ClickUp vs Microsoft Planner

There are many task and project tools over the years. Microsoft Planner has been around since 2015 and works neatly inside Microsoft 365. ClickUp is newer, louder, and promises to replace a stack of separate apps with one workspace. I wanted to put them head-to-head so you can decide which one fits your team — no sales pitch, just a practical comparison.

What this article covers

• Quick at-a-glance summaries
• Key elements and differences
• Pros and cons for each tool
• How task management and participation compare
• A short decision checklist to help you choose

Quick snapshot — ClickUp and Microsoft Planner at a glance

Microsoft Planner

Planner gives you visual boards (buckets), simple task cards, and native ties into Teams, Outlook and SharePoint. It’s low friction: easy to learn and quick to adopt — perfect when your team already lives in Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Planner overview / hero asset (sourced from Microsoft).

ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one work hub: boards, lists, Gantt, docs, time tracking, goals, automations — a lot sits under one roof. If your work needs flexibility and you want to reduce the number of separate apps you use, ClickUp is built for that.

Key elements: what each tool actually gives you

Microsoft Planner — simple, visual, inside Microsoft 365

• Kanban-style Boards and Buckets (easy to pick up)
• Task cards with checklists, attachments, labels, due dates and assignees
• Progress charts and Planner Hub for a high-level view
• Integrates natively with Teams, Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint

Planner’s advantage is being part of the Microsoft ecosystem — if your organization already uses Teams and Outlook daily, Planner feels like a natural add-on. The learning curve is tiny and adoption is fast.

Visual example — Planner UI

(If you want a different Planner UI screenshot for your post, I can fetch specific screen images and provide downloadable files.)

ClickUp — flexible, feature-rich, highly configurable

• Multiple views: List, Board, Calendar, Gantt/Timeline, Workload, Mind Map, Whiteboard
• Nested task hierarchy (Spaces → Folders → Lists → Tasks → Subtasks)
• Native time tracking, goals/OKRs, dashboards and automations
• Wide third-party integrations (Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, plus Microsoft apps)

ClickUp project list view — shows nested items, priorities, and task assignees.

ClickUp aims to be the single destination for work — which is great if you want to consolidate tools, but it brings a steeper learning curve and more configuration options than Planner.

Pros and cons — the practical tradeoffs

Microsoft Planner — the wins

• Minimal setup and easy adoption — teams get started in minutes.
• Seamless Microsoft 365 integration: tasks surface in Teams/Outlook and files live in OneDrive/SharePoint.
• Useful Planner Hub and simple charts for quick status checks.
• Low extra cost if you’re already on a Microsoft 365 plan.
• Simple visual boards make it easy for non-technical teams to stay organized.

Microsoft Planner — the limits

• Simple feature set — no built-in time tracking or deep reporting.
• Flat task structure (limited subtasks/hierarchy).
• Not built for heavy external collaboration — sharing outside your tenant is awkward.
• Some UI elements (like checklists) have limits (e.g., number of checkboxes).

ClickUp — the wins

• Very flexible: adapt views, fields, and automations to your team’s processes.
• Built-in time tracking, goals, and dashboards for reporting and billing.
• Good for mixed-tool environments due to broad integrations.
• Better support for external collaborators and client work.
• Advanced features (dependencies, custom fields, automation) for PMOs and product teams.

ClickUp — the limits

• Higher learning curve — many features can overwhelm smaller or less technical teams.
• Some advanced capabilities require paid plans.
• Over-configuring can create maintenance overhead if you don’t keep things tidy.

Task management — day-to-day differences

At a baseline, both tools let you create tasks, add descriptions, assign them, attach files, and set due dates. You can also track conversations and task history.

Where Planner shines

• Quick team task boards, ad-hoc sprints, light projects.
• If people already work in Teams, Planner keeps everything inside the apps they use every day.

Where ClickUp shines

• Projects that need subtasks, dependencies, priorities, and time tracking.
• Reporting and dashboards that help you spot bottlenecks, bill hours, or measure progress against goals.

If you simply need a place to throw tasks on a board and keep things visible, Planner does that neatly. If you need structure, reporting and automation — ClickUp is the better fit.

Participation & external collaboration

Both tools use Kanban-style boards, but the sharing model differs:

• Planner is optimized for internal collaboration inside a Microsoft tenant. Assign a task, the person gets notified via email/Teams — great for internal teams but clunky for inviting outside collaborators.
• ClickUp supports flexible permissions and external guests more naturally, which makes it friendlier for agencies, freelancers and client-facing projects.

So, if you work frequently with third parties or clients, ClickUp will likely make life easier.

Migration and mixed-use tips

You don’t always need an all-or-nothing approach:

• Run Planner for general team to-dos and ClickUp for product, engineering, or PMO where complex workflows exist.
• Start small when moving tools: migrate one team or one project, test exports/imports and let people get comfortable.
• Use integrations so critical updates appear where people already work (e.g., Teams ↔ ClickUp updates).

Decision checklist — pick the right tool for your team

Choose Microsoft Planner if:

• Your org runs on Microsoft 365 and you want something quick and simple.
• You don’t need time tracking, advanced reporting, or external guests.
• Cost and low training overhead matter.

Choose ClickUp if:

• You need an all-in-one platform with advanced views, time tracking, automations, and dashboards.
• Your team uses multiple tools or works with external collaborators.
• You’re ready to invest some time to configure the workspace for long-term gains.

Final thoughts

Both ClickUp and Microsoft Planner are excellent at solving specific problems: Planner for lightweight, low-friction task boards inside Microsoft 365; ClickUp for flexible, consolidated work management across teams and tools. Your choice should come down to how complex your workflows are and where your team already spends its time.