Mattermost vs. Microsoft Planner vs. Microsoft Project

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Mattermost
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Mattermost from the company of the same name in Palo Alto is a messaging, collaboration and communication platform providing high security and compliance for the businesses that need it.
$0
per month per user
Microsoft Planner
Score 7.5 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
Microsoft Project
Score 7.9 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.
$120
per year per user
Pricing
MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
Editions & Modules
Free Self-Hosted
$0
per month per user
Professional
$10
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Us
per month per user
No answers on this topic
Project Server
$0
Planner Plan 1
$10
per month per user
Planner and Project Plan 3
$30
per month per user
Planner and Project Plan 5
$55
per month per user
Project Standard 2024
$679.99
one-time fee per installation
Project Professional 2024
$1,129.99
one-time fee per installation
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
Free Trial
YesNoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPlans are billed annually.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
Considered Multiple Products
Mattermost
Chose Mattermost
Mattermost was in a class of its own when compared to a host of Microsoft solutions and ownCloud. MS products are always encumbered with ongoing licensing and maintenance costs, plus the cost of people to maintain the servers those run on. Mattermost runs on a cloud VM and is …
Microsoft Planner
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
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
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 …
Microsoft Project
Chose Microsoft Project
Jira and Miro are very visual, they provide us a very friendly interface (specially Miro), and in the case of Jira, it give us very customizable workflows that suit team needs.
Chose Microsoft Project
Initially, I tried using Smartsheet and then Wrike, all for Gantt Chart availability and task management. They don't come close to the flexibility or depth of features that Microsoft Project provides.

Wrike does have better collaboration amongst team members and provides an …
Features
MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Mattermost
8.0
46 Ratings
3% above category average
Microsoft Planner
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
8.0
111 Ratings
3% above category average
Task Management7.034 Ratings00 Ratings8.2110 Ratings
Gantt Charts7.59 Ratings00 Ratings9.0107 Ratings
Scheduling7.69 Ratings00 Ratings8.4109 Ratings
Workflow Automation7.426 Ratings00 Ratings10.083 Ratings
Mobile Access9.042 Ratings00 Ratings10.067 Ratings
Search8.924 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Visual planning tools8.511 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Resource Management00 Ratings00 Ratings7.7107 Ratings
Team Collaboration00 Ratings00 Ratings7.398 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology00 Ratings00 Ratings4.883 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology00 Ratings00 Ratings7.783 Ratings
Document Management00 Ratings00 Ratings9.077 Ratings
Email integration00 Ratings00 Ratings5.082 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings10.073 Ratings
Change request and Case Management00 Ratings00 Ratings7.764 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management00 Ratings00 Ratings7.686 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Mattermost
8.5
49 Ratings
6% above category average
Microsoft Planner
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Chat9.949 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications8.849 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Discussions9.446 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Surveys8.929 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase7.632 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting7.78 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts8.012 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook7.58 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Mattermost
8.9
28 Ratings
10% above category average
Microsoft Planner
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Versioning7.911 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Video files9.322 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio files9.322 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Document collaboration7.918 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Access control9.922 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Advanced security features9.019 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive8.212 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Device sync10.016 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Mattermost
-
Ratings
Microsoft Planner
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
8.8
79 Ratings
13% above category average
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings00 Ratings7.755 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings00 Ratings10.045 Ratings
Project & financial reporting00 Ratings00 Ratings7.576 Ratings
Integration with accounting software00 Ratings00 Ratings10.050 Ratings
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MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.8 out of 10
Todoist
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Score 9.2 out of 10
InEight
InEight
Score 8.4 out of 10
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HCL Connections
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Score 9.0 out of 10
Airtable
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User Ratings
MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
7.8
(49 ratings)
7.5
(28 ratings)
8.1
(111 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.4
(7 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
6.4
(6 ratings)
7.7
(12 ratings)
8.7
(9 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(34 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.3
(34 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MattermostMicrosoft PlannerMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
Mattermost
I used Mattermost on a full remote company and it perfectly suited our collaboration and communication culture. The company dealt with privileged and personal information of a huge data base of users, so it was a significant advantage for our need to comply with industry regulations.
Read full review
Microsoft
There are a few examples where MS Planner would be suitable for employees at a mature organization. In my opinion, if you have Outlook or Teams, you already have built-in calendars and to-do lists. If you need a project management tool, you have two options: either pay for MS Project or use an alternative tool like Monday, Asana, or Jira. Regardless, their free versions are much more sophisticated than Microsoft's (MS Planner). Any team wishing to put together a halfway-decent project management board will need to look elsewhere, as MS Planner is only suitable for a personal to-do list.
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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
Read full review
Pros
Mattermost
  • Easy intergration to our main CRM (Monday.com)
  • I'm not techy myself but I have seen a lot of our previous integrations in Slack transferred over to Mattermost so that's fun
  • The desktop and phone app (android) works well enough. I haven't tried it on the Apple ecosystem yet.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • 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
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Cons
Mattermost
  • Some of the features in paid plans could be free, however, they have much offered in free plan (self-hosted)
  • The Desktop App we use on windows has some bugs, like when Mattermost is down and comes back up, the app needs restart
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Would be nice to see a calendar view instead of a list view
  • Permissions aren't configurable, anyone can delete any task at any time and there is no recycle bin
  • Notifications aren't great, you have to be attached as an owner to a task to see comments and be notified of changes, and even then notifications aren't shown for a lot of things
Read full review
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
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Mattermost
Mattermost has been an excellent tool for our business, allowing for a very cost-effective means of communicating, collaborating, and sharing project and business documentation and resources. The free community edition allows for simple installation on existing cloud server resources which results in significantly lower recurring costs compared to the competition
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Microsoft
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.
Read full review
Microsoft
I like using Microsoft Project. It simplifies building a schedule
Read full review
Usability
Mattermost
Since it helps track all the things at one place and the bots can be made which helps to automate many tasks. We use it in our security incident tracking in which there are pre defined tasks like adding people, creating groups, launching bots. All these things make the work easier and oraganized
Read full review
Microsoft
The board-and-bucket layout makes it easy to organize tasks, track progress, and prioritize work at a glance, even for first-time users. I also appreciate how Planner seamlessly integrates with tools like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, enabling users to collaborate, schedule tasks, and access their plans without needing to switch platforms. I also like how it’s accessible not only on desktops, but also on mobile devices.
Read full review
Microsoft
Microsoft
Project is easy to operate because data could be inserted, changed and
deleted like you are in an Excel timesheet. Besides, it provides a great
level of automation beween his fields allowing few data changes. Also, its
funcionalities are well defined and grouped in upper menus, so you can find a
funcionality quickly
Read full review
Support Rating
Mattermost
We have not had to contact support for Mattermost ever. All that we have needed has been available in the documentation or website. One of our DevOps team members set it up in a couple of hours. The whole team was using Mattermost that same day. No support needed.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
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
Mattermost
This went as expected. No surprises or major hurdles.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I wasn't part of it so I don't know
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Mattermost
I feel slack is a bit more difficult to use overall than Mattermost. Mattermost makes the tasks of communicating across departments and team members easier, as well as giving the ability to share information via hyper links, attachments, and other forms of communication among every body here. Also, easier user interface
Read full review
Microsoft
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 we will not renew the Trello contract.
Read full review
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
Mattermost
  • Improved Communication Efficiency by consolidating all the variety of messaging apps etc
  • real-time communication and collaboration has improved the orgs ability to address issues and implement changes rapidly.
  • Accelerated decision-making processes, reducing the time required for team approvals and discussions which used to be in back and forth emails.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • In my experience, productivity is negatively impacted because assigning subtasks aren't clear on Microsoft Planner
  • Managers aren't able to track direct reports' tasks across multiple boards -- leading to poor visibility for us
  • Notifications aren't always sent to inbox, so you rely on people's own project management skills to follow the communication on tasks they're assigned to. In my experience, this leads to missed deadlines impacting customer relationships.
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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.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Mattermost Screenshots

Screenshot of Channels: All team communications in one place.Screenshot of Playbooks: Orchestrates work across tools and teams.Screenshot of Boards: Project planning and milestones.Screenshot of Connections: Unites the entire technology stack through a single point of collaboration.