FunctionFox vs. Microsoft Planner

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
FunctionFox
Score 8.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
FunctionFox provides TimeFox which is a timesheet and project management solution for small creative companies. The vendor says TimeFox is currently used by over 100,000 creative professionals in Canada, the US, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
$5
per user
Microsoft Planner
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Planner is presented as a solution to organize teamwork with intuitive, collaborative, visual task management. With it, users can create Kanban boards using task cards with files, checklists, and labels. Users can collaborate in Planner and Microsoft Teams and check visual status charts—all in the Microsoft cloud.N/A
Pricing
FunctionFoxMicrosoft Planner
Editions & Modules
FunctionFox Classic
$5
per user
FunctionFox Premier
$10
per user
FunctionFox In-House
$20
per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FunctionFoxMicrosoft Planner
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNo hidden fees. All customer support, and regular upgrades are included free of charge.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FunctionFoxMicrosoft Planner
Considered Both Products
FunctionFox
Chose FunctionFox
We switched from our outdated Sage Timeslips to user-friendly FunctionFox and have been very happy with the change
Chose FunctionFox
FunctionFox is simple, fast and there is no need for using task and timesheet management separately
Chose FunctionFox
When we were looking for software we tested several, and FunctionFox was hands down the best value. While there are other options, and each company is different, nothing could come close to filling our needs the way FunctionFox has. The money we spend has been returned several …
Chose FunctionFox
FunctionFox is better than things like teamwork or project management tools as it is truly made for time tracking. This decision came from our finance team as it was meant to be able to appropriately allocate how much time certain things were "costing" based on total team costs …
Chose FunctionFox
We evaluated FunctionPoint and Maven Link, but both were more than what we wanted to spend so FunctionFox won that contest. We'll be moving to T-Sheets even though it doesn't provide the best overall fit for our business, since it comes at about the same price as FunctionFox …
Chose FunctionFox
Employees would always leave it running, so we never got accurate time logs.
Chose FunctionFox
FunctionFox has limited use across other platforms I have used. It's really best for smaller companies with less projects and people to manage. There is really no way to track elements of the project (e.g. design changes), but serves as a really useful tool to monitor budget, …
Chose FunctionFox
I feel that Workamajig excels in the scheduling, task management, and being able to create predecessors areas. Microsoft Project is greate for allocating resources and seeing utilization. TimeFox is good for reporting but falls short in the scheduling area. TimeFox was good for …
Chose FunctionFox
I haven't really used any products exactly similar to TimeFox. However, I have used Intacct which is a much complicated software in which you can track your hours, projects, contracts, billing, etc. It is an accounting software and TimeFox on the other hand is just mainly …
Chose FunctionFox
TimeFox was the tool my employer had. I didn't have to choose between TimeFox and other tools. But I will say that Timefox is simple, and I like simple.
Microsoft Planner
Chose Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner is far superior and doesn't require expensive training to give people access to it. It is far easier to customize and allows for people to add projects and milestones without the cumbersome interface that Agility offers. I would far rather use Microsoft …
Chose Microsoft Planner
We tried to select software from various tools, and in the end we chose Planner both for economic reasons (it is included in the Microsoft 365 license we have in the company) and for its ease of use (we have no particular or specific needs, such as advanced scheduling or ticket …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Main reason is that it is cost efficient because we're already using Microsoft 365 and it's literally part of the ecosystem. No need to purchase any other software. Microsoft is also a well known company, credible for providing business solutions and has a strong enterprise …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Planner is free and integrated with other Microsoft products that we use. We don't have a need for something more sophisticated given the price it would have cost to purchase licenses for a dedicated task/project mgmt tool.
Chose Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner isn't as detailed for project planning as some of these. However, it is more user friendly. Anyone can learn how to use it. If you want simple and affordable for a diverse group, it's the way to go.
Chose Microsoft Planner
Our organization chose MS Planner because it is an included tool in the MS Suite, and since we are unfortunately replacing our current and much better project management tool due to a consolidation of the tech stack. However, it doesn't appear that any of the teams using the …
Chose Microsoft Planner
In my experience, Microsoft Planner has much less features and less effective than other project management tools. But, it's free and included as part of Microsoft 365, so senior management may think it's saving them money. However, the poor productivity and the inefficient …
Chose Microsoft Planner
The Planner has a more straightforward and intuitive interface, making it ideal for teams that want to get started quickly without a steep learning curve. Additionally, Planner is more budget-friendly, making it a better option for smaller teams like mine. Additionally, …
Chose Microsoft Planner
We used Microsoft Planner because it was free to our organization but ended up paying for Asana for more features we needed for our team.
Chose Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner stands out for its seamless integration with Microsoft 365, making collaboration with tools like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint effortless. Its user-friendly interface, with drag-and-drop features and color-coded labels, simplifies task management. Microsoft …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Compared to the other options, we already had access to Microsoft Planner, preconfigured accounts, and support and ordination from tech internally to use it. We previously used Wrike, I wanted to use Asana, and other people in the organisation either used Microsoft Project, or …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner was included in our package of Microsoft email. Thus, we [don't] have to pay anything separately. This is was the main reason. However, the functionality we required was similar. [Microsoft] Planner also gives a schedule calendar where we can add tasks as per …
Chose Microsoft Planner
While Asana and Trello are mature products, Planner is getting there pretty quickly. Since our organization is on the Microsoft ecosystem, it helps to use SSO for most of the apps that are within the same license. It helps save money and does the work. For proper project …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner won out over Todoist due to it's ability to integrate other software and allow us to be able to do more work in one software. The project management functions were superior as well. Probably the biggest advantage was the task management. We liked how it worked …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Have moved to JIRA in my recent project. I can say Microsoft plan is a good option but JIRA is more powerful compare to this tool. The only thing is its integration and easy communication feature between teams or assigned groups stand it out while comparing with the similar …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner has a clear cut edge over all the other project planning software of having its native and extensive capability of integrating with the Office 365 apps which everyone uses heavily. Also, it is highly accessible and usable to a large extent through PDAs and …
Chose Microsoft Planner
Pros:
  • Communicating with all members of the plan is easy since it’s part of the Office 365 suite. This allows you to easily communicate via Outlook.
  • You can quickly view all the tasks everyone is working across Boards
Chose Microsoft Planner
Planner provides better integration with Microsoft products that are used across the organization as a whole. It provides better connection to SharePoint, MS Teams, MS Office products, and even in MS Outlook, which is the company's email client.
Chose Microsoft Planner
Many areas of the company still use Trello to organize their activities and tasks, but gradually Microsoft Planner must replace the activities. Users are often "attached" to familiar technologies, but Office 365 takes advantage of the more organized use of the tools. This year …
Chose Microsoft Planner
I would recommend Planner for light project / team management with strong MS Teams integration.
For a PMO / large project with resources/cost/gantt management, I would really recommend MS Project.
Chose Microsoft Planner
I have not used any other products that serve a similar function to Microsoft Planner.
Chose Microsoft Planner
Planner, tho its user interface could be improved, was leaps and bounds better than TYA suite. Their user interface is difficult for many at our job site to use, especially the older generation. The decision to bring it in was largely a corporate decision. Individuals likely …
Chose Microsoft Planner
I've used Asana and prefer it to Microsoft Planner. Asana has more functionalities than Planner and I think it is more user-friendly.
Chose Microsoft Planner
Trello is better as a one off product, but if you use the Microsoft suite then Planner integrates better into the rest of your day-to-day apps. The integration into team members' calendars and mail makes the ease of assigning tasks across our organization well worth using the …
Best Alternatives
FunctionFoxMicrosoft Planner
Small Businesses
Traqq
Traqq
Score 9.1 out of 10
7shifts
7shifts
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
TimeClock Plus
TimeClock Plus
Score 9.5 out of 10
Todoist
Todoist
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Zoho People
Zoho People
Score 8.9 out of 10
TimeCamp
TimeCamp
Score 7.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
FunctionFoxMicrosoft Planner
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
7.6
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
3.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
4.0
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
FunctionFoxMicrosoft Planner
Likelihood to Recommend
FunctionFox seems particularly well suited for tracking time where there is one billing rate for each individual rather than the scenario where one person is billed out to clients at different rates. It would seem to be most appropriate for smaller organizations (< 10 people) since those with more people would certainly need the ability to have it integrate with QuickBooks. For the price though, it's great for those smaller companies. As we've grown, we've found other applications that are more expensive and more highly adapted to Marketing Agencies in particular. Plus, we now track our expenses directly in QuickBooks vs. using that FunctionFox feature (since the two don't integrate, there's no reason to track them in both places).
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Microsoft Planner is a user-friendly visual tool for organizing tasks and workflows. It’s great for team collaboration, integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 tools like Teams and Outlook, and offers flexibility for projects of all sizes. Additionally, it provides mobile and web access for seamless productivity on the go. That’s a big plus right there.
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Pros
  • FunctionFox allows 451 Marketing to pull and customize many different reports, which is important to us both internally and externally.
  • FunctionFox allows 451 Marketing to track time either by exact time, using the timer or by entering time in blocks. That is helpful to us because we have 6 different departments and each department likes to track differently.
  • FunctionFox allows administrators to assign different levels of usage per user.
Read full review
  • I love the ability to tag and untag others as needed
  • I love the ability to customize the tag labels and that there are so many options
  • I love the ability to add comments and it notifies the others tagged in the task
  • I love that the task description can be changed as needed without notification to others assigned to the task
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Cons
  • Segmenting. It is so difficult to always select which activity/team you are on, which is a big time suck.
  • It shouldn't take you a significant amount of time to log time, but it does.
  • There is still a lot of improvements that can be made on the reporting side and the overall UI. That could make this a more valuable, tool.
Read full review
  • Does not allow you to view all tasks and sub-tasks (checklist) in a nested view.
  • Comments have character limits that can make it harder for teams to communicate exactly what they want to share.
  • There is no way to mention a teammate in a comment and share files and documents in the conversation (collaborative tool???).
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Likelihood to Renew
All of my employees are used to it and introducing a new software to them requires them to get trained again increasing the costs. TimeFox is an easy to use and understand software. Another advantage of TimeFox is that is an online software and I can access it whenever I want to.
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It is a very useful tool that brings teams in sync with one another. The integration with other Microsoft products makes it an obvious choice because you don't have to purchase a license for a completely different tool that doesn't have cross-functional capabilities with the software you already use on a daily basis.
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Usability
It's a good tool for tracking hours and overall budget. It does not give you insight into why there are those hours, or what part of the project has over burned. The tool is also tough to export reports and find the correct information throughout. Not only this, but I also have a hard time changing project details - there's no real easy way to and there's a larger room for error
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The tool is easy to use, but it is just as easy to set up. No specific skills are required, but its usefulness in our work is immediately apparent. Colors are very helpful in creating a clear interface and providing a very precise overview of the tasks to be performed.
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Support Rating
I haven't used FunctionFox for a lot of support requests. On the times that i've been having issues I've had the issue resolved within a day, most questions I have had i've been able to source answers online or from a colleague. From what I have experienced the support team seems great.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Unsure on implementation of FunctionFox - was before my time at the company. Everyone at the company had a good understanding of the product and how to use it by the time I joined. My understanding is we implemented ourselves with a few training sessions for the creative team and adding hours as well as training for the account team to add projects
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
FunctionFox is better than things like teamwork or project management tools as it is truly made for time tracking. This decision came from our finance team as it was meant to be able to appropriately allocate how much time certain things were "costing" based on total team costs across the organization.
Read full review
Our organization chose MS Planner because it is an included tool in the MS Suite, and since we are unfortunately replacing our current and much better project management tool due to a consolidation of the tech stack. However, it doesn't appear that any of the teams using the current program intend to use MS Planner due to its poor functionality. We will likely be pivoting to Jira instead.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • FunctionFox pays for itself just about every month in terms of how much more I am able to bill than before I started using the software, and how much less time I need to spend on non-billable admin tasks. I used to create invoices based mostly on what sounded fair, rather than on accurate time & cost records. I'm sure my clients loved it, but it wasn't healthy for my business. Now I base invoices on actual time and expense records, and end up with more money in my pocket.
  • It's not tangible, but FunctionFox has improved my ability to communicate with clients, and with freelance partners when I'm involved in a collaborative project. I can anticipate and discuss potential budget or delivery deadline overruns before they occur. The goodwill this builds has had a tremendously positive impact on client and partnership relations.
  • I fell into freelancing without a lot of experience running a business. FunctionFox has been a great teacher, helping me think through many issues that I wouldn't have even recognized as important. It is simple to use, with a UI that is neither intimidating nor overwhelming, and it has been super flexible in terms of molding it to suit the way I work.
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  • Saved over $1000 each year by not having to purchase a third party tool for our content planning
  • Not sure that I can provide a hard number to this, but having the oversight to see when something is coming due and making sure everything gets executed in time
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ScreenShots

FunctionFox Screenshots

Screenshot of Easily navigate throughout FunctionFox from the customizable Home dashboard.Screenshot of CEO Desktop enables users to visualize budgets and deadlines for specific projects.Screenshot of The Project Status page provides the users with  an overview of the projects and the different stages they are at. With the filters users can drill down to see specific clients or projects.Screenshot of The Calendar provides a great weekly or monthly view of project start and due dates, along with deliverables, milestones, and meetings.