Microsoft position Planner as a lite version of their feature-packed Project software. When they launched the new Planner experience in 2024, the big question was whether Planner had become powerful enough to replace Microsoft Project. Since then, the answer has changed considerably.
Planner isn’t just a fancy task board any more. Microsoft has been merging Planner, To Do and Project for the web together into one work management experience, timeline views, dependencies, sprints, goals, baselines and, of course, they’ve baked Copilot-into it too. So does all this now change how businesses should think about project management in Microsoft 365?
The biggest change is that Planner has moved from being a simple team task tool towards becoming the place that Microsoft want you to do your project management. To show just how serious this is, Project for the web was retired in favour of Planner as the main interface for modern project planning.
This means the old question of “Planner or Project for the web?” has largely disappeared. For many Microsoft 365 users, the more useful question is now: “Do we need basic Planner, Planner Premium, or the full Microsoft Project desktop experience?”
Planner now covers a much wider range of use cases than it did even as recently as 2024 when it got a significant upgrade. It can support simple personal tasks, team boards, structured project plans and, with the right licence, more advanced planning features such as dependencies, timelines, sprints, goals, baselines, portfolios and critical path-style planning.
For many businesses, basic Planner is a capable tool for day-to-day work management. It is especially useful where teams already live in Microsoft Teams, Outlook and Microsoft 365.
Basic Planner is good at:
For teams that need visibility, accountability and collaboration, but not heavy project controls, basic Planner is quite probably enough. It is simple enough for non-project managers to use, which is often its biggest advantage.
Planner Premium is where Planner becomes much more than a task list. It is designed for businesses that need more structure, better scheduling and clearer project control, but still want to stay within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Planner Premium can support features such as timeline views, task dependencies, sprints, goals, custom fields, task history, baselines, portfolios and more advanced scheduling. This makes it a strong option for structured projects that need more discipline than a basic Planner board can provide.
It is particularly useful for project leads, service teams, operations teams and customer success teams that want a more formal approach to planning without introducing a completely separate project management system.
Planner has improved significantly, but Microsoft Project still has a place. The Project desktop app remains the stronger tool where you need detailed project scheduling, advanced resource management, complex dependencies, detailed cost control, mature portfolio management or highly controlled project governance.
Microsoft has also announced the retirement of Project Online, with organisations encouraged to review their future approach before the retirement date. For businesses still using Project Online, this is a good time to assess whether Planner Premium, Project desktop, or a wider project and portfolio management solution is the right long-term fit.
In short, Planner is now much stronger for everyday and structured project work, but Project remains relevant where the planning is complex, highly governed or deeply resource-driven.
The right answer depends on the complexity of your work, the skills of your users and how much governance you need.
The infographic below gives a simple view of how the premium Planner licences build on each other.
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Planner Plan 1 Structured project planning |
Planner and Project Plan 3 Advanced project execution |
Planner and Project Plan 5 Portfolio and enterprise oversight |
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Best for Teams that need more structure than basic Planner, but do not need specialist project controls. |
Best for Project managers and teams running more complex projects with stronger scheduling and delivery control. |
Best for PMOs and leadership teams that need portfolio-level planning, demand management and enterprise oversight. |
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Feature highlights
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Everything in Plan 1, plus
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Everything in Plan 3, plus
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Simple rule of thumb Choose this when teams need better planning, but still want Planner to feel simple and accessible. |
Simple rule of thumb Choose this when projects need proper schedules, baselines, reporting and stronger delivery management. |
Simple rule of thumb Choose this when the business needs to prioritise, govern and manage multiple projects as a portfolio. |
For many businesses, the practical approach is to start with Planner for simple work, introduce Planner Premium where teams need structure, and reserve Microsoft Project for projects that genuinely require advanced planning controls.
In 2024, the answer was often “Planner is useful, but Project may still be needed for proper project management.” In 2026, the answer is more balanced.
For many businesses, Planner is now enough for many projects. Planner Premium fills an important gap for teams that need more planning power without the complexity of full Microsoft Project. However, Microsoft Project is still the GOAT where advanced scheduling, resourcing and governance are essential.
The key is not to choose the most powerful tool by default. It is to choose the tool that matches the way your team works, the complexity of the project and the level of control you need.
If you are unsure whether your business should be using Planner, Planner Premium or Microsoft Project, IT Foundations can help you review your current Microsoft 365 setup, understand your licensing options and design a practical approach to task and project management.
We can help you decide which tools are right for your teams, configure them properly and support your staff so they can manage work more clearly and consistently.