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Software · head to head

Aha! vs Microsoft Project

Aha! logo

Aha!

Software

Roadmapping software for product builders

From
$59/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Project logo

Microsoft Project

Software

Keep projects organized and on track

From
$10/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Aha! sold as eight separate products rather than one subscription, so Roadmaps, Discovery, Ideas, Whiteboards, Builder, Develop, Teamwork and Knowledge are each priced per user; Microsoft Project performance degrades with large projects over 400 tasks, becoming slow and unstable
  • They diverge on capability: Aha! covers Strategic roadmaps, Microsoft Project covers Resource management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aha! and Microsoft Project actually diverge.

Attributes where Aha! and Microsoft Project differ
AttributeAha!Microsoft Project
Starting price$59/month$10/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, macOS
Founded20131975

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Aha!

  • Strategic roadmaps
  • Release planning
  • Idea management
  • Requirements & user stories
  • Visual workflows
  • Pivot tables
  • Custom scorecards
  • Jira

Only in Microsoft Project

  • Resource management
  • Budget tracking
  • Timeline views
  • Task dependencies
  • Critical path
  • Earned value analysis
  • Portfolio management
  • SharePoint

Both cover

  • Gantt charts
  • Microsoft Teams
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • HIPAA
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Aha!

  • Product roadmapping linked to strategy and goalsnot Microsoft Project
  • Collecting and scoring customer feedback through Ideasnot Microsoft Project
  • Customer research and interview analysis with Discoverynot Microsoft Project
  • Agile delivery tracking with Developnot Microsoft Project
  • Internal product documentation with Knowledgenot Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project

  • Project schedulingnot Aha!
  • Resource allocationnot Aha!
  • Portfolio managementnot Aha!
  • Budget trackingnot Aha!
  • Enterprise project managementnot Aha!

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Aha!

  • Sold as eight separate products rather than one subscription, so Roadmaps, Discovery, Ideas, Whiteboards, Builder, Develop, Teamwork and Knowledge are each priced per user
  • Roadmaps at $59 per user per month is expensive next to general project tools, and Discovery and Ideas add $39 each
  • The Develop integration with Roadmaps requires the Enterprise or Enterprise+ tier
  • Annual billing is by invoice only; monthly is card

Microsoft Project

  • Performance degrades with large projects over 400 tasks, becoming slow and unstable
  • Limited Agile methodology support, primarily designed for waterfall project management
  • Proprietary .mpp file format creates compatibility issues on non-Windows systems
  • No offline mode, limiting users without reliable internet connectivity

Pricing, plan by plan

Aha!

$59/month
  • Startup$29/month
    • All premium features
    • Discounted pricing for early-stage startups
  • Premium$59/month
    • Strategy setting
    • Roadmap creation
    • Feature prioritization
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Unlimited reviewers and viewers
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise+$null/month
    • Everything in Enterprise plus workflow automation
    • Capacity planning
    • Concierge support

Microsoft Project

$10/month
  • Plan 1$10/month
    • Task and project management
    • Grid views
    • Timeline features
  • Plan 3$30/month
    • Desktop client
    • Resource management
    • Advanced scheduling
  • Plan 5$55/month
    • Portfolio management
    • Demand management
    • Enterprise capabilities

Which should you pick?

Choose Aha! if

  • You need strategic roadmaps.
  • You also want release planning.
Aha! review

Choose Microsoft Project if

  • You need resource management.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want budget tracking.
Microsoft Project review

Questions people ask

Is Aha! or Microsoft Project better?
Neither clearly leads. Aha! starts at $59/month and Microsoft Project at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aha! or Microsoft Project?
Aha! starts at $59/month and Microsoft Project at $10/month.
Does Aha! or Microsoft Project run on more platforms?
Aha! runs on Web. Microsoft Project runs on Web, Windows, macOS.
What is Aha! best used for?
Aha! is most often used for product roadmapping linked to strategy and goals, collecting and scoring customer feedback through ideas, customer research and interview analysis with discovery, agile delivery tracking with develop. Of those, product roadmapping linked to strategy and goals and collecting and scoring customer feedback through ideas are not what Microsoft Project is typically brought in for.
What can Aha! do that Microsoft Project cannot?
Aha! covers Strategic roadmaps, Release planning, Idea management, Requirements & user stories. Microsoft Project covers Resource management, Budget tracking, Timeline views, Task dependencies. Both handle Gantt charts, Microsoft Teams, SOC2, ISO27001.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Aha!: Does Aha! have a free tier?

No. Aha! offers a 30-day free trial without requiring a credit card, but there is no permanent free plan. Pricing starts at $59/user/month for Aha! Roadmaps.

Source
Microsoft Project: What are the different Microsoft Project plans and pricing?

Microsoft Project offers Plan 1 at $10/user/month for basic project management, Plan 3 at $30/user/month with desktop client and resource management, and Plan 5 at $55/user/month for enterprise portfolio management. Desktop licenses (2024) start at $679.99 for Standard and $1,129.99 for Professional.

Source
Aha!: How is Aha! pricing structured?

Aha! uses per-user billing. Premium plan charges all users equally regardless of permission level. Enterprise plans only charge for workspace owners and contributors, with unlimited reviewers and viewers at no additional cost.

Source
Microsoft Project: Does Microsoft Project support Agile methodology?

Microsoft Project was primarily designed for traditional waterfall project management. While it has some Agile features, it is not optimized for Agile workflows compared to dedicated Agile tools like Jira or Monday.com.

Source
Aha!: Can I use Aha! offline?

Aha! is a cloud-based SaaS platform with no offline mode mentioned in documentation. All features require internet connectivity to the cloud servers.

Source
Microsoft Project: Can multiple teams collaborate in real-time on Microsoft Project?

Yes, Microsoft Project for the Web provides real-time collaboration through cloud-based access. However, collaboration is noted as harder compared to modern cloud-native tools due to its file-based architecture.

Source
Aha!: What does Enterprise+ plan include?

Enterprise+ includes workflow automation, capacity planning, custom tables and calculations, advanced license management, account backup and export, anti-virus scanning, IP access control, and concierge white-glove support.

Source
Aha!: How many integrations does Aha! support?

Aha! Roadmaps offers 40+ integrations including Jira, Azure DevOps, Slack, Salesforce, and Zendesk. Salesforce and Zendesk require additional add-on purchases.

Source
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