Microsoft Project alternative
Project Online ends on 30 September 2026. What WORKSPACE.PM brings in every account compared to Planner premium, Project Plan 3 and 5 and the desktop client, what switching costs and how your plans carry over as files.
At a glance
- Your .mpp and XML files arrive with dependencies and assignments; Project Online ends on 30 September 2026.
- Network diagram, baselines, resources, costs and earned value in one account; at Microsoft spread across Plan 1, 3, 5 and the desktop client.
- Plan 3 costs $30, Plan 5 $55 per user and month; WORKSPACE.PM under €20.
- German contracting party and data centers; at Microsoft EU Data Boundary and a US parent company.
Who this question is for
Three situations in which organizations weigh Microsoft Project against WORKSPACE.PM.
Project Online is being retired
On 30 September 2026 Microsoft retires Project Online; new sales ended on 1 October 2025. Anyone using portfolio, resource leveling, timesheets and reports from Project Online needs a target that includes these functions without an additional product.
The plan is a file on one computer
Project Standard and Professional calculate a full network diagram, but the plan sits as an .mpp file with one person. Several editors, resource conflicts across projects and a portfolio level only arise with Server or cloud.
Planner premium is no longer enough
Planner with premium features brings timeline, dependencies and critical path from Plan 3. Costs, earned value, a risk register and timesheets with approval are not documented there by Microsoft; resource management comes with Plan 5.
What WORKSPACE.PM brings
The difference starts where the plan is no longer a file: network diagram, resources, risks, costs and evidence sit in one data foundation, for everyone involved, in every account and without plan tiers.
Features compared
From scheduling to AI, row by row.
| Criterion | WORKSPACE.PM | Microsoft Project |
|---|---|---|
| Import of schedule files | MS Project (.mpp, XML) including dependencies and assignments; Primavera P6 and Asta Powerproject; CSV for projects, Kanban cards and users; Trello import | Native .mpp format and MS Project XML in the desktop client |
| Network diagram and critical path | Forward and backward pass, early/late start and finish, total float per task, dedicated network view with cycle check | Critical path in the timeline from Planner and Project Plan 3; network diagram with critical path and total slack in the desktop client (included in Plan 3 and 5) |
| Risk register | Register with gross/net rating, 5×5 matrix, review cycles of 30 to 365 days, review history, convert risk to task | Not documented |
| Risk simulation | Monte Carlo with PERT distribution, 10,000 iterations, P50/P80/P90, reserve as cost item; bowtie diagram | Not documented |
| Capacity and utilization planning | Organization-wide utilization matrix for people and machines, availability check including absences, in every plan | Resource management with capacity heatmap from Plan 5; resource sheet in the desktop client |
| Time tracking | Weekly timesheets with one- or two-stage approval, auto-approval within tolerance, bulk approval | Timesheets with approval were part of Project Online (retirement 30 Sep 2026); not documented in Planner premium |
| Earned value | PV, EV and AC recorded per as-of date, earned value dashboard | In the desktop client (BCWS/BCWP/ACWP, earned value method per task); not documented in Planner premium |
| Status reports | Three-stage approval workflow (draft, submitted, approved), locked as-of snapshots, roll-up into the portfolio | Not documented |
| Measures and early indicators | Preventive and corrective measures with reduction value, cost and deadline; key risk indicators with threshold alerts | Not documented |
| Dependencies | FS/SS/FF/SF with lag, by text entry (e.g. 6.4FF+3) or by dragging; cross-project between milestones of different projects | Four dependency types (finish-to-start, start-to-start, start-to-finish, finish-to-finish) from Plan 3; lead/lag in the desktop client |
| Baseline and milestone trend analysis | Several baselines per project, compare any two, delta calculated, history browsable; milestone trend analysis as a dedicated view across the project’s reporting dates with a trend rating per milestone | Baselines from Plan 3; in the desktop client up to eleven baselines per project with variance fields; milestone trend analysis not documented |
| Work breakdown structure and progress | WBS codes automatic or manual, stable as an external reference; seven progress methods (0/50/100, 0/100, from Kanban, from sub-containers and more) | WBS codes as customizable outline numbers in the desktop client; not documented in Planner premium |
| Resources per work package | Several people and machines per work package with planned and actual effort; actuals derivable from time tracking | Several resources per task with units in the desktop client; effort shares per person not documented in Planner premium |
| Skill pools | Book effort on a skill before the person is known; resolve to people or machines later | Not documented in Planner premium |
| Cost types and forecast | Tenant-wide catalogue with account number and Capex/Opex; cost forecast from bookings | Costs in the desktop client via resource rates and cost resources; cost type catalogue not documented |
| Personnel costs | Automatically from assignment or time tracking times hourly rate, plan and actual; daily rates per attribute or person | In the desktop client from resource rate times work; not documented in Planner premium |
| Change requests and quality gates | Change request register with category, impact dimensions, approvers and risk link; quality gates with release criteria in the structure tree | Not documented |
| Responsibility matrix and stakeholders | Responsibility matrix (A/E/I/K/M/P) per project; stakeholder register with action plan, environment analysis and stakeholder portfolio | Not documented |
| Meetings and decisions | Minutes with mentions, decisions with approval status, series evaluation of open items, Outlook coupling | Not documented (meetings run in Microsoft Teams, a separate service) |
| Requirements management | Presets for Automotive SPICE and V-Modell XT, verification items with runs, audit trail | Not documented |
| Traditional and agile in the same project | Network diagram, Scrum backlog with sprint board, burndown and velocity, Kanban in the same project | Backlog and sprints from Plan 1, timeline and critical path from Plan 3; network diagram only in the desktop client |
| Goals and strategy | Strategy fields, OKR cycles, six key result types, alignment matrix, gap analysis | Goals in the premium plans |
| AI assistant | Assistant acts only after approval; own provider key or local model; AI-supported risk detection | Copilot in Planner in the premium plans; own model provider and approval before changes not documented |
Law, operations and licensing
What data protection reviews and procurement ask for.
| Criterion | WORKSPACE.PM | Microsoft Project |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor and headquarters | AMNAU GmbH, Hanover (Germany) | Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, Dublin, for customers in the EU; parent company Microsoft Corporation, Redmond (USA) |
| Governing law and jurisdiction | German law, place of jurisdiction Hanover | Irish law for customers in the EU |
| Server location | German data centers only (SaaS, Managed Hosting) or your own data center | EU Data Boundary: customer data of Microsoft 365 services is stored and processed in data centers in the EU and EFTA; no Germany-specific location committed |
| Data outside the region | None; exception: optional AI features with an external model provider | Documented continuing transfers of certain data categories outside the EU Data Boundary |
| US legal entity (CLOUD Act) | No US legal entity in the processing chain | Parent company Microsoft Corporation is a US legal entity; the CLOUD Act applies regardless of storage location |
| On-premises | Docker deployment in your own infrastructure with the same functional scope | Project Server Subscription Edition on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition; Planner premium exclusively as a cloud service |
| Editions and licensing | No editions; every account booked individually, €16.80 per month | Planner Plan 1 ($10), Planner and Project Plan 3 ($30), Plan 5 ($55) per user and month, US list price on an annual subscription; Project Standard and Professional as desktop purchase licenses |
Statements about Microsoft Project and Planner from Microsoft’s public documentation (pricing page, Microsoft Support, Microsoft Learn, Planner blog); statements about WORKSPACE.PM from the feature catalogue of the current version. Reviewed: September 7, 2026.
Where the differences lie
Three points decide the question in practice.
One product instead of three
Data foundation instead of file and plan tiers
Microsoft spreads project management across Planner premium (Plan 1, 3, 5), the desktop client and Project Server. Network diagram with slack and earned value sit in the desktop client, resource management in Plan 5, portfolio depends on the product. WORKSPACE.PM has all of it in one account, one data foundation, the same for every user.
Steering
Risks, capacity and evidence calculated
Risk register with gross and net rating, Monte Carlo simulation, measures with early indicators, organization-wide utilization matrix and status reports with three-stage approval are included in WORKSPACE.PM. Microsoft’s documentation for Planner premium does not mention a risk register, timesheets with approval or earned value.
Framework
Germany instead of the EU Data Boundary
WORKSPACE.PM runs in German data centers or in-house, the contracting party is a German GmbH. Microsoft stores customer data within the EU Data Boundary in the EU and EFTA, documents continuing exceptions, and the parent company is a US legal entity. Project Online ends on 30 September 2026.
Prices side by side
Compared is the plan that includes timeline, dependencies, critical path and baselines: Planner and Project Plan 3. Resource management only comes with Plan 5.
| Users | WORKSPACE.PM SaaS per month | per user | Planner and Project Plan 3 per month (US list price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | €99 | €19.80 per user and month | $150 |
| 20 | €351 | €17.55 per user and month | $600 |
| 50 | €855 | €17.10 per user and month | $1,500 |
| 100 | €1,695 | €16.95 per user and month | $3,000 |
WORKSPACE.PM SaaS: €99 base price per month including 5 accounts, each additional account €16.80 per month, billed monthly, all amounts net. Planner and Project Plan 3: $30 per user and month, US list price on an annual subscription; Plan 5 with portfolio and resource management $55. Euro prices on Microsoft’s German pricing page.
Anyone who needs resource management with a capacity heatmap calculates with Plan 5: $275 for 5, $1,100 for 20, $2,750 for 50 and $5,500 for 100 users per month. Project Standard and Professional come on top as desktop purchase licenses per workstation. WORKSPACE.PM includes resources, costs, risks and earned value in the base price, books every account individually and bills monthly.
The full calculation for your team size is on the pricing page and in the ROI calculator.
Migration in practice
Which path, what carries over and what takes shape in the new system.
Inventory
Which plans, resource pools and reports are in production? In Project Online additionally: timesheet history and custom fields that must be exported before the retirement takes effect.
Export as a file
Project Online and the desktop client store every plan as .mpp or MS Project XML. These files are the data path; secure them before 30 September 2026.
Import into WORKSPACE.PM
The file is read in, including dependencies, durations, milestones and resource assignments; resources are mapped to users in the process.
Check the network diagram
The imported plan is recalculated: critical path, total float and a baseline as the starting point for variance analysis.
Add structure
Risk register, cost types, capacity planning across projects and status reports with approval are created in the new system; the export does not contain them.
Parallel run and cutover
One reporting cycle in parallel, then a hard cutover. Excel and PDF export remain for reports to committees.
How long it takes
A single plan is a file import of minutes. The time goes into mapping resources and building risks, costs and portfolio, which do not exist in the export. The exact import scope is described on the page “Migrating from Project Online”; how much structure your projects need is what we clarify in a 30-minute migration call based on one of your files.
What is set up fresh
- Custom fields: create as custom fields; macros are replaced by workflows.
- Views and reports from the desktop client: set up in the new system.
- Time tracking history from Project Online: export separately and carry over.
- Power BI reports: point to the new data source.
Frequently asked questions: Microsoft Project alternative
What users of Project Online, Project desktop and Planner premium ask about WORKSPACE.PM.
Microsoft retires Project Online; after that the service and its data are no longer accessible. New sales ended on 1 October 2025. Not affected are the desktop client, Project Server Subscription Edition, Planner and To Do. Anyone using portfolio, resources and timesheets from Project Online exports their plans as .mpp or XML beforehand.
Yes. WORKSPACE.PM reads .mpp and MS Project XML including dependencies, durations, milestones and resource assignments; Primavera P6 (XER) and Asta Powerproject are imported as well. The plan is then recalculated as a network diagram.
Planner with premium features is Microsoft’s current web interface for projects. Plan 1 brings backlog, sprints and templates; Plan 3 adds timeline, four dependency types, critical path, baselines and the desktop client; Plan 5 adds portfolio and resource management with a capacity heatmap. WORKSPACE.PM has no such tiers; every account has the full scope.
Yes: forward and backward pass, early/late start and finish, total float per task, critical path and a dedicated network view with cycle check. Dependencies know the four types with lag, also by text entry such as 6.4FF+3, and apply across projects between milestones.
WORKSPACE.PM costs €99 per month including five accounts, each additional one €16.80. Planner and Project Plan 3 costs $30 per user and month, Plan 5 with resource management $55, each US list price on an annual subscription. At 20 users that is €351 versus $600 (Plan 3) or $1,100 (Plan 5) per month.
Microsoft stores and processes customer data of Microsoft 365 services within the EU Data Boundary in data centers in the EU and EFTA and documents continuing transfers of certain data categories outside; the contracting party for EU customers is Microsoft Ireland, the parent company a US legal entity. WORKSPACE.PM runs exclusively in German data centers or in your own.
Yes, as Project Server Subscription Edition, which is installed together with SharePoint Server Subscription Edition and obtained via volume licensing. Planner premium is exclusively a cloud service. WORKSPACE.PM runs on-premises as a Docker deployment with the same functional scope as in the cloud.
Structure, dates, durations, milestones, dependencies and resource assignments; the plan is then recalculated as a network diagram and the first baseline set. Views and reports are set up in the new system; risks, costs and portfolio are added as functions.
More comparisons
All comparisons in one checklistReviewed: September 7, 2026. Statements about the compared product come from its publicly available information and are re-checked every six months. Statements about WORKSPACE.PM refer to the current version.