Kantata PS Cloud vs. Microsoft Project

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Kantata PS Cloud
Score 7.3 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Kantata Cloud (formerly Mavenlink + Kimble) provides project management and collaboration software for small to mid-sized professional services companies. Features include resource management, project dependencies, time and expense tracking, file sharing, versatile user permissions, private messaging, planning and reporting.N/A
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
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
Editions & Modules
Premier
Contact Sales Team
per month per seat
Enterprise
Contact Sales Team
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
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
Considered Both Products
Kantata PS Cloud
Chose Kantata PS Cloud
  • Workfront (AtTask at the time) didn't have anywhere near the same resource planning usability or functionality. They were significantly more expensive without some of the key features we needed.
  • Microsoft Project has a much more familiar editing interface, but we were limited …
Chose Kantata PS Cloud
Note: I used these in other agencies and other companies before coming to Golden Spiral. While the interfaces and mobile functionality for Asana and Trello are much nicer than Mavenlink, they just don't have the power and connectivity of MVL. Microsoft Project requires a slide …
Chose Kantata PS Cloud
It was selected as it provides a central base for us to manage to business. The project management tools along with resourcing tools allows us to make the best use of our resources. User interface is intuitive and as it is browser based there is no need for installing any …
Chose Kantata PS Cloud
Mavenlink is a great utility assuming you can utilize all of the functionality and can justify the price point.
Chose Kantata PS Cloud
ML was selected for it's multiple project review and margin display. Many other programs offer similar reviews that are far more cost effective for a small firm.
Chose Kantata PS Cloud
I liked Mavenlink more than MS Project because I feel that Mavenlink is easier to use for the average users while Project is designed more for users with project management and / or IT experience. I was very easy for me to train a new user on Mavenlink, even over the phone.
Microsoft Project

No answer on this topic

Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Kantata PS Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
8.0
107 Ratings
6% above category average
Task Management00 Ratings9.0106 Ratings
Resource Management00 Ratings6.9103 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings10.0103 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings9.9105 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings8.582 Ratings
Team Collaboration00 Ratings7.795 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology00 Ratings7.679 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology00 Ratings8.279 Ratings
Document Management00 Ratings7.276 Ratings
Email integration00 Ratings6.081 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings7.966 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking00 Ratings8.472 Ratings
Change request and Case Management00 Ratings8.462 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management00 Ratings6.382 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Kantata PS Cloud
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
7.0
76 Ratings
6% below category average
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings7.053 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings7.044 Ratings
Project & financial reporting00 Ratings6.973 Ratings
Integration with accounting software00 Ratings6.949 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Score 8.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Atera
Atera
Score 8.9 out of 10
SAP Ruum
SAP Ruum
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Planview AdaptiveWork
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Score 6.8 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
9.6
(49 ratings)
6.6
(107 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(5 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(7 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(8 ratings)
8.2
(34 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(5 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Kantata PS CloudMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
It is appropriate and even exceeds expectations 90% of the time. It makes project tracking very easy and visually accessible for most cases. The only occasion where Mavenlink came slightly short was for a special project that required more interaction options among project members. I am certain there are ways to work around that issue, but we did not find them.
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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
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
  • With Mavenlink when starting to assign tasks to people, set deadlines and milestones, and add files to our projects we can look at it all from a variety of perspectives, including a task tracker view and a Gantt chart view
  • Through Mavenlink each project also includes an activity stream where we can view all project details as they come up, as well as an activity feed for all the projects it is linked to.
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
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
  • The Gantt chart does not allow for baselines to be stored
  • There is no means to upload an excel task tracker and build a plan using an upload
  • The schedule does not allow for planning of holidays
  • The status report functionality needs to be improved
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
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
Although the company I currently work for does not use the product I have recommended that we do switch to Mavenlink. We will be opening some new sites internationally this year and I can see that Mavenlink would be a great product for us to use
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Microsoft
I like using Microsoft Project. It simplifies building a schedule
Read full review
Usability
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
I think Mavenlink is the most robust and best project management tool out there for an organization like ours. However, some of our staff feel like it isn't as user-friendly as it could be. From a Director point of view or a Project Manager point of view, Mavenlink is exceptional. From the point of view of a task-doer, it could be more visually appealing. Also, the mobile version isn't great.
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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
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
Mavenlink gives advance notice for system upgrades, and they're not during our business day. Mavenlink has always been available when we needed it.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Performance
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
Very good integration with Google apps. Some complexity is called however in the synchronization between Google Tasks and Maven links tasks. This can sometimes lead to duplicate records in Google Tasks. It has been dissolvable that becomes cumbersome if not properly curated.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
Mavenlink support is fantastic! Any issues that arise are always handled quickly and efficiently. Granted, we haven't had many issues to report. Typically, my team tends to only reach out to support if they need assistance remembering how to do something or asking about an improvement. We had Mavenlink build an integration when we first started using the software, and the support team worked hard to listen and improve the integration.
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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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In-Person Training
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
We prepared questions in advance, and our trainer was an expert in what Mavenlink was and wasn't able to do. We were able to have multiple people trained at once.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
The training was very well-organized. We were able to send questions in advance so the instructor knew what to cover, and the brought up related topics to maximize the usefulness of what they were teaching us.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
Dedicate as much internal time to the implementation effort as possible, even if you're using a 3rd party or Mavenlink services. Your team knows your processes the best
Read full review
Microsoft
I wasn't part of it so I don't know
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Alternatives Considered
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
We have since switched over to JIRA and let me tell you, it was probably the best decision we have made as a company. We chose Mavenlink based on promises from the sales team about future roadmap work that really never happened. We thought Mavenlink would easily integrate with our billing software but we couldn't have been more wrong. We ended up never utilizing Mavenlink invoices as they don't even allow you to fully customize your invoices that go out to clients!
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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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Scalability
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
It's very easy to add users and contractors into Mavenlink. There's also an option that let's you manage access for teams in multiple locations.
Read full review
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Kantata (Kimble + Mavenlink)
  • Manvenlink is perfect for showing expenses and income over time and across people.
  • Manvenlink is adaptable for the integration and automation of the processes of each of our projects in order to optimize resources and improve operational performance.
  • Mavenlink allows us to determine if our projects are profitable or not, as well as save significant time by automating components such as recurring tasks and having templates, among other things.
  • Manvenlink is advantageous for our operations due to its simple portfolio management of our projects: manage several projects at once and receive a complete perspective of the development of each one at a glance.
  • Manvenlink kindly provides us with robust discussion threads, access restrictions, and built-in document management, allowing us to contextualize communications.
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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

Kantata PS Cloud Screenshots

Screenshot of real-time project status tracking.Screenshot of visualizations that help track resources with confidence.Screenshot of at a glance capacity and staffing monitoring.Screenshot of financials and project margin monitoring.Screenshot of revenue tracking, to scale a business with confidence.