Redmineflux vs Microsoft Project
Redmineflux vs Microsoft Project – the delivery platform alternative.
For Redmine teams standardised on flat licensing, weighing MS Project subscription costs.
Who this comparison is for
Read this if you are evaluating Microsoft Project subscription costs against a structured issue-tracking alternative.
Teams evaluating Microsoft Project subscriptions (Planner Plan 1, Planner and Project Plan 3) who want to understand what a purpose-built issue-tracking alternative offers will find the feature matrix most relevant. IT decision-makers assessing long-term cost – particularly at Plan 3 or Plan 5 – should read the pricing comparison carefully. Development teams already on MS Project who need deeper issue tracking, QA, or helpdesk will find the feature gaps most applicable.
Quick verdict
Seven rows. Thirty seconds.
Scan the trade-offs here. The full feature matrix and pricing detail follow below.
| Consideration | Microsoft Project | Redmineflux |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Enterprise project managers – Gantt scheduling, resource pooling, portfolio management, earned value analysis | Development and IT teams on Redmine – structured issue tracking, delivery, and the full operations loop |
| Core model | Task-based scheduling – Gantt bars with start date, end date, predecessors, and resource assignments | Issue-based tracking – structured tickets with type, status, workflow, and linked commits, test cases, time logs |
| Deployment | Cloud subscription (Planner Plan 1 / Planner and Project Plan 3) hosted on Microsoft Azure; Plan 5 reached end of sale May 2026; desktop perpetual licence also available | Self-hosted on your infrastructure or Redmineflux Managed Cloud — same plugins on either |
| Data ownership | Microsoft Cloud-hosted (Azure) — your data on Microsoft’s infrastructure | You own your data — your server, your database, portable at any time |
| Pricing model | Per user per month — Planner Plan 1 $10, Planner and Project Plan 3 $30; Plan 5 ($55) reached end of sale May 2026; cost scales with every team member | Per-plugin licence per installation — no per-seat charge; same cost for 10 or 100 users |
| Development-specific tools | Task scheduling, resource management, portfolio dashboards (Planner and Project Plan 3) — no issue tracking, no test case management, no helpdesk | Native: issue tracking, QA, timesheet approval, helpdesk, CRM — all inside Redmine |
| AI support | Microsoft Copilot (M365 add-on, ~$30/user/mo) — separate subscription, covers all M365 apps | MCP Server — connects Claude, Cursor, and custom agents to Redmine; available in Cloud Pro plan |
Pricing
Total cost of ownership, compared.
Know what you’re investing in
SaaS — per seat
Microsoft Project
- Planner Plan 1 (~$3,000/yr): web-based scheduling, Planner (Kanban boards included), basic Gantt, roadmap view
- Planner and Project Plan 3 (~$9,000/yr): desktop app, resource management, portfolio management
- Plan 5 ($55/user, ~$16,500/yr at 25 users) reached end of sale May 1, 2026 — no longer available for new purchase; Project Online retires September 30, 2026
- No native issue tracking, test case management, or helpdesk at any tier
- Microsoft Copilot AI: ~$30/user/mo additional — approximately $9,000/yr for 25 people
Source: microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/project · verified 2026-07-13. Verify current pricing before purchase.
Per installation — flat
Redmineflux
- All 18 paid plugins — Agile Board, Gantt, Workload, Timesheet, Knowledge Base, Helpdesk, Test Case Management, CRM, Invoice, and more
- All three themes (Daisy, Scarlet + Lotus) included with the Bundle
- Redmine itself is free and open-source (GPL v2)
- MCP Server available in Cloud Pro plan
Source: redmineflux.com/redmine-plugins-pricing/ · verified 2026-07-13
Get a Free Demo →A 25-person team on Planner and Project Plan 3 pays ~$9,000/yr — Redmineflux All Plugins Bundle is a one-time purchase, support renewal after year 1 at 30% of pack price, with 18 paid plugins including QA, helpdesk, and CRM that Microsoft Project does not offer at any tier. Plan 5 ($55/user, ~$16,500/yr at 25 users) reached end of sale on May 1, 2026 and is no longer available to new customers; Project Online retires September 30, 2026.
How they differ in practice
Four ways the tools diverge for delivery teams.
Task scheduling and issue tracking are genuinely different models. The choice compounds when a team needs QA, helpdesk, and invoicing alongside project management.
01 – Work model
Task scheduling vs issue tracking.
Microsoft Project is built around the task – a Gantt bar with a start date, end date, predecessor, and resource. Redmineflux is built around the issue – a structured ticket with a type, status, assignee, workflow, and linked artefacts. Gantt-based scheduling suits enterprise project managers planning large programmes. Issue-based tracking suits development teams managing work iteratively across concurrent projects.
02 – Depth
Scheduling only vs full delivery tooling.
Microsoft Project provides Gantt scheduling, resource management, and portfolio dashboards (Planner and Project Plan 3). Development teams using MS Project typically also run Jira or Azure DevOps for issue tracking – maintaining two systems. Redmineflux delivers Gantt, agile board, workload, time tracking, QA, helpdesk, and CRM all inside Redmine – one system, one login.
03 – Pricing
Per seat vs flat licence.
Planner Plan 1 costs $10/user/month. For a 25-person team, that is $3,000/year – for a basic scheduling tool. Planner and Project Plan 3 (which includes the desktop app and resource management) costs $30/user/month: $9,000/year for 25 people. Redmineflux All Plugins Bundle is $5,183 one-time – for all 17 plugins, the entire installation, regardless of user count. Support renewal after 1 year 30% of pack price.
04 – M365 integration
M365 ecosystem vs development toolchain.
Microsoft Project integrates tightly with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and the broader M365 suite. For organisations standardised on M365, this integration value is real. Redmineflux integrates with Git, SVN, and CI systems natively via Redmine, and with Slack and email via the Notification Plugin. For development teams, source control integration is typically more relevant than document storage integration.
Migration
Moving from Microsoft Project to Redmine + Redmineflux.
Five steps, 30–60 days parallel run. Task-to-issue mapping is the critical step.
Export from MS Project
Export Project files (.mpp) as CSV, XML, or Excel. Task names, durations, assignees, start/end dates, and dependencies are exportable. Map tasks to the corresponding Redmine project.
1–2 daysMap tasks to issues
Map Project tasks to Redmine issues – tasks become issues in the corresponding project. Dates become due dates; assignees become Redmine users; task names become issue subjects. Create custom fields for any MS Project fields without a Redmine equivalent.
1–3 daysImport to Redmine
Import using Redmine’s CSV import with field mapping. For teams using MS Project’s resource management, the Workload Plugin provides the capacity view after import.
1–2 daysInstall Redmineflux plugins
Install the Gantt Chart Plugin to replace the timeline view. Install the Workload Plugin to replace resource management. Install additional plugins (QA, helpdesk, CRM) based on what your team needs alongside delivery tracking.
1–3 daysParallel run & cutover
Run both systems for 30–60 days. New projects are set up in Redmine + Redmineflux. Once the team is comfortable, decommission Microsoft Project as the primary scheduling tool.
30–60 daysWhen to choose each
The honest version.
Microsoft Project is the better tool for formal enterprise programme management. Redmineflux is the better tool for development and IT delivery teams who need structured issue tracking as their foundation.
Choose Microsoft Project when
Microsoft Project is the right choice.
- Your organisation runs enterprise project management with formal Gantt, critical path, and earned value analysis
- You are deeply invested in M365 and need native integration with Teams, SharePoint, and Power BI
- Your primary users are professional project managers (PMPs) working within a Gantt-based scheduling model
- Portfolio management and resource engagement across large programmes is a top priority
- You need Microsoft’s enterprise compliance, SSO, and admin tooling
Choose Redmineflux when
Redmineflux is the right choice.
- Your team is a development, IT, or delivery team that needs structured issue tracking – not just Gantt bars
- You need test case management, helpdesk, or invoicing built into the same tool as project management
- Per-seat SaaS pricing at $10–30/user/month is not justifiable for the depth of tooling provided
- Data sovereignty or compliance requirements demand self-hosted deployment
- You want the full Lead → Deliver → Invoice → Account → Support loop in one platform
Ready to evaluate Redmineflux?
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Get a free demo link with every plugin included, or buy the ones you need for your Redmine.
Self-hosted or Managed Cloud · Every plugin in Cloud also runs on self-hosted Redmine.
Frequently asked
Questions about Microsoft Project vs Redmineflux.
Five questions that come up in every evaluation. Ask anything else — check pricing or contact support.
Is Redmineflux Gantt comparable to Microsoft Project?
The Redmineflux Gantt Chart Plugin provides an interactive Gantt with dependencies, milestones, baselines, and critical path analysis. Planner and Project Plan 3 provides a more advanced Gantt with earned value analysis, resource levelling, and project portfolios.
For standard project management, both are capable. For formal enterprise programme management with earned value and resource pooling across 50+ projects, Planner and Project Plan 3 has more depth (Plan 5 at $55/user reached end of sale May 1, 2026 and is no longer available to new customers). For development teams managing issue-based delivery, Redmineflux Gantt is more contextually relevant – it is linked to the issues the team is actually working on.
Does Microsoft Project have Kanban boards?
Microsoft Planner (Kanban boards) is now included in Planner Plan 1 — it is no longer a separate product. For a standalone project management view without agile boards, Planner Plan 1 covers basic Kanban through the bundled Planner app.
Redmineflux includes the Agile Board Plugin – a Kanban board with swimlanes, WIP limits, and sprint management, all linked directly to Redmine issues and time logs. It is part of the same Redmine installation and does not require a separate app.
Can Redmineflux integrate with M365?
Redmineflux integrates via the Notification Plugin (email, webhook, Slack) and via Redmine’s REST API. Direct native integration with Microsoft Teams or SharePoint requires a third-party connector or custom integration.
Microsoft Project integrates natively with Teams, SharePoint, and Power BI for organisations already on M365. For organisations where M365 integration is a hard requirement, that native integration is a genuine advantage for Microsoft Project.
Does Redmineflux pricing stay flat as the team grows?
Yes. Redmineflux plugins are licensed per Redmine installation, not per user. A team of 10 and a team of 100 pay the same plugin licence fee.
Microsoft Project Plan 3 for 100 users costs $36,000/year. The total cost difference over three years for a 50-person team is substantial – and grows further with each additional team member.
Which Redmine versions does Redmineflux support?
All Redmineflux plugins are tested and maintained against the three most recent stable Redmine releases. Compatibility is verified with each update. Check the documentation for the confirmed supported version list before installing.