Microsoft Project vs OpenProject

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

OpenProject

• Organizations that want to self-host an open-source project tool
• Teams combining Gantt-based planning with Scrum or Kanban
• Organizations that need their project data hosted in the EU
• Construction teams working with BIM models, through the paid BIM add-on

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.

OpenProject

• The free Community edition is self-hosted only. The hosted cloud starts at the paid Basic plan with a 5-user minimum.
• Professional requires at least 25 users and Premium at least 100. On-premises Enterprise plans start at 25 users and a one-year term.
• Single sign-on needs Professional or higher, and SCIM provisioning is limited to the Corporate plan.
• The iOS and Android apps are in beta and described by the vendor as companions to the web application.

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.

OpenProject

Work packages and Gantt charts

Work is broken into work packages such as tasks, features, phases and milestones, then scheduled on Gantt charts with relations and automatic or manual scheduling.

Agile boards and Scrum

Kanban, team, version and subproject boards, a product backlog, sprint boards, story points and burndown charts are all part of the free Community edition.

Time tracking, costs and budgets

Time is logged on work packages, unit and labor costs are tracked against budgets, and reports break down spent time and costs.

Meetings, wiki and documents

Meeting agendas and minutes link to work packages, and a wiki, forums and collaboratively edited documents hold project information in one place.

Self-hosting or vendor cloud

The Community edition installs on your own Linux servers from DEB or RPM packages, Docker, Kubernetes or Helm charts. Enterprise cloud is hosted by OpenProject in the EU.

Tiered Enterprise add-ons

Paid plans unlock extra features by tier: the team planner on Basic, single sign-on on Professional, and portfolio and resource management on Premium.

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.

OpenProject

• CommunityFree

  Self-hosted open-source edition with no user minimum: Gantt charts, agile boards, Scrum backlogs, time tracking, wiki and meetings, with community support.

• Basic$7.25

  per user / month, billed yearly ($8.50 monthly, cloud only)

  From 5 users in the cloud or 25 on-premises. Adds the Basic Enterprise add-ons, such as the team planner, baseline comparisons and a custom theme, plus email support.

• Professional$13.50

  per user / month, billed yearly

  Minimum 25 users. Adds single sign-on, OneDrive and SharePoint integration, sharing work packages with external users, the MCP server and phone support.

• Premium$19.50

  per user / month, billed yearly

  Minimum 100 users. Adds portfolio management, resource management, LDAP user and group sync, and remote-hands support.

• CorporateCustom

  Priced on request and recommended from 250 users. Adds SCIM provisioning, XWiki and openDesk integrations, and a dedicated support engineer.

Microsoft Project

No public discounts listed.

OpenProject

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing is $1.25 per user cheaper

  Cloud Basic can be billed monthly for an extra $1.25 per user / month, so a one-year subscription costs $7.25 instead of $8.50 per user / month.

• Other savings

  Free months on multi-year subscriptions

  The pricing calculator lists 5 months free on a 2-year subscription, 8 on 3 years, 11 on 4 years and 15 on 5 years.

• Education

  Special rates for educational institutions

  OpenProject states that it offers discounted rates for educational institutions. No percentage is published; eligibility is checked by its sales team.

• Nonprofit

  Special rates for NGOs

  The same pricing page offers discounted rates for NGOs on request, again without a published percentage.