Microsoft Excel vs. Zoho Projects

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Excel
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application available as part of Microsoft 365 (Office 365), or standalone, in cloud-based and on-premise editions.
$6.99
per month
Zoho Projects
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Zoho Project is online project management and planning software that provides project teams with a web-based collaborative environment. Zoho Projects can also include a bug tracking module specifically design to support software development project. It is integrated with other Zoho products including Zoho CRM.
$5
per month per user
Pricing
Microsoft ExcelZoho Projects
Editions & Modules
Excel with Microsoft 365
$6.99
per month
Excel for 1 PC or Mac
$139.99
perpetual license
Free
$0
Premium
$5
per month per user
Enterprise
$10
per month per user
Project Plus
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft ExcelZoho Projects
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsDiscount offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft ExcelZoho Projects
Features
Microsoft ExcelZoho Projects
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
Zoho Projects
8.2
21 Ratings
6% above category average
Task Management00 Ratings8.521 Ratings
Resource Management00 Ratings8.320 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings8.218 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings8.519 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings9.215 Ratings
Team Collaboration00 Ratings9.221 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology00 Ratings6.35 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology00 Ratings8.812 Ratings
Document Management00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
Email integration00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings8.219 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking00 Ratings8.520 Ratings
Change request and Case Management00 Ratings6.96 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management00 Ratings7.615 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Excel
-
Ratings
Zoho Projects
6.8
14 Ratings
13% below category average
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings5.55 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Project & financial reporting00 Ratings6.55 Ratings
Integration with accounting software00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
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User Ratings
Microsoft ExcelZoho Projects
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(76 ratings)
6.5
(24 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(7 ratings)
9.9
(3 ratings)
Usability
8.4
(22 ratings)
5.6
(4 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
7.4
(9 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft ExcelZoho Projects
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
I don't really know another program as powerful as Excel. I've used Google Doc programs but do not feel they come close. So far, anytime I've needed a table of some sort for data, whether it's budget oriented or information off a survey, the best system has been Excel. We do web audits on occasion and we create an Excel worksheet featuring every URL of the pages we're auditing, notes, data about the content, information about files attached to the page and other information to help us determine what pages need updating, deleting or otherwise. We also use Excel primarily to export our Google Analytics to in order for us to create reports for clients that need to see specific information about their traffic.
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Zoho
My work involves projects of 5-15 people with numerous projects running simultaneously. Prior to Zoho, I did not have a central location from which to view all project statuses at once. Zoho looks to provide this and also looks like it will deliver. I am anxious to see how our organization's use of it develops. At this time, I feel I am likely to recommend Zoho Projects because my organization has made great software decisions in the past so I have a level of trust already that the research has been done that Zoho is the best solution for our line of work.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • It is very good at embedded formulas and tying cells to one another
  • It allows me to compare deals terms on a side-by-side basis and talk my clients through it easily.
  • It is very helpful as well in terms of allowing me to filter/sort results in many different ways depending on what specific information I am most interested in prioritizing.
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Zoho
  • We use it to manage our sales orders as there are lots of moving parts which are necessary to get client orders done properly.
  • I use it anytime I have a new idea I want to put into motion. As I can create a list for brainstorming, feedback, specific actions necessary in order to test and or implement the idea.
  • Unrelated to business, it's a great way to plan travel in order to make sure you don't forget those important things like passport, flight arrangement, client meeting confirmation, and meeting prep as far as what specific documents or things do you need to bring with you.
  • And since everyone is on the go and expected to keep up with work, the mobile/tablet app makes it a breeze to keep up, work on, and create new projects.
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Cons
Microsoft
  • Excel offers collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on the same spreadsheet, but managing changes made by different users can be challenging. Excel could improve its features by offering more granular control, better tracking of changes, and more robust conflict resolution tools.
  • Itcan be a barrier to productivity when importing and exporting data from other applications or file formats. To improve its features, it should offer better support for standard file formats and more robust error handling and reporting tools.
  • Excel can be challenging for finance students and working professionals, but it can be improved by offering more robust tutorials, better documentation, and more user communities and support forums.
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Zoho
  • There is no ability to add custom fields in the "Bugs" module - for example, if we want to add fields such as Version Number.
  • Reporting is not integrated - its a fairly expensive add-on.
  • There is no easy way to track actual and completed dates for tasks - so historical variance analysis is not easy.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
Excel remains the industry standard for spreadsheets and has maintained simple and straight-forward formula writing methods. Although there is a learning curve to do more complex calculations, there are countless help sites and videos on the Internet for almost any need.
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Zoho
I've reviewed about 8 other project management solutions and Zoho Projects is the best I've seen without being overly complicated. Zoho Projects keeps getting better! Recent new enhancements makes it even easier to navigate. There are new keyboard shortcuts that cut my time way down. The tools are very easy to use.
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Usability
Microsoft
I'm giving it a 7 because it is my go to. But the fact other prefer Google Sheets when working with a team does get irritating. I've used the online version of Microsoft Excel that other teams can get into and it still seems behind Google Sheets. It's a little clanky and slow? If that's even a term.
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Zoho
Zoho Project has been very user-friendly. As a small business, we have a diverse group of people with varying skill sets. This platform has been easy for our team to learn, implement, and succeed with. The mobile version is also very handy for our team.
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
I have rarely, if ever, had issues with its availability.
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Zoho
Has not been down to my knowledge.
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Performance
Microsoft
Excel load and performs calculations immediately. It integrate well with all Microsoft Office applications and does not slow them down.
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Zoho
Speed meets my expectations.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
I have not had to use it often, but it is good.
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Zoho
Although it might lack intuitiveness, once you get a hang of how Zoho Projects works, you can do a LOT. The impact good project management has on profitability is huge, and it has helped not only improve communication and coordination when working on a project, but more importantly have adequate tracking of time, due dates and potential bottle necks
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Out of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, IBM SPSS, and Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel is by far the most common tool used for anything data-related across organizations. Accordingly, our organization has also implemented Microsoft Excel as a first-step tool. We recently adopted Microsoft Power BI (the free version), and use it occasionally (mostly for creating dashboards), but it is less commonly understood by stakeholders across our organization and by our clients. Accordingly, Microsoft Excel is more user-friendly and because of its popularity, we can easily look up how to do things in the program online. Google Sheets is a comparable alternative to Microsoft Excel, but because it's cloud-based and we have sensitive data that needs to be protected, we chose against using this software. Finally, a few users (including myself) have access to and utilize IBM's SPSS. For my role, it's a helpful tool to do more rigorous analyses. However, because of its cost and limited functionality as a simple spreadsheet, we only use it for more complex analyses.
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Zoho
Zoho Projects provides a more limited set of functionality and customization options than other task/bug trackers on the market, but what it lacks in functionality it makes up for in ease of use. It probably has 80-90% of the features of its competitors but takes about a third of the time to get up and running and realizing value.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
N/A I was not involved in this process.
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Zoho
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Microsoft
Each user can use it to whatever level of expertise they have. It remains the same so users can contribute to another's work regardless of whether they have more or less expertise
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Zoho
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Excel has positively impacted the business as it has increased our efficiency.
  • It also saves us the time that we would have spent on making the calculations that it does for us.
  • Since it works on all devices and is compatible with both Windows and Mac, we do not have to invest in any other alternative.
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Zoho
  • We needed a system to organize our growing business, so anything was better than what we had, which was nothing.
  • Recording time spend is a huge reason for using project software. It has made me aware of the tasks that are taking too long and where we are not being profitable as a company.
  • It has kept our team accountable for what needs to get completed and when projects are not in motion or completed timely. It's helpful to know in order to get billing out faster.
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ScreenShots

Zoho Projects Screenshots

Screenshot of Task Automation with Blueprint - Map out your entire workflow with no code as flowcharts. Automate your tasks and notifications and set approval criteria with blueprint.Screenshot of Intuitive Gantt Charts - Say what, say who, say when. And done. Zoho Projects' Gantt chart comes feature loaded with advanced operations such as Critical path and Baseline.Screenshot of Inbuilt Issue Tracker - You can log, organize, track, and fix any problems. Features such as status and workflow, can be customized to suit the exact needs of your project.Screenshot of Drag, Drop and Done - A view of your tasks as cards placed along columns. Helps you identify bottlenecks and reorganize quickly using drag and drop.Screenshot of A quick pulse of all your work - The Portfolio dashboard, is a compact overview of all the work that's been happening across projects with widgets that address the project level timeline, status, ownership, budget health, and clients.Screenshot of Looks that matter - A refreshing UI that supports multiple themes, including an eye-catching dark mode.