Comparison
Orbit PM vs Microsoft Project: which tool for professional services teams?
Microsoft Project is a powerful and well-established planning tool. Orbit PM is not its direct competitor — it is an alternative designed for a very different team profile: agencies, IT services firms, and consulting companies that need to manage the workload of human resources across multiple projects, without the complexity of an engineering tool.
View Orbit PM PlansMicrosoft Project
MS Project is designed for complex project scheduling: engineering projects, construction, large-scale IT deployments. It offers very complete functionality (critical path, advanced diagrams, granular resource management) at the cost of significant complexity.
- →Ideal for large structured projects
- →Long learning curve
- →High cost per user
- →Installation or Microsoft 365 subscription required
- →Not well-suited for small professional services teams
Orbit PM
Orbit PM is built for professional services teams (agencies, IT services firms, consulting companies) that need to manage their team's workload across multiple simultaneous projects. The focus is on resource allocation and capacity planning — not complex project scheduling.
- ✓Specialized in allocation and capacity planning
- ✓Up and running in a few hours
- ✓SaaS web app, no installation
- ✓Native Azure AD and Okta SSO
- ✓Teams of 10 to 200 people
Comparison
Orbit PM vs MS Project — criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Microsoft Project | Orbit PM |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Local installation or Project Online subscription | Web application, no installation required |
| Learning curve | Long — complex and feature-dense tool | Fast — clean, intuitive interface |
| Product focus | Complex project scheduling (engineering) | Resource allocation and capacity planning |
| Resource management | Present but complex to configure | At the core of the product, native workload view |
| Primary target | Large engineering, IT, and construction projects | Agencies, IT services, consulting firms (10–200 people) |
| Web collaboration | Project Online (expensive) | Native, included in subscription |
| Enterprise SSO | Via Microsoft 365 | Azure AD + Okta native |
| REST API | Microsoft Graph API (complex) | Simple, documented REST API |
| Pricing | Project Plan from ~€30/user/month | Contact Masciin IT |
| Support | Microsoft — international support | Masciin IT — dedicated team |
Is Orbit PM the right fit for your team?
If your team is an agency, an IT services firm, or a consulting company managing multiple projects in parallel with shared resources, Orbit PM is built for you. You can subscribe online or contact us if you need a scoping conversation.