Microsoft Project alternatives for a UK PMO
Microsoft retired Project Online on 30 September 2026, so many PMOs are choosing what to run their projects on next. This page compares the main options fairly, including when our own platform isn't the right fit.
The short answer
If your projects are fairly simple and you already use Microsoft 365, Microsoft Planner may be all you need. If you want flexible spreadsheets and dashboards, look at Smartsheet. For visual team boards, look at monday.com, and for software teams working in sprints, Jira. If you run a PMO that needs PRINCE2-style governance, with approvals, RAID and change control, cost to completion and one view across every project, Quantum Delivery Hub was built for exactly that.
What happened to Project Online
- Microsoft stopped selling Project Online to new customers on 1 October 2025.
- The service retired on 30 September 2026, and customers needed to move their projects and data before then.
- Microsoft's suggested routes are:
- Planner with premium features, which is its main cloud direction;
- the Project desktop app;
- Project Server Subscription Edition, which runs on your own servers.
What a PMO needs from a tool
Whatever you choose, judge it against these:
- Governance: can it handle approvals, stage gates and a record of who approved what?
- RAID and change control: are risks, issues and changes managed properly, with owners and decisions?
- Planning: a Gantt chart with dependencies, and a view of who is over-committed.
- Cost: can it show spend against budget and forecast cost to completion?
- Portfolio view: one picture across every project for the board.
- Pricing that fits how people work: many people only approve or view, so do you pay full price for them?
- Where your data is held: important for many UK organisations.
The main options
Microsoft Planner and Project
Best for: organisations already on Microsoft 365 that want to stay with Microsoft.
Strengths: familiar, and integrated with Teams and Microsoft 365. Higher plans add resource management, and Project Plan 5 adds portfolio management.
Watch out for: features are spread across several plans, so check which plan includes what you need. Governance documents and approvals usually need to be set up separately.
Smartsheet
Best for: teams that like working in spreadsheets and want flexible dashboards.
Strengths: Gantt charts and dependencies on all paid plans, and very flexible.
Watch out for: workload tracking needs the Business plan, which has a minimum of three paid members, and portfolio features need Enterprise. Governance structure is something you build yourself.
monday.com
Best for: teams that want visual, easy-to-adopt boards.
Strengths: quick to get started, with many templates. Timeline and Gantt views are available from the Standard plan.
Watch out for: time tracking needs the Pro plan, and portfolio features need the Enterprise plan. It's a general work-management tool, so PMO governance has to be designed and configured.
Jira
Best for: software teams working in agile sprints.
Strengths: very strong for backlogs, sprints and development work. The Premium plan adds cross-project planning and dependency management.
Watch out for: built for software delivery, so PRINCE2-style governance, stage gates and cost control aren't its focus.
Quantum Delivery Hub
Best for: UK PMOs running a mix of projects that need governance, control and one view across everything.
Strengths:
- PRINCE2, Agile and Hybrid can be set per project.
- Seven governance document types, including the PID; once approved, each becomes a locked PDF with an audit record.
- RAID with proper change control, routed to a named Change Authority.
- A Gantt chart with dependencies and resource over-allocation warnings.
- Timesheets and cost to completion.
- Microsoft Project plans can be imported, with a review screen before anything is committed.
- All data held in the UK.
Pricing: from £9 per person a month, by role. Licences are pooled, so occasional approvers and stakeholders use only part of a licence.
Watch out for: there's no self-service sign-up. We set up your organisation with you after a demo.
At a glance
| Best for | How you pay | Portfolio view | PRINCE2 governance built in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Planner / Project | Microsoft 365 organisations | Per user, by plan | Project Plan 5 | No, set up separately |
| Smartsheet | Spreadsheet-style teams | Per member, minimums on some plans | Enterprise plan | No, built by you |
| monday.com | Visual team boards | Per seat, by plan | Enterprise plan | No, configured by you |
| Jira | Software teams | Per user, by plan | Premium plan | No, not its focus |
| Quantum Delivery Hub | PMOs needing governance and control | Pooled licences by role | Included | Yes |
Microsoft Planner / Project
- Best for
- Microsoft 365 organisations
- How you pay
- Per user, by plan
- Portfolio view
- Project Plan 5
- PRINCE2 governance built in
- No, set up separately
Smartsheet
- Best for
- Spreadsheet-style teams
- How you pay
- Per member, minimums on some plans
- Portfolio view
- Enterprise plan
- PRINCE2 governance built in
- No, built by you
monday.com
- Best for
- Visual team boards
- How you pay
- Per seat, by plan
- Portfolio view
- Enterprise plan
- PRINCE2 governance built in
- No, configured by you
Jira
- Best for
- Software teams
- How you pay
- Per user, by plan
- Portfolio view
- Premium plan
- PRINCE2 governance built in
- No, not its focus
Quantum Delivery Hub
- Best for
- PMOs needing governance and control
- How you pay
- Pooled licences by role
- Portfolio view
- Included
- PRINCE2 governance built in
- Yes
Vendor details checked against each vendor's own website in October 2026. Plans and features change, so please check the vendor's site for the latest.
When Quantum Delivery Hub isn't the right choice
We'd rather tell you now than after a demo:
- If you're a software team working purely in sprints, Jira is probably the better fit.
- If you have a handful of simple projects and live in Microsoft 365, Planner may be enough.
- If you want a blank canvas to design everything yourself, Smartsheet or monday.com give you more freedom.
FAQs
Is Project Online still available?
No. Microsoft retired Project Online on 30 September 2026. The Project desktop app, Planner and Project Server Subscription Edition continue.
Can we import our Microsoft Project plans into Quantum Delivery Hub?
Yes. You can import .mpp files, and a review screen shows what will convert before anything is committed. Some items, such as lags, constraints, costs and calendars, may not carry across, and the review screen lists them.
Do we pay a full licence for people who only approve or view?
No. Approvers and contributors use half a licence, and stakeholders a quarter, so 20 people can share 10 licences.
Where is our data held?
In the UK, in Google Cloud's London region. Read more on our security and data protection page.
Can we use Quantum Delivery Hub alongside Jira?
Yes. You can keep Jira for your software teams and use Quantum Delivery Hub for governance and reporting across the wider portfolio. The two run separately today, with no direct link between them.
Moving off Project Online?
Book a demo and we'll show you how your plans, RAID and reporting would look in Quantum Delivery Hub.
Book a demo