Microsoft Planner Vs. Asana: Which Project Management Tool Is Right For You?

Microsoft Planner – Notable features of Microsoft Planner include task management, collaboration, creating attachments, checklists, reminders, and progress tracking. The tool allows users to create, assign, and track tasks with the help of boards and cards. Planner has the option of breaking tasks into smaller steps and keeping them organized using checklists. The tool also supports kanban boards that in turn, provide a visual representation of tasks and help users monitor their progress. In terms of analytics and reporting, Microsoft Planner has only basic reporting functionalities with the help of visual charts and dashboards.

Asana Software – Asana software offers users a more diverse feature list including advanced task management abilities. Teams can create tasks and subtasks and use customizable fields to accomplish complex projects easily. It has multiple viewing options in the shape of lists, boards, timelines, and customizable calendars. The software also provides automation of repetitive tasks with custom rules and triggers. Asana is capable of setting goals and milestones and can track progress using dashboards. Regarding analytical prowess, the software has comparatively more advanced reporting using highly customizable report templates.

Winner - Asana caters to a larger variety of task management features and has more uses as compared to Microsoft Planner, making it a clear winner of this round.

Microsoft Planner – Due to its integration with the Microsoft family, Microsoft Planner is aided by Teams to keep members on board and in touch with each other. Microsoft Teams facilitates collaboration using chats and calls. ‘Office Online’ lets users co-author files and keep them in one ‘SharePoint’ to create a document library. The ‘Plan Calendar’ helps schedule meetings, while ‘Meeting Notes’ allow teams to capture and organize information in real-time.

Asana - Asana also features robust collaboration tools that allow team members to communicate seamlessly. The software supports a variety of file types that can be shared, accessed, and edited from one place. Users can leave comments of tasks, start conversations regarding projects, and gain real-time updates using Asana’s integration with ‘Slack’ and ‘Google Drive’. The software also has calendars to align and assign tasks on time, keeping everyone in the loop in the process.

Winner - When it comes to collaboration, both software is almost evenly matched, with Asana having a slight edge due to the range of integrations. However, this category can be considered a tie.

Microsoft Planner – Microsoft Planner integrates with all other tools available in the Microsoft 365 suite. Apps such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive allow Planner to achieve feats well outside its capabilities. Since it is internal integration, Microsoft Planner lacks APIs and thereby the ability to integrate well with third-party applications.

Asana: Asana has a long list of integrations. Users can benefit from third-party applications such as Slack, Zapier, Google Drive, and even Microsoft Teams. Encompassing tools for communication, storage, and CRM, Asana has a collection of over 100 integrations. Along with these integrations comes robust APIs for customized experiences.

Winner: Microsoft Planner’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. Although it has robust integrations with Microsoft products, more so than any other software can boast, it is limited to Microsoft tools. Asana trumps Planner in this category over the sheer number of integrations provided.

Microsoft Planner – For users already familiar with Microsoft365 products, the Planner tool is straightforward. The user-interface is intuitive and easy to navigate with a minimal learning curve. The project management tool boasts an active user community and groups that provide regular updates. Microsoft Planner makes use of a ‘Kanban-style’ interface.

Asana – Asana provides its users with a visually appealing interface and regular software updates. It also has frequent feature releases that are driven by user feedback. Asana has a robust online community in the form of forums, groups and user events. Although the software has a modern interface with ‘Drag-and-Drop' functionality, it has a steep learning curve for new users due to the vast number of features available. To counter this curve, Asana provides users with comprehensive guides and tutorials.

Winner: Microsoft Planner takes this round due to its overall ease-of-use and friendly interface.

Microsoft Planner – Beyond basic project and task management features, Microsoft Planner has limited customization. Users can customize their backgrounds, calendars, and choose different buckets; a process through which teams can categorize tasks differently and add custom fields. As far as templates are concerned, Planner has pre-defined templates for the most common project types.

Asana – Asana provides its users with advanced customization options for workflows, fields, and templates. Team members can add custom rules for their project lifecycles and create specific views based on individual needs. In the case of templates, Asana has various custom templates to cater to different project types and industries.

Microsoft Planner – Microsoft Planner is available in the Microsoft 365 suite as part of the package. It also has three paid plans with the addition of advanced features as the price increases. Being included in the Microsoft 365 subscription makes Microsoft Planner a suitable choice for companies already using the platform.

Asana – Asana also offers tiered pricing plans along with a free plan. The free option is suitable for small teams and start-ups for basic project management necessities. The first paid plan is the ‘Starter’, which costs $13.49 per user per month. Asana offers plans for small companies as well as large enterprises, making it a very scalable software. ‘Business’ and ‘Enterprise’ plans provide advanced features at higher prices.
Offers a free tier with limited features, suitable for small teams and basic project management. ‘Premium’ plans start at $10.99 per user per month, offering advanced features like timeline views, task dependencies, and custom fields. Business and Enterprise plans provide even more features at higher price points.

Winner – To determine a winner in this category, it is important to consider the context. If your team is already using Microsoft Office, Planner is the better option. If the software is required by standalone users or teams having a requirement for advanced features, Asana is the answer. The outcome of this outcome, therefore, is also a tie.