Basecamp vs. Microsoft Project

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Basecamp
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Basecamp is a web-based project-management tool. Basecamp offers features standard to project management platforms, as well as mobile accessibility, unlimited users, and 3rd party integrations. Basecamp is priced by space requirements and concurrent projects.
$15
per month per user
Microsoft Project
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Project is a project management software. It provides core PM functionality, including agile workflow support and resource management. Project can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise.
$10
per user/per month
Pricing
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Editions & Modules
Basecamp Business
$99
Per Month [Unlimited Users]
Basecamp Personal
Free
Limited Capabilities
Project Plan 1
$10
per user/per month
Project Plan 3
$30
per user/per month
Project Plan 5
$55
per user/per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Considered Both Products
Basecamp
Chose Basecamp
The overall monthly fee/subscription is cheaper than a Microsoft Project (or Project Server). It has a better user experience and online ability to collaborate is what customers expect now.
Chose Basecamp
Samepage and Slack are just a few steps ahead with its messenger and communication platforms and is leagues behind when it comes to integration with other systems. However, most systems can be redundant when attempting to accomplish something that caters to a non-technical …
Chose Basecamp
Basecamp is a feature-rich and user-friendly platform that outpaces other solutions we've explored. The vast number of integrations available, as well as the years of dedicated developers as well as the natively available mobile apps, really make Basecamp a leader in this …
Chose Basecamp
[Basecamp is] simpler to use less ramp-up. It's cheaper per user and allows for a better mobile experience.
Chose Basecamp
Basecamp is more entry level and has a much easier set up than most of the competitors. I greatly prefer Trello, but when I am working with new marketers they always suggest Basecamp. Basecamp is good, but it is just so easy to get the multiple pieces of a project jumbled …
Chose Basecamp
I have found Basecamp to be a much easier to use project management software. The setup is much easier too, you can have a project up and running quicker with Basecamp. It seems more intuitive to uses when they receive a Basecamp invite, on logging in and figuring out what …
Chose Basecamp
Looked at
  • Microsoft Project - too cumbersome for our agile projects.
  • Liquid Planner - too costly.
  • Tom's Planner - just a scheduling program and difficult to update.
Microsoft Project
Chose Microsoft Project
We picked Microsoft Project instead of ProofHub due to us already using Office 365. Microsoft Project was the cheaper of the two options and seemed to fit our needs better than ProofHub. It seemed to be easier to use on the front end since some of our less technology-savvy …
Chose Microsoft Project
We chose Microsoft Projects as we have an ongoing relationship with Microsoft and we use their other tools. Most people in our office are familiar with Microsoft Projects and our customers are use Microsoft Projects too. It integrates well with other tools we use in our office. …
Chose Microsoft Project
Smartsheet came from behind covering some of the gaps in Microsoft Project and started to become more and more popular. And for good reason, it combines the main features of project management from both Project and Project Server. It provides good user experience and it is …
Chose Microsoft Project
While many of the above tools are extremely well-versed, Microsoft Project's largest advantage comes from it being related to the largest business productivity company in the world. Project does have its sharing limitations - but regardless, offers one of the most robust tools …
Chose Microsoft Project
Project is much more robust compared to other products on the market. I haven't evaluated them all, but I'm pretty happy with what project has been able to do for me and a Project manager. There is a lot of functionality if you don't many paying for it. Overall, I think Project …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
3.9
118 Ratings
63% below category average
Microsoft Project
8.0
107 Ratings
6% above category average
Task Management5.0117 Ratings9.0106 Ratings
Resource Management3.898 Ratings6.9103 Ratings
Gantt Charts2.840 Ratings10.0103 Ratings
Scheduling3.893 Ratings9.9105 Ratings
Workflow Automation2.968 Ratings8.582 Ratings
Team Collaboration4.3117 Ratings7.795 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology3.749 Ratings7.679 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology3.245 Ratings8.279 Ratings
Document Management3.8109 Ratings7.276 Ratings
Email integration3.996 Ratings6.081 Ratings
Mobile Access4.195 Ratings7.966 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking3.144 Ratings8.472 Ratings
Change request and Case Management3.355 Ratings8.462 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management7.139 Ratings6.382 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
7.8
40 Ratings
5% above category average
Microsoft Project
7.0
76 Ratings
6% below category average
Quotes/estimates8.329 Ratings7.053 Ratings
Invoicing6.925 Ratings7.044 Ratings
Project & financial reporting8.034 Ratings6.973 Ratings
Integration with accounting software7.927 Ratings6.949 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Small Businesses
FunctionFox
FunctionFox
Score 8.3 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SAP Ruum
SAP Ruum
Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP Ruum
SAP Ruum
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Quickbase
Quickbase
Score 9.2 out of 10
Quickbase
Quickbase
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
6.5
(144 ratings)
6.5
(107 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(26 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
7.8
(15 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(28 ratings)
8.2
(34 ratings)
Online Training
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.7
(4 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BasecampMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
37 Signals
Basecamp is a wonderful tool for teams of varying degrees of technical knowledge, teams managing lots of different types of "agifall" and waterfall projects, and teams that are remotely distributed. It's probably less useful for more strictly agile-focused development teams, compared to other more flexible software applications like Jira and Asana.
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Microsoft
Microsoft Project Online is suited to Turnkey Projects where more Collaboration is required in Project Progress monitoring, risk assessment and conveying, issue recording and tracking. It is less appropriate when ERP Suites other than MS Dynamics are used, i.e when Enterprises need to integrate Finance / Accounting with It and having straight project management workflow
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Pros
37 Signals
  • Task management - It is very easy to add, organize and discuss tasks within Basecamp's interface.
  • The "Campfire" function is great for communicating when you just have a quick question for someone on the team.
  • Notifications - Basecamp lets you decide how often and about what you'd like to be notified. The ability to respond to messages in Basecamp directly via email saves a lot of time.
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Microsoft
  • I love the Gantt Chart that Microsoft Project offers me, because it provides me with a view from various aspects, it provides me with exact details about the fulfillment of tasks over a period of time, it also allows me to make comparisons with the necessary data and the fulfilled data. by the employees, in order to know exactly if the project's expectations have been met.
  • I love the Gantt Chart that Microsoft Project offers me, because it provides me with a view from various aspects, it provides me with exact details about the fulfillment of tasks over a period of time, it also allows me to make comparisons with the necessary data and the fulfilled data by the employees, in order to know exactly if the project's expectations have been met.
  • The alert system for the fulfillment and delay of assignments is perfect. Microsoft Project allows me to configure the task system, I can assign the necessary tasks to fulfill the project, and the software alerts me immediately if the managers are fulfilling the assignments.
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Cons
37 Signals
  • High Learning Curve. It's true that it can be easy to use, but to use well and effectively takes some time to learn. It's recommended to have an agreed-upon system in your team of what tools to use and when.
  • Notification Overload. If people aren't careful they could send a notification to everyone when only a couple people were meant to be prompted. And since emails are sent by default, you could have your mailbox overloaded with unnecessary updates. This is where it takes a bit of training in your team to have an agreed-upon system.
  • Lack of organization with Archived Projects. I will often need to reference an archived project to make a new one, but there is only a list of archived projects in alphabetical order, with no way to organize by archive date, or even search.
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Microsoft
  • Seems overly complicated for users sometimes in using Project and its functionalities
  • Hard to share files for those folks who do not have MS Project, and then have to print out for them
  • Can be confusing since it looks and feels like MS Excel
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Likelihood to Renew
37 Signals
When I bring new people onto a project, it's immediately obvious how to use Basecamp. I don't have to worry about teaching them the features or walking them through it, it's just incredibly user-friendly. For this reason, I'll continue to renew my subscription even as new people are brought onto production jobs or the client changes.
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Microsoft
I like using Microsoft Project. It simplifies building a schedule
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Usability
37 Signals
Basecamp is a little tricky to learn. I've used it for quite a while but I feel like there's still so much I don't know. It took me a while to learn but having used it in college definitely helped me integrate it into my work career.
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Microsoft
Microsoft Project was for many years the reference tool when you were talking about project management software, even if it has some gaps. However, in the last several years, other tools emerged and covered those gaps and are getting more and more users. Microsoft needs to keep up with the trends as they did with adding Project Server. However, that needs a significant rework.
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Reliability and Availability
37 Signals
I've never experienced downtime while using Basecamp, or been unable to access it when I needed it. That's not to say they've never had downtime, but I've been lucky enough not to encounter any, and I work odd hours, including late nights when maintenance is often undertaken.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
37 Signals
For the many reasons I've given, Basecamp is a very strong program. There are a few features I can imagine that might make it even better, but I don't have a basis for comparison to be able to say that there is definitely a better one out there. I've noticed that Basecamp has evolved a bit from the time I started using it until now, so that makes me think that the producer of this program values it and believes in continuous improvement. If you could use the features offered by Basecamp, I would think you could use it with confidence.
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Microsoft
Microsoft in recent years has transformed itself and gives a positive feeling when one interacts with the company. The company is focusing on its customers and willing to go extra mile to make customers happy.The company continues to invest in its products and bringing new features from time to time. Overall it is a positive feeling to be associated with such an iconic company.
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Implementation Rating
37 Signals
Decide the process before implementation - i.e. when it's due 8/9 does that mean 8am, noon, 5pm, 11:59pm? Check your to-do list frequently Set-up templates - just not with the dates (they can be funky)
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Microsoft
I wasn't part of it so I don't know
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Alternatives Considered
37 Signals
Pretty good, but [Basecamp] has its drawbacks. Honestly I find the interface non-intuitive and sometimes have trouble figuring out how to change the status of a task. Perhaps it has something to do with the way it was originally set up by the admin, but I'm not sure. I liked Jira's drag and drop obvious functionality, but the project management side of the software was lacking. Smartsheet has excellent project management functionality, but the task management isn't as good.
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Microsoft
While many of the above tools are extremely well-versed, Microsoft Project's largest advantage comes from it being related to the largest business productivity company in the world. Project does have its sharing limitations - but regardless, offers one of the most robust tools in the market today. Microsoft Project is built with large-scale projects in mind but is more than up to the task for smaller projects as well. However, there are options available (especially cloud-based options) that may be more fitting for higher-level projects that do not require going into the weeds.
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Return on Investment
37 Signals
  • It has saved me time when having to get the same message out to multiple restaurants
  • It has helped us make smarter operational decisions because we can all collaborate on an answer in a shorter amount of time (instead of calling a meeting!!!)
  • The calendar function allows us to plot out our marketing agenda for the month and add/change it together as needed. The chef will post his recipe, the managers will cost it out, the social media manager will post pictures on it, and ultimately we will get that information out on an info sheet to the staff by printing the page.
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Microsoft
  • Project saved me, as the project manager, countless hours of digging through tickets and schedules to plan everything out. It also saved me time in adjusting the project triangle as needed, since it does so much automatically.
  • It is costly, and since it requires extensive training to master, it's not just the high licensing cost that you need to take into account.
  • The reporting features - even just printing out Gantt charts - makes it far easier to communicate with stakeholders. That means less time for PMs doing all of this manually, and it means less follow-up questions and delays moving forward.
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ScreenShots