Productivity & Business · Project Management

Microsoft Project

Microsoft's project scheduling software, sold as one-time Project 2024 desktop editions and as the Planner and Project Plan 3 subscription.

Our take: Microsoft Project covers dated schedules, dependencies, baselines and resource leveling, and Microsoft prices it clearly: $10.00 for Planner Plan 1 and $30.00 for Planner and Project Plan 3 per user a month paid yearly, or $679.99 and $1,129.99 once for the 2024 desktop editions.

Best forScheduling with dependencies

ReviewedNov 2026Free Trial

6.65 criteria · see breakdown

Try MicrosoftPlan 3 $30/user/mo yearly; desktop $679.99 once

Microsoft Project is Microsoft's scheduling software for Gantt charts, task dependencies, baselines and resource leveling. Microsoft sells it as Planner and Project Plan 3 at $30.00 per user a month, paid yearly, and as one-time desktop editions: Project Standard 2024 at $679.99 and Project Professional 2024 at $1,129.99. Microsoft renamed Project Plan 1 as Planner Plan 1 ($10.00) and Project Plan 3 as Planner and Project Plan 3, and its pages still describe Project Online as retiring on 30 September 2026, a date that has passed (checked 1 November 2026).

Microsoft Project plan names and retirements

Microsoft's Planner FAQ says Project Plan 1 was renamed Planner Plan 1 in April 2024, and that Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 became Planner and Project Plan 3 and Planner and Project Plan 5 on 18 September 2024. Microsoft's pages do not agree on every name; the first table shows which page uses which.

Microsoft says Project Online will officially retire on 30 September 2026 and that Project desktop, Project Server Subscription Edition and Planner are not affected. That date has passed, but the Microsoft pages read on 1 November 2026 still use future or 'being retired' wording, so this page does not say the service has closed.

Checked November 1, 2026

The bottom line

Priced plainly once you know which name you need; read the names table first, because older articles and some Microsoft pages use names that no longer match the plan pages.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isProject scheduling software from Microsoft, sold as one-time desktop editions and as the Planner and Project Plan 3 subscription, with Planner as its web and Teams companion.

Our takeMicrosoft Project covers dated schedules, dependencies, baselines and resource leveling, and Microsoft prices it clearly: $10.00 for Planner Plan 1 and $30.00 for Planner and Project Plan 3 per user a month paid yearly, or $679.99 and $1,129.99 once for the 2024 desktop editions.

The naming is the hard part. Project Plan 1, 3 and 5 were renamed in 2024, Microsoft's Planner FAQ says Project for the web was retired, and Microsoft's pages still disagree on Plan 5 and on how Project Online's 30 September 2026 retirement is worded.

Why we rate itPlan and desktop prices and feature lists are on Microsoft's own pages; the marks against it are an unpriced Plan 5, old and new names side by side and a separate Copilot licence for Planner's AI features.

The catchThe names differ between Microsoft's pages, the subscription is annual and auto-renewing with a card-backed trial, and Project Online is described as retiring on a date that has passed.

Best / not good for

Best for

People who need dependencies, baselines and critical path in a desktop app
Buyers who prefer a one-time desktop licence to a subscription
Teams that want Planner's web and Teams apps alongside the desktop client

Not good for

Anyone looking for a free Project desktop app
Buyers who need a published Plan 5 price or a monthly price
Teams that want a browser-only tool with no installed client

Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

Time to value
After buying, the desktop app is installed from microsoft365.com; the one-time editions need a product key redeemed at microsoft365.com/setup first, and subscription users need a licence assigned by their admin.
Scale breakpoint
Each desktop edition is licensed for one PC, and Plan 3 allows up to five concurrent installations of the desktop client per licence.
Walled garden
Microsoft's install page says Project is sold as a stand-alone application, and Planner's AI features need a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.

Still a fit?

If none of these block you, try it on the official site.

Try Microsoft

Microsoft Project names: what each Microsoft page calls it

Name	What Microsoft's pages say	Where
Project Plan 1	Renamed Planner Plan 1 in April 2024. The Planner compare page sells Planner Plan 1 at $10.00 per user a month, paid yearly.	Planner FAQ
Project Plan 3	Renamed Planner and Project Plan 3 as of 18 September 2024. It is the plan that includes the Project desktop client. The Learn Project service description, last updated 29 September 2026, still says Project Plan 3.	Planner FAQ
Project Plan 5	The Planner FAQ says it became Planner and Project Plan 5 on 18 September 2024, and the Project Online blog post updated 24 August 2026 names it. The US Planner compare page lists no Plan 5, and its /project-plan-5 address redirects to that page. The Learn Planner subscriptions page, last updated 1 June 2026, lists only Planner Plan 1 and Planner and Project Plan 3 as premium subscriptions. No Plan 5 price appears on the pages read.	Learn: Planner subscriptions
Project for the web	The Planner FAQ says it has been retired and users were redirected to Planner. Microsoft's May 2025 announcement set the retirement for August 2025. A Microsoft Support article still says it will soon become Planner, and the Learn service description still lists it as an application.	Planner Blog, May 2025
Project Online	The Planner Blog says it will officially retire on 30 September 2026. The Plan 3 page says it is being retired on that date, and the Learn Project Online description, updated 9 January 2026, says September 2026. The date has passed, and none of these pages says the service has closed.	Planner Blog, updated 24 August 2026
Project desktop client	Called the Project Online desktop client on the Plan 3 page and the Project compare page, and the Microsoft Project desktop client on Learn and Support. Microsoft says the desktop client is not affected by the Project Online retirement.	Project compare page
Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024	One-time desktop editions, each licensed for one PC. Standard 2024 is labelled 'Recommended for Project Online transition'. Both support Long-Term Servicing Channel.	Project compare page
Project Server Subscription Edition	An on-premises server edition built on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, with no price on the page; Microsoft says to find a partner.	Project compare page
Microsoft Planner	The task and project app that Microsoft lists as included in Microsoft 365. Planner Plan 1 and Planner and Project Plan 3 add premium features, and former Project for the web users were redirected to it.	Planner compare page

From Microsoft's own pages, read 1 November 2026. Where two pages disagree, both statements are shown and neither is picked. Older articles and some Microsoft pages still use the Project Plan names.

Microsoft Project plans and editions, with prices as Microsoft shows them

Plan or edition	Price shown (US pages)	Billing and terms	Project desktop client
Microsoft Planner (basic plans)	Included in Microsoft 365	Part of an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription	Not listed
Planner Plan 1 (was Project Plan 1)	$10.00 per user per month	Paid yearly. Annual subscription that auto-renews. One-month free trial; a credit card is required	Not listed in its highlights
Planner and Project Plan 3 (was Project Plan 3)	$30.00 per user per month	Paid yearly. Annual subscription that auto-renews. One-month free trial; a credit card is required. A footnote says administrators can choose annual or monthly commitment plans and that other, non-administrator purchasers may buy a monthly subscription online; no monthly price is shown	Included, with up to five concurrent installations per licence
Planner and Project Plan 5 (was Project Plan 5)	No price on the pages read	Not stated	Listed for Plan 5 in the Learn service description
Project Professional 2024	$1,129.99	One-time purchase for one PC. Perpetual licence: once activated, Microsoft says it will not expire	This is the desktop app
Project Standard 2024	$679.99	One-time purchase for one PC	This is the desktop app
Project Server Subscription Edition	Not published; Microsoft says to find a partner	Customer-managed infrastructure	Project Professional 2024 can connect to it

From Microsoft's US (en-US) Planner and Project compare pages and the Planner and Project Plan 3 page, checked 1 November 2026. Dollar amounts are shown as printed; the pages give no currency code. Planner's AI features need a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, which Microsoft shows as its own card and which is not in the prices above. Subscription and one-time prices are on different bases, so they are not added up here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Microsoft Project plan?Is Microsoft discontinuing Microsoft Project?Is Microsoft Project free?How much does Microsoft Project cost?How do I install the Project desktop app after buying a plan?Should I buy Project Professional 2024 or Planner and Project Plan 3?

What is a Microsoft Project plan?

A Microsoft Project plan is either a subscription (Planner Plan 1 or Planner and Project Plan 3) or a one-time desktop edition (Project Standard 2024 or Project Professional 2024), and Microsoft's pages use different names for the same plans. Microsoft's Planner FAQ says Project Plan 1 was renamed Planner Plan 1 in April 2024, and that Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 became Planner and Project Plan 3 and Planner and Project Plan 5 on 18 September 2024. Microsoft's Planner compare page now lists only Planner Plan 1 and Planner and Project Plan 3, and Plan 3 is the one that includes the Project desktop client. Microsoft also sells Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 as one-time desktop purchases. The names table on this page shows which Microsoft page uses which name (checked 1 November 2026).

Is Microsoft discontinuing Microsoft Project?

Not Project as a whole: Microsoft's pages describe the retirement of one part, Project Online. A Planner Blog post posted 5 September 2025 and updated 24 August 2026 says Project Online will officially retire on 30 September 2026 and that this does not affect Project desktop, Project Server Subscription Edition or Planner. Microsoft's May 2025 announcement set the retirement of Project for the web for August 2025, and its Planner FAQ now says Project for the web has been retired and users redirected to Planner. The 30 September date has passed, but the Microsoft pages read on 1 November 2026 still say 'will retire' or 'is being retired', so this page cannot say from Microsoft's own pages whether the service has already closed (checked 1 November 2026).

Is Microsoft Project free?

No. Planner's basic plans are included with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, but the Project desktop app is not free. Microsoft sells it as Project Standard 2024 at $679.99 or Project Professional 2024 at $1,129.99, both one-time purchases, or with Planner and Project Plan 3 at $30.00 per user a month, paid yearly. Planner Plan 1 and Plan 3 each carry a one-month free trial that needs a credit card and becomes a paid subscription unless you cancel (checked 1 November 2026).

How much does Microsoft Project cost?

Planner Plan 1 is $10.00 and Planner and Project Plan 3 is $30.00, both per user a month, paid yearly, on Microsoft's US (en-US) pages read on 1 November 2026. Each is an annual subscription that auto-renews. Project Standard 2024 is $679.99 and Project Professional 2024 is $1,129.99, one-time purchases each licensed for one PC. Planner and Project Plan 5 has no price on those pages. The Plan 3 page footnote says a global or billing administrator needs an annual commitment to buy online and can pay monthly or annually, and that other, non-administrator purchasers may buy a monthly subscription online; no monthly price is shown (checked 1 November 2026).

How do I install the Project desktop app after buying a plan?

Microsoft's Install Project page says to sign in at microsoft365.com with the account tied to your copy: a Microsoft account for the one-time versions, a work or school account for subscription versions. For Project Standard or Professional 2024, redeem the product key at microsoft365.com/setup once, then choose Install and more and Install beside your version. For the subscription route the page says to choose Install Microsoft 365 apps and pick Project under apps and devices; if Project is not listed, it says you probably have no licence assigned, so ask your admin. The Plan 3 page allows up to five concurrent installations of the desktop client per subscription licence (checked 1 November 2026).

Should I buy Project Professional 2024 or Planner and Project Plan 3?

This page gives the documented differences, not a recommendation. Microsoft's compare page says the core features of Project Professional 2024 and the Project Online desktop client are nearly identical with one exception: the desktop client includes Kanban task boards. Professional 2024 has a perpetual licence that does not expire once activated, while the desktop client needs an active Planner and Project Plan 3 subscription. Professional 2024 is $1,129.99 once for one PC; Plan 3 is $30.00 per user a month, paid yearly, and also covers Planner's web and Teams apps. The two are priced on different bases, so they are not a like-for-like comparison (checked 1 November 2026).