Side by Side Comparison: web-based project management software and MS Project

Side by Side Comparison:

web-based project management software and MS Project

What should you choose MS Project or a web-based solution?
We will give you plain facts, so that you could evaluate both options.

	Web-based project management software	Microsoft Project
Cost	Our choice for software is available at $ 9.95 per user per month	$999 per license, however there are also hidden costs, like $599 per updates
Installation	No need to install anything. You can start working a few seconds after you've created your account.	Requires dedicated resources and can take up to a month.
Technology Requirements	The only software necessary is a Web-browser	To maintain collaboration and ability to share files Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft Web-Access should be installed. Each of the team members needs to have a licensed copy of Microsoft Project installed on his computer.
Ease of use	User-friendly interface. Suits even unskilled computer users.	Very complex and has hundreds of advanced planning features. Needs weeks of training for end-users and administrators.
Software Updates	Updates are frequent and painless.	MS Updates take years to be developed and implemented by Microsoft. You will have to pay extra $ for installing them. Read more about the total cost of ownership*
User Support	Your question is answered within 24 hours or less	You can spend hours looking for the necessary piece of information on Microsoft support site. E-mail support is available, but be ready to wait for days before your issue will be fixed.

Find out what we chose for a Microsoft Project Alternative

Now let's have a closer look at these two types of software:

With Web-based software you get your own collaborative environment, where your team members get immediate access to the tasks and other project information. They can upload and share files, edit tasks, set dependencies between them and make changes to Gantt charts on-line, staying on one page at the same time.

With Microsoft products to maintain collaboration and ability to share files you need to purchase and install Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft Web-Access. Each of your team members will need to have a licensed copy of Microsoft Project installed on his or her computer.

Web-based project management software allows everybody on your team to update your tasks and projects. It gives you complete delegation. The result is a boost of productivity by transferring some of the project manager's burden onto the software.

Microsoft Project initial file can be updated only by the project manager. The project manager spends hours on updating the files and keeping the plan up-to-date. Being busy with additional unnecessary operations the project manager does not have time for actual management of the project. The situation gets even worse if he has to control several projects at once.

Web-based project management software offers you just the right feature set including a number of features necessary for successful project management. (Our choice for project management software offers reports, Gantt charts, due dates, smart notifications. More over it allows you to upload and share your existing Microsoft Project file online.)

Microsoft Project has a wide variety of advanced planning and accounting features, many of which you probably will never use.

Read about our choice for a Microsoft Project Alternative