Why people look for a Microsoft Planner alternative
These are the limits teams run into most often. None of them make Microsoft Planner a bad tool — they just aren't a good fit for everyone.
It's tied to Microsoft 365
No dependencies in basic Planner
Reporting is thin
Confusing product line-up
Akievo vs Microsoft Planner, feature by feature
"Paid" means the feature exists but needs a higher tier. Data checked September 2026.
| Feature | Akievo | Microsoft Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Views and planning | ||
| Kanban board | ||
| Table / grid view | ||
| Calendar view | ||
| Timeline / Gantt | Paid | |
| Task dependencies | Paid | |
| Critical path | Paid | |
| Eisenhower decision matrix | ||
| PDF board reports | ||
| AI | ||
| AI builds the whole plan for you | Paid | |
| AI included in the plan price | ||
| Manage tasks from ChatGPT | ||
| Connect your own AI agents (MCP) | ||
| Access and platform | ||
| Works without a Microsoft 365 licence | ||
| Free plan available | ||
| Share a board publicly with a link | ||
| REST API | Limited | |
| Webhooks | Limited | |
| Import from Trello | Limited | |
Pricing side by side
Akievo
1 board, 1 workspace, 2 members, 1 AI credit a month
4 boards, 2 workspaces, 2 members, 25 AI credits a month
Unlimited boards, unlimited workspaces, 5 members, 500 AI credits a month
Unlimited boards, unlimited workspaces, unlimited members, 2,000 AI credits a month
Microsoft Planner
Bundled with Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans
Adds Project-style scheduling, dependencies and timeline
Resource management, roadmaps, desktop client
Portfolio management and demand prioritisation
There is no standalone free Planner: you need a Microsoft 365 licence first, then a Planner or Project plan for scheduling features. Akievo starts free and needs nothing else. Prices checked September 2026 from Microsoft Planner's pricing page. Always confirm current pricing with them.
Where Microsoft Planner is still the better choice
We'd rather you picked the right tool than switched and regretted it.
Moving from Microsoft Planner
Akievo is a browser app with a Slack integration, so it works alongside Microsoft 365 rather than replacing it.
- 1Export the plan to Excel from the Planner menu
- 2Create an Akievo account and a board
- 3Import the spreadsheet, mapping buckets to lists
- 4Set due dates and dependencies, or let the AI planner fill the gaps