Member-Managed LLC vs Manager-Managed LLC: Key Differences

A member-managed LLC team meeting in a meeting room

After registering your business as an LLC, you have one more crucial decision to make. It’s whether you want to set up your management structure as a member-managed LLC vs manager-managed LLC. 

A member-managed LLC means the owners have combined control over business decisions. On the other hand, a manager-managed LLC assigns one or more elected professional managers to make company decisions.

1. Member-Managed LLC

A member-managed LLC gives management authority to the owners of the LLC. The owners are called “members” or “agents”, and each member can offer input in company decisions. However, depending on the details in the operating agreement, the owners may have an equal or varying say. 

For example, a partner who owns 50% of the LLC may have twice as much say as a partner who owns 25% of the LLC. In addition, member-management is the standard structural designation in most states. This means that if you don’t specify in your LLC’s articles of organization or operating agreement, each member may be considered a manager. 

  • All members can contribute to management decisions
  • Less complex structure, especially for small businesses
  • Excellent solution for retailers and brick-and-mortar businesses 
  • Can take away owners’ time from strategic decisions
  • Harder to raise money from investors

2. Manager-Managed LLC

A manager-managed LLC requires your company to elect a manager or managers to control day-to-day business decisions. However, members still retain authority over some activities, such as dissolving the company. Nevertheless, the manager is the primary legal agent of the LLC and can make quick decisions on half of your company without waiting for approval. 

This type of management designation is ideal when an LLC has investors. In this case, most investors are passive investors, also known as “silent partners”. Passive investors own a portion of the business but typically don’t have the time or expertise to help with day-to-day decisions. This is why you should elect the most knowledgeable members to be managers. 

  • Easy for investors to passively invest in the company
  • Makes it more convenient for large LLCs to operate quickly
  • Lets elected managers make quick decisions
  • Consolidates decision-making authority 
  • All members don’t have a say in management decisions
  • Must carefully document manager authority it operating agreement
  • Elected manager may not understand business as well as owners
  • Elected manager must earn a salary, making it more difficult for small businesses 

Member Managed vs Manager Managed LLC

There are a few key differences between a member-managed LLC and a manager-managed LLC. The following comparison chart will help you decide which management structure to choose.

Key Features

Member Managed LLC

Manager Managed LLC

Day-to-Day Decision Making

All Members

Designated Members

Allows Passive Investment

No

Yes

Ideal For What Size Business

Small Businesses

Larger Businesses

Default Option for Most LLCs

Yes

No

Decision-Making Speed

Slower

Quicker

Member Control

High

Low

Attracting Qualified Management

Harder

Easier

Simplicity

Very Streamlined

Less Streamlined

Who Are Member-Managed LLCs Best For?

Member-managed LLCs are suitable for companies with a small number of investors who want to streamline day-to-day decisions. This type of LLC management is popular because of its simplicity and flexibility. As such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that member-management is the most common option for owners when creating an LLC.

In addition, this management structure typically suggests that investors must be able to provide assistance in a hands-on managerial role. Although this isn’t always the case, this is great for businesses that want to leave decision-making in the hands of members with an active role in personal investment and engagement. 

In essence, member-managed LLCs are the perfect choice for your business if you and the other owners want to play an active role in the company’s affairs. For example, let’s say you co-own an online store with another individual. If you want to create the website while your partner conducts the marketing activities, you should choose a member-managed LLC. 

Who Are Manager-Managed LLCs Best For?

Manager-managed LLCs are ideal for larger companies with passive investors. Similar to corporations, manager-managed LLCs allow your company to have passive investors. As such, you can extend membership to individuals who don’t want to take part in day-to-day business activities. You can think of the manager in a manager-managed LLC as a corporate director.

This is also the correct business management structure for businesses with members without management or industry experience. Since designated managers don’t need to be existing members of the LLC, manager-managed LLCs have an easier time recruiting competent management.

We can go through an example to help you visualize how a manager-managed LLC works.

Let’s say you and your business partner receive money from three investors. At this point, you, your partner, and the three investors are members of the LLC since each of you has an ownership stake. 

In a manager-managed LLC, all the members can vote to make you and your partner the LLC managers. This way, you and your business partner can make quick business decisions without getting the go-ahead from the three outside investors. 

A manager-managed LLC is also the right choice if you have a larger business with multiple owners. It may be difficult to assemble everyone to vote on management decisions if you have more than five or six owners. A better strategy is to delegate management responsibility to one or two professional managers. 

It’s also important to remember that professional managers are considered employees and must receive a salary for their work. If an individual is both a member and a professional manager, then they can receive a salary for the chunk of time they put into management duties. 

LLC Operating Agreement: Finalize Your Business Structure

Your LLC’s operating agreement is a contract between the members explaining how the company will be run and how your company makes important decisions. Examples include how crucial procedures work, how compensation will be distributed, and how the business would like to be taxed.

Operating agreements also indicate which management structure your LLC chooses and discuss the responsibilities amongst members and the allocation of administrative rights. If you don’t detail your management structure, your LLC is at risk when legal issues or other disputes arise.

However, you don’t need to file operating agreements with the state, such as with articles of organization. Nonetheless, having an operating agreement is strongly recommended. Furthermore, you should update the operating agreement as your company grows.

How Do I Create an Operating Agreement?

It is very difficult to create an operating agreement from scratch without legal experience. Instead, we recommend following a template or step-by-step instructions found online on legal help websites.

However, the best way to create an operating agreement is with the help of a business registration service, such as ZenBusiness. These LLC services are catered toward LLCs and offer many services, including the creation of operating agreements based on a series of questions.

If you need further help forming your LLC, you can use ZenBusiness. As one of the best LLC services, ZenBusiness specifically focuses on LLC formation.

IT can also help you get the right business license based on your business structure, location, and industry type. Furthermore, since LLCs require you to nominate a registered agent, ZenBusiness offers registered agent services as well.

FAQs for Member-Managed vs Manager-Managed LLC

Before you head out, let’s go over a few common questions we receive about LLC management structure:

Bottom Line on Member Managed vs Manager Managed LLC

Choosing the correct LLC management structure is easy once you understand both options, member managed, and manager managed. Choosing a member managed LLC is your best bet if you have a small business with a few owners. Conversely, larger businesses with passive investors should opt for a manager-managed LLC. 

ClickUp vs Monday: Features, Pricing & Support

Person at work using a laptop on a desk

Managing projects isn’t getting any easier. Thanks to a global pandemic, many businesses now allow workers to work from home full-time. The right project management software may be the only way to keep everything organized and moving in the same direction while having a grasp on how far along your team is on each project. To make that decision easier, we’ve gone through and compared two of the industry-leading apps, ClickUp vs monday.com, so you can see how they stack up against each other.

Quick Comparison: ClickUp vs monday.com

Key Features

File Sharing

5/5

3/5

Time Tracking and Time Management

4/5

3/5

Customization

4.5/5

4/5

Gantt Chart

5/5

4/5

Task Management

4/5

4/5

Collaboration

3.5/5

3/5

Customer Support

3/5

2.5/5

Pricing

3/5

3/5

Overall Rating

3.5/5

3/5

ClickUp vs monday.com: In-depth Analysis

These days, project management software will have all the tools you need to keep things running smoothly. When putting monday.com vs ClickUp, there are some project management tools both offer as core features. However, there are a few distinct features that separate them, as well as having different ways of making themselves user-friendly.

Project management (PM) is a complex topic and the associated tools tend to reflect that complexity. As a result, comparing monday.com and ClickUp feature-by-feature might be a bit overwhelming. 

To keep it simple, we’ve boiled things down to a few key points of comparison. Each point touches on key aspects of project management, so you can get a clear idea of how each option operates.

File Sharing

File storage and sharing in the cloud is a standard part of business, so any good PM software has to offer options along those lines. Both options allow integrations with Google Sheets, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and other common cloud storage options. As a result, there are some basic file-sharing functions that both can fulfill equally well.

Additionally, both offer document editors within their apps. Monday describes their work docs as “virtual whiteboards,” which is fairly accurate. It’s possible to bring most project information into a workdoc and even create a Powerpoint-like sort of presentation. Workdocs also allow real-time editing with multiple team members. ClickUp offers a similar notepad, though much simpler and with fewer functions. 

There is one aspect that does set ClickUp apart, which is that every pay tier offers unlimited storage for files. monday.com scales storage with cost and it might be surprised how quickly 5, 20, or even 100 GB are used up. 

Time Tracking and Time Management

Managing time is a critical aspect of project management. Due dates determine schedules while being able to track time goes a long way toward making budget management easier. Both options allow you to track work time. However, that function is reserved for the Pro tier on monday.com. ClickUp offers most of the time tracking functions even on the free plan.

Additionally, both offer integrations when tracking time devoted to weekly tasks, team collaboration, and other aspects of your team’s work.

If you were to make a comparison of monday.com vs. Microsoft Project or ClickUp vs. Microsoft Project, both Monday and ClickUp would rate as affordable options with less robust time tracking. When comparing the two to each other, it’s clear ClickUp comes out ahead on affordability.

Read: Here are our individual review articles on ClickUp and monday.com.

Customization

Every project has to be approached on its own terms. As a result, project management tools have to be adaptable. Both ClickUp and Monday allow for a fair degree of customization, as users are initially offered a blank workspace to build out to their needs. Those boards can be assembled with custom statuses, recurring tasks, and private boards. 

Both have customizable project templates and other tools to make them user-friendly. However, the heart of most customization these days is bringing third-party applications in through integrations. It’s tough to say which has more integrations, ClickUp or monday.com. Likewise, both offer APIs so that users can create their own integrations as well.

While both have similar customization, ClickUp comes out ahead again. monday.com reserves a lot of custom functions for pricier tiers.

Gantt Chart

Gantt charts are a classic tool for project planning. They allow you to visualize multiple aspects of a project at once, as well as identify critical task dependencies. They are an important part of many workflow apps as a result, for example allowing you to coordinate progress for both product releases and the associated marketing campaigns at once. 

Both apps offer Gantt views, which translate task information into a Gantt chart. Additionally, there are several features that both share, such as tracking progress, mapping dependencies, and assigning team members. 

However, the Gantt view might be a more helpful aspect of ClickUp process management simply because it’s more available. As with other features, Monday reserves the Gantt view for the more expensive options. ClickUp allows some use of Gantt charts even at the free tier.

See how the winner matches up against dedicated Gantt chart apps in our ClickUp vs GanttPRO and ClickUp vs TeamGantt reviews.

Task Management

In practical terms, a lot of project management is actually task management. Perhaps as a result, both ClickUp and monday.com are task-focused. They offer a method to create different tasks, track progress, and monitor your team’s work. This is also one case where Monday is just as affordable, as both platforms offer unlimited tasks even at the free tier.

Tasks are highly customizable, so they can be used to manage projects as diverse as your own personal goals, the HR teams’ search for new team members, or bug-tracking progress in your latest piece of software. Seeing each piece progress can be invaluable when it comes to project scheduling

Workflow automation is also possible, helping to minimize micromanaging. For example, completing a checklist may trigger a notification, so you don’t have to worry about tasks stalling through inattention.

Both options make checklists available. With monday.com, that’s handled through the work doc feature. ClickUp regards checklists as simpler subtasks, so you can do things like creating checklist templates. 

Collaboration

Team collaboration can be difficult to foster, particularly with remote teams. However, it may be a critical aspect starting with project planning, for example with Agile teams. Again, in this area, ClickUp might pull ahead, due to offering a few more critical features at a lower cost. 

Like most modern project management software, collaboration tools come as part of the basic package, including things like commenting on tasks and even an inbox. Monday also touts its work docs as a collaborative space, allowing multiple users to view and edit at once.

However, a lot of collaboration is going to happen in other apps, so integrations become important. ClickUp offers a lot of helpful native integrations, such as Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft teams so everything can happen in the same space. Integrations are sharply limited with monday.com.

Additionally, ClickUp allows guests to view projects and allows more project members at a lower cost than monday.com.

Customer Support

The flipside of all the excellent adaptability offered by both ClickUp and monday.com is complexity. There will definitely be moments managing projects when you’re not sure how to set something up. When your business is at stake, just clicking around and figuring it out may not be very attractive.

A good customer support team can come to the rescue in those situations. However, with both apps, the majority of support consists of video tutorials and help docs. Both also offer 24/7 support, though with monday.com that consists of a form to fill out. 

ClickUp users, on the other hand, can schedule a free call with a coach who can help. ClickUp also offers to connect you with consultants, experts who can help for a fee. However, all that has to be scheduled rather than offering on-the-spot help.

If you’re hoping for dedicated support, in either case you’re going to have to spring for the Pro/Business or Enterprise packages. 

Pricing

The pricing models for these services tend to be fairly similar. There is a free plan with a small amount of functionality best suited for a small team. The price increases as you add features, from options suitable for small businesses to those for multiple projects or large teams. 

ClickUp may be a better option for small teams, even though you get unlimited users on the free tier. You simply get more for your money at the lower tiers. monday.com is a little less expensive at higher tiers, however. Both apps can be billed annually or monthly, with small savings available when you’re billed annually. Both also offer mobile apps for free.

Read: Best 6 Free Project Management Software in 2022

Overall Winner

The overall winner is ClickUp, narrowly edging out Monday due to a bit more functionality with lower costs. Obviously, personal preference can play a role in comparing project management software, putting monday.com vs ClickUp. They come out even in a lot of ways. Both offer an easily navigable mobile app and desktop version of their service. Both offer an array of some of the best project management tools available.

However, ClickUp offers more for a lower cost, which can be a crucial factor when trying to get an entire team on one service. Additionally, ClickUp works with a wider range of other services. Perhaps most importantly, ClickUp also offers more options for support. Having someone walk you through options in real-time can make a huge difference, even if it may not be available at a moment’s notice.

monday.com may be more attractive if you’re willing to pay for the most expensive tiers, as you get more functions for a lower cost. However, even there ClickUp may offer more, particularly in some areas we haven’t discussed, such as security

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ClickUp vs monday.com

Bottom Line on ClickUp vs Monday

Choosing the right project management tool is only one of the dozens of critical decisions an owner or project manager has to make while operating their business. However, it’s not one that can be made hastily or without consideration and there are many factors that could sway you in one direction or another.

While ClickUp and monday.com are similar in many ways, there are a few key differences that might make the difference between a successful project and profitless waste of resources. While our choice for most people and situations is going to be ClickUp, Monday is still a great option for some businesses.

Microsoft Project vs Wrike: Who Wins?

Microsoft has been supplying business software for decades, and its weight of experience is hard to overcome. Wrike is one of the best of the new approaches: project management as work management. Microsoft Project offers a robust toolset, but in a battle between Microsoft vs Wrike, it’s Wrike that could be a better choice for small businesses that need flexibility and customization.

Microsoft Project logo

Microsoft Project: Best for Larger Enterprises

Microsoft Project is a dynamic project management software solution that has all the tools you’d expect as well as a few advanced features that are suited towards larger companies. This software is geared toward users who are experts in project management and work for a big enterprise. 

Since it’s made by Microsoft, you’ll probably want to be a user of the Microsoft family. Products like Word, Excel, Dynamics, and Teams integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project offers tools for project planning and scheduling. It also offers views for Gantt charts, grids, and boards as well as task, time, and team management tools.

  • Robust tools suited for larger enterprises
  • Smooth integration with other Microsoft products
  • Easy time and task progress tracking
  • Steep learning curve
  • Limited integrations with third-party apps
  • Unreliable customer support at times

Pricing

  • Project Plan 1: $10/user per month
  • Project Plan 3: $30/user per month
  • Project Plan 5: $55/user per month
Wrike logo

Wrike: Best for Flexibility and Customization

Although there are many project management solutions available, Wrike stands out for its easy to navigate UI, accurate time tracking, and specialized feature sets catered towards your specific business. Wrike can fit into any type of business because of its customizability. 

From startups and entrepreneurs to remote teams and established enterprises, Wrike is used as one of the most versatile project management software. However, we recommend chatting with a sales rep from Wrike before purchasing. Wrike offers a lot of different features with sliding scale pricing and additional add-ons, so speaking with a rep ensures you get the best plan. Read the complete Wrike review to learn more about it.

  • Specialized packages for services, marketing, and creative teams
  • Extensive time tracking features that allow time tracking within tasks
  • Offers an analytical tool which automatically generates charts
  • More expensive than other PM software options
  • Difficult to choose the correct plan without assistance from Wrike’s team
  • Cannot add a priority to tasks

Pricing

  • Professional plan: $9.80/user per month
  • Business plan: $24.50/user per month
  • Enterprise plan: Inquire for price
  • Enterprise Pinnacle plan: Inquire for price

Microsft Project vs Wrike: Pricing & Features Comparison

The first thing you’ll notice when comparing the price of Wrike vs Microsoft Project is that one has a free plan. Wrike’s free account comes with many nice features, which include unlimited users, task management, and a couple of helpful views. However, most of the sophisticated project management features users are looking for require a paid subscription.

In those terms, the costs are actually comparable, though Microsoft Project is slightly more expensive. 

Key Features

Pricing

Paid plans start at $10 per member / month

Free Plan + Paid Plans start at $9.80 per member / month

Team Management

Multiple views to track team status and collaboration

View project organization with Gantt charts and task assignments

Project Delivery Management

Tools for estimating and managing workload across multiple projects

Hit every goal with Kanban board software

Risk Management

Offers issue tracking and risk management tools

Offers AI-driven assessment of project health

Reporting

Integrates reporting with other Microsoft Suite tools like Excel

Analytics tool for real-time updates and reports on projects

Finance Management

Timesheet submission features

Offers easy-to-use billing software

Collaboration and Communication

Work together on projects with Microsoft Teams

Can easily send messages across entire teams or to individual colleagues

Integration With Other Apps

Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Suite products

400+ app integrations with leading software providers

Usability

Can access on any device

Powerful customization but has a learning curve

Support

Multiple support options and Q&A section

Multiple support options and many resources

Privacy

Uses highly encrypted cloud-service technology

Offers enterprise-grade security

Winner: Tie. The prices are actually fairly close and Wrike’s pricing structure has a number of potential add-ons, making things complicated.

Team Management Breakdown

Team management is an area where both of these options shine, though in ways that highlight their different approaches. Both offer a number of familiar project scheduling tools, including Gantt charts and the option to set up a Workload view. As a result, both enable sophisticated resource management, allowing the optimal allocation of team members’ time and resources. The two options also include time tracking.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project offers a project management tool for HR managers at a brick-and-mortar company, as well as others like automatic resource leveling. You can also add notes to tasks or projects.

Wrike

Wrike puts a bigger emphasis on the team collaboration aspect, with free messaging and file sharing. Wrike also has the Stream widget, which provides an update on everything that is going on.

Winner: Wrike. Your mileage may vary, depending on your needs. While Microsoft Project is great for the admin side of things, Wrike offers more tools for herding cats or your project team. 

Project Delivery Management Breakdown – Microsoft Project vs Wrike

We’ve mentioned that both Wrike and Microsoft Project are PM software with time and task tracking, enabling efficient project delivery. Both platforms are candidates for the best project management software with project tracking. 

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project has tools for estimating workload, along with tools for weighing multiple projects. Additionally, there are several different versions of Microsoft Project with different options. Project Online includes a project board option for Kanban-style management of project tasks. Other versions have other tools.

Wrike

With Wrike, you can create tasks and turn them into milestones, which can be translated into attractive reports with the Analytics tool. You can also set up custom workflows without needing other software.

Winner: Wrike. While Microsoft Project has some portfolio management options, Wrike offers more native tools for shepherding projects to completion. 

Methodology Suitability Breakdown

Every project manager knows the project management phases to follow, regardless of which methodology they follow. Microsoft is credited with an influence on early Agile project management. However, when it comes to Wrike vs Microsoft Project, there’s no question which is friendlier to Agile methods. Let’s discuss how Microsoft Project vs Wrike differ in terms of methodology suitability. 

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project does offer some tools for Agile methods, like the Board tool we’ve already mentioned. Additionally, you can create burndown charts fairly easily. However, Microsoft Project again leaves much of Agile to other MS software, like Teams

Wrike

Wrike’s work OS approach to project management, on the other hand, is a bit kinder to an Agile philosophy. One of the basic views available in even the free tier is the Board, which is basically a Kanban board with tasks sorted by status. 

Winner: Wrike. Microsoft Project suffers from spreading features out among several apps. There are some advantages to that, but in terms of a single piece of software, Wrike offers more. 

Risk Management Breakdown – Microsoft Project vs Wrike

Risk management is the act of identifying and managing threats that can threaten your organization. Project management software can prevent errors by ensuring every aspect of the project is running according to plan.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project has a tailored project management tool for both issue tracking and risk management. It allows you to add issues to projects or tasks, along with notes. Additionally, with portfolio management you can compare different scenarios to identify less risky options.

Wrike

Wrike, on the other hand, doesn’t have any specific issue tracking tools. It is possible to use other tools, like Request Forms, to create an issue tracker, however. Additionally, Wrike offers an AI-driven assessment of project health.

Winner: Microsoft Project. Risk management is precisely the sort of administrative task that Microsoft Project does really well.

Reporting Breakdown

While meetings have become a byword for wasted time in many teams, effective presentations are one of the most important tools in a project manager’s toolbox. It keeps team members informed and stakeholders up-to-date. As a result, easy-to-read reports are an important aspect of project management software.

Microsoft Project

There is a range of reporting options with Microsoft Project, particularly some that we’ve already mentioned in regards to resource management like workload. Microsoft wants you to use the Office 365 package, however, which means many options are reserved for Excel, Power BI, and other software.

Wrike

For Wrike, you’ll want to head to the Analytics tool for real-time reports. It will take data from projects like the progress of tasks and workload, then turn it into charts that can be easily read. It becomes easy-to-process information and makes decisions regarding resources. Note that Analytics isn’t free, unfortunately, and is only available for Business and above plans.

Winner: Tie. Microsoft Project leaves many reporting tools for other apps, but they’re also unavailable for all but the most expensive tiers of Wrike. It ends up being a wash.

Finance Management Breakdown – Wrike vs MS Project

Money matters are a central concern to any company, of course, and project management requires close monitoring of the bottom line.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project enables project managers to manage costs in a number of ways, including billing and invoicing. It’s also possible to use other advanced features to predict expenses in the future, and reports will detail workload and other various aspects. 

Wrike

Wrike users will find fewer tools. Many businesses have separate financial software, so it’s not unusual for the work OS style of project management software to leave those functions out. Instead, Wrike integrates with a lot of common financial software.

Winner: Microsoft Project. Microsoft simply offers more tools, though Wrike’s setup might be more convenient for some folks. 

Collaboration and Communication Breakdown

Collaboration tools have become a focus of some project management software, particularly the work OS style.

Microsoft Project

As we’ve said, Microsoft users will find that most of those options may be found in other MS products, leaving them out of that trend to some extent.

Wrike

Wrike, on the other hand, is packed with tools for staying in touch with your team. You can send messages to teams, projects, or whole companies. You can also get notifications sent to your business email, or, if you use the mobile app, get notifications in real-time.

Winner: Wrike. There’s no question that Wrike has more built-in tools for collaboration.

Integration With Other Apps Breakdown

Sometimes you need more project management tools that aren’t included in base packages. Seamless access to information in other software is an important consideration, as it can really make life easier and save a lot of money. Both systems have a lot of free integrations, as well as some additional options users can add at an additional cost.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is, of course, part of Microsoft Office 365. It integrates with those tools so that you can send updates of tasks to your team using Outlook, for example. The process for that is supposed to be seamless and easy to set up, particularly as most people are somewhat familiar with Microsoft products.

Wrike

Wrike also has a long list of integrations, including many Microsoft products. Integrations are limited at the Free and Professional tiers. There are also some options that require an additional cost.

Winner: Tie. Comparing Wrike vs Microsoft Project, they may be most similar in the integration options. There are a range of possibilities, but the most useful ones cost more.

Usability Breakdown

Each new user will have a different experience. Additionally, Microsoft Project has both an online version and a desktop client, with a different set of options for each. It can be tough to compare usability, as a result.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project tends to put focus on Gantt charts as the main tool for tracking task organization and progress. On every platform, including iPhone, Android, and desktop, notes can be added to tasks. There are also specific tools to help HR, resource management, and other departments.

Wrike

A new user on Wrike might have an easier time, with tutorials and more. It’s easy to create your first project and get to work, whether you’re working with a team or keeping track of a couple of side businesses for yourself. If you do have team members, it will be easy to stay in touch. 

Winner: Tie. User reviews for Microsoft software are often uncomplimentary, but realistically, most people are familiar with the approach. On the other hand, while no one would call Wrike simple project management software, it is fairly intuitive. In either case, it might be possible to just sit down and start working.

Support Breakdown

Depending on which industry you operate in, you may need specialized support to make the most of the PM software. Without proper support, it will be difficult to optimize your usage of the project management tools.

Microsoft Project

Support options for Microsoft Project are quite varied. Microsoft offers a certain amount of free support, though a business will probably want to pay for a support plan for their software. Beyond Microsoft’s offerings, there are contractors who specialize in those products, as well as a range of other sources.

Wrike

Wrike offers access to a range of support options that have become standard for online project management platforms. In addition to tutorials, there are lots of help documents, walkthroughs, a help request form for Wrike’s team, and more. Priority support is an add-on to a more expensive account. 

Winner: Tie. Whether Wrike, Microsoft Project, or another platform, adequate support is always difficult to find. Neither has quite got it right, but there are options to guide you in the right direction.

Privacy Breakdown

You can find a commitment to privacy on the website of either company. Both companies also meet requirements for data security and privacy. In essence, your important project data is safe with Wrike and Microsoft Project. Both also offer some additional security options, including things like two-factor authentication, and encryption keys. 

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project ensures your data and information is safe with its highly secure and encrypted cloud-service technology.

Wrike

Since its inception, Wrike has made privacy a top priority. Wrike offers enterprise-grade security with a strategy that focuses on five categories: physical, network, system, application, and people. 

Winner: Tie. Your data should be safe with either option. Additional security costs more for either option.

Customer Service

It’s important that your project management software offers consistently reliable customer support. When emergency situations present themselves, you’ll want to be able to reach a representative through chat, email, or phone communication.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project offers a comprehensive set of resources through its Project Support section. You can find answers to commonly asked questions about each of the Project plans. There’s also a blog where community members can ask each other questions. Microsoft’s customer service team is also available for a live chat or phone call Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM central time.

Wrike

Wrike offers a help center that provides interactive training videos and a community forum. It also has a knowledge base that walks you through common problems users have using the software. You can also submit a ticket with your questions and wait for a response from a customer service agent.

Winner: Tie. Both options offer standard customer service options without one rising above the other. 

Customer Reviews

Microsoft Project and Wrike have mostly positive customer reviews. However, this doesn’t mean that users face challenges when using both project management solutions. Both MS Project and Wrike have steeper learning curves than other solutions and a lack of 24/7 customer support.

Microsoft Project Customer Reviews

Most users report an outstanding experience using Microsoft Project. They enjoy MS Project’s integration feature and ability to manage multiple projects for a large enterprise. However, they say that Microsoft Project is optimal for advanced users with complicated projects or large organizations. Microsoft Project has received a G2 rating of 4.0 out of 5.

Wrike Customer Reviews

Wrike users enjoy the platform’s scheduling management and tracking capabilities. The main issues users have is the software’s inability to manage project-related communication. However, customers state that Wrike is user-friendly and offers robust reporting features. Wrike has a 4.2 out of 5 rating on G2.

Winner: Tie. With only 0.2 points separating their ratings on G2, the reviews for both options are similar. Both PM solutions have mostly positive reviews along with slight criticisms.

Alternatives to MS Project vs Wrike

Since there are so many project management software available, it’s important you understand all of your options. If you’re on a budget, you may want to try free project management software first. The three alternatives we cover below may be a better fit for you than MS Project or Wrike.

When to use it

GanttPro is a project management solution that offers an intuitive web-based interface that’s ideal for small and midsize businesses. You can plan your project timelines, enable employees to collaborate, and oversee tasks, resources and team members with GanttPRO.

  • Easy to use interface
  • Simple and affordable pricing structure
  • Ability to save and return to previous project versions
  • Limited reporting options
  • Only integrates with Google, Jira, Slack, and an API
  • No free tier

Pricing

  • Individual: $15.00/user per month
  • Team: $8.90/user per month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price

When to use it

Zoho Projects is an efficient project management solution for small businesses. It offers robust project scheduling and budgeting features that keep your business running smoothly. This project management software also lets you automate revision tracking and resolve errors in project tasks with its issue management capabilities.

  • Affordable packages
  • Mobile app included
  • Third-party integrations
  • Lacks a few enterprise-level features
  • You must custom build project templates
  • Abnormal resource management view

Pricing

  • Free: $0 
  • Premium: $5.00/user per month
  • Enterprise: $10.00/user per month

When to use it

ClickUp is a comprehensive project management suite that manages every aspect of your business. Used by enterprises of any size, ClickUp enables efficiency and automation within your organization. This project management software offers visual widgets which include tasks, statuses, time tracking, and documents.  Read our ultimate ClickUp review to know more.

  • Rich and intuitive functionality
  • Easy to use user interface
  • Cost-effective pricing
  • Steep learning curve for its advanced features
  • Pay per workspace or project
  • Limited features on free tier

Pricing

  • Free Forever: $0
  • Unlimited: $5/user per month
  • Business: $12/user per month
  • Business Plus: $19/user per month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price

Bottom Line on Microsoft Project vs Wrike

Despite their different approaches, comparing Wrike vs Microsoft Project ends up coming down to a photo finish. However, Wrike pulls ahead in a couple of areas. It provides many of the basic tools MS Project does, like Gantt charts and Workload management. It also helps you keep in contact with your team, collaborate, and track progress, all in one app. The fact that there is a decent free version doesn’t hurt either.

Gusto vs OnPay Payroll: Who Wins?

Gusto vs OnPay Payroll: Who Wins?

When comparing Gusto vs OnPay, you’ll find both full-service payroll processing software feature a variety of valuable HR and customer service tools. Although they offer similar functionalities, there are a few key differences between these payroll solutions. This means that one of these options is a better fit for your company. 

We compare payroll processing, pricing, HR benefits, and much more in this in-depth Gusto vs OnPay Payroll comparison guide. Once you pick the right payroll software, it’ll be easy to process each payroll run while tracking the essential data and assembling the reports needed to run your company.

Gusto logo

Gusto: Best for Overall Value

Gusto is a robust payroll processing platform that combines HR and benefits administration into a single, convenient package. Over 200,000 businesses and teams use Gusto because of its impressive feature set and functions. Gusto is excellent for growing businesses with over 50 employees because of its automation tools.

In essence, Gusto is a comprehensive payroll service that manages every aspect of your payroll and reporting process. Each pricing tier features automated payroll and direct deposit for unlimited monthly payroll runs. You will also receive tax filings for each level of government for both 1099 contractors and W-2 employees. Read the Gusto review to learn more about this software.

  • Unlimited payroll runs
  • State tax registration in all 50 states
  • Direct deposits
  • Calculating employee deductions is burdensome
  • Business owners can’t run payroll through the mobile application
  • No customer support during the evenings and weekends

Pricing

Gusto offers four different packages to choose from:

  • Core: $39 per month plus an additional $6 per employee
  • Complete: $39 per month plus an additional $12 per employee
  • Concierge: $149 per month plus an additional $12 per employee
  • Contractor: no monthly fee and $6 per person
Onpay logo

OnPay Payroll: Best for Small Businesses

Similar to Gusto, OnPay is a cloud-based payroll service that offers scalable solutions for small businesses. Some of its core features include automated tax filing and payment workflows as well as unlimited payroll. However, OnPay lacks integration capabilities and an auto-pay option.

OnPay is payroll for small businesses looking for an affordable and simplified approach to payroll management. It’s easy to insert payroll data such as reimbursements, tips, hours, and bonuses with OnPay. Furthermore, you can administer benefits and compensation insurance to employees who work on a pay-as-you-go basis. Read our OnPay review to learn more about its features and pricing.

  • Free W-2 and 1099 processing
  • Unlimited monthly pay runs
  • Quick and efficient employee management protocols
  • Not ideal for businesses with over 25 employees
  • Limited integrations
  • Doesn’t offer fast direct deposit

Pricing

OnPay’s pricing uses a sliding scale based on how many employees you have:

  • $36 per month, plus $4 per person per month

Pricing & Features Comparison 

Simply put, Gusto is designed for businesses with over 50 employees, whereas OnPay is optimal for small businesses with fewer employees. Both payroll solutions feature extensive payroll and HR tools that make your life much easier.

However, it’s essential to look at the features each software offers and how much each one costs. We compare all the key features and factors you should consider when making your decision in the table below.

Key Features

Price

Starts at $39 per month plus $6 per employee

Starts at $36 per month plus $4 per employee

Tax Filings and Payments

Yes, Gusto automatically calculates your taxes when you run payroll

Yes, OnPay withholds taxes when you run payroll and makes the necessary payments

Managing Employee Benefits

Ability to build customized benefits packages for employees

Ability to offer 401(k) plans, life insurance, health and dental benefits

Ease of Use

Simple and intuitive interface

Organized and convenient design

Live Customer Support

Weekdays from 9am to 8pm EST

Weekdays from 9am to 8pm EST

Integrations

100+

~10

Winner: OnPay Payroll. OnPay is slightly more affordable than Gusto if you’re looking for the cheaper option.

Payroll Processing Breakdown

Payroll processing is the most important feature to compare because you’re looking for the best payroll software for your business. The right payroll solution should let you run unlimited payrolls, customize pay rates and pay schedules and pay employees with direct deposit. Luckily, both software feature these tools. Read more on how to do payroll here.

Gusto

Gusto provides faster direct deposit than OnPay and gives you access to Payroll on Autopilot. With this enabled, payroll will automatically run one day before your company’s payroll deadlines. Furthermore, Gusto will withhold and file local taxes for you. OnPay doesn’t offer this feature.

OnPay Payroll

Like Gusto, OnPay automatically calculates, pays, and files taxes on your company’s behalf. However, OnPay doesn’t offer local tax filing and it doesn’t have a similar feature to Gusto’s Autopilot. With an autopay option, running payroll with OnPay can be tedious and time-consuming.

Winner: Gusto. The clear winner for the most important feature of payroll software is Gusto.

Onboarding and HR Tools

Onboarding tools are vital to your company as your employees will need to learn how to use the software. As such, let’s take a closer look at each of the onboarding and HR tools Gusto and OnPay offer.

Gusto

In terms of Gusto vs Onpay Payroll, Gusto offers a few premium features that OnPay doesn’t. These include anonymous employee surveys, survey trend analysis, and access to professional HR agents. Gusto is easy to learn because of its friendly user interface and your employees shouldn’t have any issues getting used to the software. 

OnPay Payroll

OnPay includes an impressive set of onboarding and HR tools, such as customized HR documents or built-in templates, organizational charts, custom onboarding documents, document e-sign features, and an HR resource library with hundreds of templates and guides. All of these features allow you to onboard employees in a smooth and seamless process.

Winner: Tie. Although Gusto offers more features, these are only in the higher pricing plans whereas OnPay offers all of its HR tools in its single plan. 

Time Management Features

Since both software include HR tools, it’s important to compare how they face up against each other. Time management is a critical task within every company and your employees need a system that simplifies absence requests and approvals.

Gusto

Gusto offers comprehensive HR time management features but only in the Complete or Concierge plan.

OnPay Payroll 

Onpay lets you create custom paid time off (PTO) policies. Furthermore, your employees can request time off using their accounts and the PTO hours are automatically subtracted if the request is approved by a manager. 

Winner: OnPay. All of OnPay’s HR tools are included within its single rate. 

Integrations Breakdown

There are so many crucial tools businesses use to stay afloat nowadays. As such, app and software integrations are essential to have on every piece of software.

Gusto

Gusto offers integrations with over 100 different tools across various categories: tax preparation, hiring, legal and compliance, point-of-sale, performance management, and business operations.

OnPay Payroll

In terms of OnPay Payroll vs Gusto, OnPay only offers 10 integrations, a few which include QuickBooks, Xero, Guideline, and Mineral.

Winner: Gusto. With over 10 times the amount of integrations as OnPay, Gusto is the clear winner for integration support.  

Gusto vs OnPay Payroll Customer Service

Both payroll software solutions offer live phone and chat agents from 9am to 8pm EST from Monday to Friday. Furthermore, both options have email support agents too.

Gusto

Gusto offers unlimited support through phone, live chat, and email. However, it doesn’t provide any support on the weekends. 

OnPay Payroll

OnPay also offers unlimited support through phone, live chat, and email. The difference between OnPay payroll vs Gusto is that OnPay provides emergency email support on the weekends.

Winner: OnPay. Since OnPay provides support on the weekends, the customer service features are more comprehensive than Gusto. 

Gusto vs OnPay Payroll Customer Reviews

Gusto and OnPay are both established and reputable payroll software solutions with great customer reviews. However, Gusto is more popular and has a higher quantity of reviews among all software review platforms.

Gusto Customer Reviews

The majority of Gusto reviews are positive and the customers thoroughly enjoy Gusto’s payroll services, easy-to-use dashboard, and HR features. Many reviewers state that Gusto has the easiest payroll system and a highly affordable price tag. The most common complaint reviewers have about Gusto is its lack of effective customer support. There have been cases where Gusto’s customer support ignores and doesn’t respond to emails.

OnPay Payroll Customer Reviews

OnPay users love how easy it is to run payroll with the software. Users appreciate how once the initial setup is complete, all they need to enter are the weekly hours. Then, the pay is automatically calculated and the direct deposit is automatically sent. There have been mixed reviews about OnPay’s customer support because some customers have had a great experience while others have been ignored.

Winner: Tie. Both Gusto vs OnPay Payroll have excellent reviews and thousands of satisfied customers. 

Alternative Payroll Processing Software Options

If you’re interested in alternative options, here are a few more competitive choices for you to consider.

Paychex Flex is suited for startup businesses that are in the early stages of growth. We recommend this software for multi-state companies and restaurants. Read the Paychex flex review to learn more.

  • Provides payroll via debit card
  • Offers helpful employee self-service features
  • Features Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to employees as an included service
  • Doesn’t support companies that use independent contractors
  • Year-end tax forms and time tracking cost extra
  • Software known to be slow at times

Pricing

  • The standard base service costs $39 per month plus $5 per employee. Upgraded service plans must be individually quoted by a salesperson through a phone call.

QuickBooks Payroll is ideal for small businesses that already use QuickBooks accounting software. If your business is already familiar with QuickBooks, using QuickBooks Payroll will be extremely easy. Read our QuickBooks vs Gusto payroll to find out which is the better choice for your business.

  • Excellent user interface
  • Great mobile application
  • Simple to file taxes and other financial details
  • Long wait times to speak with customer service representative
  • Pricing may be out of reach for smaller businesses
  • Users have reported glitches with computer and mobile application

Pricing

  • Core: $22.50 per month plus $4 per employee
  • Premium: $37.50 per month plus $8 per employee
  • Elite: $62.50 per month plus $10 per employee

Businesses that already use Square’s point-of-sale software should use Square Payroll. This payroll processing solution provides a seamless integration between the two products. Read the Square payroll review to learn more about its services and pricing.

  • Offers an instant and next-day payroll processing option
  • Great ease of use on app
  • Features an inexpensive pricing plan
  • Lack of HR tasks within the app
  • The included standard payroll processing is four days
  • Costs may rise as your business hires more employees

Pricing

  • $35 per month plus $5 per person paid

Patriot Payroll is another budget-friendly payment processing software solution that’s best suited for smaller businesses. The main difference between Patriot Payroll and Gusto vs OnPay Payroll is that Patriot Payroll doesn’t offer HR tools.

  • Great for small businesses and nonprofits
  • Easy to set up
  • Offers essential payroll features at a low price
  • Isn’t intended for companies with over 100 employees
  • Lacks HR tools and features
  • Doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app

Pricing

  • Basic Payroll: $10 per month plus $4 per employee
  • Full Service Payroll: $30 per month plus $4 per employee

Bottom Line: OnPay Payroll vs Gusto

Overall, OnPay Payroll and Gusto are effective payroll processing solutions that can optimize your business. Gusto is better for mid-sized and large businesses while OnPay is suited for smaller businesses.

As for the winner of this comparison, Gusto takes the crown. Even with Gusto’s basic tier package, you get access to all the essential payroll features. These include direct deposits to your employees, tax filing, and unlimited payroll runs. 

Furthermore, the basic tier package lets you administer your company’s health benefits and manage worker’s compensation. Since Gusto is marginally more expensive than OnPay Payroll but offers more features, we recommend using Gusto as your payroll processing software solution.

Microsoft Project vs GanttPRO: Head-to-Head Comparison

Work colleagues arguing about Microsoft project vs ganttPRO

If you’re comparing Microsoft Project vs. GanttPRO to decide which is best for your project, you may not have an answer yet. Both products offer excellent tools you need to successfully plan and organize your project, including project scheduling and planning; views for Gantt charts, boards, and grids. But they also vary in substantial ways.

Microsoft Project logo

Microsoft Project: Best for Enterprises

From $10

Microsoft Project is a powerful project management software product that has all the standard features you’d expect as well as some advanced tools that are geared towards larger enterprises. It has a more comprehensive feature set than GanttPRO and is geared toward users who are experts in project management and work for larger companies. The trade-off is that Project is more difficult to use and pricier. 

You’ll probably also want to be a user of Microsoft’s other suite of paid products, like Word, Excel, Teams, Dynamics, to get the full benefit from it. Microsoft also offers a desktop version of Project, but you’ll have to be running a version of Windows to run it.

Project has tools for project scheduling and planning; views for Gantt charts, boards, and grids; task, time, and team management; and collaboration and reporting tools. The higher tiers Plans 2 and 3 provide resource management tools, and give you the option of installing a desktop client. Finally, Plan 3 provides advanced portfolio selection and optimization tools, demand management, and enterprise resource planning and management.

Features

Microsoft Project

Project planning

Task management

Time management

Resource management

Yes, but only on Plans 2 and 3

Team management

Budget tracking

Reporting tools

Pricing

$10 to $55 per user per month

  • Powerful advanced tools that larger enterprises might require
  • Smooth integration with the Microsoft product family
  • Desktop option provides up-front pricing
  • Steep learning curve
  • More expensive than GanttPRO
  • Limited integrations outside of other Microsoft products

Pricing

Microsoft Project has multiple pricing options. The cloud-based solution has three tiers. Project Plan 1 is $10 per user per month. You’ll pay $30 per user per month for Plan 2. For Plan 3, the cost is $55 per user per month. Plan 2 has everything in Plan 1, plus a resource management feature and a desktop client. You’ll get everything in Plans 1 and 2 in Plan 3, plus portfolio selection and optimization, demand management, and enterprise and resource planning and management.

There are on-premises solutions that are stored locally. Project Standard 2021 is $679.99 and has features similar to cloud-based Plan 1. There is also Project Professional 2021, which is $1,129.99. It adds resource management, the ability to sync with a server, and timesheet submission. Finally, there is Project Server, which is a flexible, scalable on-premises solution that gives demand management and advanced analytics features. The pricing for Project Server is by quote only.

GanttPRO logo

GanttPRO: Best for Small and Midsize Businesses

From $8.90

GanttPRO’s project management software offers affordable pricing and an intuitive web-based interface while still offering advanced features, making it an excellent choice for small and midsize businesses. Businesses using GanttPRO will be able to plan their project timelines, oversee tasks, resources, and team members, as well as enable users to collaborate on their work. 

Like with Project, you’ll get grid view, board view, and Gantt chart view. There’s also a portfolio view, which provides a high-level overview of your projects and quick access to resource management and progress tracking.

There are nice features in GanttPRO, like a history and baseline mode, importing and exporting options, and custom and pre-configured templates. GanttPRO also integrates software commonly used by small businesses, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Jira Cloud, as well as an API for custom integrations.

Features

GanttPRO

Project planning

Task management

Time management

Resource management

Team management

Budget tracking

Reporting tools

Pricing

$8.90 to $15 per user per month

  • Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
  • Affordable and simple pricing structure
  • History and baseline mode let you save and return to previous project versions
  • Limited reporting options
  • Only integrates with Slack, Google, Jira, and an API

Pricing:

Individual: $15 per user month (billed annually)

Team: $8.90 per user month (billed annually)

MS Project vs GanttPRO: Pricing & Features Comparison

When comparing GanttPRO vs Microsoft Project, you’ll see that both have features like project planning and scheduling, task management, team management, resource management, time tracking, portfolio management, and budget tracking. However, the implementation of these features differs between the two products in some ways. 

Project planning

Yes, with Gantt chart view, grid view, and board view

Yes, with Gantt chart view, grid view, board view, and portfolio view

Task management

Yes

Yes

Time management

Yes

Yes

Resource management

Yes, but only on Plans 2 and 3

Yes

Team management

Yes

Yes

Budget tracking

Yes

Yes

Reporting tools

Yes

Yes

Pricing

$10 to $55 per user per month

$8.90 to $15 per user per month

Project Planning Breakdown

Creating, planning, and monitoring projects is at the heart of project management software. These features relate to the overall management of the project, such as viewing the project, making estimations of time, and identifying key tasks toward project goals.

Microsoft Project

Project gives you a home area where you can create new projects, access important information about existing projects, and open projects. Project allows you to create and manage multiple projects at the same time. Once inside of a project, you can see them in either a grid view, a board view (where tasks are divided up into buckets), or a Gantt chart. 

The interface is quite bare-bones, like an Excel spreadsheet, and it doesn’t give you a lot of information at a glance. In each of these views, you’ll be able to see a list of your tasks, people involved in the project, and any filters you want to be set up around deadlines, progress, or custom labels. There’s a zoom slider that lets you change the date range you are looking at from months down to days.

GanttPRO

GanttPRO’s main project page has multiple views, including Gantt chart, board view, a grid or “workload” view, and a people view. The Gantt chart mode is the default setting where you can get an overview on your project tasks and people involved. You can vary the timescale on the Gantt chart from hours to days to weeks, all the way up to years. 

The main screen also has buttons for filters, exporting charts, and identifying any overdue tasks. There’s a project calendar which lets you set up days with set hours and breaks. GanttPRO has a feature that lets you save a snapshot of your project known as a baseline, that you can use for later reference. You’re also able to look back in the history of the project and revert to previous versions.

Winner: GanttPRO gives you more views, easy access to tools, and an intuitive interface.

Task Management Breakdown

Tasks are the building blocks of projects. Project management software allows you to create and manipulate them in various ways.

Microsoft Project

Once you are in a project, you’re able to add tasks, give them deadlines, and connect them to other tasks via dependencies. The interface is bare and minimalist, though it is interactive and clicking on various tasks brings up information about them. Tasks can be given deadlines and dependencies, which are connections between tasks.

GanttPRO

Like Project, GanttPRO’s project planning tools allows you to create tasks, modify tasks, and remove tasks. You can add tasks through dependencies which are indicated through lines and arrows. Related tasks can be put into groups that lets you organize them visually. You can set deadlines, attach users to the tasks, add related, so-called “sibling tasks,” and track their progress and status. You can set up custom columns about each task with information such as who it’s assigned to, progress made, current status, or end date.

Winner: GanttPRO offers more customization of tasks, including creating subtasks and attaching users to various tasks.

Time Management Breakdown

Time management allows users to keep track of hours spent on tasks using timers and logs and attach those hours to specific tasks.

Microsoft Project

In Project, you’re able to capture project and non-project time on payroll, invoicing, and other business tasks. With the timesheet submission feature, team members are able to submit their timesheets for approval. 

GanttPRO

GanttPRO has a task time tracker tool, which allows team members to track their time either using a timer or with a time log report.

Winner: MS Project lets you track time more easily and apply it appropriately.

Resource Management Breakdown

Resource management allows users to keep track of the various resources used in a project. This typically includes physical resources but also other kinds of resources like shipping costs and labor resources.

Microsoft Project

Only the Plan 2 and 3 tiers of Project have resource management. In Project, there are three kinds of resources: working resources, material resources, and cost resources. People and machines are working resources and require time in Project. Material resources are things like steel, wood, or glass. Finally, cost resources are things that must be purchased, like travel or shipping costs.

GanttPRO

You can track three different types of resources in GanttPRO: labor, materials, and resources with a fixed cost. You can set values to these resources by the hour, item, or a flat cost. These resources can then be assigned to different team members and people. You can assign as many resources to one task as you need. Virtual resources can also be assigned. All of these resources can be tracked and logged. 

GanttPRO has several advanced features when it comes to resources. These include systemic resource request, which lets you use Resource Engagements to request and lock in resources. Another feature are visual heat maps, which allow you to view how resources are used with Capacity heat maps and quickly identify resources that haven’t been optimized. Finally, there are resource analytics, which let you compare resources across standard data and also forecast projected usage.

Winner: GanttPRO wins here simply because it includes resource management as a standard feature for all users, rather than locking it in a higher-priced plan.

Team Management Breakdown

People are a key part of any project, and project management software lets you track what they’re doing and how much time it is taking them.

Microsoft Project

People can be added to projects and assigned tasks. You can then modify their work calendar to take into account working time, vacations, and sick time. People can be shared across tasks using a resource pool that is created under master projects. People can also be given costs.

GanttPRO

With GanttPRO you can add members to your team, set roles for them such as owner, admin, or member, set values for them, and create personalized working calendars. You can then attach members to tasks and give permissions according to their roles and responsibilities.

Winner: Tie. Both MS Project and GanttPRO offer useful team management tools.

Budget Tracking Breakdown

Keeping tabs on your budget is an important part of management. Budget tracking allows you to monitor how much money is being spent on your project based on the cost of tasks and resources.

Microsoft Project

You can make a budget in Project by creating and entering cost values for budget resources that are assigned to the project summary task. Project also has cost tracking, which allows you to compare original cost estimates, actual costs, projected costs, and see the variances between costs at any time and at any level of detail. 

GanttPRO

With GanttPRO, you calculate the cost of your project based on the cost of tasks and resources using a clear visual reporting format.

Winner: MS Project. Although GanttPRO offers a good budget report, Microsoft Project gets more granular with cost tracking.

Reporting Tools Breakdown

Reporting tools are necessary for any project management software, as they give you clear views on a project’s time, budget, tasks, and people. Reports help you ensure your project stays on track and on time.

Microsoft Project

Project has extensive reporting tools, including built-in reports that let you track progress on your projects, resources, programs, and portfolios. There is a Project Overview report that combines tables and graphs to give information about each phase of the project, upcoming milestones and tasks that are late. There are dozens of other kinds of reports that you can use to gather information about specific areas of your project.

GanttPRO

GanttPRO also has reports, but they are more limited. You can create reports for budgeting with details like projects, tasks, assignees, time, cost, and actual cost. There are also time log reports for people in your team, with the same kind of details as with budgeting.

Winner: MS Project offers far more built-in reports than GanttPRO, so you can view project details over a timeline from almost any angle.

Customer Service

Customer service is the service provided by the maker of the project management software, whether that be online resources, chat, email, or telephone communication.

Microsoft Project

Project has extensive online resources that help provide you with the basics of using the software. There are also guides to help you build a project, share and assign resources, or install the desktop hardware. Through their Microsoft 365 business product line, Microsoft also offers technical support through chat with an upgrade option to purchase phone support.

GanttPRO

GanttPRO offers support through a live chat system on their website and through email. You can find documentation on GanttPRO’s website, along with video demos and tutorials to guide you through use of features.
Winner: Tie. Both services provide tech support via live chat and email, and although MS Project provides tech support by phone, it costs extra. GanttPRO doesn’t offer it at all, so it evens out.

Alternative Project Management Options

Still unsure which project management software is best for you after reading through our comparison of GanttPRO vs MS Project? There may be a better option for you.

If you want to stick with the waterfall methodology and are looking for another Gantt project management software, TeamGantt is another amazing option. This PM software is designed to help you monitor project progress and have a clear overview of which tasks are dependent on others. TeamGantt also offers task management and collaboration features. 

If you’re looking for a free Gantt chart software, you’re in luck because TeamGantt offers that! But remember that the free version will only work best for smaller projects with no more than a few people. If you’ve got a bigger team, you might want to look at its paid versions.

  • Great at making exportable charts
  • Drag and drop interface
  • Easy collaboration and organization tools
  • Lacks invoicing tools
  • Lacks budgeting tools
  • Reports lack features of some competitors

Pricing:

Free to $24.45 and $29.95 per user per month

Wrike is a well designed project management software with lots of useful features. Although it’s on the more expensive side, it’s one of the best project management software for startups

Wrike also offers a free plan for small projects. If you want more professional tools, you’d have to pay a small cost. With its recently updated interface with more information visible on the default view, Wrike has made things much more organized and easy to use. You can see your inbox, to-do list, and all current tasks directly without clicking any buttons. 

It offers numerous project templates you can use to get different types of projects started. You can also make custom templates. Read the complete Wrike review to find more about it.

  • Strong customization options
  • Real-time information sharing and updates
  • Premium security features
  • Complex pricing options
  • Limited tasks for free tier.
  • Deployment services cost more

Pricing:

Free to $24.80 per user per month plus an Enterprise plan that needs custom pricing

Zoho Projects is an easy-to-use and affordable project management solution for SMBs. It gives you features like project scheduling and budgeting. This allows you to define project tasks, assign them to respective teams, estimate costs and follow up task progress with ease.

This PM software solution lets you automate revision tracking, access control and search and retrieval tasks. Zoho Projects also offers document management which helps you share documents with your team easily. Project managers can also resolve errors in project tasks with its issue management features.

  • Affordable Pricing
  • Mobile apps included
  • Integrates with the Zoho suite and many third-party products
  • Lacks some enterprise-level features
  • Project templates must be custom built
  • Unusual resource management view

Pricing

$0 to $10 per user per month

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Microsoft Project vs. GanttPRO

Microsoft Project Vs GanttPRO Bottom Line 

Overall, we prefer GanttPRO to Microsoft Project. GanttPRO has an easier-to-use interface, more features directed at small and midsize businesses, and a more affordable pricing structure. With that said, if your business already uses the Microsoft suite of products and needs advanced features like demand management or enterprise resource planning and management, then Project might be a better fit.

monday.com vs Asana: Versatility, Affordability & Features Comparison

Monday.com vs Asana Versatile & Affordable

Project management has become so much a part of business that comparing tools like monday.com vs Asana require you to see them more as work operating systems. They bring all of project management’s sophisticated tools to bear on your daily schedule. We compare monday.com vs Asana to see which is a better fit for your work life.

Monday.com logo

monday.com: Best for Small Teams Working Remotely

From $10

3.0

monday.com is a code-free, cloud-based project management software geared with a spectrum of sleek features for small teams working remotely. It makes it simple for you to design workflow apps for your project. You can use these apps to handle day-to-day operations and responsibilities.

monday.com comes with workflow templates you can easily customize to manage your project. It helps you reduce your manual administrative work by automating key tasks. You can also integrate monday.com with other tools to streamline project management. Read the full monday.com review for greater insight into it.

  • Modern user interface (UI) is easy to use and navigate
  • Highly customizable features 
  • Ideal for managing ongoing work for multiple projects
  • Confusing pricing of plans
  • Slow customer support 
  • Best features only available with upper tiers of paid plans

Pricing

  • Basic: $10/user per month
  • Standard: $12/user per month
  • Pro: $20/user per month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price
Asana logo

Asana: Best for Flexibility and Customization

From $13.49

3.5

Asana is one of the most popular project management software out there. It’s easy to use and offers some of the most powerful management tools available. It’s a versatile software that suits small teams but can also scale to larger companies. Asana lets you divide tasks into themes and time-related segments so you can manage your workflow with ease. 

With a much broader feature set, Asana is a great choice for agile project management. You can use multiple management styles including Gantt charts, task lists, and Kanban boards with this project management software. Read the complete Asana review for greater insight into it.

  • Offers workload management
  • Smart project-focused interface
  • Various management features
  • No financial management tools
  • Assigns tasks to one user only
  • Steeper learning curve

Pricing 

  • Basic: Free 
  • Premium: $13.49/user per month
  • Business: $30.49/user per month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price

Pricing & Features Comparison

Key Features

Pricing

3/5

3/5

Team Management

3/5

4/5

Project Delivery Management

4/5

5/5

Agile Methodology Suitability

3/5

4/5

Waterfall Methodology Suitability

3/5

3/5

Risk Management

4/5

3/5

Reporting

4/5

4.5/5

Finance Management

3/5

3/5

Collaboration and communication

3/5

4/5

Integration With Other Apps

2/5

4/5

Usability

3/5

5/5

Support

3/5

3.5/5

Privacy

3/5

3.5/5

Pros

  • More price options
  • Customized views
  • Templates help you set up project
  • Larger teams on free tier
  • Attractive Status Updates
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Limited integrations and automations
  • More expensive

Overall Rating

3/5

3.5/5

monday.com vs Asana

Putting monday.com vs Asana means comparing two well-known project management software options. Both have fairly good reputations, while also being somewhat more expensive than competitors. 

The similarities don’t end there. Both also focus on task management, using tasks as a starting point to build out your project. There is a standard set of popular project management tools that both provide. 

However, the two platforms are far from clones of each other. While the tools may be similar, the presentation and usability can be leagues apart. Follow along to discover which is the best fit for you.

Pricing

monday.com and Asana have similar, straightforward pricing plans that will be familiar to anyone who has used project management software recently. Both offer a free version for a Basic plan best used to manage simple projects, limited in users and functions. Pay tiers offer more with each step up in price.

monday.com

monday.com is slightly less expensive, with four pay tier options:

  • Basic: $10/user per month
  • Standard: $12/user per month
  • Pro: $20/user per month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price

monday.com offers unlimited boards even at the free tier, but pay tiers offer more reporting options and more seats. Depending on the tier, you may also be limited in integration actions, automations, or a few other things.

Asana

Asana offers three different levels beyond the free tier, including:

  • Premium: $13.49/user per month
  • Business: $30.49/user per month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price

Each of the pay tiers offers unlimited projects and many reporting options. Some of the most powerful tools, such as portfolio management, require a Business or better subscription.

Winner: Tie 

Although monday.com is less expensive, its limiting API calls and other actions can be a real problem for some users. Asana offers a lot of important tools even on the least expensive pay tier, though the higher cost puts it on par with monday.com.

Read: Best 6 Free Project Management Software

Team Management

In terms of team management, Asana, and monday.com both focus on managing teams through task management. In fact, like most examples of this type of project management software, everything starts when you create tasks and then assign tasks to team members. The details are slightly different between the two options. However, they both allow you to add details, due dates, define task level priority, and more.

With that foundation, you can bring a number of powerful team management features to bear. Both Asana and monday.com focus most resource management tools on the time commitment of each team member, offering a Workload view to track team level, though Asana’s is a bit easier to use. For both platforms, it’s an option that is only available with the more expensive tiers.

Additionally, task progress tracking is straightforward with both platforms and each has an easy-to-find action log.

Winner: Asana

While both platforms allow you to filter tasks by specific team members, as well as track workload, it’s much simpler to do in Asana. monday.com helps you construct a sort of spreadsheet to do the same thing, which is much more involved.

Project Delivery Management

Some of the most important tools in a project manager’s toolbox are designed to keep everything on track and moving in the right direction. When it comes to Asana vs monday.com, they seem to offer some similar tools for tracking project statuses. 

Gantt charts are easy to set up, with task dependencies requiring no more than a drag-and-drop, providing a look at project workflow management. Both options also provide a way to monitor several projects simultaneously, balancing resources and workload. 

The two options also provide a list view, breaking down steps and making it easy to see both project plans and project schedules. However, monday.com’s list is easier to read and can contain more information.

Winner: Asana

While monday.com’s list view is easier to read, Asana has one big advantage. Information from all your projects is collected in the Portfolios tab, where it can be visualized in a few different ways. monday.com requires you to set up a separate Portfolio Management board.

Methodology Suitability

Comparing Asana vs monday.com, is one more suitable for waterfall methodology or Agile methodology? Both can be used for either method used to manage projects, though it might not be surprising that they offer some tools exclusive to the Agile approach. Read our review on waterfall vs agile methods.

Asana has a Board view that serves very well as a Kanban board. monday.com also provides Kanban boards for all your projects, as well as for your overall portfolio. In both cases, it’s possible to drag and drop tasks into the appropriate column. Asana’s Boards offer some automation options that Monday doesn’t, however. 

Additionally, Asana’s Update feature is much more comprehensive, including a painless method of automatically generating graphs, and works great for Sprint reviews. 

Winner: Asana

A few features, such as automations in Asana’s Boards, edges it out ahead of its competition. 

Risk Management

There are no native features for bug or issue tracking in either option. We’re contrasting Asana vs monday.com, but realistically they do have a lot in common. Unlike a project management tool like, for example, Jira, they aren’t focused tightly on software development. However, both integrate with apps that can perform those functions. 

Asana offers a way to mark a project as On Track, Off Track, or At Risk, as part of a status update. monday.com can mark projects automatically as part of its Overview widget, based on the number of tasks team members have completed, versus tasks still outstanding. Note that the Overview widget is only available to Pro and above accounts.

Winner: monday.com

Asana’s project status tool is used for communication, telling people something you already know. monday.com’s feature offers an analysis, offering more information on the health of your project, though it comes with a higher price tag.

Reporting

Managing projects is a complex business, which graphs, charts, and other visualizations can help keep straight. Both options offer a number of ways to visualize projects, from variations on a basic project management tool like Gantt charts, to the status reports we’ve already mentioned.

Reporting options for portfolio management are also available, allowing you track the progress and resource use of multiple projects. monday.com offers a wider range of reporting for your portfolio, allowing you to set up a Gantt chart of project dependencies, rather than task dependencies.

Winner: Asana

For reporting, Asana vs monday.com is close to a tie. monday.com does have a few more options. However, Asana offers a user interface that moves a lot of information for you. Check out your portfolio and all the information you entered in each project is already there. monday.com wants you to enter portfolio information again, separately.

Finance Management

Few things are more important to a successful project than finances. However, it’s an area that most cloud-based project management platforms leave for integrated apps, rather than handling natively.

monday.com doesn’t have any tools for tracking expenses exactly, though it doesn’t rely on integration for those functions. In many ways, monday.com’s platform can be thought of as a specialized spreadsheet, which you can customize to your needs. A Numbers Column can be easily added to track how estimated costs compare to the actual project plan, or how much your team members’ time costs.

Asana has the List view, which is similar to monday.com’s spreadsheet layout and can perform the same functions, allowing you to track, quickly add up, or compare numbers. However, both also offer integrations to add more tools.

Asana has specifically partnered with Power Bi for finance management and reporting, though it integrates with other options as well. Time tracking, on the other hand, has to be handled by integration, with Asana partnering with Harvest for that need. 

Winner: Tie

Yet again, Asana vs monday.com is a close comparison. In this case, the tools offered by both options are similar enough that it’s tough to choose between them. Additionally, they both integrate with many of the same third-party apps.

Collaboration and Communication

One key responsibility for project management software in modern business is as a set of collaboration tools, used for workflow management when a team may be physically distant from each other. 

The first step in team collaboration is team communication, so both platforms offer lots of different ways to send messages. Communication and task management features have been combined, as both allow you to comment on individual tasks. Comments can also be added to projects and files, including a mark-up tool for the free file storage.

Asana offers a team page that allows each team member to track all the projects they’re working on. A shared team calendar makes it easy to track due dates and progress. Additionally, a Chrome extension allows team members to pull ideas from around the web into the workspace to share.

monday.com can offer a similar calendar, as well as a board designed for project requests. Both platforms also offer iOS and Android apps for free. monday.com also has workdocs, a document shared with and edited by the whole team.

Winner: Asana

monday.com’s workdoc is a nice feature, but nothing you can’t find in Google Docs or many other places. Asana offers the chance to focus comments on specific tasks, while also seeing the big picture.

Integration With Other Apps

Even the most powerful project management tool won’t have every feature you need for your perfect workflow. Integration allows you to reach out and add those missing features to your pool of task management tools.

Both Asana and monday.com have libraries of integrations for anything you might need, from tracking team members’ time to managing customer requests. Some big names include Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Microsoft Teams. Both platforms also offer an API.

Winner: Asana

Both Asana and monday.com have wide libraries of integrations to choose from, including all the most commonly needed apps. However, Monday limits the integration and automations on most tiers.

Usability

There is no such thing as a perfect project management tool and everyone’s experience will vary. However, a user-friendly tool for project management with a gentle learning curve can save your mental health, your company’s money, and hours of aggravation.

Both platforms focus on task management, with a number of features that have become semi-standard for this sort of software. The task manager allows you to assign team members, attach documents, define dependencies, and many other things. The user interface includes drag-and-drop functionality and most basic functions can be understood with a little experimentation.

monday.com’s user interface is practical and straightforward. It may not be attractive, but all task information is visible in the main table. It’s easy to add Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and more. It’s also easy to find automations for repetitive and mundane tasks, as well as integrations.

Asana has a slicker presentation, but is just as easy to use. The team page makes for a good base, which is helpful as it can be easy to get lost among the different views. However, workflow management is greatly aided by only having to enter information in one place.

Winner: Asana

The user-friendliness of Asana vs monday.com is ultimately a personal choice. However, a few of Asana’s features stand out, such as easily formatted Status Updates and a single tab that collects all of a project’s files.

Support

Support for either option, comparing Asana vs monday.com, boils down to a web form. You describe your issue and wait for a service rep to get back with some help. However, both also offer many additional resources to help you figure out solutions for yourself.

monday.com offers real-life content examples from users, which you can peruse to get some ideas for your own project management style. There is also a range of video tutorials, webinars, and support docs. The only upgrade is if you’re an Enterprise customer, which gets you a dedicated support manager.

Asana has a similar set-up, similarly offering project managers video tutorials, webinars, courses, and so forth. They have a wider range of walk-throughs, which can be helpful. Additionally, business tier customers can get priority support, moving their help requests to the front of the line.

Winner: Asana

Asana has a bigger library of tutorials and courses. The option for priority on support for the Business tier of service is also nice.

Privacy

Project management systems can contain a lot of very important, very private information. It’s therefore not surprising that both Asana and monday.com make promises to keep information in your work operating system secure. 

Both say that they don’t share information with third parties, the exception being when you elect to use an integration. Additionally, both monday.com and Asana have made commitments to 99% uptime.

Asana has a couple of neat offerings, such as the ability to choose where in the world your data is stored. However, that’s a feature only available to Enterprise clients.

Winner: Asana

It might take an expert to compare some aspects of Asana vs monday.com, and their security. However, Asana also helps you secure your data by offering admins the ability to require 2FA security, limiting access, and a number of other tools.

Alternative Project Management Software Options

Wrike gives you greater flexibility and works for teams of all types and sizes. You get a wide range of project management features. Wrike’s price may be a bit higher than others, but the range of features is worth it. Read the ultimate Wrike review for a more detailed analysis.

  • Specialized marketing, creative, and services delivery team packages
  • Offers in-built time tracking 
  • Analytics tool generates charts automatically
  • Costlier than other PM software
  • Templates can’t remove all options
  • Can’t prioritize tasks

Pricing

  • Free version.
  • Professional Plan: $9.80/user/month.
  • Business Plan: $24.80/user/month.
  • Enterprise Plan: Inquire for price.

ClickUp is a leading project management platform. It’s scalable for teams of all sizes. ClickUp is excellent for remote work. Creating spaces for different projects and adding teams to them is pretty easy. To learn more about this tool, read our ClickUp review.

  • Lower cost
  • Better support options
  • Free version offers a lot of features
  • Slows down when you use too many ClickApps 
  • Complicated interface
  • Lacks workflow management

Pricing

  • Free
  • Unlimited: $5/user/month
  • Business: $12/user/month
  • Business Plus: $19/user/month
  • Enterprise: Inquire for price.

Microsoft Project is one of the oldest project management software. It has been the go-to PM tool for many industry-leading companies for many years. But it comes with a steep learning curve and is not ideal for beginners.

  • Offers projections, baselines, and other features
  • Review all your projects at once
  • Advanced project management features
  • Expensive
  • Steep learning curve
  • Slow customer support

Pricing

  • Plan 1:$10/user/month
  • Plan 3: $30/user/month
  • Plan 5: $55/user/month

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for monday.com vs Asana

Don’t have time for the in-depth review? Check out the most commonly asked questions.

monday.com vs Asana Conclusion

Both monday.com and Asana offer some of the best project management tools available at the moment. However, small differences add up, pointing to a clear winner. Asana comes out on top due to a more attractive and intuitive user interface. It’s also easier to manage tasks when all the task details move from view to view automatically. 

Additionally, the difference in price disappears when you compare feature availability. monday.com is high-quality software, but Asana is just a bit better.

Anything can be a project, if you want to look at it that way. With that in mind, it’s possible to use all the methods of project management to keep your own life organized and on track. That might have been an intimidating prospect even a few years ago. Today, quality platforms like Asana and monday.com make it easy.

Trello vs Asana: Pricing, Features & Ease of Use Comparison

Trello vs Asana

It’s the clash of the titans as we weigh Trello vs Asana, two giants within the project management industry. If you’re searching for the right project management software, it’s virtually impossible to not come across the two. 

Trello and Asana are popular among a range of world-renowned companies. Both can be pretty attractive options with their remarkable user-friendliness and enticing free plans. This makes your choice all the much more difficult. But relax, we’ve done the research for you. Continue reading as we bring Trello vs Asana head-to-head to find which of the two is the better choice. 

Trello logo

Trello: Best for Kanban-style Project Management

Trello offers Kanban board-based project management where you can organize tasks and collaborate with your team with ease. It has a very simple and easy-to-use interface but it lacks advanced management features

Trello is a great choice if you want to visualize your project operations on a large board with multiple lists and cards. It offers a range of integrations as well as automation options to streamline managerial tasks. Creating automation rules is relatively easier too.

  • Very simple to use
  • Visual project progression
  • Easy to onboard new members
  • Offers basic management features
  • No financial management tools
  • Not viable for large projects

Pricing

  1. Free plan
  2. Standard plan starting at $5/user/month
  3. Premium plan starting at $10/user/month
  4. Enterprise plan starting at $7.38 to 17.50/user/month
Screenshot of Trello pricing plans
The Enterprise plan calculator gives you an accurate estimate of what it’ll cost for your company.
Asana logo

Asana: Best for Flexibility and Customization

Asana uses a basic, task-based approach to project management. It lets users manage their workflow with ease by dividing tasks according to themes and in time-related segments: Today, Upcoming, and Later.

Asana has a much broader feature set and is great for small teams following agile project management. It offers multiple management styles including task lists, Gantt charts, and Kanban boards. This project management software also comes with ready-made templates you can use to design your project and also lets you create custom templates.

  • Offers workload management
  • Smart project-focused interface
  • Various management features
  • No financial management tools
  • Assigns tasks to one user only
  • Steeper learning curve

Pricing

  1. Basic plan – free 
  2. Premium plan starting at $10.99/user/month
  3. Business plan starting at $24.99/user/month
Screenshot of Asana pricing plans
Asana’s features are worth the price tag.

Trello vs Asana – Pricing & Features Comparison 

Trello uses intuitive drag-and-drop functionality to move cards between lists and boards. You can comment on cards, assign them to users and automate functions with rules. It’s cheaper than Asana but lacks advanced management features. 

Asana, on the other hand, is a bit more expensive but its price is justified with the range of powerful features it comes with. It offers a great user experience, greater flexibility, and comes with basic reporting features. Being a complete project management suite, Asana trumps Trello in most departments.

Plan

Trello logo

Trello Free

Trello logo

Trello Standard

Trello logo

Trello Premium

Trello logo

Trello Enterprise

Asana logo

Asana Basic

Asana logo

Asana Premium

Asana logo

Asana Business

Price

Free

$5/user/mo

$10/user/mo

$7-17/user/mo

Free

$10.99/user/mo

$24.99/use/mo

Free trial

N/A

14-day

N/A

30-day

30-day

No. of users

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

15

Unlimited free guests

Unlimited free guests

No. of boards/projects

10 boards per workspace

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Ease of use

Easiest PM software to use. Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Easiest PM software to use. Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Easiest PM software to use. Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Easiest PM software to use. Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Easy to use. Has a powerful and refined interface.

Easy to use. Has a powerful and refined interface.

Easy to use. Has a powerful and refined interface.

Storage

Unlimited (10MB/file)

Unlimited (250MB/file)

Unlimited (250MB/file)

Unlimited (250MB/file)

Unlimited (100MB/file)

Unlimited (100MB/file)

Unlimited (100MB/file)

Kanban boards

Gantt charts

Calendar

Reports

Messaging

Time tracking

Color coding

Integrations

Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira, Adobe XD and 100+ others

Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira, Adobe XD and 100+ others

Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira, Adobe XD and 100+ others

Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira, Adobe XD and 100+ others

Jira, Zoom, Salesforce, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams and 100+ others

Jira, Zoom, Salesforce, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams and 100+ others

Jira, Zoom, Salesforce, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams and 100+ others

Customer support

Online forum support

Phone and concierge support

Phone and concierge support

Phone and concierge support

Support Tickets

Support Tickets

Priority phone support

Winner: Asana – It takes the lead when it comes to advanced project management. Asana is a better project management software than Trello in terms of features, flexibility, customizability, and dependency management.

Asana vs Trello: Ease of Use

A smooth UX is crucial for any project management software. The software solution you choose should be easy to operate so that you and your team can get quickly down to the real deal. Asana and Trello are known for their amazing user experience. That’s probably why they’re at the top when it comes to the best project management software. But which of the two is easier to use?

Trello – Simplest Project Management Software

Experts consider Trello to be the easiest to use among the many project management software. Since it uses a highly intuitive Kanban board style, you can easily understand how everything works from the get-go. But that’s also because Trello doesn’t offer a lot of advanced features. One could say that its ease-of-use stems from its simplicity.

Example of a Trello board
Trello gives you an accurate visual representation of your project’s progression
Source: Trello

It’s easy to move cards around using the drag-and-drop function. Other features like comments, assigning users, and setting due dates are all easily accessible. When it comes to automation, Trello attempts to simplify its architecture so everyone can create custom rules. But that’s not always the case, as there’s a limit to what you can automate. 

Asana – Incredible UX with Powerful Features

It’s not easy to combine advanced management features with an easy-to-use interface. But that’s exactly what Asana has managed to do. It uses a traditional project management software layout but makes sure users can use all functions with little or no training.

Asana User interface
A power-packed interface.
Source: Asana

Asana puts much more effort into keeping things simple and smooth. It’s not as visually-oriented as Trello, but it tries to keep things as it gives you a range of task management views to select from when planning your project. This makes it convenient for managers who want to work on different projects. 

Winner: Trello – a great tool for beginners and simple projects. 

Trello vs Asana: Dependency Management

This is a crucial feature for you if you want to follow the waterfall methodology with your project. Some projects require tasks to be completed in chronological order. This means you can’t start on the next task before the previous one is complete.

Trello Dependency Management

Trello doesn’t do very well in this department. It doesn’t have a built-in feature to manage task dependencies. You can add a dependency management feature to your Trello boards with a power-up (integration), Hello Epics. But this comes at an additional cost.

Asana Dependency Management

Dependency management is an area where Asana works better than Trello because you can specify which tasks need to be completed before others can begin.

Screenshot of Asana dependency management
Asana lets you draw dependencies between tasks.
Source: Asana

The timeline view helps identify any bottlenecks or problems where people are idle waiting for other tasks to get done. Asana actually lets you organize these dependencies to solve such problems.

Winner: Asana – Asana has built-in dependency management features while Trello doesn’t. 

Trello vs Asana: Project Management Views

Project management views offered by the software matter a lot when you have a specific management style. Ideally, you should be able to switch between different views to suit different projects.

Trello PM View

Trello’s free and standard plans offer the traditional Kanban board view only. You can add additional views with power-ups but at an additional cost. The premium and enterprise plans offer a range of management views including dashboard, timeline, workspace table, calendar, workspace calendar, and map views. 

Asana PM View

Asana offers a greater range of built-in project management views with its free plan. You can visualize your project with a board view, list view, or calendar view in the basic plan. The premium plan comes with a timeline view, forms view, and a few others. 

Winner: Asana – It has a range of PM views while Trello offers a Kanban board view only.

Asana vs Trello: Integrations

3rd party integrations are of core importance when evaluating a cloud-based service. The better it integrates with the software you already use, the more useful it is for you. Let’s see how Asana and Trello match up in terms of integrations. 

Trello Power-Ups

Trello integrates with other software tools through Power-Ups. It has recently made its Power-Ups unlimited to all users. With more than 130 integrations with different apps, Trello lets you streamline your work operations. Some of its most popular integrations include Jira, Time Tracker by TimeCamp, Crumble, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Google Drive, and Slack.

Screenshot of Trello Power-ups page
Oh! There’s an Asana + Trello Power-Up too!
Source: Trello

Trello’s Power-Ups often come at an additional cost which keeps adding up to the total project management cost.

Asana Integrations

Asana integrates with more than 200 apps. These cover a range of software categories including productivity, communication, finance, reporting, and human resources. Some of the most popular Asana integrations are Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Vimeo, and Canva.

Visual representation of Asana integrations
Asana has plenty of integration options.
Source: Asana

Winner: Tie – Both Trello and Asana have a healthy number of integrations with different apps. 

Trello vs Asana: Sharing & Collaboration

Sharing and collaboration are what project management tools are built for. The right software should let all members of your team collaborate with ease. It should also let you share your project with guest users in case you want clients to be able to monitor the progress.

Trello

Trello gives you a basic collaboration ability. It lets you assign tasks to users and add comments to cards. The comments feature lets all members of the team participate in co-creating a deliverable. You can also add an unlimited number of users to a board even if you have the free plan. 

You can also invite an unlimited number of guests to your Trello boards. But a lot of users or guests is not always practical because there’s a limit to what Trello can handle. It’s not a great management software for larger, more complex projects so you might never need more than 10-15 members on board. 

Asana

Asana’s free plan lets you work with a maximum of 15 users with the basic plan. You’d have to purchase the premium plan if you need to add more members. It lets you share your entire team and projects externally. The premium and free plans let you add unlimited free guests and reporting across multiple projects to easily share progress reports with clients. 

Winner: Asana – It lets you share and collaborate on a larger scale than Trello.

Trello vs Asana: Customer Service

Although both management tools are pretty easy to use and there’s very little chance you’d find yourself stuck while using them, customer service is still an important factor. A responsive customer support team matters, no matter what software you’re using. 

Some teammates may find it tough to use specific features such as automation rules on Trello or syncing another app with Asana. You wouldn’t want your work operations to come to a halt just because you can’t seem to figure out how a feature works and the support team is taking too long to respond. 

Trello Customer Support

Trello has an online forum for free users. While the forum is a valuable resource, it’s not always the quickest way to find a solution. Paid users get phone and concierge support to get their issues resolved by the support team and are only available during office hours, Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.

Asana Customer Support

Free and Premium users can get in touch with the customer service team through support tickets. This means you submit a form or email to communicate your issue and this is not always the fastest option. Only enterprise users get priority phone support

Winner: Tie – Both Trello and Asana’s customer service teams have a similar performance. 

Customer Reviews

Customers are always a great source of information when reviewing a project management software. Customer reviews give you first-hand information on what a software is good at, where it needs improvement and how it has helped their team. Here’s a brief overview of Trello and Asana’s customer reviews from some of the top software reviewing platforms. 

Trello Customer Reviews

Trello scores a healthy 4.4/5 average rating for its 12,500 reviews on G2, and an 8.4/10 with 2000+ reviews on TrustRadius. A vast majority of customer reviews share positive feedback on the software, especially for its interface and ease of use. 

Asana Customer Reviews

Asana has a 4.3/5 with 8000+ reviews on G2 and a TrustRadius score of 8.5/10 with 1800+ reviews. Although it hasn’t been as widely reviewed as Trello, we can consider the customer reviews to be a tie among the two. Customers mostly praise Asana for its ease-of-use, flexibility, and team management features.

Winner: Tie – Both Trello and Asana share similar customer review scores. 

Trello & Asana Alternatives

Wrike gives you greater customizability and works for all types and sizes of businesses. It offers a wide range of project management features. Its price may be a bit higher, but the functionality is worth it. This in-depth review on Wrike summarizes all you need to know about it.

  • Specialized marketing, creative, and services delivery team packages
  • Offers in-built time tracking 
  • Analytics tool generates charts automatically
  • Costlier than other PM software
  • Templates can’t remove all options
  • Can’t prioritize tasks

Pricing

  1. Free version.
  2. Professional Plan: $9.80/user/month.
  3. Business Plan: $24.80/user/month.
  4. Enterprise Plan: Inquire for price.

ClickUp is a leading project management platform. It suits teams of all sizes and is excellent for those working remotely. You can create spaces for different projects with ease and add teams to them accordingly.

  • Lower cost
  • Better support options
  • Free version offers a lot of features
  • Slows down when you use too many ClickApps 
  • Complicated interface
  • Lacks workflow management

Pricing

  1. Free
  2. Unlimited: $5/user/month
  3. Business: $12/user/month
  4. Business Plus: $19/user/month
  5. Enterprise: Inquire for price.

Microsoft Project is one of the oldest PM software out there. It has been the go-to management tool for many industry-leading companies for decades. But it’s not as easy to use. MS Project is best for experienced project managers.

  • Offers projections, baselines, and other features
  • Review all your projects at once
  • Advanced project management features
  • Expensive
  • Steep learning curve
  • Slow customer support

Pricing

  1. Plan 1:$10/user/month
  2. Plan 3: $30/user/month
  3. Plan 5: $55/user/month

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Trello vs Asana

Bottom Line on Trello vs Asana

Asana is a better project management software than Trello in terms of features, flexibility, customizability, and dependency management. Trello is much more limited in the management features its offers, but its simple Kanban board interface makes it a popular choice for beginners and simple projects. 

Choose Asana if you have a larger team and want to work on different projects with different management styles. The cost is a bit higher but its features compensate for it. On the other hand, if you prefer visual organization and like a board-based management style, Trello can prove to be an excellent choice.

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll: Comparison Guide for Business Owners

Business Graphs and Charts Concept with PAYROLL word

Gusto and QuickBooks are payroll platforms designed to make it easy for small business owners to automate several functions of their businesses. If you are comparing Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll, consider pricing, features, and customer service. Both platforms perform various vital duties, including setting and processing payroll, filing payroll taxes, and managing employee benefits.

While both platforms are functional, Gusto is best for medium-sized businesses that plan to expand to more than 50 employees in the future. Its human resource capabilities and features are good for companies with more extensive HR needs. QuickBooks Payroll is best for smaller businesses who want the flexibility to run payroll through the mobile app or the online platform.

Gusto logo

Gusto: Best for Medium-Sized Businesses 

Gusto is a payroll management service that offers many HR functions. The application is used by more than 40,000 small business owners nationwide. It has convenient payroll features, a customer interface, and numerous innovation tools. The platform is great for growing businesses that have more than 50 employees because of its ability to automate many functions.

Gusto makes the employee onboarding process simple for business owners. After entering in a few pieces of information, the platform automatically sends an email to the worker to gather the needed information. Gusto also makes things easy for employers who pay taxes in multiple states.

Gusto’s pricing scheme is fairly straightforward and easy to understand. It offers three plans that are designed to perform different functions to meet various needs. The most affordable plan is the Core Plan, which costs $39 a month plus a cost of $6 per employee. It is a basic plan but still comes with all the features you need to run payroll and perform many HR functions. The most expensive plans feature extra administrative tools.

Gusto’s plans come with features that include automation payroll tools, direct deposits, tax filings, independent contractor services, and unlimited payroll runs. Business owners can also offer health insurance to their employees in most states.

  • Free trial option for small business owners
  • Simple and quick to run payroll and benefits for numerous employees
  • Multiple customer service options
  • Business owners cannot run payroll via the mobile application 
  • Calculating employee deductions is cumbersome 
  • No weekend customer service options
QuickBooks payroll logo

QuickBooks Payroll: Best for Small Businesses 

QuickBooks Payroll is an excellent choice if you want to integrate your payroll software with an existing QuickBooks Online account. This platform is formulated for businesses with less than 50 employees. It integrates with QuickBooks Online and allows owners to offer same-day direct deposit for employees. Similar to Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll has three plans and enables owners to upgrade or add more services at any time.

However, this is not the best payroll option for paying remote teams. If you have employees or independent contractors in multiple states, you’ll end up paying more in the long run. There are extra monthly fees if you have workers in more than one location.

QuickBooks Payroll’s Core Plan is $45 per month plus an extra cost of $4 per employee. This plan provides comprehensive payroll services, including forms and automated taxes. You can integrate your subscription with QuickBooks Online and set up automatic payroll. This plan also comes with the option to offer employee health benefits.

The Premium Plan is $75 per month plus $8 per employee. This level comes with everything in the Core Plan plus extra features, including workers’ compensation administration and same-day direct deposit services. The most expensive option is the Elite Plan, which costs $125 per month plus a monthly fee of $10.

  • QuickBooks Online integration feature
  • Same day and next business day direct deposit options
  • Extended customer service hours 
  • Extra tax filing fees for Premium and Core plans
  • Limited HR features for numerous employees
  • QuickBooks Online integrations are somewhat limited 

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Pricing & Features Comparison 

Millions of small businesses worldwide use Gusto and QuickBooks payroll to perform payroll and HR functions. Both allow owners to establish and run employee payroll, manage employee benefits, submit payroll taxes, and complete other accounting functions. Both offer three plans that provide various features for businesses with different needs.

While QuickBooks Payroll’s plans are more expensive, the platform can be integrated with QuickBooks Online to make a comprehensive payroll and accounting system. Gusto is designed for businesses with more than 50 employees, while QuickBooks is best for small companies with fewer workers.

Key Features

Price

Core Plan: $39 monthly plus $6 per employee

Complete Plan: $39 monthly plus $12 per employee

Concierge Plan: $149 monthly plus $12 per employee

Core Plan: $45 monthly plus $4 per employee

Premium Plan: $75 monthly plus $8 per employee

Elite Plan: $125 monthly plus $10 per employee

Tax Filing and Payments

Federal, state, and local taxes; no multiple state filing fees

Federal and state tax filings

HR and Benefits Features

Comprehensive features including worker profiles and employee offer letters

Limited HR features

Portal Access for Employees

Mobile application

Online platform

Integrations

Any third-party software

Only QuickBooks Online

Mobile Application

No mobile app to run payroll

You can run payroll on the app

Tax Filings & Payments

The government requires all businesses to pay taxes and file returns at the state and federal levels. Companies need to file additional taxes if they conduct business in more than one state. Each company must follow specific tax regulations informed by its location, structure type, and business activity. Using payroll software makes it easier to satisfy tax filing and payments requirements.

Gusto

Business owners can calculate and file federal, state, and local payroll taxes with Gusto. All three plans come with this service. The software pays dues automatically once taxes are filed and accepted. If you need to file and pay taxes in more than one state, there are no fees.

QuickBooks Payroll 

All three QuickBooks Payroll plans calculate, file, and pay federal and state payroll taxes. Only the Elite and Premium plans allow owners to file and pay local taxes. Only the Elite Plan enables business owners to pay taxes in multiple locations.

Winner: Gusto. It’s much easier to use Gusto to file local, state, and federal taxes.

HR & Employee Benefits

Managing HR and employee benefits are essential functions for any small business. Effective HR is an integral part of any company culture, from recruiting talent to onboarding employees to administering health insurance. Gusto and QuickBooks both have automation tools that make it easy to perform essential HR functions and keep track of employee data.

Gusto

Gusto has more HR tools than QuickBooks payroll because it is designed for companies with more employees. Its features include employee directories, personalized worker profiles, automated offer letters, employee surveys, and company organizational charts. Gusto’s most expensive plan comes with tools for business owners who want more tools, including unlimited access to HR experts and a dedicated customer service team.

Gusto also has more employee benefits than QuickBooks Payroll. You can offer your employees a range of benefits, including health insurance, college savings accounts, health savings accounts, and commuter compensation.

QuickBooks Payroll 

QuickBooks Payroll does not have as many HR features, but its Premium Plan includes an HR resource center and other essential elements. Owners who upgrade to the Elite Plan can access a dedicated HR advisor. Other features include employee handbooks, job descriptions, and onboarding checklists.

Winner: Gusto. You get a lot more HR features and tools with a Gusto plan (and for far less money per month) than with QuickBooks Payroll.

Employee Portal Access

Remote work is more important than ever before, and workers need to access essential features on an online portal or platform. Most companies have eliminated on-site customer time tracking and payroll systems in favor of more flexible options. Both Gusto and QuickBooks allow employees to access portals.

Gusto

Employees can download the Gusto Wallet application on their phones to access paycheck information, view W-2 data, and manage working hours.

QuickBooks Payroll 

Called the Workforce, QuickBooks Payroll’s employee platform allows workers to view pay stubs, PTO balances, and W2 information.

Winner: Tie. Both Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll give employees access to important paycheck and tax information through easy-to-use portals.

Integrations

Most small business owners want a comprehensive accounting and payroll system. Companies need to integrate Gusto or QuickBooks with an accounting service to achieve this. Viewing payroll and accounting details on one integrated platform streamlines everyday tasks.

Gusto

Gusto is superior to QuickBooks Payroll because it can be integrated with any third-party accounting, point-of-sale, or time tracking software. Gusto can even be combined with QuickBooks Online.

QuickBooks Payroll

You can only integrate QuickBooks Payroll with QuickBooks Online. If you use another third-party software, you will need to enter your accounting transactions manually.

Winner: Gusto. There are more integration options available with Gusto than QuickBooks Payroll, so you can extend Gusto’s functionality.

Mobile Application

Having a mobile application to perform basic payroll transactions is a significant benefit for owners who often travel or do not always have access to a laptop computer. While both Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll are mobile-friendly, QuickBooks offers more features.

Gusto

Gusto’s platform is mobile-friendly, but owners cannot run payroll on the mobile application.

QuickBooks Payroll 

QuickBooks offers a no-cost mobile application that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices. Owners can view reports, file taxes, and run payroll via the mobile app.

Winner: QuickBooks Payroll. Although Gusto’s site is mobile-friendly, QuickBooks Payroll offers a mobile payroll app. 

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Customer Service

Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll let customers talk to live agents via phone and chat. Both platforms also allow customers to send emails to customer service and receive a response within 24 hours.

Gusto

Gusto’s limited customer service hours may be a drawback for business owners. Gusto offers phone, chat, and email support from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday to Friday. Unfortunately, agents are not available on the weekends.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks offers round-the-clock chat support and weekday and weekend customer service options. Live agents are available Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from
6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. QuickBooks is the clear choice for business owners who want more customer support options.

Winner: QuickBooks Payroll. This is a narrow win for QuickBooks Payroll because it offers longer hours of support for customers.

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Customer Reviews

Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll are both established companies with solid customer satisfaction ratings and many good customer reviews.

Gusto Customer Reviews

Most customers are happy with Gusto’s excellent HR features, affordable plans, and convenient-to-use platform. However, Gusto’s limited customer service hours are a common customer complaint.

QuickBooks Payroll Customer Reviews

Most customers love QuickBooks Payroll’s integration features, excellent customer support options, and add-on features. However, some customers prefer cheaper plans and more HR features. Out of almost 700 online votes, QuickBooks Payroll has an average rating of 4.5/5.

Winner: QuickBooks Payroll. Overall, QuickBooks Payroll gets more favorable reviews than Gusto.

Alternative Payroll Software Options

If you are looking for payroll business software alternatives, there are others on the market.

Paychex logo

Paychex

From $39

Paychex offers some great features not available on other payroll platforms. It is a good option if you want access to worker verification services, pay cards, and employee financial wellness programs.

There are three plans with different pricing levels. The basic plan is Paychex Flex Essentials, which costs $39 monthly plus an additional $5 per employee. Two higher-tiered plans are available and are custom-priced. Read the Paychex review to know more about this tool.

  • Comprehensive HR and payroll features
  • Employment verification services
  • Custom-priced plan options
  • Some plans do not come with same-day or next-day payroll options 
  • No free trial periods 
  • Limited customer support options on weekends

RUN Powered by ADP is a good option for businesses that want to customize the features they receive. Owners can mix and match features based on company size and other platforms. All plans include employee onboarding services, workers’ compensation resources, and marketing assistance. You can also offer health insurance and retirement plans through this platform.

RUN has customizable plan pricing, starting at $59 monthly plus $4 per employee.

  • Custom pricing options based on the company’s desired features
  • Integrates with various third-party platforms
  • Features include retirement plans and attendance tracking
  • Many plan prices not available online
  • Limited HR functions on lowest-tired plans
  • Less-than-intuitive platform
Patriot Software logo

Patriot

From $30

Patriot offers significantly more affordable plans than competitors such as QuickBooks Payroll. The platform also provides HR features, including time tracking tools, 1099 filing services, and guaranteed tax filing accuracy. It is an excellent option for small business owners on a budget.

Patriot’s base plan is the Full-Service Payroll plan, which costs $30 per month plus an additional $4 for each employee. Keep in mind that you will be charged $12 a month if you file payroll taxes in multiple states.

  • Affordable monthly plans
  • Free setup options with all plans
  • Many HR options for companies with many employees
  • No same-day or next-day direct deposit options
  • Extra fees for filing payroll taxes in multiple states
  • Limited customer support options on the weekend

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll: Final Thoughts 

When comparing Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll, there are several factors to consider. Both payroll software choices offer payroll services that can be integrated with an existing account platform to give you a fully functioning system. While both platforms are functional, we prefer Gusto because of its affordable plans and extensive HR features. 

Gusto is meant for businesses with more than 50 employees and comes with several excellent features, including convenient payroll options, a customer interface, and numerous innovation tools. Gusto is also a perfect option because it can be integrated with multiple third-party platforms.

Gusto vs ADP Payroll: Which To Choose

PAYROLL word on blue binder place on weekly time sheet and payroll summary report, human resources concept

Are you looking for easy-to-use payroll software for your business that offers full-service features and customer support to answer your questions? This comparison of Gusto vs ADP Payroll software goes into detail to help you determine which is the best choice for your company and needs.

The right payroll service makes it simple to process each payroll run while tracking data and compiling the reports you need to analyze and manage your business. We looked at pricing, payroll processing, tax filing features, direct deposit, employee portal access, and more to discover how these popular payroll software options measure up.

Gusto logo

Gusto: Best for Overall Value


Gusto is a top choice in payroll software. Originally founded in 2012 under the name ZenPayroll, it has developed into a powerhouse payroll and reporting software for customers.

One of the best things about Gusto is that you get access to many important features even with its core plan. Each of the three tiers includes automated payroll and direct deposit for unlimited payroll runs. Tax filing for all levels of government for both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors is also included. Access even more features, such as time-tracking and HR services, with the higher-priced tiers.

Gusto is great to help you with the setup that comes with the start of a new business. Manage every aspect of your payroll and reporting needs with a self-onboarding system. You can automate your payroll tasks to limit errors and help the process run smoothly and handle all the essentials from one convenient and easy-to-use interface.

One of the biggest downsides to Gusto is the limited customer service hours. It is only available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. Read the Gusto review if this software sounds like the right choice for you.

  • No hidden fees
  • No extra cost for tax filing in multiple states
  • Low-priced option for companies with contractors only and no W-2 employees
  • Pricier than some other options
  • Customer support unavailable during the evenings and weekends
  • No mobile app


Pricing

Gusto gives you a choice of four plan tiers to choose from:

  • Core at $39 per month plus an additional $6 per employee
  • Complete at $39 per month plus an additional $12 per employee
  • Concierge at $149 per month plus an additional $12 per employee
  • Contractor at no monthly fee and $6 per person
ADP Run logo

ADP Payroll: Best for Large or Complex Businesses


ADP Payroll
 has more than 70 years of experience in the payroll industry, offering you knowledge and expertise you can trust. It has a range of plans to choose from to get what you need from your payroll software.

The area where ADP truly shines is the additional features that make running a large or complex business simple. Higher priced plans assist you with HR support, recruiting, and onboarding. All plans give you access to customer support that is available 24/7, so you can get answers and assistance whenever you need it.

One drawback of ADP Payroll is that you can’t see the cost of all plans upfront to compare them. You must first request a quote after answering some questions about your business to see the prices of plans that may suit your needs. Read the ADP review to learn more about this software.

  • 24/7 customer service availability
  • Customizable for growing companies
  • Mobile access
  • Difficult to access pricing without requesting a quote
  • Hidden and additional fees
  • Interface may be overly complex for small businesses


Pricing

ADP Payroll’s prices are hard to find. It has a basic plan that starts at $29 per month plus an additional $5 for each employee. The cost of higher-level tiers is not accessible without requesting a quote.

Pricing & Features Comparison

The price and range of features of your chosen payroll software determine the value you get from the product. You want something that has the capabilities to perform all the functions your business requires, without paying more for services you won’t use.

Go on a deep dive into Gusto and ADP Payroll to learn more about each option. We compare all the major features and considerations that you should take into account when making your selection.

Key Features

Price

Starting at $39 monthly plus $6 per employee

Quote-based

Ease of Use

Simple interface, lacks a mobile app

Complex for small businesses, excellent for growing companies

Mobile access

Customer Support

Limited to M-F business hours

24/7

Business Size

Ideal for small businesses

Best for large businesses

Employee Portal

Yes, lifetime access

Yes, up to three years of pay history

Direct Deposit

Next-day direct deposit

Available

Reporting and Tax Filing

Federal, state, and local tax filing

Available for multiple states

Federal, state, and local tax filing

Price

The cost of your payroll software is likely one of your primary concerns. You want high value at a reasonable cost. You should also only pay for the payroll services that you need to run your business. Small companies normally don’t require as many bells and whistles as more complex businesses.

Gusto

Transparent pricing and multiple tiers to choose from make Gusto an excellent choice. While its prices are slightly higher than some other competing payroll companies, Gusto is still highly affordable and a great value.

ADP Payroll 

ADP Payroll pricing is difficult to determine or compare. The company uses quote-based pricing. This can be a useful way to find the exact plan that meets your business’s needs without paying more than you need. However, the lack of transparent pricing can be frustrating for business owners who are shopping for the right payroll service.

Winner: Gusto. Although it’s hard to know what you’ll pay for ADP for small business payroll, Gusto’s pricing is transparent and relatively affordable.

Ease of Use

Your payroll software must have an interface that is easy to use so you can navigate to the appropriate tool and carry out tasks promptly.

Gusto

This payroll software is simple for most users, although it does lack mobile access. Step-by-step guides and autoprocessing features make it a snap to use.

ADP Payroll

If you have a complex or growing business, ADP Payroll can simplify your payroll and reporting processes. The interface is accessible from both desktop and mobile, with a host of tools and resources available to explain any process you may be unfamiliar with.

Winner: ADP. Both Gusto and ADP are relatively easy to use, but ADP’s mobile app makes the payroll software more accessible.

Business Size

The size of your company plays a big role in determining the right payroll software. Smaller businesses are normally better off with a simple interface, while larger businesses may require access to additional features that make operating the software more complex.

Gusto

Gusto is easy to use for nearly any company size but is especially great for small business payroll. Take advantage of the helpful setup to get started right, knowing you have all the bases covered.

ADP Payroll

If your business is expanding, then ADP Payroll is likely the better choice for you. It has plans that offer a wide range of services, including more complex options for recruiting and HR processes for large businesses.

Winner: ADP. Larger businesses would do better with ADP because it allows more room for growth.

Employee Portal

High-quality payroll software should offer an employee portal for self-service. Managing your business takes a lot of time. You can reduce the inquiries from employees needing access to lost paystubs and past work history by letting them access this information themselves.

Gusto

All of your employees have lifetime access to Gusto’s employee portal. This makes it simple to view pay stubs, prior W-2s, and more.

ADP Payroll

ADP also provides access to an employee portal to access employee pay history. However, your employees can only view three years of past W-2s or 1099s.

Winner: Gusto. Although the employee portals from Gusto and ADP are similar, Gusto’s lifetime access for employees narrowly beats ADP’s three-year limit.

Direct Deposit

Employers and employees alike love direct deposit. It’s fast, simple, and minimizes the risk of late paychecks due to error.

Gusto

Gusto provides next-day direct deposit for your employees.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll also offers direct deposit. It’s unclear whether this service is the same day, next-day, or varies by plan.

Winner: Gusto. It’s hard to beat next-day direct deposit. 

Reporting and Tax Filing

Keeping track of payroll data and filing the required tax forms is essential for your business. With payroll software, it’s a breeze to create reports for specific periods and file your quarterly and end-of-year tax forms.

Gusto

With Gusto, you can calculate, file, and pay your taxes for federal, state, and local agencies. If you do business in more than one state, you can file in multiple locations without any added fees.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll also calculates, files, and pays your federal, state, and local taxes.

Winner: Tie. Both payroll services help you with filing your taxes.

Customer Service

Customer service is a crucial part of any business. The availability and level of service can easily affect the performance of your company and therefore your trust in your payroll software. In a comparison of Gusto vs ADP Payroll customer service, ADP offers better support options.

Gusto

Gusto’s customer support is limited to the hours of 6 a.m. through 5 p.m. PST on Monday through Friday. While this is probably adequate for most businesses that also operate during these hours, the lack of support available on weekends or during the evening falls short. During Gusto’s support hours, you can get assistance by phone, chat, or email.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll has superior customer service. Both phone and online chat support are available 24/7. This offers greater flexibility and convenience to run your business whenever you want, without waiting hours or even days to get answers to your pressing questions or concerns.

Winner: ADP. Gusto offers decent support, but ADP gives you more access to its support team through 24/7 phone and chat channels.

Customer Reviews

Both Gusto and ADP Payroll have mainly positive customer reviews. However, the limited availability of Gusto’s Monday through Friday service falls short of the 24/7 options offered by ADP Payroll and has affected some customers’ opinions.

Gusto Customer Reviews

Most customers report a good experience with Gusto payroll software. However, there are some complaints regarding customer service, stating the wait times can be lengthy. Customer favorite features include reliable service, a great web portal, and a direct deposit function. The mobile access is rated as average, while time tracking and integration options are slightly below average. Gusto has received a G2 rating of 4.3 out of 5.

ADP Payroll Customer Reviews

The user-friendly interface that offers step-by-step guidance is a popular customer favorite with ADP Payroll. The straightforward platform makes even complex businesses easy to manage. The mobile app is considered to be excellent, although customer service reviews are mixed. ADP Payroll has a 3.9 out of 5 rating on G2.

Winner: Gusto. Gusto has more favorable reviews than ADP overall, though it’s fair to say both payroll software gets mixed reviews from customers.

Alternative Payroll Software Options

Small business owners can also check out these other payroll software options.

Intuit QuickBooks is a popular accounting software for small businesses. Payroll software from QuickBooks easily integrates with the main platform to offer full-service bookkeeping for small businesses of one to 50 employees.

QuickBooks Payroll is cloud-based and simple to use. You are guided through the various features with step-by-step prompting and explanations. If you have questions, its customer support is excellent, with both phone and chat options available. This is a solid option to handle all your payroll needs, including tax filing and employee portal access.

  • Integrates easily with your existing QuickBooks accounting software
  • Fast direct deposit on the same or next day
  • Automate your tax filing
  • Additional filing fees applicable with some plans
  • Must purchase a higher-tier plan to unlock some premium features
  • Integration is limited unless you have QuickBooks online

Pricing

QuickBooks Payroll offers three plans to select from:

  • The Core plan costs $45 each month plus an additional $4 for each employee per month; this plan gives you auto payroll and tax features and next-day direct deposit
  • The Premium plan price is $75 plus $8 per employee for a month’s access, with all the features of QuickBooks Core with same-day direct deposit, HR support, and time tracking
  • The Elite plan is the highest price at $125 per month plus $10 per employee per month, providing the complete features of QuickBooks Payroll, including expert setup

Paychex Flex offers easy setup and impressive reporting capabilities to file all of your tax forms at the federal, state, and local levels. This scalable payroll software can grow with your business, offering varying tiers to match the size of your company. Another great feature of Paychex is the mobile app, which lets you conduct business from anywhere, at any time. For a more in-depth analysis on this software, check out our Paychex review.

  • Excellent reporting features
  • 24/7 support available
  • Mobile app for on-the-go use
  • Must request a quote to access pricing for higher-tier plans
  • Some hidden fees associated with setup
  • Customer support has mixed reviews

Pricing

Get the Essentials plan for $39 per month plus $5 for each employee. All other plans require that you request a customized quote.

OnPay is an affordable payroll service for small and medium-sized businesses. The interface is easy to use and offers unlimited payroll runs. You can pay both W-2 employees and 1099 contract workers. OnPay is a streamlined software that doesn’t have a lot of additional features, but if you are looking for something simple, this is a good choice.

  • Simplified pricing with one plan that includes everything
  • Integrates with third-party software
  • HR support
  • Best for desktop use
  • No fast direct deposit
  • Some customers say that support response times are slow

Pricing

Onpay offers simple pricing. Get access to all payroll features for a base fee of $36 per month with an additional $4 per employee per month.

Bottom Line on Gusto Vs ADP Payroll

After looking more closely at Gusto Vs ADP Payroll software, they both have some excellent features that make them great options for your business. Both are customer favorites with a  wide range of services and useful tools. However, Gusto has an advantage over ADP Payroll, making it the overall preferred choice.

Gusto Payroll software gives you access to more features, even with the basic tier package. With both, you can process payroll, offer direct deposit to your employees, and file all required taxes. Gusto’s core package also allows you to administer your company’s health benefits and manage worker’s compensation. You can even complete specialized employee payroll features like wage garnishments for employees. These types of features are only available with ADP Payroll if you enroll in a higher-cost tier.

Microsoft Project vs Hive Project Management Software

Versus concept on a black screen

Microsoft Project and Hive are two of the most popular project management software services on the market. Each has its strengths and disadvantages relating to project portfolio management tools, complete with file and information sharing, time tracking, resource management, third-party integrations, scheduling features, and more.

Quick Comparison: Microsoft Project vs Hive

Key Features

Ease-of-use

3/5

4.5/5

Project Mapping

3.5/5

4.5/5

Capacity

5/5

4/5

To-Do Lists

3/5

4/5

Integrations

3/5

5/5

Customer support

3/5

4.5/5

Pricing

2/5

4.5/5

Pros

  • Excellent for large businesses
  • Power BI for deep analytical insights
  • Easy time and task progress tracking
  • Integrates with 1000+ apps
  • Easy-to-learn chat and file sharing tools
  • High number of available views

Cons

  • Steep learning curve required
  • Average customer support
  • Limited integrations with third-party apps
  • No search function for each project
  • Mobile apps are not as intuitive as desktop version
  • File deletion is permanent

Overall Rating

3.5/5

4/5

Microsoft Project vs Hive

Microsoft Project and Hive may be similar services, but they each take a different approach to project management software. We looked at the features and functionality of both to compare them, including:

  • Ease of use. 
  • Project mapping.
  • Capacity.
  • To-do lists.
  • Integrations.
  • Customer support.
  • Cost.

Ease of Use

Popular project management and portfolio management software Microsoft Project allows a user to choose from several popular views, including board, grid, and Gantt views. Grid views are arguably the most basic, converting any project into a simple ordered list of tasks with status and due dates and not much else. Another view, Kanban, offers heavy visuals, converting tasks into boxes that can be dragged and dropped to rearrange the order, drag its duration, and more.

Like Microsoft Project, many user reviews have praised Hive project management software for its intuitive platform. It offers six views, including status, team, calendar, label, Gantt, and table. Of the six, Gantt and table view are the most popular, with each functionality offering its benefits on the way teams view and process work.

Another benefit of Hive technology is the ability to convert workflows to different views. Users can flip projects from Kanban to project views and vice versa. Hive also offers mobile apps to be able to check-in when on the go.

Winner: Hive is simple to use, offers plenty of diversity, and is easy on the eyes and mind.

Project Mapping

Microsoft Project offers excellent project mapping and portfolio management functionalities designed to show every step and all processes from project start to finish using flow charts. For starters, it offers an auto-scheduled feature that automatically maps out a calendar for your project by entering scope and designated time frames for each task. Consider this one of the more useful tools for project managers.

It also allows users to create “Master Project Plans” that combine multiple project details into one centralized workspace for a higher-level overview. Subprojects can be tied to master projects, all of which can be viewed using Gantt charts, grid views, and board views.

Hive also offers outstanding project mapping and portfolio management tools, starting with its six views mentioned above. Two of its core methodologies are Kanban and Agile. Kanban boards are a highly visual representation of workflows using customizable task cards flipped to either a Not Started, In Progress, or Completed status. They can be easily dragged and dropped with every status change.

Winner: Hive has a much more simplified interface, a higher number of available views, and easier toggling between different views.

To-Do Lists

Hive offers a comprehensive to-do list feature with milestones. It starts by entering tasks using your “My Actions” list and selecting due dates. Each to-do item is full of options, including the ability to create sub-actions, link a dependent action, and contribute to each task by uploading attachments, adding comments, using action templates, and generating share links for other members of your organization to view.

If to-do lists are an important functionality for you, Microsoft Project has very robust tools. All users have the option to start a to-do list using a blank project file, easily converting them into projects and shareable files. Once tasks are added, a user can indent and outdent tasks to show hierarchy, link tasks to show relationships, and change views.

Winner: Microsoft Projects offers a slightly more simplified to-do list feature than Hive.

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Integrations

Microsoft Project offers a healthy number of integrations for collaboration, most notable with popular Microsoft Office apps Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, OneNote, and Powerpoint. This allows users to centralize work from multiple apps into one centralized dashboard at the same time.

Hive is very strong with integrations and can connect to third-party applications using the popular Zapier app or native APIs. Some of the more popular apps include Outlook, Salesforce, and Google Drive. Integrations streamline work quickly, for example, a Zoom integration allows users to use video conferencing directly from Hive messaging, eliminating the need to share links to a meeting.

Winner: Hive offers integrations with a lot more apps than Microsoft Project, including the most popular ones (e.g. Google Drive, Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams) and lesser-known ones such as Freshbooks for accounting and Marketo.

Customer Support

Microsoft Project has a wide-reaching project community and support resource page that offers online webinars, documentation, videos, white papers, forums, and tutorials on all things Microsoft Project-related. While chat training is offered, there is a heavy reliance on self-help resources, with customer service numbers or dedicated emails harder to come by.

Hive’s customer support options for all project management software features are more visible than Microsoft Project. Users have the option to connect directly to their sales team using an online form where you can ask about anything from integration features to reports. Hive also offers a dedicated service email (help@hive.com) and an on-site webchat assistant also fields questions from new and repeat visitors.

Users also have the option to sign up for a free trial and request a demo. Hive technology offers personalized demos for all types of businesses. Simply fill out the form on the website with your contact information for a customer service representative to get back to you.

Winner: Hive offers the most generous customer support of the two. In addition to online chats and a dedicated phone line for Teams and Enterprise level users, a sales team is on standby to walk new users through a free demo with separate options to request a free trial.

Pricing

Microsoft Project offers two plans for on-premise solutions that use licenses and three package plans for their cloud services:

  • Project Plan 1 ($10 per user per month) offers Microsoft Project’s basic features, including management of projects, tasks, and reports that do not need any advanced features.
  • Project Plan 2 ($30 per user per month) includes all of the features of Project Plan 1, with the ability to assign project tasks to resources and use the desktop app, with one license good for up to five PCs per person.
  • Project Plan 3 ($55 per user per month) offers all of the features of Project Plan 1 and Project Plan 2 with the addition of enterprise-level analytics and resource management tools.

Both on-premise solutions require a one-time fee and allow access to its desktop app, with one license covering one PC per person. It has a lot more robust features, including the ability to connect with Project Online and Project Service, the offering of advanced analytics to choose project proposals based on strategic goals, and other solutions for larger enterprises.

Hive offers a much more simplified plan and pricing structure than Microsoft Project. It offers three plans paid in monthly or annual installments:

  • Solo (free) allows access for up to two users with unlimited service and a community support function. 
  • Teams ($12 per user per month) is for unlimited users with unlimited storage and time tracking, with the option to add a-la-carte options such as team resourcing and SSO, enterprise security, and controls for $4 per user per month.
  • Enterprise (custom quote) is the most robust, offering all of Teams’ features with the addition of contract and legal review and the most flexible add-on options like team resourcing and the ability to add external users as part of the package.

Winner: Hive is the clear winner in this category, thanks to its overall cheaper cost and ability to add a-la-carte options for a small nominal user fee per month. It does not overcomplicate pricing plans by splitting cloud versus on-premises (desktop licenses) plans like Microsoft Project, making it less overwhelming for new users or smaller companies.

Overall Winner

In the battle of Hive vs Microsoft Project for small to medium size businesses, our nod goes to Hive. Microsoft Project has a gargantuan infrastructure, yet has many limitations, most notably with collaboration and the ability to share files.

Another key consideration is cost. Hive is considerably cheaper on a per-user per month basis.

All in all, Hive is better served for a small to a medium-sized organization that does not want a steep learning curve in learning a new project workflow tool.

Frequently Asked Questions for Microsoft Project vs Hive

Final Thoughts on Microsoft Project vs Hive

Microsoft Project and Hive are two of the most powerful project management tools on the market. Each offers its own advantages and disadvantages when we compare ease of use, project mapping, to-do lists, integrations, customer support, and cost. 

Consider Hive the superior option when it comes to the learning curve, real-time collaboration tools, and overall simplicity with a heavier reliance on cloud-based apps and third-party integrations to bring the workforce closer together.