Microsoft Lists Vs. Planner: A Detailed Comparison

Microsoft offers tools to enhance productivity and streamline workflows, such as Microsoft Lists and Microsoft Planner. Both applications provide unique features tailored to different organizational needs, but if you are wondering which one to choose for your business, we will help you. In this guide, we will explore Microsoft Lists vs. Planner, which will help you make an informed decision based on your needs.

Understanding the basics of Microsoft Lists & Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Lists is an intelligent information tracking tool that allows you to track information, organize work, and configure lists to organize events, issues, and assets better. Here are the things that you can do using Lists:

• It comes with ready-made templates, which makes creating a list easier.
• Easily track your recent and favorite lists, and manage and share them whenever possible.
• It has rules, reminders, and comments to track all the essential things.
• Allows you to view your lists in the calendar, grid, gallery, or a custom view. 
• Configure basic form elements and highlight important details with conditional formatting.
• Allows you to use Lists as a data source to build custom productivity apps
  

If you want to learn how to create a new list from scratch using Microsoft Lists, we have a detailed guide for you; don’t forget to check it out.

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is a task management tool that can help you manage all your work on a single platform, stay on track, and enhance productivity. Here are the things that you can do using Planner:

• Allows you to manage your tasks, to-do lists, plans, and projects across Microsoft 364 apps in one place online
• Keep track of your daily tasks with a view that can help you focus on what needs to be done on priority
• You can navigate through your tasks via three main views: My Day, My Tasks, and My Plans
• It can be used to do Sprint Planning or create a simple or complex plan for a project.
• Allows integration with Microsoft Loop, Teams, Outlook, and Viva Goals.

Microsoft Lists Vs. Planner: Key differences

Feature	Microsoft Lists	Microsoft Planner
Purpose	Organize and track information	Task and project management
Interface	List-based interface with customizable views	Kanban-style boards with cards
Task management	Primarily focuses on data	Comprehensive task management features, including checklist functionality, comments, collaboration, progress tracking, labels, categories, etc.
Customization	Highly customizable columns (text, choice, date, etc.) and views (filtered, sorted, grouped)	Customizable task cards with labels, categories, and assignment options
Integration	Can integrate with SharePoint, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Teams	Can integrate with Microsoft Teams for collaboration, Outlook for task assignments, and other Office 365 tools
Collaboration	Allows comments, sharing, and co-authoring; and also will enable you to collaborate on lists	Supports real-time collaboration on tasks, including file attachments and comments on task cards
Templates	Basic permission settings allow sharing with specific users or groups; advanced permissions through SharePoint.	Various templates for lists, such as asset tracking, issue tracking, and event planning
User Roles and Permissions	Basic permission settings allow sharing with specific users or groups; advanced permissions are available through SharePoint.	Team members can get tasks assigned or granted editing rights based on their roles via role-based permissions.
Task Assignments	Doesn’t have many task assignment capabilities; it mainly focuses on data instead of individual tasks.	Tasks can be assigned to team members efficiently, which allows clear accountability.
Notifications	Allows for limited notifications for changes made to lists; users may need to check for updates manually.	Offers automated notifications and reminders for task deadlines and changes, which keeps the team members updated.
Search Functionality	Powerful search features to find specific entries within lists.	Comes with basic search functionality to locate tasks and visual management via boards.
Due Dates and Reminders	It comes with limited reminder options like setting due dates, as it is more focused on data tracking	You can set due dates, assign reminders, and track the completion status of the tasks efficiently.
Reporting and Analytics	Comes with basic filtering, sorting, and grouping options; you can create simple views to analyze data.	Options for visual charts and graphs showing task progress, assigned tasks, and overall project status.
Mobile Access	You can access it via mobile apps and create and manage lists on the go.	You can manage, view, and update tasks on your mobile phone
Pricing plans	Business Plans start from $6.00  user/month to $22.00 user/month Enterprise plans start from $8.00 user/month and goes up to $54.75 user/month	Planner in Microsoft 365: Free Planner Plan 1: $10.00 user/month Planner and Project Plan 3: $30.00 user/month Planner and Project Plan 5: $55.00 user/month

Which tool should I use and when?

You can use Microsoft Lists when:

• Detailed data management: Used to manage complex data sets like inventories, assets, and project specifications or to deal with custom fields and structured data tracking
• Customization: If your projects demand tailored views, filters, and rules to manage information effectively
• Integration with SharePoint or Power Apps: If you need to use SharePoint for document management or automate workflows with Power Apps
• Reporting capabilities: You can use it to analyze data trends and generate detailed reports
• Collaboration on structured information: If you need to collaborate on lists that contain detailed information

You can use Microsoft Planner when:

• Focus on task management: You want to manage team tasks, deadlines, and project workflows.
• Visual task organization: If you use a Kanban-style layout that gives an overview of task statuses (To Do, In-Progress, and Completed)
• Simple task assignments and progress tracking: Assigning tasks, setting due dates, and tracking progress without complex data structures.
• Team collaboration on tasks: To enhance communication between team members, you can use task comments, assignments, and updates in real-time.
• Integration with Teams and Outlook: When managing tasks alongside team discussions and email communications.

In short, you should choose Microsoft Lists if you need to perform detailed data management and customization and have reporting needs. If you have decided to use Microsoft Lists, here is a guide to learn how to get started. In case you are looking for a way to use Microsoft Lists within Microsoft Teams, check out this guide.

However, if you want a tool for task management, visual organization, and better team collaboration, Microsoft Planner should be your choice.

If you want to learn how to create and use the Microsoft Planner templates; we have a separate guide with step-by-step instructions. You can also check out this article to learn how to create custom fields in Planner.

Which tool, Microsoft Lists Vs. Planner, do you prefer for business needs? Share your thoughts with our readers in the comments section below.