Top 10 Best Microsoft Planner Alternatives To Try In 2024!

If you’re a project manager, you’ve probably heard about Microsoft Planner, a comprehensive project management tool that’s part of the Microsoft365 suite. And you also know that project management requires planning. Lots of it.

But here’s the thing – while Microsoft Planner is fantastic, it might not be the perfect fit for everyone. We all have different needs and preferences when it comes to managing tasks and projects. So, the need for finding the best Microsoft Planner alternative arises.

Luckily, in the era of modern business, we have countless software to choose from in the project management market. But this variety comes with a price -literally and figuratively. With this many tools on the market with different features and pricing plans, it can become impossible to decide which one is the right choice for you. 

That’s where we come in! In this blog post, we’re going to dive into the realm of Microsoft Planner alternatives. We’ll explore ten fantastic options that can serve as game-changers for your team’s project management needs. From the tried-and-true to the innovative and new, we’ve got a diverse lineup to help you find the perfect match.

Without further ado, let’s start!

Tool name	Best for	Pricing
Teamflect	Microsoft Teams integration	$5 per user/month
Trello	Kanban boards	Starting from $5 per user/month
Asana	Complex projects	Starting from $10.99 per user/month
ClickUp	Task management	Starting from $7 per user/month
Wrike	Gantt charts	Starting from $9.80 per user/month
monday.com	Adaptability	Starting from $10 per user/month
Smartsheet	Creating spreadsheets	Starting from $7 per user/month
Basecamp	Creating workflows	Starting from $15 per user/month
ProofHub	Low cost	Starting from $45 per month
Teamwork	Startups	Starting from $5.99 per user/month

Top 10 Microsoft Planner Alternatives 

1. Teamflect

Teamflect is the best all-in-one project management software with seamless Microsoft Teams integration. If you like the fact that Microsoft Planner works in sync with other Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Teams or PowerBI, but need more than just ticking boxes to track your projects, Teamflect is the best choice for you!

As it is designed specifically to fit in the Microsoft ecosystem, Teamflect lets you set and track goals, create and assign tasks, assign arelated teams to your goals without ever leaving the Teams chat. With Teamflect’s fantastic goal tracking system, you can see the progress of each goal and subgoal without a hassle.

That’s not even half of it! Teamflect is much more than just being a regular project management tool. Teamflect offers customized and point-based recognitions, pulse surveys, a 360-degree feedback tool, and a fantastic HR analytics tool that creates PowerBI reports.

Key features:

• User-friendly design 
• More efficient one-on-one meetings with note-taking tools 
• Set and track progress on team and individual goals easily 
• Customizable recognitions with points
• Employee engagement surveys 

Teamflect Pricing

$5 per user/month in annual plan

2. Trello 

As one of the well-known task management software, Trello is the ultimate Kanban-board and card-view tool for project management. If you enjoy that part of MS Planner, but looking for a Microsoft Planner alternative with a more sleek design to use for Agile workflows, Trello is for you!

You can use Trello to assign specific tasks for each department or employee, giving them their own cards. You can label the tasks, add sub-tasks, add due dates, attachments, etc. to your cards.

Although it is not the most complex software of all, Trello is a great option if you want an update from Microsoft Planner, but don’t want anything too fancy. In addition, with Trello’s drag-and-drop interface, anyone can learn to use the tool in no time!

Key features:

• Workflow management
• Easy visual collaboration
• Card view with tasks, subtasks, deadlines etc.
• Kanban boards

Trello Pricing

Trello comes with a limitless free plan, and premium plans with extra features:

• Standard: $5 per user/month 
• Premium: $10 per user/month 
• Enterprise: $17.50 per user/month  

3. Asana

Asana is another giant in the project management with years of building up of features, and one of the best Microsoft Planner alternatives in the market. Since it is designed solely as a project management tool, Asana offers all complex features you might need during a project.

One of Asana’s strengths is its wide array of integration options. You can integrate Asana with Slack, Teams, Salesforce, and Dropbox unlike Microsoft Planner.

You can also use Asana’s risk management feature to see how your project is doing, and which tasks are in the risk of failing to meet the deadline. Complex projects require more than just ticking a box to show you’re done, and Asana does that.

Key features:

• Agile project management
• Cost tracking 
• Risk management 
• Task scheduling 

Asana Pricing

Asana comes with a free plan for up to 15 users, and two other pricing plans:

• Premium: $10.99 per user/month 
• Business: $24.99 per user/month 

4. ClickUp

ClickUp is another project management and productivity tool that has gained popularity as a Microsoft Planner alternative. You can create tasks and subtasks, set due dates, and organize your tasks into lists, folders, or projects.

The platform supports task dependencies, Gantt charts, and customizable task statuses. Having the option to view tasks depending on your choice makes ClickUp a decent Microsoft Planner alternative.

You can use the Comments feature of ClickUp to stay connected with your team members during a project and give instant feedback with funny gifs or cute emojis.

Key features:

• Time management
• Proprietary features
• Task management
• Team collaboration and reporting

ClickUp Pricing

• Unlimited: $7 per user/month 
• Business: $12 per user/month 
• Enterprise: Contact vendor

5. Wrike

If you like the simple and professional look of Microsoft Project, but need a Microsoft Planner alternative that is more complex and robust, you need to check Wrike out. Wrike has a unique feature, the “Workspaces” system, which allows you to create separate workspaces for different teams or projects.

Just like Trello and Asana, Wrike also includes interactive Gantt charts, which you can use for visualizing project timelines and dependencies.

What makes Wrike a good Microsoft Planner alternative? Wrike allows you to customize workflows to match your team’s specific processes. You can define custom statuses, assign roles, and set up approval workflows to automate tasks.

Key features:

• Workload management
• Time tracking  
• Gantt charts 
• Calendar management

Wrike Pricing

Wrike has a free plan and three more pricing plans:

• Team: $9.80 per user/month
• Business: $24.80 per user/month
• Enterprise: Contact vendor

6. monday.com

monday.com is another well-known Microsoft Planner alternative with lots of added features to help you with project management. monday.com has a strong visual and intuitive interface for task and project management. You work with boards, where tasks are represented as customizable cards.

You can use comments feature to leave a comment for a specific task, but a reminder: you can’t tag the person of interest in these comments. So your comments might go unnoticed, or become forgotten.

Key features:

• Colorful and easy-to-use interface
• Customizable and flexible project management
• Assignment management

monday.com Pricing

• Basic: $10 per user/month 
• Standard: $12 per user/month 
• Pro: $20 per user/month

7. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a spreadsheet tool, just like Excel with a little bit of spice. Although the main feature of Smartsheet is creating spreadsheets, you can create tasks, subtasks, and add due dates to your tasks using this tool.

Smartsheet also supports different views such as grid view, Gantt view, and calendar view. Since it’s not as complicated as Excel, Spreadsheet can be a good Microsoft Planner alternative to managers who like their project management the old-fashioned way.

Key features:

• Team collaboration
• Task automation
• Content management

Smartsheet Pricing

• Pro: $7 per user/month
• Business: $25 per user/month
• Enterprise: Contact vendor

8. Basecamp

Basecamp is one of those more basic Microsoft Planner alternatives, but it definitely has some features to offer! You can use Basecamp for both internal communication and project management.

Basecamp was initially designed as a remote work tool, but now it appeals to teams of all sizes and forms. You can create to-do lists, assign and schedule tasks using this collaboration tool.

One of the distinctive features of Basecamp is its hills view of projects. Hill charts feature is great to track your progress and detect any risks that might jeopardize your project.

Key features:

• To-do lists
• Task scheduling
• Collaboration and communication
• Hill charts

Basecamp Pricing

• Basecamp: $15 per user/month
• Basecamp Pro: $299 per month

9. ProofHub

ProofHub includes discussion boards and chat options you can use for real-time communication among your team. You can create project-specific discussions, share files, and mention team members to keep everyone in the loop.

ProofHub also have the feature to track time spent on tasks and projects. Using this feature, you can measure project costs and evaluate team productivity.

The built-in calendar provides a visual overview of project timelines and milestones. You can set important dates and deadlines, making it easier to keep projects on track.

Key features:

• Calendar management
• Milestone tracking
• Task progress tracking
• Budget management

ProofHub Pricing

• Essential: $45 per month
• Ultimate control: $89 per month

10. Teamwork 

Teamwork provides a robust task and project management system. This Microsoft Planner alternative also supports task dependencies and task templates for efficient project planning.

Teamwork includes Gantt chart views where you can see critical paths and dependent tasks. Teamwork also gives you room to tailor your workflow to match your team’s specific processes. You can create custom task statuses, tags, and categories.

Key features:

• Kanban board view
• Portfolio management
• Project planning and scheduling
• Gantt timeline view

Teamwork Pricing

• Starter: $5.99 per user/month
• Deliver: $9.99 per user/month
• Grow: $19.99 per user/month

Microsoft Planner Pros 

1. Integration with Microsoft 365

Microsoft Planner seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint.

You can easily link tasks, conversations, and documents and streamline your workflow within the Microsoft ecosystem.

2. User-Friendly Interface

Planner has an intuitive, user-friendly interface that doesn’t require a lot of work to learn.

You can quickly get up to speed with creating tasks, assigning them, setting due dates, and tracking progress.

Although it’s user-friendly, MS Planner might be too basic for some organizations.

3. Task Assignments

You can easily assign tasks specifically to team members, ensuring accountability and clarity regarding who is responsible for what.

One of Microsoft Teams best practices is its easy-to-navigate task assignment system.

4. Progress Tracking

The Charts view in Planner gives you an insightful progress tracking feature with charts and visual analytics.

The Chart view helps project managers and leaders assess project health and adjust plans as needed.

5. Mobile Accessibility

Microsoft Planner has mobile apps for iOS and Android that works seamlessly.

You can stay on top of your project even if you don’t have access to your computer, and review your tasks throughout the day.

Microsoft Planner Cons 

1. Limited Project Management Features

Microsoft Planner is a simple task management tool, and it lacks more complex project management features found in dedicated project management software.

If you’re an organization with complex projects, you may find Planner’s capabilities insufficient.

2. No Gantt Charts

Planner doesn’t offer Gantt chart views, which are essential for visualizing project timelines and dependencies.

The limited viewing options make it challenging to manage projects with intricate schedules.

Also, not every employee enjoys the same view to track their progress. Some like to see their tasks in a card-based format, and others like calendars.

3. Lack of Resource Allocation

Unlike some other project management tools we mentioned in this post, Planner doesn’t have resource management features to distribute and track team members’ workloads effectively.

Lacking this feature might cause confusion and feelings of injustice among employees.

4. Lack of Dependency Tracking

Managing task dependencies and understanding how changes in one task affect others is not straightforward in Planner.

Since most projects are interdependent in comapnies, this can be a significant limitation for the workflow.

5. No Time Tracking

Planner doesn’t have built-in time tracking features, making it challenging to monitor how much time team members spend on tasks.

Time tracking gives you an estimated idea of how much time each part of your project is taking, and creates a roadmap for reviewing performance.

6. Limited Reporting and Analytics

While Planner offers basic progress tracking, it lacks advanced reporting and analytics capabilities that are crucial for evaluating project performance and using data to make important decisions.

Data and analytics are the biggest part of any project evaluation. You need to learn from your mistakes and celebrate your achievements, and clear data ensures you see both sides of your project.

Making The Right Choice 

Choosing the right Microsoft Planner alternative is a decision that can significantly impact your team’s productivity and project outcomes. To be sure that you’re making an informed choice, consider factors such as goal alignment, scalability, integration compatibility, user adoption, budget, security and compliance, and feedback and reviews.

Transitioning from Microsoft Planner to a new tool can be a challenge, but with careful planning, you can make it work seamlessly. Provide training and onboarding sessions to make sure that your team is comfortable with the new tool, and offer resources such as tutorials and FAQs. Plan how you’ll transfer existing data from Microsoft Planner to the new tool.

Before committing to a new project management tool, it’s crucial to have a trial period. Having a demo beforehand allows your team to get hands-on experience with the alternative. During the trial, test its features, integration capabilities, and user-friendliness.

A trial period helps you make an informed decision and minimizes the risk of investing in a tool that doesn’t meet your needs. It’s a valuable step for a successful transition from Microsoft Planner to the chosen alternative. If you’re convinced that Teamflect is the best one like us, you can schedule a free demo and try it for yourself!