Compare Microsoft Project with Wrike

Published by Valerie | Monday, 24 December, 2007

(Last edited on May 29, 2009)

When you choose the best project management software for your needs, you most likely want the tool to:

save you time,
release you from routine operations,
be easy to use,
support collaboration, and
keep operations transparent to you.

What kind of software will meet your expectations? Web-based collaboration software is the most practical answer. With the help of collaboration software like Wrike, you can easily stay on the same page with your team and run your project successfully. Your employees can instantly contribute to the project plans. You get better control over all operations.

Let’s examine why traditional project management tools like Microsoft Project are outdated and how Wrike can help you run your projects more successfully.

	Wrike	MS Project*
Price	From $9.95/mo for unlimited users and projects	$999 per license
Upgrades	Free Automatic	$599 per upgrade Manual
System requirements	Cross-platform. You only need a Web browser and Internet connection.	Microsoft Project Web Access is supported with Internet Explorer 6.x and Internet Explorer 7.x only.
Installation	No installation required	You need the software to be installed on the computer.
Training	No training required	Requires extensive trainings for end-users and administrators. For example, Microsoft Project 2002 Training Courseware consists of 4 modules and 53 lessons.
Project Management Features	Full-featured. Task management, Time tracking, Gantt charts.	Advanced features that bring excessive software complexity. Many of these features you will never use.
Visibility	You get a clear picture of all operations.	You have a limited visibility on every project because your plans are represented in a flat way. Intersection of project parts cannot be reflected in your plans. Only a straightforward process, which rarely happen in real business, can be managed.
Project updates	Your employees report their progress online. You save time on routine operations.	You have to update the plan manually. First you need to collect reports from dozens of your employees. Then you analyze them and manually enter data in your project plan. This process is very time-consuming, and mistakes often can occur.
Sharing of information and tasks	Free	On average, the ability to share your plans will cost you between $4,998 and $85,892. The explanations of these calculations are described below. Sharing of information available only with MS Project Server and Microsoft Web-Access. MS Project Server available only through volume licensing; price not quoted. However, the price may reach up to $52, 894. Additionally MS Project Server Requires: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for hosting and function of Windows Server System. Purchasing of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 will cost you up to $7,999, depending on the edition. Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Requires Microsoft SQL Server for enterprise project management functionality. You will have to spend between $3,899 and $24,999 on SQL Server. IT personnel who can help you choose the most suitable edition of MS Project Server, Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server. IT personnel who will be able to install all components correctly and maintain their operational status. A single computer (stand-alone installation) or many computers. The requirements for your installation will depend on the availability and scale requirements for your solution.
E-mail collaboration	Yes. You can create tasks from your favorite e-mail client and even work from your BlackBerry.	Not applicable.
Does the tool remind people about overdue tasks via e-mail?	Yes	No. Available only with MS Project Server and Microsoft Web-Access. It will cost you at least $4,998 (see “Sharing of information and tasks”).
Does the tool notify you about changes in plans?		No.
Try Wrike Now?	Yes

Get your FREE, 30-day trial of Wrike Now!

* Legal disclaimer. All Trademarks or registered. Trademarks found on the Site or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

6 Comments

Published by Mary-Anne, Tuesday, 21 October, 2008

I did the same comparison and I used two different computers to do so. Doing the same operations in both applications made me realize the differences. I mean, it's the easiest way to see it on two computer monitors and find the exact problems or hot points.
Published by Jeffrey, Thursday, 23 April, 2009

Am I somehow not seeing a large set of features in Wrike? I use project for a small team (5 people), and a key feature is the effort-driven scheduling. With wrike, there's no way to prevent someone in marketing from scheduling a new task that results in 300% utilization of our team. In fact, there's not even a way for them to know that they're doing it.

Open collaboration and scheduling can be great in a small organization, but only if everyone has all the data. Where do I enter basic effort information?
Published by Daria, Thursday, 23 April, 2009

Jeffrey,
Wrike is much more flexible, than you think, that’s why we have customers from SMBs to global corporations with dozens of users operating in one workspace. You can store all your project data in Wrike, as well as upload files of any type. Moreover, you can choose what piece of information you want to share with different teams. For example, you can keep development and marketing tasks in separate folders or share individual development tasks with your marketing team, so that they won’t access all the other development tasks. Please have a look at this example.
Otherwise, if you want everybody to have all the information you can easily share your whole workspace with your teams. Here’s how.
One of the strongest points in Wrike is that you’re always in control of what your team members are doing. Wrike’s smart email and online notifications help you to instantly get the latest project updates.
Published by Daria, Thursday, 23 April, 2009

Here's a link to the 1st example: http://www.wrike.com/help/flexible_structures/feature_usage/create_different_views_on_the_project
Here's a link the the 2nd example: http://www.wrike.com/help/flexible_structures/share_your_workspace
Published by Jeffrey, Friday, 24 April, 2009

Daria - good examples of features, but how do I track effort within a project?

How do I determine that person A is working 100% next month, but person B is only working 20%?
Published by Daria, Friday, 29 May, 2009

Jeffrey,
There's no such a feature in Wrike now. We've added your vote to our customer requests' database. Thank you for you feedback!

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