Microsoft Planner vs monday.com
We give Microsoft Planner a 3.2 GPA and monday.com a 3.0, out of 4.0. Microsoft Planner grades higher on value for money and platforms. monday.com grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Planner
Task and project planning app built into Microsoft 365
monday.com
Board-based work management with automations and dashboards
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAMicrosoft PlannerVery good | 3.0GPAmonday.comVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBasic Planner comes with Microsoft 365, from $5.40 a user a month paid yearly, which is the cheap end here and buys a whole suite. But the timeline, sprints and dependencies need Planner Plan 1 at $10.00, and baselines and critical path need Plan 3 at $30.00. | CBasic is $9 a seat but has no automations, integrations or timeline, so most teams land on Standard at $12. ClickUp gives you Gantt charts and time tracking for $7. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. There's a one-month free trial of Planner Plan 1 or Planner and Project Plan 3, but it needs a credit card and it converts to a paid plan. | CTwo seats, three boards, three docs, and no automations. Fine for one freelancer with a few clients, no good for a team. There is a 14-day trial of Pro. |
| Features | AGrid, board, schedule and chart views to start. Then Gantt timelines, backlogs and sprints, dependencies and goals on Plan 1, and portfolios, baselines and critical path on Plan 3. My Tasks pulls in work from Loop and flagged Outlook email. Deep, once you pay. | ABoards, timelines, Gantt charts, dashboards, docs, forms, automations, time tracking and a pile of AI helpers. There's very little you can't bend it into. |
| Ease of use | A4.6 from about 13,200 App Store ratings, which just makes the A. It also runs inside Microsoft Teams, so a plan sits next to the files and chats your team already has open. | A4.8 from about 48,000 App Store ratings. A diesel repair shop and a couple doing up a 1976 house both say it just made sense. There are 200+ templates to start from. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone, Android and an app inside Microsoft Teams. It ties into Outlook, Loop, To Do, SharePoint, Power Automate and Power BI. The only desktop software is the Project app that comes with Plan 3, and it's all very Microsoft. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with an API and 850+ integrations and apps. No Linux app, and reviewers say the phone app can't do all the website can. |
| Best for | teams already living in Microsoft 365 | flexible boards any team can pick up |
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: Microsoft Planner and monday.com. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft Planner starts at $5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams). monday.com starts at $9 per seat / month, billed annually (3-seat minimum).
- monday.com has a free plan. Microsoft Planner does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only monday.com lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Microsoft Planner also covers templates.
- monday.com also covers workflow automation and time tracking.
At a glance
| Microsoft Planner | monday.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams) | $9 per seat / month, billed annually (3-seat minimum) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for up to 2 seats: up to 3 boards and 3 docs, 200+ templates, 8 column types, and the iOS and Android apps. |
| Free trial | 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 | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | monday.com |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | monday.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
monday.com
- Teams that want boards, dashboards and automations in one tool
- Companies that also want CRM, dev or service products from one vendor
- Eligible nonprofits, which get their first 10 seats free
Worth knowing
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.
monday.com
- The Free plan is limited to 2 seats, 3 boards and 3 docs.
- Paid plans start at 3 seats, and the price is set by the team size selected rather than by individual seats.
- Timeline, Gantt and calendar views, automations and integrations start on Standard; time tracking and private boards need Pro.
- Plan totals itemize the bundled AI credits at $10 per 1,000 a month, currently cancelled out by a "special offer" discount of the same amount.
Key features
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.
monday.com
- Boards and views
- Work is tracked on boards made of items and typed columns. Timeline, Gantt and calendar views start on the Standard plan.
- Automations and integrations
- Both are metered by monthly actions: 250 each on Standard and 25,000 each on Pro. The integrations page lists 850+ integrations and apps.
- Dashboards
- Dashboards bring data from boards together into charts and summaries for reporting on progress.
- Docs and forms
- Built-in documents and forms sit next to boards. The Free plan allows up to 3 docs, and private boards and docs need Pro.
- AI credits and agents
- The Sidekick assistant, AI agents and a notetaker draw on a monthly credit pool: 1,000 credits on Basic, 2,000 on Standard and 3,000 on Pro.
- Portfolio and resource management
- The Enterprise plan adds portfolio management, resource management and multi-level permissions.
Plans
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.
monday.com
Free$0
Up to 2 seats with up to 3 boards and 3 docs, 200+ templates and 8 column types.
Basic$9
per seat / month, billed annually
Unlimited items and unlimited free viewers, with 1,000 AI credits a month. Paid plans start at 3 seats.
Standard$12
per seat / month, billed annually
Adds timeline, Gantt and calendar views, guest access, and 250 automation and 250 integration actions a month.
Pro$19
per seat / month, billed annually
Adds private boards and docs, time tracking, advanced columns, and 25,000 automation and 25,000 integration actions a month.
EnterpriseCustom
Portfolio and resource management, multi-level permissions, enterprise security and governance, and 250 workflows.
Ways to pay less
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.
monday.com
- Annual discount
18% discount with yearly billing
monday.com's pricing FAQ says choosing a yearly plan instead of paying monthly gives an 18% discount.
- Nonprofit
First 10 seats free for eligible nonprofits
Eligible nonprofits get their first 10 seats free and 70% off each seat from the 11th, sold in lots of 5, or 33% off per user on Enterprise.
