Microsoft Project vs Proggio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Proggio grades higher than Microsoft Project: 2.4 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
Microsoft Project grades higher on features. Proggio grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
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
Proggio
Timeline-based project portfolio management with AI
Which one is for you
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
Pick Proggio if
- Fits if you track project timelines across a portfolio, with up to 5 users free
- Works for teams that sync with Jira or monday.com
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow: Free stops at 5 projects, Plus at 20 projects and 100 AI calls a month
- Pricey if you add AI use: calls past the plan cost $0.10 each on Plus and SMB
- Not for you if you want quarterly billing, as it adds 25% to the listed rate
- Watch out: SMB needs at least 20 users and $500 a month, and Jira on-prem is limited to 5,000 tickets
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAMicrosoft ProjectWeak | 2.4GPAProggioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CPlus is $9 per user a month billed yearly, the category middle, with a $45 monthly minimum. SMB is $25 per user with a $500 monthly minimum. |
| 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. | BThe Free plan allows 5 users, 5 projects and 5 AI calls a day, with dashboards and the monday.com and Jira Cloud integrations. |
| 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. | CTimelines, portfolio views, AI planning, plan versus actual, and resource, budget and risk tools. Plan versus actual and resource tools are on SMB. |
| 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. | CNo store rating is on record. You build timelines and connect Jira or monday.com. |
| 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. | BWeb only, with monday.com, Jira, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Slack. |
| Best for | detailed scheduling on a Windows PC | timeline-based portfolio management with AI |
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 Proggio. How we grade
Price against what you get
Microsoft Project starts at $30 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proggio starts at $9 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Proggio scores higher and starts $21 a month lower. Of the other project management tools on the chart, 102 score higher than Microsoft Project for less, and 29 score higher than Proggio 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.
- Microsoft Project also covers templates, Gantt & timelines and reports.
- Proggio also covers time tracking and dashboards.
At a glance
| Microsoft Project | Proggio | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (minimum $45 a month) |
| Free plan | None | Up to 5 users, 5 projects and 5 AI calls a day, with dashboards and the monday.com and Jira Cloud integrations. |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, credit card required. No trial is listed for the one-time licenses | A trial with all features is offered for Plus, SMB and Enterprise; its length is not stated |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | Proggio |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | proggio.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Proggio
- Quarterly payment adds 25% to the listed rate.
- Plus has a $45 monthly minimum and SMB a $500 monthly minimum with at least 20 users.
- AI use beyond the plan's calls is billed at $0.10 a call on Plus and SMB.
- Jira on-prem integration is an optional Enterprise item, limited to 5,000 tickets.
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.
Proggio
- ProjectMap timelines
- Projects are laid out as timelines grouped into workstreams.
- Portfolio timelines
- Plus and above show several projects together with health scores and cross-project links.
- AI planning
- TimelineGPT builds timelines from a prompt, and chat answers project questions and drafts status reports.
- Plan versus actual
- The SMB plan adds comparison of planned and actual progress.
- Resource, budget and risk
- The SMB plan adds resource, budget and risk management.
- Jira and monday.com sync
- Both are integrations on every plan, with sync limited to 50 a month on Free and Plus.
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.
Proggio
Free$0
Up to 5 users, 5 projects, 5 AI calls a day, TimelineGPT, AI agents and dashboards.
Plus$9
per user / month, billed annually ($12 monthly); $45 monthly minimum
5 to 50 users, 20 projects, 100 AI calls a month, custom dashboards, critical chain, time and effort tracking, portfolio timelines and Excel export.
SMB$25
per user / month, billed annually ($31 monthly); $500 monthly minimum
At least 20 users, unlimited projects, 500 AI calls a month, plan-versus-actual, resource, budget and risk management, and optional API access.
EnterpriseCustom
At least 50 users, unlimited AI calls, a private LLM option, demand management, advanced reports and Jira on-prem integration.
Ways to pay less
Microsoft Project
No public discounts listed.
Proggio
- Annual discount
Yearly billing is cheaper than monthly
Plus is $9 per user a month billed annually versus $12 billed monthly, and SMB is $25 versus $31.
- Startups
Special terms for startups
The pricing FAQ says startups get special terms while growing and should contact Proggio for details.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Project or Proggio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Proggio is cheaper to start with: $9 a month for each person, against $30 a month for each person for Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project starts at $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024), and Proggio starts at $9 per user / month, billed annually (minimum $45 a month).
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Project or Proggio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Proggio has a free plan. Microsoft Project does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Microsoft Project and Proggio run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Microsoft Project lists a Windows app and only Proggio lists a web 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.