Best for
Best for European teams that need GDPR-compliant, German-hosted task management with time tracking included.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Project Management Comparison
MeisterTask vs. Microsoft Project
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for organizations that need detailed scheduling and resource management within the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | MeisterTask | Microsoft Project |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free; Pro from €13.50 / user / month Business from €24 per user and month, Enterprise on request. The free Basic plan covers up to 3 projects, 5 notes and 5 Content Manager seats; viewer seats are unlimited on every plan. | From $10 / user / month Planner Plan 1, paid yearly. Planner and Project Plan 3 is $30 per user and month and adds the desktop client. Desktop licenses are one-time: Project Standard $679.99, Project Professional $1,129.99. Project Server runs on-premises through a partner. |
| Free trial | Free Basic plan, free forever | Not stated |
| API | Yes, full API access from the Pro plan | Not stated |
| Hosting | Germany | Not stated |
| Made in | Not stated | United States (Microsoft) |
| Task planning | Yes, Kanban project boards with unlimited tasks, checklists, comments, recurring tasks and automations; subtasks, custom fields and a Gantt timeline from Business | Yes, Gantt scheduling with task dependencies and baselines, plus grid, board and timeline views in the web app |
| Resource planning | Workload planner and portfolios with cross-project timelines on Enterprise | Yes, resource assignment and management across projects, fuller in Project Professional and the higher plans |
| Time tracking | Yes, built-in time tracking on every plan including the free Basic plan | Timesheet capture in Project Online and the higher Project plans |
| Reporting and controlling | 5 preset reports on every plan; custom reports and a team overview of task volume and capacity from Business | Yes, built-in reports and dashboards, with Power BI for portfolio reporting |
| Integrations and API | Full API access from Pro, integrations with MindMeister, Slack, Google, Microsoft Teams, Zendesk and GitHub, plus a MeisterTask MCP server in beta | Yes, through Power Platform connectors and Microsoft Graph |
| AI features | stated Yes | No |
| MCP-ready | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise |
| Support | Email helpdesk, Phone | more entries Email helpdesk, Phone, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base, Personal consulting | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials |
| Company size | more entries Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | more entries MindMeister, Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Zendesk, GitHub | Microsoft Teams, Power BI, Power Automate, SharePoint |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price MeisterTask Free; Pro from €13.50 / user / month Microsoft Project From $10 / user / month
- Deployment MeisterTask Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based Microsoft Project Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise
- Company size MeisterTask Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Microsoft Project Small and mid-sized, Enterprise
- Support MeisterTask Email helpdesk, Phone Microsoft Project Email helpdesk, Phone, Community forum
- AI features MeisterTask Yes Microsoft Project No
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
MeisterTask
Strengths
- Hosted in Germany, ISO 27001 certified and GDPR-compliant
- Time tracking included on every plan, including the free one
- Unlimited viewer seats on all plans, so stakeholders cost nothing
Limitations
- Free plan is capped at 3 projects, 5 notes and 5 Content Manager seats
- Subtasks, custom fields and the Gantt timeline only from the Business plan
- Workload planning and portfolios are reserved for Enterprise
Microsoft Project
Strengths
- Powerful scheduling with Gantt, dependencies and baselines
- Deep resource and portfolio management for larger projects
- Integrates with the Microsoft 365 and Power BI ecosystem
Limitations
- Steeper learning curve than lightweight task tools
- Editions and pricing (cloud plans versus one-time desktop) can be confusing
- Full capabilities need higher plans or the Professional desktop client
Plans
Pricing
MeisterTask
- Basic €0 Free forever. Unlimited tasks, up to 3 projects, 5 notes and 5 Content Manager seats, 20 Meister AI credits per month, time tracking and 5 preset reports.
- Pro €13.50 From, per user and month. Unlimited projects and notes, 75 AI credits per month, recurring tasks and automations, full API access and email support.
- Business €24 From, per user and month. Adds 350 AI credits, Gantt timeline, subtasks, custom fields, custom reports, roles and permissions and priority email and phone support.
- Enterprise Not stated Contact sales. Adds workload planner, portfolios, SAML single sign-on, compliance exports and a dedicated Customer Success Manager.
Microsoft Project
- Planner Plan 1 $10 Per user and month, paid yearly.
- Planner and Project Plan 3 $30 Per user and month, paid yearly. Adds the Project desktop client, roadmaps and portfolio features.
- Project Standard 2024 $679.99 One-time purchase for one PC.
- Project Professional 2024 $1,129.99 One-time purchase for one PC. Adds resource management and Project Server connectivity.
- Project Server Subscription Edition Not stated On-premises, priced through a Microsoft partner.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
MeisterTask
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Microsoft Project
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
MeisterTask https://www.meistertask.com · no check date recorded yet
Microsoft Project https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/project/project-management-software · checked against the official source on 2026-08-22
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.