Microsoft Project vs GanttPRO

Microsoft Project and GanttPro are two of the best project management software, but if you had to choose just one, which would it be?

Project management is a crucial part of the development process. You can’t choose a project management software without proper research and knowledge, as they establish the foundations of your project. Consequently, you have to delve into the finer details when choosing between project management applications. It is important to remember that the software you will be choosing would be handling all of your company’s processes and developments – so choose wisely.

To help make that crucial decision easier, we have compiled a complete comparison between Microsoft Project and GanttPro. This article includes everything you need to know. From prices to user reviews, this article covers everything you need to be aware of before you make an informed decision. We do this to ensure that we only suggest the most beneficial and viable option for you and your business.

At a Glance

If based purely on the first impression, GanttPro is the more obvious choice. Though in terms of features, they are both quite similar, though user satisfaction of each is vastly different. GanttPro has an overwhelming user satisfaction rate when compared to Microsoft Project. Many users find that GanttPro is often simply easier to use and deals with multiple integrations at once. Microsoft Project isn’t as accessible and mostly sticks to core project management values only.

Users have discovered that Microsoft Project does not include a diverse range of projects. The only kind Microsoft Project can handle is large and complex projects. It is not suited for daily use and social work. On the other hand, users value GanttPro for its simplicity. People can use it to satisfy all of their personal and professional needs. 

Despite the disadvantage of Microsoft Project, we can still note that they make up for it with its slightly cheaper monthly fee. A basic “Cloud-Based Project Online Essentials” account for Microsoft Project costs $7.20, while an account with a team of five on GanttPro costs $8.90.

Retrospectively, GanttPro is ideal for diverse project management. In this case, it doesn’t matter if it’s a large complex project or a simple social project. GanttPro can manage any project. We consider it as an ideal all-rounder project management software. 

On the other hand, you would most often prefer Microsoft Project for sizable project management. Its features are too complex to handle simple project management. Arguably, it can’t deal with projects revolving around social work or daily life interactions. It is not very communicative, and it adopts a more robotic approach to project management. You can systematically solve problems and come up with solutions through efficient calculations and communicative effort. However, this process cannot always be helpful.

Keep reading this article to know more about the various advantages and disadvantages of each software.

Comparison

• Integrations

Integrations play a crucial part in project management software. Through the various possibilities, integrations allow you to introduce aspects of real-life into your project. They encourage the possibility of working regardless of how accessible the project might be. You can directly tie a software’s efficiency to its integrations. When you involve more integration, you can vitalize more efficiency across multiple platforms. 

Microsoft Project enables integrations with various platforms. Some of the applications it integrates with include Skype, MS Office, Procore, HeavyBid, Wrike, WorkOtter, Project Doctor, Wimi, Celoxis, GenieBelt, Premier, Intellect, and MeisterPlan. Upon examining most of these integrations, you can tell that they are usually only office-based applications. The integrations exclusively encourage an extremely professional work environment and outline. 

On the other hand, GanttPro can be used for personal needs as well as for team projects. It does not matter if they are small, medium, or substantial enterprises. GanttPro can manage a variety of project management work. The tool has various ready-made templates for professional spheres. Professions such as manufacturing, retail, education sector, event planning, construction, software development, consulting, maintenance, and many more can easily manage their projects through GrantPro. 

Hence, we can conclude that, in terms of integrations and diverse compatibility, GanttPro is the more favored software. Though Microsoft Project may cover projects in a professional environment, it is not enough for a more general project management software. The aspects of the software are too complex, and it must undergo some work to make it more diverse. 

• Pricing 

It would be fair to consider that they both cost the right price for their services. GanttPro’s basic membership starts from $8.90 a month, while Microsoft Project starts from $7.20 a month. Both cost about the same, with Microsoft Project, only being a little bit cheaper. 

The team of 5-15 membership offered by GanttPro is the cheapest subscription of $8.90. It comes packed with unlimited projects and templates, advanced security, and unhindered access to all of GanttPro’s premium features.

If you’re looking to spend a little bit more or work alone, you can sign up for GanttPro’s “Individual” membership as well. It enables a more customizable experience with custom templates, unlimited projects, and advanced security. Additionally, you would also have access to all of the features offered in team membership. 

Meanwhile, there’s a variety of memberships, each of different costs, offered by Microsoft Project. The “Cloud-Based Project Online Essentials” membership is an offer by Microsoft Project that includes one member for $7.20 a month. It comes packed with features, such as updating tasks, submitting timesheets, collaborative thinking, and SharePoint task sync capabilities. 

Unlike GanttPro, Microsoft Project drastically increases in pricing with its professional membership. With the “Cloud-Based Project Online Professional” at $30.50 a month, you have access to a fully installed, up-to-date Project application on up to 5 PCs. It has all of the features of the essentials membership along with project planning and scheduling, reporting and business intelligence, and the ability to publish projects to the cloud and manage project resources. 

Microsoft Project also offers a premium membership. It is for $56 a month and, like the rest of the memberships, includes only one user a month. It comprises all of the features of the essentials and professional membership. It comes packed with portfolio selection and optimization, demand management, the ability to plan and manage enterprise resources, and out-of-the-box portfolio reports. 

There are also on-premises memberships. For $1,265, you can receive the licensing agreement. The on-premises project professional includes a fully installed project application on one PC. It can do everything the professional membership can, along with collaboration with Skype for a business presence. 

Finally, there’s also an on-premises project standard for $757 a license. Likewise, it includes all the features you would receive from an essentials membership and with it all on a fully installed project application on one PC.

Consequently, though the Microsoft Project can be exceedingly efficient, the licensing is a little too expensive for users. However, for slightly larger companies, the price may be worth it. The application is usually ideal for work-life, with little regard to use in one’s personal life. 

Overall, when comparing the two, you can note that GanttPro is slightly more affordable. Though Microsoft Project has a diverse range of membership, most are too pricey for what they offer. However, in the instance your team is sizable with more than 15 people, you may want to choose Microsoft Project since it would cater to your business needs. Though it is more expensive, it supports much larger groups and is ideal for a work setting.

• Support

In terms of support, both applications can be accommodating. However, if you’re looking for a diverse range of support and troubleshooting, Microsoft Project may be the preferred option. Due to the renowned company name, Microsoft Project offers support through phone, live chat, training, troubleshooting, and its sizable community. You can address most issues through the efficient use of the application’s guides, tutorials, and customer support. 

On the other hand, GanttPro does not offer such a wide range of support. Though customer support is available to answer questions and respond almost immediately, they don’t have live chat support. There is no way to receive the real-time support experience on the user-end and to answer questions instantaneously, which doesn’t bode well when you are pressed for time regarding a technical GrantPro issue.

Microsoft Project vs. GanttPro: The Winner

Which Is The Best Overall?

Overall, GanttPro should be considered the best all-rounder project management software. Generally, you can use it for all kinds of projects and tasks management. It includes resource and budget management as well as progress tracking. It is exceedingly multi-user capable and can be used for a variety of projects simultaneously.

 Though you can argue that the UI could be a little better, it’s still good overall. The UI, generally, is hard to understand in terms of setup. However, once set up, it is exceedingly simple to follow. Due to this, GanttPro can be very practical after learning how to use it. The process can be made even simpler through the comprehensive support, FAQs, tutorials, and videos offered by the GanttPro support team. It is a great web-based tool, ideal for personal, freelance, startups, SMEs, agencies, or enterprises. 

Conversely, Microsoft Project is not as diverse as GanttPro. It offers many efficient project management techniques such as project scheduling and costing, managing tasks, and reporting business intelligence. However, these tasks are mostly business or enterprise-based. It does not cover all kinds of project management and is especially not considerate for students, social work, or scheduling daily life activities. 

Which Is Best For Large-scale Projects?

Though they both offer efficient services to deal with large-scale projects, we would generally prefer Microsoft Project. Though it may have efficient services, professional clients also usually favor the renowned company name. Microsoft Project’s collaborative features deal with multi-user interactions through scheduling, time management, and many other features. Ideally, this also helps immensely with large-scale projects.

In recent years, Microsoft has transformed itself to give a positive feeling when someone interacts with it. The company has been focusing on its customers and is willing to go the extra mile to make their customers happy. They continuously invest in its products and bring in new features over time. Though it may be known for its professionalism right now, there have been noticeable efforts to make the UI more homely. 

Overall, using Microsoft Project for your work projects tends to bring a positive feeling through its association with such an iconic company. 

Which Is Best For Undemanding Projects?

Though Microsoft Project has made efforts to become more accessible for all kinds of projects, GanttPro is still more accessible currently. Users who only want limited access to its resources or freelancers with a general emphasis on Gantt Charts often prefer its UI. Similarly, Gantt charts can play a crucial part in emphasizing simplicity in smaller-scale projects. They contribute to the fundamentals of project management, and they are easy to understand and use. 

GanttPro has an array of features and integrations that make it exceedingly compatible with all kinds of projects. Team members can undergo collaborative efforts, such as leaving comments on tasks, attaching files on time, and receiving real-time notifications that immediately show any changes in a project. 

In addition to this, tasks never need to be done without help. The support for GanttPro is extraordinarily efficient. Usually, you would have no trouble reaching out to their customer support whenever you have questions. They respond almost instantly every time and always do their best to solve any given problem presented to you. 

Its intuitive interface also contributes to its simplistic and accessible design. As an online app, you can view data on Windows PCs, Macs, and tablets. It can save data quickly (depending on your internet speed), as if it is a locally installed application. The required training is minimal. Despite this, there is even an extensive range of learning videos and topics in the GanttPro learning center. 

Call to Action

In this case, GanttPro should be the preferred project management software of the two. It is available on the official GanttPro website for the exceedingly affordable price of $8.90 a month for 5-15 members.