Pick Microsoft Planner and Project Plan 3 ($30 per user a month) if your work runs on detailed schedules: baselines, critical path and dependencies with lead and lag. Pick Smartsheet Business ($19 per member a month, billed yearly) if most people update tasks rather than build schedules. Smartsheet is cheaper for big groups because viewers and commenters are free. Many PMOs end up running both.
I have run PMOs on both tools. The choice is less about features and more about who touches the plan. Prices below are US list prices from smartsheet.com/pricing and Microsoft’s Planner plans page, checked in October 2026.
Why this question is urgent now
Project Online retired on September 30, 2026. New sales of Project Online-only plans ended on October 1, 2025. Microsoft’s Planner FAQ says to back up your data and move.
Two details matter:
- Only Project Online retired. Project desktop, Project Server Subscription Edition and Planner are not affected.
- There is no simple automatic move. Microsoft offers tools to move data into Planner. Custom code and integrations usually need a partner. For Project Server, Microsoft does not provide a migration tool.
So if you are rebuilding anyway, it is a good time to compare Smartsheet too.
Also note the names. Project for the web is now part of Planner. “Microsoft Project” in 2026 can mean three things: Planner premium in the browser, the Project desktop app or on-premises Project Server. Be clear which one you are comparing.
Two different ideas of a project
Smartsheet is a work grid. Every task is a row, like a spreadsheet. You switch on dependencies and durations in sheet settings. That is why Smartsheet handles intake forms, risk logs, budgets and dashboards so easily. They are all just sheets.
Project is a scheduling engine. The schedule is the core. Tasks carry durations, dependencies with lead and lag, baselines and a critical path the engine works out.
They fail in different ways. Smartsheet’s risk is sprawl: hundreds of sheets and three versions of the truth. Project’s risk is a perfect schedule nobody outside the PMO opens.
What 25 seats cost
| Option | Price per seat/month | 25 seats per year | Free users? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsheet Pro | $9 (yearly) | Not allowed (10-member cap) | Unlimited viewers |
| Smartsheet Business | $19 (yearly) | $5,700 | Unlimited viewers, commenters, form users and guests |
| Planner Plan 1 | $10 | $3,000 | Basic Planner with Microsoft 365 |
| Planner and Project Plan 3 | $30 | $9,000 | Basic Planner with Microsoft 365 |
Smartsheet’s hidden saving: people who only view, comment, attach files, answer update requests or fill out forms do not need a paid seat. A 25-person PMO serving 300 stakeholders buys 25 seats, not 325.
Microsoft’s hidden saving: basic Planner comes with most Microsoft 365 business plans. Many staff can track simple tasks without a premium license. Only schedulers need Plan 3.
Plan 1 is cheaper than Smartsheet but lacks the deep scheduling features. Plan 3 adds them: critical path, baselines, resource tools and more. Planner and Project Plan 5 is no longer sold to new customers since May 1, 2026.
Where each one wins
| Need | Better choice |
|---|---|
| Critical path and baselines | Project Plan 3 |
| Lead and lag, constraint types, resource calendars | Project |
| Many casual contributors | Smartsheet |
| Intake forms feeding the plan | Smartsheet |
| Portfolio dashboards for executives | Smartsheet (Business and up) |
| Deep Teams and Microsoft 365 fit | Planner and Project |
| Existing .mpp files and desktop schedulers | Project desktop |
Moving from Project Online to Smartsheet
Smartsheet has an import guide for Project Online data. In practice:
- Export and back up everything first, including custom fields and timesheets.
- Start with active projects only. Archive closed ones as files.
- Rebuild one template sheet with your standard columns, then copy it.
- Turn on dependencies in each sheet’s project settings.
- Rebuild reports and dashboards last, once the data is stable.
- Run both tools for one cycle before you switch off the old one.
Expect a mid-size PMO to take 6 to 12 weeks.
Mistakes I see in these projects
- Buying Plan 3 for everyone. Most staff only need to see dates and tick off tasks. Give them basic Planner or a free Smartsheet viewer role.
- Copying every old field. Project Online setups often carry dozens of custom fields nobody uses. Move the 10 that drive decisions.
- Skipping the naming rules. In Smartsheet, agree on folder and sheet names on day one. Fixing 300 sheets later is painful.
- No owner for the template. One person should own the master template and approve changes to it.
- Forgetting reports. Executives judge the new tool by the first dashboard they see. Build it early and keep it simple.
- Leaving archives in a retired system. Export closed projects to files you control, like Excel or PDF, before access ends.
The hybrid many PMOs use
A common setup: one or two schedulers keep the master schedule in Project desktop or Plan 3. Everyone else works in Smartsheet or basic Planner, where updates are simple. Key dates sync on a schedule. It is not elegant, but it puts the costly license only where it pays off.
What the move costs beyond licenses
Licenses are not the only cost. Budget for a partner or internal admin time for migration, often several weeks for a mid-size PMO. Budget training time too: one to two hours per editor, and a short video for viewers. Teams that skip training see people go back to spreadsheets within a month.
How to decide in one hour
Ask three questions:
- Do you use the critical path every week? If yes, lean Project.
- Do more than 3 people view the plan for every 1 who edits it? If yes, lean Smartsheet.
- Is your company all-in on Microsoft 365 and Teams? If yes, start with Planner and add Plan 3 for schedulers.
Common questions
Is Smartsheet cheaper than Microsoft Project?
For most teams, yes. Smartsheet Business is $19 per member a month billed yearly versus $30 for Project Plan 3. Smartsheet also gives free access to viewers and commenters.
What replaced Project Online?
Microsoft points customers to Planner and Project plans, or to Project Server Subscription Edition on-premises. Many teams also look at Smartsheet.
Does Smartsheet have a critical path?
Yes. With dependencies turned on, Smartsheet can highlight the critical path in Gantt view. It has fewer scheduling controls than Project.
Can Smartsheet open .mpp files?
Smartsheet can import Microsoft Project files. Complex custom fields may need cleanup.
Is Microsoft Project desktop still sold?
Yes. The Project Online retirement does not affect Project desktop.
Which is better for a PMO?
If your PMO mainly reports and coordinates, Smartsheet. If it builds detailed schedules, Project. Many use both.
Prices checked on smartsheet.com and microsoft.com on October 14, 2026. US list prices; your price may vary.
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