Microsoft Project vs Backlog

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Microsoft Project vs Backlog based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Project Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Microsoft Project is a robust project management software designed to assist professionals in planning, managing, and tracking projects effectively. It is particularly suitable for organizations that require detailed project planning, resource allocation, and progress monitoring. The software offers comprehensive features such as Gantt charts, task dependencies, resource leveling, and budget management.

Key benefits include improved project visibility, enhanced collaboration, streamlined task management, and efficient resource allocation. Its user-friendly interface and customizable templates make it accessible to users of all skill levels. Compared to similar products, Microsoft Project stands out with its advanced features, integration with other Microsoft applications, and extensive support resources.

Pricing varies depending on the specific version and licensing options. Microsoft Project offers flexible pricing plans, including subscription-based models and perpetual licenses, to cater to different business needs.

read more...
Backlog is a cloud-hosted issue tracking and resource management solution that helps developers work with design, IT and marketing teams. Its core capabilities include subtasking, bug tracking, file sharing, Gantt charts, burndown charts and watchlists. Businesses can track overall work progress while prioritizing tasks and to-do lists through team collaboration.

Developers can integrate it with SVN and Git to manage project tasks and source codes. It offers businesses visibility into project workflows and daily timelines using Gantt charts, which get updated in real time. Managers can track and compare project modifications, monitor document changes and leave comments on pull requests. Users can dissect Gantt charts by milestone, assignee or category and export to Excel sheets.
read more...
$10/User, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$35 Monthly, Freemium
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Integrations: Integrates well with other products in the Office suite, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel. 
  • Capture Work Hours: Includes timesheets where team members can fill in hours worked by day and task. Has a simple approval process that lets managers add notes if they reject a submission. Timesheets give insight into project progress and help keep it within time and budget limits.  
  • View Multiple Timelines: Get the big picture of every facet of a project with a visual layout of tasks and milestones. Customize what information appears on timelines and share them with project stakeholders. 
  • Collaborate Efficiently: Integrates with Skype for Business, keeping your team connected via video calls and chat rooms. Direct access to Skype ensures users don’t have to switch between apps.  
  • Simplify Project Planning: Supports waterfall, agile, hybrid method, Gantt charts and pulldown menus to aid project planning. Lets users work in sprints using a Kanban layout. 
read more...
  • Gantt and Burndown Charts: Get a timeline view into the entire project for better planning. Track projects with details like tasks in progress, tasks assigned to each employee and completion dates. Automatically generate reports from both charts and drill them down for deeper insights. Update assignees, due dates and other details when required. 
  • Knowledge Sharing: Create accessible wikis that can be downloaded and edited by team members. Personalize capabilities and tools based on workflows. Store all team data and files while recording real-time conversations in a central place accessible by everyone. Retrieve files and customer information easily. 
  • Mobile App: Keep in touch with project progress and work updates, even when out of the office. Comment, create and update tasks on-the-go. Sync with online workspaces automatically using native Android and iOS apps. 
  • File Sharing: Store project files in a central location while adding comments for assigned employees. Upload files into folders created for a project, issue or team. Report issues by setting up an email address or through web forms. 
  • Notifications: Notify specific employees about tasks that require attention. Send notifications when posting a comment, creating a task, updating a wiki and more. 
  • Jira and Redmine Importer: Get step-by-step instructions on migrating data successfully from Jira and Redmine. Strengthen security with IP restrictions and manage workspace access for better information control. 
read more...
  • Resource Management: Set up teams for success by requesting resources. Heat maps help identify overworked or underused resources. Lets managers project usage, monitor progress and address issues using analytics.  
  • Portfolio Optimization: Models different scenarios using tools like analysis scatter charts. Weigh project proposals against strategic business drivers with organizational cost and resource constraints in mind. 
  • Reports: Offers a number of reports that include a dashboard, progress and cost that provide insight into project metrics. Individual reports include burndowns, project overviews, critical tasks, cash flow, earned value, late tasks and more. Create a customized report from four template types: blank, chart, table and comparison.  
  • BI Capability: Connect with business intelligence apps like Power BI Pro to gain visibility across portfolios. Supports data aggregation to gain comprehensive insights. 
  • Proposal Evaluation: Gather project ideas, use standardized processes to evaluate them and funnel project charters and business cases to management for review and approval.
read more...
  • Project Management: Use burndown charts, Gantt charts or boards to monitor in progress or completed tasks and issues that require attention. Get a view of tasks within large projects and manage schedules with Gantt charts. Track team progress using Kanban boards.  
  • Task Management: Create task hierarchies to organize workflows. Split large projects into parent and child tasks. Divide child tasks or subtasks among team members, prepare checklists to monitor start and due dates, categories, project milestones, custom fields and more. Track project progress by monitoring assigned tasks while updating deadlines for clients. Use Gantt charts to get an overview of task status and status of task owners in one place. 
  • Bug Tracking: Identify bugs and prioritize the process to fix them. Collaborate with teams to fix bugs by logging them as issues, which act as a central hub to discuss and resolve each bug. Let managers and teams get a top view of progress on each bug. Understand bugs and fixes with the module's archives. 
  • Version Control: Discuss, organize and monitor all work progress in one location. Integrate with SVN and Git to manage source codes along with projects. Make codes better while discussing new features with the team before incorporating them into projects. View work on every branch, monitor changes and review team’s work. 
  • Team Collaboration: Eliminate confusion and get more done with enhanced team collaboration and communication. Set user roles and create guest accounts for non-technical teams and clients. Collaborate to edit, share and access wikis while getting notified about changes. Provide feedback, suggest changes and appreciate employees for good work. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#6

among all
Project Management Software

#44

among all
Project Management Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

72
we're gathering data
57
we're gathering data
97
we're gathering data
0
we're gathering data
Show More Show More

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Microsoft Project
Backlog
+ Add Product + Add Product
Customizations Dashboards And Reporting Mobile Capabilities Platform Features Project Planning And Scheduling Project Tracking Task Management Team Collaboration Time Tracking And Management 57 97 0 74 97 95 85 47 81 0 25 50 75 100
29%
43%
28%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
0%
0%
100%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
63%
13%
24%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
92%
0%
8%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
86%
0%
14%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
75%
8%
17%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
33%
25%
42%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
71%
14%
15%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

61%
6%
33%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
88%
0%
12%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 3873 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 312 reviews
84%
of users recommend this product

Microsoft Project has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 3873 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

90%
of users recommend this product

Backlog has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 312 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.7 (21)
4.5 (14)
4.0 (1577)
4.5 (163)
4.4 (1289)
n/a
n/a
4.5 (122)
4.4 (408)
4.2 (6)
4.1 (578)
4.5 (7)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Microsoft Project and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Project Planning and Scheduling.

Project Planning and Scheduling Award

Backlog stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User Friendly: The platform’s functionalities are intuitive and easy to use, as noted by approximately 80% of users who mention the system’s usability.
Project Scheduling: Approximately 81% of the users find its project scheduling capabilities helpful.
Feature-Rich: Approximately 81% of the users who mentioned features said the system provides everything required for proper project handling. It can handle complex projects, create Gantt charts, project timelines and reports.
Customization: Nearly 61% of users who mentioned customization said its customization options were helpful. It integrates with ClearQuest seamlessly and 67% of users find its integrations helpful.
Support: Support is responsive, knowledgeable and helpful, as reported by 100% of reviewers who mention support.
Templates: Approximately 80% of users who mentioned templates find them to be helpful as they display data in an organized manner.
Show more
Visual Task Boards: Backlog provides Kanban-style boards that give teams a clear overview of project progress, allowing them to easily track tasks through different stages of completion.
Gantt Charts: Users appreciate the ability to visualize project timelines and dependencies using Gantt charts, which helps with planning and scheduling.
Custom Fields: Backlog allows users to create custom fields to store project-specific information, making it adaptable to various workflows and use cases.
Wiki Functionality: The platform includes a built-in wiki feature that enables teams to document project details, share knowledge, and collaborate effectively.
Version Control: Backlog integrates with Git and Subversion, providing version control capabilities for managing code and documents within projects.
Show more
Learning Curve: Nearly 96% of the users that mentioned accessibility think that the software has a steep learning curve.
Efficiency: About 72% of users that mentioned efficiency said the software improved their process optimization.
Collaboration: Close to 83% of the users who mention collaboration said that Project does not facilitate collaborative processes well.
Cost: Approximately 94% of the users who mention cost think that its price is prohibitive and that the software is very expensive for the features it offers.
Show more
Limited Customization: Backlog's interface and workflow options can feel restrictive for teams with unique or complex project management needs. The platform's opinionated approach may not align with all team preferences, potentially hindering adaptability.
Reporting Capabilities: Generating in-depth reports or extracting specific data points can be challenging due to Backlog's reporting limitations. Users often find themselves needing to export data and manipulate it externally to gain deeper insights, adding an extra step to the process.
Mobile App Functionality: The Backlog mobile app has received feedback for lacking the full functionality and intuitiveness of the web version. This can limit users' ability to effectively manage tasks and projects while on the go, potentially impacting productivity and responsiveness.
Show more

Microsoft Project remains a robust project management software, praised for its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set. Users appreciate its Gantt charts, resource management capabilities, and integration with other Microsoft products. However, some find its advanced features overwhelming and its reporting capabilities limited compared to specialized project management tools. Project differentiates itself with its ease of use and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. Its intuitive interface makes it accessible to users of all skill levels, while its integration with tools like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint streamlines collaboration. These strengths make it an excellent choice for teams heavily reliant on Microsoft products. Microsoft Project is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses and teams that prioritize ease of use and Microsoft integration. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set make it a valuable tool for managing projects effectively, while its integration with other Microsoft products enhances collaboration and productivity.

Show more

Don't get stuck in a project management "backlog"; streamline your workflow with Backlog: This software has garnered positive attention for its user-friendly interface, making it a breeze for teams to jump right in and start managing tasks. Backlog's diverse features, like Kanban boards and Gantt charts, cater to various team needs, while its integrations with other tools ensure a seamless workflow. Users appreciate its affordability, making it a cost-effective solution for project management. However, some users point out that Backlog lacks certain features, such as time tracking, and offers limited templates and customization options. Compared to competitors like Asana and Trello, Backlog shines in its simplicity and focus on core project management functionalities. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of some platforms, its straightforward approach resonates with teams seeking an uncomplicated solution. Backlog's strength lies in its ability to bring clarity and organization to projects without overwhelming users with excessive features. Backlog is best suited for small to medium-sized teams, particularly those in software development and project management, who value a user-friendly and affordable solution with robust task management and collaboration features. Its intuitive interface and focus on essential project management tools make it an ideal choice for teams looking to enhance their productivity and streamline their workflows without the complexity of more feature-rich platforms.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in Project Management Software


Airtable

Asana

Basecamp

ClickUp

Jira

LiquidPlanner

MeisterTask

monday.com

ProofHub

Smartsheet

TeamGantt

Teamwork

Wrike

Zoho Projects

Related Categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings