Comparisons

An MS Project alternative online: Syntra vs Microsoft Project and Planner

Microsoft Project and Planner are tools for detailed planning with a Gantt chart, baselines and the critical path in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, while Syntra is a web tool for the project portfolio, risks and tasks with an AI assistant, and it has no Gantt chart. Project Online was retired on September 30, 2026; instead, Microsoft offers Planner, Project desktop and Project Server Subscription Edition.1,2

as of October 2026 · Sources

Which one fits whom

Syntra fits if

  • you need a simple web tool for the project portfolio, risks and tasks without Microsoft 365 licences and servers;
  • you want an AI assistant on every plan rather than a separate licence;
  • you do not need a Gantt chart: seeing dates in deadlines, the team calendar and the completion forecast is enough;
  • a price per workspace and platform data in Ukraine matter to you.

Microsoft Project fits if

  • you need a Gantt chart, baselines, the critical path and dependencies with lead or lag time;3
  • your company already works in Microsoft 365, and basic Planner is included in your subscription;3
  • you need timesheets (Project Professional) or your own server (Project Server);2
  • working with tasks in Outlook and Teams matters to you.4,5

Syntra and Microsoft Project: feature comparison

CriterionSyntraMicrosoft Project
AI assistantBuilt into every plan: answers across all projects with links to tasks and documents, writes status reports, creates tasks after you confirm. 100 to 12,000 AI requests a month depending on the plan.6,7Copilot in Planner (including Planner Agent) only with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence: $30.00 per user per month with a yearly subscription (in Ireland €26.00 excluding VAT).3,8
AI in documentsPDF, DOCX and XLSX in a project and in the company library: answers name the file and the page (from the Starter plan).9,10Documents live in SharePoint and Loop; Copilot in Loop requires a separate Copilot licence.1,11
Ukrainian interfaceYes, Ukrainian is the default language; the AI answers in Ukrainian.12Yes, Ukrainian is among the interface languages of the enterprise products, which Microsoft says include Project and Planner.13
Interface languages8: Ukrainian, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian.1237 languages for Microsoft’s enterprise products, including Project and Planner.13
PricePer workspace, in EUR excluding VAT: Starter €49 (10 users), Business €149 (25), Enterprise €399 (50) per month; an extra user is €5 or €4.7Per user: Planner Plan 1 is $10.00, Planner and Project Plan 3 is $30.00 a month with a yearly subscription (in Ireland €8.70 and €26.00 excluding VAT); Project Standard 2024 is $679.99 as a one-time purchase.2,3,8
Free planYes: up to 3 users, 5 projects, 100 AI requests a month, 100 MB.7Basic Planner is included in a Microsoft 365 subscription at no extra cost; Plan 1 and Plan 3 have a one-month trial.3
Scrum sprintsYes, on Business and Enterprise: backlog, story points, working-day burndown, team velocity, reports.14Backlogs and sprints in Planner Plan 1 and Plan 3; basic Planner does not have them.3,15
Kanban boardA board of projects on every plan; a sprint task board on Business and Enterprise.10,14Yes, every version of Planner has a board.3
Portfolio and dashboardsYes: the portfolio by status, health and trends, a morning AI digest, PDF and Excel reports.16Portfolios in Planner are created on Plan 3 (view only on Plan 1); dashboards from Plan 1; portfolio analysis in Project Server Subscription Edition.2,3
Risk registerYes: risks with a level, a response plan and a status; the risk register in PDF or Excel (from Starter).16Issue and risk management in Project Server Subscription Edition; the risk row in the Planner plan table is about compliance (Microsoft Purview), not a project risk register.2,3
Team calendarYes, on Business and Enterprise: Outlook, Google, iCloud and iCal side by side, Find a time.17Calendar, timeline and the People view for workload from Plan 1; Team Planner in Project Professional.2,3
TelegramIts own bot: notifications, the morning digest and questions to the AI (from Starter); voice messages on Enterprise.10,18No integration from Microsoft; there is a third-party Telegram Bot connector for Power Automate.19
Where data is storedPlatform data in Ukraine (Hosting Ukraine); the AI, e-mail and payment sub-processors in the USA, error monitoring in Germany.20Planner data is stored in the geography of the Microsoft 365 tenant: for Ukraine that is Europe (EUR1).21
Integrations, API, MCPJira, GitHub, Worksection and Creatio connectors, webhooks, REST API, OAuth 2.0 and MCP — on the Enterprise plan.22Graph API for plans in basic Planner, Power Automate, the Planner MCP server (since June 2026, without premium features).4,23
Gantt chartNo.Yes: a timeline (Gantt) from Plan 1, a full Gantt chart in Project desktop.2,3
Time trackingNo.Timesheets in Project Professional 2024; Project Standard 2024 does not have them.2
PhoneA web app that installs on the phone, and a Telegram bot.12Planner for iOS and Android; on the phone, premium plans prompt you to open them elsewhere.24,25

Facts about other products come from their official pages (the numbers link to the sources); facts about Syntra come from its own pages. Prices are shown as the vendor shows them, without currency conversion.

When Microsoft Project is the better choice

Microsoft Project is the better choice for complex schedules: a Gantt chart, baselines, the critical path and dependencies with lead or lag time are the strength of Project desktop and Plan 3.2,3 If your company already works in Microsoft 365, basic Planner is included in the subscription,3 and tasks are visible in Outlook and Teams.4,5

Syntra has no Gantt chart, so for a detailed schedule of construction work or for production planning Project is the better fit. Syntra is for a different job: letting a manager see the portfolio, risks and workload and get answers from the AI without a separate licence and without setting up Microsoft 365.

Switching from Project Online or Project

Project Online was retired on September 30, 2026.26 Microsoft provides no tool of its own for moving from Project Online to Project Server and advises turning to partners;1 Project desktop saves a project as XML and exports field data to Excel or CSV.27

Syntra does not import .mpp or XML files. The list of projects can be loaded from Excel (name, status, priority, progress, owner, deadline), and the tasks of a new project created from a template or from a document with the help of the AI.

Questions and answers

Is Syntra an online alternative to MS Project?

Partly: Syntra is a web tool for the project portfolio, tasks, risks and sprints with an AI assistant, but it has no Gantt chart, baselines or critical path like Microsoft Project.3 If what you need is work schedules, choose Project; if it is control over the portfolio and risks, choose Syntra.

What happened to Project Online?

Microsoft retired Project Online on September 30, 2026, and Project for the web in August 2025, moving its users to Planner.1 Project desktop, Project Server Subscription Edition and Planner continue to work.

How much does Microsoft Project cost compared with Syntra?

Planner and Project Plan 3 costs $30.00 per user per month with a yearly subscription (in Ireland €26.00 excluding VAT),3,8 and Copilot is a separate licence. Syntra charges per workspace: Business is €149 a month for 25 users, with AI requests already included.

Is Microsoft Project available in Ukrainian?

Yes, Microsoft lists Ukrainian among the interface languages of its enterprise products, including Project and Planner.13 Syntra is in Ukrainian too — it is its default language.

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Sources (as of October 2026)

  1. Microsoft: frequently asked questions about Planner — support.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/frequently-asked-questions-about-microsoft-planner
  2. Microsoft: Project desktop and Project Server — www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/project/microsoft-project-enterprise-plans-and-pricing
  3. Microsoft: Planner pricing — www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/planner/microsoft-planner-business-plans-and-pricing
  4. Microsoft: what’s new in Planner — support.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/whats-new-in-microsoft-planner
  5. Microsoft: basic and premium plans in Planner — support.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/compare-microsoft-planner-basic-vs-premium-plans
  6. Syntra: AI Engine — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/ai-engine.html
  7. Syntra: pricing and billing — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/billing.html
  8. Microsoft: Planner pricing (Ireland, EUR) — www.microsoft.com/en-ie/microsoft-365/planner/microsoft-planner-business-plans-and-pricing
  9. Syntra: documents — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/documents.html
  10. Syntra: home page, pricing — syntra.tymko.tech/en
  11. Microsoft: Copilot in Loop — support.microsoft.com/en-us/loop/frequently-asked-questions-about-copilot-in-loop
  12. Syntra: product summary (llms.txt) — syntra.tymko.tech/llms.txt
  13. Microsoft: languages of Office and enterprise products — support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/languages/what-languages-is-office-available-in
  14. Syntra: sprints — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/sprints.html
  15. Microsoft: premium capabilities in Planner — support.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/teams/advanced-capabilities-with-premium-plans-in-planner
  16. Syntra: analytics — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/analytics.html
  17. Syntra: team calendar — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/calendar.html
  18. Syntra: notifications — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/notifications.html
  19. Microsoft Learn: Telegram Bot connector (third party) — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/telegrambotip
  20. Syntra: sub-processors — syntra.tymko.tech/sub-processors
  21. Microsoft Learn: data residency for other services — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/m365-dr-service-other?view=o365-worldwide
  22. Syntra: integrations — syntra.tymko.tech/features/en/integrations.html
  23. Microsoft Learn: Planner API — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/resources/planner-overview?view=graph-rest-1.0
  24. Microsoft: Planner for iOS — support.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/microsoft-planner-for-ios-help
  25. Microsoft Learn: plan conversion in Planner — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/plan-conversion
  26. Microsoft: Planner and Project Plan 3 — www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/planner/project-plan-3
  27. Microsoft: file formats supported by Project desktop — support.microsoft.com/en-us/project/file-formats-supported-by-project-desktop
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