Monday.com
Visual work OS with customizable boards and workflows.
Alternatives · 2026
Alternatives to Microsoft Planner
Lightweight task and board planner inside Microsoft 365.
3 hand-curated alternatives from MintedSaaS's directory. See the Microsoft Planner listing →
Microsoft Planner is a lightweight task management and board planning tool built into Microsoft 365. It's designed for teams already living in the Microsoft ecosystem—those with Exchange mailboxes, SharePoint sites, and active Azure AD directories. Planner lets you create task boards, assign work, set deadlines, and attach files within the familiar Microsoft interface. It's most common in mid-market enterprises where Microsoft 365 licensing is already in place and teams need a quick, included option rather than a separate tool.
Planner works well for straightforward workflows: small project tracking, sprint planning, or cross-functional task coordination among 5-50 people. It's shallow enough that most teams can set it up without training, but it caps out if you need advanced scheduling, resource leveling, portfolio-level views, or heavy custom workflows. Teams that outgrow Planner typically chase either best-of-breed alternatives like Asana or Monday.com for more flexible task modeling, or they move to Microsoft Project if they're doing true enterprise project management within the Microsoft stack.
What we offer that competes
Asana
Work-management platform for cross-functional teams.
Microsoft Project
Long-running enterprise project planning and scheduling tool.
What to look for
- Whether the tool stores your data in your own cloud tenant (Microsoft Project in M365) versus SaaS-managed infrastructure (Monday.com, Asana).
- Whether the product offers Gantt views, resource capacity planning, and dependencies—or if it's strictly boards and lists.
- Whether the alternative supports Agile workflows like sprint backlogs, velocity tracking, or burndown charts natively.
- How your team authenticates: Microsoft 365 SSO only (Project), multi-SSO including SAML (Asana, Monday.com), or no SSO at free tiers.
- Whether the tool integrates with your existing Stack—Slack channels, GitHub commits, Jira tickets, or Microsoft Teams notifications.
- How much historical data the product retains and whether archived tasks or completed projects remain queryable or must be exported first.
FAQ
What are the best alternatives to Microsoft Planner?
Monday.com, Asana, and Microsoft Project are the most common swaps. Monday.com is strongest for visual workflows and automation; Asana scales to larger programs and portfolios; Microsoft Project fits organizations that need Gantt charts and resource allocation without leaving the Microsoft ecosystem.
Are there free alternatives to Microsoft Planner?
Asana and Monday.com both have free tiers that support basic task boards and up to roughly 10 team members. If you need zero-cost, open-source options, Plane and OpenProject exist but require self-hosting.
How do I choose a task management tool for my team?
Start with team size and workflow type: small teams doing simple sprints may stay comfortable in Planner or Asana Free, while teams managing multiple projects need portfolio views and resource planning. Then check integration needs—do you live in Slack, Jira, or Microsoft Teams?—and whether you need advanced reporting or custom automation.
What platforms do Planner alternatives support?
Monday.com and Asana run entirely cloud-based and accessible from any browser or mobile app. Microsoft Project works on desktop and web, heavily integrated with Microsoft 365. Most alternatives also ship native iOS and Android apps.
Can I migrate my tasks out of Microsoft Planner?
Planner doesn't have a native export, but you can use Power Automate or third-party tools like Zapier to push tasks to another system. Most teams do a manual CSV re-entry or start fresh in the alternative tool.
Which task tool is best for Agile or Scrum teams?
Asana has dedicated Agile templates and backlog management; Monday.com excels at visual sprint boards and burndown charts. Microsoft Project leans toward traditional waterfall. For pure Scrum, Jira is the default, but Asana and Monday.com are solid complements.
Do I need project management software if I'm already using email and spreadsheets?
If your projects involve more than one person, moving deadlines, or frequent status updates, a task tool saves time. Spreadsheets and email create bottlenecks as team size grows; centralized tools keep visibility and reduce duplicate communication.
What's the difference between task management and project management tools?
Task tools focus on to-do lists, boards, and sprint cycles for small teams. Project management tools add Gantt charts, resource allocation, budget tracking, and portfolio oversight for larger programs. Asana and Monday.com sit in the middle; Microsoft Project is true project management.