged Outlook email.
- Timeline, sprints and dependencies
- Planner Plan 1 adds premium plans with a Timeline (Gantt) view, backlogs and sprints, task dependencies, milestones, project goals and a People view for workload.
- Portfolios, baselines and critical path
- Planner and Project Plan 3 adds portfolios across plans, baselines, critical path, task history and dependencies with lead and lag. Plan 1 users can view portfolios but not create them.
- Planner in Microsoft Teams
- Planner runs as an app inside Microsoft Teams, where a plan sits next to its files and chats. Teams is sold separately from Planner Plan 1 and Plan 3.
- Copilot and Planner Agent
- With a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Copilot generates plans, task lists and status reports, and simple routine tasks can be assigned to Planner Agent to carry out.
Plans
Microsoft Lists
Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7.00
per user / month, paid yearly ($8.40 on a monthly subscription)
Lists with SharePoint, Teams, web and mobile Office apps, business email and 1 TB of storage per user. The version without Teams is $5.40.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard$14.00
per user / month, paid yearly ($16.80 on a monthly subscription)
Everything in Basic plus desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Loop and Clipchamp. The version without Teams is $10.79.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium$22.00
per user / month, paid yearly ($26.40 on a monthly subscription)
Everything in Standard plus device management, protection against phishing and malware, and sensitive-data controls. $18.79 without Teams.
Business Standard with Copilot$23.50
per user / month, paid yearly
Business Standard with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. $20.30 without Teams.
Business Premium with Copilot$32.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Business Premium with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business included. The version without Teams is $28.80.
Microsoft Planner
Microsoft 365 Business Basic (no Teams)$5.40
per user / month, paid yearly
Microsoft 365 suite plan that includes basic Planner: Grid, Board, Schedule and Charts views and basic templates. Microsoft Teams is not included.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7.00
per user / month, paid yearly
The same suite plan with Microsoft Teams, where Planner also runs as a Teams app. Business plans cover up to 300 users.
Planner Plan 1$10.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Premium plans with Timeline (Gantt), Calendar and People views, backlogs and sprints, task dependencies, project goals, milestones and custom fields.
Planner and Project Plan 3$30.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Everything in Plan 1 plus portfolios, baselines, critical path, task history, lead and lag dependencies and the Project desktop app.
Ways to pay less
Microsoft Lists
- Annual discount
Lower per-user price when paid yearly
Business Basic is $7.00 per user a month paid yearly against $8.40 on a monthly subscription, Standard $14.00 against $16.80 and Premium $22.00 against $26.40.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit grant and staff pricing
Eligible nonprofits get Microsoft 365 Business Basic as a grant, free for up to 300 users, with Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Premium at $5.50 per user a month, paid yearly.
Microsoft Planner
- Nonprofit
Business Basic free for eligible nonprofits
Microsoft's nonprofit page lists Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which includes Planner, as a grant that is free for up to 300 users, with discounted staff pricing on Business Standard and Premium.
