Alternative
Microsoft Planner alternatives 2026: 5 tools
Planner is included with Microsoft 365 and fine for task lists. Five alternatives for the moment that stops being enough.
Microsoft Planner has one unbeatable advantage: it is already there. If you have Microsoft 365 you pay nothing extra and find it inside Teams. People start looking for an alternative when task lists turn into projects — which Planner was not built for.
Where it runs out
On dependencies between tasks, on reporting beyond simple charts, on time tracking, and on anything to do with software development. Planner is a good shared task list — no more, but also no less.
The alternatives
1. Stay with Planner
If your projects are essentially task lists with an owner and a date: stay. Another tool costs money and attention for a gain you do not need.
2. Zuuna
Board, table, calendar and documents together, hosted in Germany with a DPA. Interesting for mixed teams where technical and non-technical people should share one tool — including git on the board when part of the work is code.
3. Asana
Strong on processes and ownership across departments. Starter $10.99, Advanced $24.99 per user/month billed annually — with a 2-seat minimum, and the Personal tier caps at 2 users.
4. monday.com
Flexible and colourful, good for cross-department processes. Basic €9, Standard €12, Pro €19 per seat/month billed annually excl. VAT — 3-seat minimum.
5. Jira
Only if you genuinely build software. For a team arriving from Planner, Jira is usually too large a jump.
Prices at a glance
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Data location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zuuna | Free €0 · Plus €4 · Business Standard €8 · Business Pro €16 · Developer €24 (per seat/month, incl. VAT) | 2 members, 2 boards, 100 cards | Germany |
| Microsoft Planner | Basic included in Microsoft 365 · Plan 1 $10 (per user/month, annually) | no standalone free tier — requires an M365 account | ⚠️ no specific residency commitment |
| Asana | Starter $10.99 · Advanced $24.99 (per user/month, annually) — 2-seat minimum | Personal: maximum 2 users | US vendor |
| monday.com | Basic €9 · Standard €12 · Pro €19 (per seat/month, annually, excl. VAT) — 3-seat minimum | maximum 2 seats, 3 boards | US vendor |
| Jira | No published flat per-user price — calculator with volume tiers | up to 10 users, 2 GB | region selectable from Standard |
All prices from each vendor's own pricing page, accessed 3 August 2026. Currencies are not converted — each figure carries the symbol the vendor publishes it in. Prices change; check before deciding.
Migrating
Planner exports to Excel, so the route into Zuuna is the usual one: upload the file, map the columns, and the status column becomes your board columns. Attachments and comment history do not come along.
FAQ
Does Microsoft Planner cost extra?
The basic version is included with Microsoft 365; Plan 1 is $10 per user per month billed annually (as of 3 August 2026). There is no standalone free tier without an M365 account.
When should I stay with Planner?
When your projects are task lists with an owner and a date, and nobody asks about dependencies, time tracking or reporting. Then Planner is the cheapest sufficient answer.
What about data residency?
Microsoft makes no specific residency commitment for Planner that we could quote here — check it for your tenant with Microsoft directly. Zuuna runs in Germany.