Microsoft Power BI vs. Microsoft Project

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Power BI is a visualization and data discovery tool from Microsoft. It allows users to convert data into visuals and graphics, visually explore and analyze data, collaborate on interactive dashboards and reports, and scale across their organization with built-in governance and security.
$10
per month per user
Microsoft Project
Score 7.7 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 month per user
Pricing
Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Project Server
$0
Planner Plan 1
$10
per month per user
Planner Plan 1
$10
per month per user
Planner and Project Plan 3
$30
per month per user
Planner and Project Plan 3
$30
per month per user
Planner and Project Plan 5
$55
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
Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI

No answer on this topic

Microsoft Project
Chose Microsoft Project
At the end of the day, Microsoft Project still is best in class overall. It isn't as specialized as some tools like Trello or JIRA, but especially with new integration with Planner and native support for Agile project management templates it becomes a lot closer. Microsoft …
Chose Microsoft Project
As our IT is based on Microsft Office 365, we have privileged access to MS Project licences, resources, training and support, so we didn't use any other PM software.
Chose Microsoft Project
Project is comprehensive and many project professionals are familiar with it, however the other tools are more business user friendly. Little training needed, Airtable and Trello are more intuitive so anyone can make updates and understand progress.
Features
Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.4
193 Ratings
3% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports8.3164 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.8192 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates8.0175 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.9
191 Ratings
2% below category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis8.2188 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities7.7188 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.3140 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.5186 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.1
184 Ratings
2% below category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Publish to Web8.3174 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.2169 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Versioning7.7141 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.3144 Ratings00 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers7.9107 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
184 Ratings
2% below category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.2178 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.1163 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.4133 Ratings00 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.434 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.6
175 Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)8.8165 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.5143 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.4155 Ratings00 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control8.444 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.7137 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
157 Ratings
2% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access7.8147 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application7.7128 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.0150 Ratings00 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
113 Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft Project
-
Ratings
REST API8.2101 Ratings00 Ratings
Javascript API7.682 Ratings00 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings00 Ratings
Java API6.967 Ratings00 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)7.588 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.444 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
8.0
110 Ratings
5% above category average
Task Management00 Ratings7.7109 Ratings
Resource Management00 Ratings7.0106 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings8.7106 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings8.0108 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings9.983 Ratings
Team Collaboration00 Ratings7.398 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology00 Ratings6.482 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology00 Ratings7.082 Ratings
Document Management00 Ratings8.977 Ratings
Email integration00 Ratings5.182 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings9.967 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking00 Ratings9.973 Ratings
Change request and Case Management00 Ratings8.064 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management00 Ratings8.085 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
-
Ratings
Microsoft Project
8.9
78 Ratings
16% above category average
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings8.055 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings10.045 Ratings
Project & financial reporting00 Ratings7.975 Ratings
Integration with accounting software00 Ratings9.950 Ratings
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Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
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User Ratings
Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(194 ratings)
7.2
(110 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(3 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(111 ratings)
8.3
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(52 ratings)
8.2
(34 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BIMicrosoft Project
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Has significantly improved collation of data and visualisation especially with business across Europe. Has given me the ability to see the Site availability at the click of a button to see which Site is in the "money" and seize opportunities based on Market data
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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
Microsoft
  • Options for data source connections are immense. Not just which sources, but your options for *how* the data is brought in.
  • Constant updates (this is both good and bad at times).
  • User friendliness. I can get the data connections set up and draft some quick visuals, then release to the target audience and let them expand on it how they want 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
Microsoft
  • It would be easier for users could Microsoft Power BI and Excel used the same programming languages.
  • Would like to see the online version of Microsoft Power BI be as powerful as the desktop version.
  • Publishing a Microsoft Power BI file online and then having to save the file is somewhat redundant.
  • Would like to export each page or chart as an image.
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
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI is an excellent and scalable tool. It has a learning curve, but once you get past that, the sky is the limit and you can build from the most simple to the most complex dashboards. I have built everything from simple reports with only a few data points to complex reports with many pages and advanced filtering.
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Microsoft
I like using Microsoft Project. It simplifies building a schedule
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
Automating reporting has reduced manual data processing by 50-70%, freeing up analysts for higher-value tasks. A finance team that previously spent 20+ hours per week on Excel-based reports now does it in minutes with Microsoft Power BI's automated Real-time dashboards have shortened decision cycles by 30-40%, enabling leadership to react quickly to sales trends, operational bottlenecks, and customer behavior.
Read full review
Microsoft
It is great for simple project management and is critical for out success. It is pretty user friendly and easy to manipulate for all users. The drag and drop feature makes it easy to move things around. It lacks some features espically with document management, time tracking and generating reports
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
It is a fantastic tool, you can do almost everything related with data and reports, it is a perfect substitutive of Power Point and Excel with a high evolution and flexibility, and also it is very friendly and easy to share. I think all companies should have Power BI (or other BI tool) in their software package and if they are in the MS Suite, for sure Power BI should be the one due to all the benefits of the MS ecosystem.
Read full review
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
Microsoft
It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
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Microsoft
I wasn't part of it so I don't know
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI is free. If I didn't want to create a custom platform (i.e. my organization insisted on an existing platform that I *had* to use), I'd use Microsoft Power BI. For any start-up or SMB, I'd just use Claude & Grok to build it quickly, also for free. Would not pay for Tableau or Sigma anymore. Not worth it at all.
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
Microsoft
  • Power BI usage reduced the effort of analytical reports creation by about 80%
  • Empowered all the level of employee to be more vigilant of the data and business insights, gained the profit of 8% overall.
  • AI-powered predictive analytics improved forecasting accuracy by 17%, that topped the overall sales.
Read full review
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

Microsoft Power BI Screenshots

Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Turns insights into impact for business usersScreenshot of Power BI integrates easily with Microsoft 365Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - AI-Powered CapabilitiesScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Copilot can be used to create reportsScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Data HubScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Scales as organizational needs grow