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Project Online license types

Project Online Licenses

Microsoft has solutions for project management, which are divided into two categories:

Cloud-based solutions – where the storage is in the cloud and the access works by subscription.

Local solutions - also known as on-premises, where the license is paid once and the software is installed and stored locally.


In this article we will deal with cloud solutions, the Project Online, a model most adopted by organizations that brings greater agility and security, as well as frequent updates and Microsoft support.

To get access to Project Online, the project manager has the option of three licenses, according to the needs of the organization: Project Plan 1 , Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5.

Below are the main differences:

Here is a comparative table of licences:



In addition, staff members whose administrators have Project Plan 3 or Project plan 5 may use Project Online Essentials, a supplementary subscription with a lower cost and that allows some more basic tasks, such as:

  • Use a web-based interface
  • Update tasks, problems and risks
  • Send schedule frames
  • Share documents and collaborate with Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business users
Resources Plan 1 Plan 3 Plan 5
Project Home: From a centralized view, create new projects easily, quickly access important projects or open projects with more recent work. Yes Yes Yes
Grid display mode: Plan and manage projects using an orderly list of tasks. Yes Yes Yes
Frame Display Mode: Visually track project tasks to have a better workflow and status, using task panels provided with the program or customized. Yes Yes Yes
Timeline display mode (Gantt): : Follow and understand dates, tasks and project tasks relationships in visual time line display mode. Yes Yes Yes
Collaboration and communication: Work together on projects using Microsoft Teams. Yes Yes Yes
Co-authorship: Work together with stakeholders and team members to edit and update task lists, project scheduling, and more simultaneously. Yes Yes Yes
Planning and scheduling of projects: Includes well-known scheduling tools to assign project tasks to team members and use different display modes such as Grid, Frame and Time Line (Gantt's graph) to oversee the schedule. Yes Yes Yes
Reports: Use pre-created reports to track the progress of your projects, resources, programs and portfolios. Yes Yes Yes
Screenplay: Create visual and interactive scripts by adding different types of projects to your organization for visibility. Reading Yes Yes
Organisation: Capture the time spent inside and outside the project for the purposes of payroll, billing and other commercial tasks. Yes Yes Yes
Desktop Client: Use the Project desktop app fully installed and updated. One license covers up to five PCs per person. No, no, no. Up to 5 PCs Up to 5 PCs
Proposal management: Capture and evaluate project ideas from anywhere in the organization through a standardized process. No, no, no. No, no, no. Yes
Optimize and select portfolios: Model different portfolio scenarios to determine the best path, pondering project proposals with strategic business factors. No, no, no. No, no, no. Yes
Applications included: Choose the plan that best meets your organization's project management needs. Web Project

Project Online Essentials
Web Project

Project Online

Project Online Desktop Client
Web Project

Project Online

Project Online Desktop Client

Still not sure which licenses to purchase for your project management solutions? Get in touch with us.

Original content from the MLPro editorial library, fully preserved and translated for the English website.

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