Microsoft Project vs Lucen Timeline
We give Microsoft Project a 1.6 GPA and Lucen Timeline a 1.8, out of 4.0. Microsoft Project grades higher on features. Lucen Timeline grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Project
Desktop project scheduling for Windows with Gantt charts
Lucen Timeline
PowerPoint add-in that turns project plans into timeline slides
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAMicrosoft ProjectWeak | 1.8GPALucen TimelineWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | DLite is under $9 a user a month billed yearly, ordinary for presentation tools, but it allows 2 swimlanes. Unlimited swimlanes and Excel import need Plus at under $17, and refreshing from Project or Jira needs Expert at under $21, all on top of PowerPoint itself. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CThe free add-in doesn't run out and has the themes, but each slide stops at 10 milestones and tasks, with limited swimlanes and 1 timescale. Fine for a simple roadmap; a real project plan won't fit. |
| Features | 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. | DThe timeline work is thorough: swimlanes, dependencies, critical path, up to 3 timescales, import and refresh from Project, Smartsheet and Jira, and planned against actual. But it's one narrow job, and it needs PowerPoint on Windows to be any use. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo rating on record, but it sits on the PowerPoint ribbon you already use: type the dates in or import a plan, and out comes a normal slide you can edit. Nothing to export, nothing to learn outside PowerPoint. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CThe add-in is Windows and PowerPoint only, and Mac or browser users need Timeline Online, a separate licence. It does pull plans from Excel, Project, Smartsheet, Jira and Wrike, but there are no phone apps. |
| Best for | detailed scheduling on a Windows PC | timeline slides in PowerPoint |
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 Project and Lucen Timeline. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft Project starts at $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024). Lucen Timeline starts at $9 per user / month, billed annually.
- Lucen Timeline has a free plan. Microsoft Project does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Lucen Timeline lists a web app.
- Microsoft Project can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft Project also covers tasks and reports.
- Lucen Timeline also covers presentations.
At a glance
| Microsoft Project | Lucen Timeline | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024) | $9 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | Free add-in: timelines of up to 10 milestones and tasks per slide, limited swimlanes, 1 timescale and the pre-designed themes. The free license is renewed each year. |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, credit card required. No trial is listed for the one-time licenses | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | Lucen Software |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | lucensoftware.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Microsoft Project
- Project managers who build detailed schedules with dependencies and baselines
- Organizations that prefer a perpetual license to a subscription
- Teams that keep project and portfolio data on their own servers
Lucen Timeline
- Project managers who report schedules to executives in PowerPoint
- Teams that keep plans in Microsoft Project, Smartsheet or Jira and need slides from them
- Consultants building client roadmaps that must stay editable
Worth knowing
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.
Lucen Timeline
- The add-in needs Windows and PowerPoint. Timeline Online, for Mac and browser users, is a separate license at less than $13 a month billed annually.
- The free version stops at 10 milestones and tasks per slide, and its license has to be renewed each year.
- Microsoft Project, Jira, Smartsheet and Wrike import and planned vs. actual tracking need the Expert plan.
- Licenses are per user and sold only as yearly subscriptions, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Key features
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.
Lucen Timeline
- Timelines built inside PowerPoint
- The add-in sits on the PowerPoint ribbon and creates timelines and Gantt charts as native, editable slides, so there is nothing to export.
- Swimlanes and timescales
- Group tasks into swimlanes and nested sub-swimlanes and show up to 3 timescales on one chart. Lite allows 2 swimlanes; Plus and Expert are unlimited.
- Dependencies and critical path
- Link tasks and highlight the critical path from Plus. Importing dependencies from a source plan needs Expert.
- Import and refresh
- Plus imports from Excel. Expert imports and refreshes from Microsoft Project, Smartsheet and Jira, including several Jira projects or boards, and imports from Wrike.
- Planned vs. actual
- Expert shows progress bars, baselines and variance against the original plan, so a slide can show where a project has slipped.
- Templates and themes
- Pre-designed themes on every plan, timeline, Gantt and swimlane templates from Lite, and custom themes that can be shared and imported on Expert.
Plans
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.
Lucen Timeline
Free$0
Up to 10 milestones and tasks per slide, limited swimlanes and dependencies, 1 timescale and pre-designed themes.
Lite$9
per user / month, billed annually as a 1-year license
More than 10 items per timeline, 2 swimlanes, timeline, Gantt and swimlane templates. Shown as less than $9 a month; the yearly total is not shown.
Plus$17
per user / month, billed annually as a 1-year license
Unlimited swimlanes and sub-swimlanes, dependencies and critical path, 3 timescales and import from Excel. Shown as less than $17 a month.
Expert$21
per user / month, billed annually as a 1-year license
Import and refresh from Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira and Wrike, Excel refresh, planned vs. actual, baselines and custom themes. Less than $21 a month.
