Microsoft Planner vs ClickUp

by Gralio Mar 03, 2025

Microsoft Planner and ClickUp are both project management tools catering to different needs. Planner excels in its simplicity and tight integration with Microsoft 365, while ClickUp offers a more feature-rich and customizable experience, albeit with a steeper learning curve.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5507 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 7 hours, 5 minutes of reading.

Microsoft Planner

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ClickUp

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About

Microsoft Planner helps teams organize work. Create plans, assign tasks, share files, and discuss projects. It integrates with other Microsoft tools like Outlook and OneDrive. Planner provides a simple way to track progress and collaborate with your team.

ClickUp is a comprehensive work management platform designed to consolidate various work processes into one centralized location. It offers a wide array of features including task management, project planning, document collaboration, communication tools, goal setting, and automation options. ClickUp aims to enhance team collaboration, improve visibility across projects, and streamline workflows for increased productivity regardless of team size or industry.

Summary

Main difference

Microsoft Planner is deeply integrated with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, making it ideal for businesses heavily reliant on tools like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint. ClickUp offers greater flexibility and customization, along with a wider range of integrations for diverse workflows.

Relative strengths of Microsoft Planner (compared to ClickUp)

Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Simple and intuitive interface for easy task management.
Visual Kanban boards for clear project overview.

Relative weaknesses of Microsoft Planner (compared to ClickUp)

Limited integrations outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Lacks robust time-tracking features.
Mobile app functionality is limited compared to the web version.

Who is using Microsoft Planner and ClickUp?

No data

Olesia Krilyshyn

Sales Acceleration Specialist at Reply.io

Connor Gillivan

SEO expert; 7x Founder (Exit in 2019)

Bibi The Link Builder

Link Building Expert

Who should use Microsoft Planner VS. ClickUp

Microsoft Planner is a simple yet effective project management tool ideal for teams of all sizes. Its seamless integration with the Microsoft 365 suite streamlines workflows and enhances collaboration. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and visual Kanban boards for tracking progress, while some find its initial use challenging and desire more robust time-tracking features.

ClickUp is a versatile project management solution praised for its customizable features and user-friendly interface. Users appreciate its robust task management capabilities and collaborative tools, while some find the extensive features overwhelming and occasionally experience glitches. It's ideal for teams of all sizes looking to centralize their work processes and boost productivity.

Ideal for small to large businesses seeking efficient task and project management within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Suitable for various sectors like education, healthcare, finance, and more.

Ideal for small to large teams seeking an all-in-one platform to streamline workflows.
Suitable for diverse industries such as marketing, software development, and project management.

Microsoft Planner and ClickUp features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Task Management

Supported

Microsoft Planner supports creating, managing, organizing, and tracking tasks.

Supported

ClickUp fully supports task management, including assigning tasks, setting due dates, and tracking progress.
Multiple Project Views

Partially supported

Microsoft Planner supports list, board, and calendar views, but not Gantt charts or fully custom views.

Supported

ClickUp supports multiple project views like list, board, Gantt, calendar, and custom views.
Real-Time Team Communication

Supported

Microsoft Planner, integrated with Teams, supports real-time communication via comments, mentions, chat, and file sharing.

Supported

ClickUp offers real-time chat, comments, mentions, and file sharing for team communication.
App Integrations

Supported

Planner integrates with other apps to streamline workflows.

Supported

ClickUp integrates with numerous apps via native integrations, Zapier, and other third-party apps.
Project management integrations

Partially supported

Planner integrates with Project Online but not directly with Jira, Trello, or Asana. Third-party tools are needed for such integrations.

Partially supported

ClickUp does not natively integrate with tools like Jira, Trello, or Asana, but it could be achieved through third-party services or custom API integrations.
Task management

Supported

Planner allows creating and assigning tasks to team members.

Supported

ClickUp supports the ability to create and assign tasks to team members.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

No data

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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Microsoft Planner and ClickUp Pricing

No data

We couldn't find a pricing page for Microsoft Planner.

ClickUp offers a tiered subscription pricing model with a free plan and several paid plans. The pricing is per user per month, billed annually. They also offer add-ons like ClickUp AI.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Microsoft Planner and ClickUp review insights

Users love

Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 apps like Teams and Outlook enhances collaboration.
Simple and intuitive user interface makes it easy to create, assign, and track tasks.
Visual Kanban boards provide a clear overview of project progress and task status.
The ability to categorize tasks using color-coded labels improves organization.

Highly customizable and adaptable to various workflows.
User-friendly interface praised for its clean design.
Effective for team collaboration and communication.
Robust task management features with multiple views.

Users dislike

It can be challenging to use at first, especially for those unfamiliar with project management tools.
Lacks robust time-tracking features, making it difficult to monitor progress accurately.
Limited integration with non-Microsoft applications restricts its versatility.
Mobile app functionality is limited compared to the web version.

Occasional glitches and bugs can disrupt workflow.
Mobile app can be glitchy and less intuitive than the desktop version.
Advanced features, like custom workflows, can be complex to set up.
The abundance of features can be overwhelming for new users.

Microsoft Planner and ClickUp Ratings

G2

4.2/5

(214)
Capterra

4.3/5

(245)

G2

4.7/5

(2590)
Capterra

4.6/5

(2460)
TrustPilot

3.1/5

(62)
Glassdoor

3.7/5

(393)

Company health

Employee growth

3% increase in the last year

14% increase in the last year

Web traffic

No data

1% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data

July 2021 - $538M

How do Microsoft Planner's Microsoft 365 integrations compare to ClickUp's app integrations?

Microsoft Planner tightly integrates within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, offering seamless collaboration with apps like Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. This allows users to manage tasks, share files, and communicate without leaving the Microsoft environment. ClickUp, while not as deeply integrated with a specific suite, offers a broader range of integrations with third-party apps through native integrations, Zapier, and other platforms, giving it more flexibility for connecting with external tools.

Which product better supports diverse project views beyond Kanban, like Gantt charts?

ClickUp better supports diverse project views. It explicitly offers list, board, Gantt, calendar, and custom views. While Microsoft Planner integrates with other Microsoft tools and has a timeline view, it doesn't offer the same breadth of visualization options as ClickUp.

What are the advantages of Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner's advantages include seamless integration with the Microsoft 365 suite, simplifying collaboration and task management within familiar tools like Teams and Outlook. Its user-friendly interface and visual Kanban boards make it easy to track project progress and task status, even for users unfamiliar with project management software. This tight integration and ease of use can lead to quicker adoption and higher user satisfaction within organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.

What are the disadvantages of Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner's limitations include a challenging initial learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with project management software. It lacks robust time-tracking capabilities, hindering precise progress monitoring. Integration is primarily limited to the Microsoft ecosystem, reducing versatility for teams using other platforms. Finally, the mobile app offers reduced functionality compared to the web version.

Alternatives to Microsoft Planner and ClickUp

Asana

Asana is a work management platform designed to help teams organize tasks, projects, and goals in one shared space. It offers tools to improve team collaboration, transparency, and accountability. Used by companies of all sizes, it's particularly beneficial for managing complex projects and keeping everyone aligned on priorities. Features include task assignments, progress tracking, deadline setting, and communication tools. Asana aims to streamline workflows, enhance team productivity, and provide a clear overview of project statuses.

monday.com

monday.com is a customizable work platform designed to streamline workflows and improve team collaboration. It offers a suite of products, including monday work management, monday sales CRM, and monday dev, each tailored to specific team needs. With features like dashboards, automations, and integrations, monday.com enables businesses to manage projects, track progress, and make data-driven decisions. Its flexible and adaptable design caters to various industries and scales as organizations grow.

Wrike

Wrike is a versatile work management platform designed to streamline workflows and improve efficiency for teams of all sizes. It centralizes work, providing a single source of truth and offering various views like Gantt charts and Kanban boards. Wrike allows automation of routine tasks, provides real-time insights through dashboards, and facilitates seamless collaboration. It features tools for proofing and approvals, resource management, and integrates with popular business applications. Wrike is a comprehensive solution suitable for various departments, from marketing and IT to operations and product development.

Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate more effectively. Using boards, lists, and cards, teams can easily track progress on projects, from simple to-do lists to complex workflows. Trello offers a high level of customization with features like templates, integrations with other popular apps, and no-code automation. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to use, regardless of technical skill. Trello offers various pricing plans to suit different team sizes and needs, including a free plan for small teams.

PlanIt

PlanIt is a visual planning tool designed for Microsoft Teams. It helps you plan projects, events, and tasks throughout the year using a circular calendar format. PlanIt integrates with other Microsoft products like Planner and Outlook, making it easy to track your work and collaborate with your team without leaving the Microsoft environment. This visual approach aims to simplify your planning process and increase productivity. Your data remains secure within your existing Microsoft 365 system.

Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace platform designed to help teams organize information, manage projects, and collaborate effectively. It centralizes notes, documents, tasks, and databases, making it easy for teams to access and share information. Notion allows users to customize their workspace with templates and integrations and offers AI features for writing assistance and information retrieval. It aims to be a flexible solution that adapts to various work styles and replaces the need for multiple single-purpose tools.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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