Microsoft Planner
Task and project planning built into Microsoft 365, from free boards to Gantt.
What is Microsoft Planner?
Microsoft Planner is a task and work management app within Microsoft 365 for organizing team work into boards, buckets, and assignments. It integrates with Teams, To Do, and Project, offering views from simple Kanban boards up to schedule and timeline management.
Best known for: Team task planning built into Microsoft 365 and Teams
Key features
- Kanban task boards and buckets
- Task assignment and due dates
- Deep Microsoft Teams integration
- Schedule, grid, and board views
- Merged To Do and Project tasks
- Copilot AI plan assistance
Who Microsoft Planner is best for
- Teams already standardized on Microsoft 365 and Teams
- Lightweight planning without the full Project engine
- Orgs wanting a free-to-paid upgrade path in one ecosystem
Ideal team: Small-to-midsize teams of ~5–50 already on Microsoft 365 who need collaborative task and light project tracking inside their existing ecosystem.
Microsoft Planner pricing
Planner (Basic)
$0
- Included with most M365 plans
- Board/Grid/Schedule/Chart views
- Real-time collaboration
Planner Plan 1
$10/per seat / mo
- Sub-tasks + custom fields
- Backlogs/sprints/milestones
- Gantt/Goals/Calendar views
Planner and Project Plan 3
$30/per seat / mo
- Portfolios + baselines
- Critical path + task history
- Project desktop/Online app
Costs to watch before you commit
- Plan 1 and Plan 3 are quoted 'paid yearly' — annual lock-in on auto-renew.
- The full experience assumes an existing Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Copilot AI is a +$30/user/mo add-on, not included in these plans.
- True enterprise portfolio management forces the jump to a Project-branded plan.
Top Microsoft Planner alternatives
Popular Project Management tools teams evaluate alongside Microsoft Planner.
GanttPROOnline Gantt chart maker for professional, timeline-driven project management.
LinearStreamlined, high-velocity issue tracking for product teams.
MeisterTaskIntuitive Kanban task and project management for teams that value simplicity.
Aha!Product management software to link strategy to detailed, AI-assisted roadmaps.
ClickUpOne app to replace them all — tasks, docs, goals, and automations.