Microsoft Project vs RationalPlan
Microsoft Project
microsoft.comRationalPlan
rationalplan.comSide by side
| Figure | Microsoft Project | RationalPlan |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $4/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 11 |
| Spec score · Project management tools | 8.7 (#47) | 9.1 (#18) |
| Spec score · Gantt Chart Software | 8.3 (#13) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Spec score · Project Management Software | 8.4 (#74) | 8.9 (#31) |
| Spec score · Project Planning Software | 8.5 (#11) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Founded | 1975 | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington, USA | Craiova, Dolj, Romania |
| Intended users | Microsoft describes Planner as useful for teams across departments, including marketing, sales, software development, IT, human resources, project management, and operations. | The company describes Cloud as suitable for individuals and companies, while its on-premise products include single-project, multi-project, and centralized server options. |
| Support | The included Planner offering lists Microsoft 365 customer support, and Microsoft provides Planner help and learning articles. | The maker promises responses to support questions within 24 working hours and bundles priority support for one year with a license. |
Plans
Microsoft Project
- Microsoft PlannerPriced on request
- Planner Plan 1Priced on request
- Planner and Project Plan 3Priced on request
- Planner Plan 1Priced on request
- Planner and Project Plan 3Priced on request
- Planner and Project Plan 5Priced on request
- Planner and Project Plan 5Price not published
- Planner in Microsoft 365Free
- Planner Plan 1$10 a year
- Planner and Project Plan 3$30 a year
RationalPlan
- Cloud FreeFree
- FREEFree
- Cloud Beginner$4 a month
- Cloud Master$12 a month
- Cloud Production$19 a month
- Single Project$145, paid once
- Multi Project$288, paid once
- BEGINNERPrice not published
- MASTERPrice not published
- PRODUCTIONPrice not published
In their own words
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is presented through Planner, an online work management experience that combines tasks, to-do lists, plans, and projects. Core views include Grid, Board, Schedule, and Charts; Planner Plan 1 adds Timeline, People, and Goals. That plan also includes premium templates, backlogs and sprints, task dependencies, milestones, and project goals. Planner and Project Plan 3 adds portfolios, baselines, critical path, advanced dependencies, resource requests, and the Project desktop app. Plan 5 adds advanced portfolio management and enterprise resource management and allocation. The included Planner in Microsoft 365 is listed at free and includes basic templates, core views, task management, and Teams integration. Named integrations include Loop, Outlook, Teams, Copilot, and Power Automate. The comparison lists workflow automation, APIs, Microsoft 365 Groups access control, and compliance tools. Time tracking and guest access are listed. A one-month trial requires a credit card and converts to paid service unless canceled.
RationalPlan
RationalPlan is project management software for scheduling work, allocating resources, tracking progress, estimating project costs, and managing budgets. Its tools include Gantt charts with dependencies and critical-path detection, portfolio management, resource leveling, cost tracking, reports, document management, calendars, and a Kanban board. RationalPlan says it can open and edit Microsoft Project files, and its Single Project product imports MS Project files. RationalPlan Cloud supports concurrent browser work with different access rights; the company says Cloud uses AWS for data hosting and processing. Project Server can be installed on a private network, and the company says its administrators cannot access hosted customer data. The free Cloud plan includes two projects, 100 tasks, 10 MB of storage, and two users. Free accounts inactive for 30 days are disabled, and accounts inactive for 60 days are deleted. Single and Multi trials offer full functionality with a 20-task limit and no stated time limit; the Server trial runs for 30 days without functional limits. Single Project costs $145, paid once, and Multi Project costs $288, paid once. A license includes one year of upgrades and priority technical support.