Microsoft Planner Premium pricing in the UK starts at £7.70 per user/month (Plan 1), with Plan 3 at £23.10 and Plan 5 at £42.30, billed annually. Planner Basic is included with most Microsoft 365 licences. Most organisations require Plan 3 for structured project delivery and selective Plan 5 for portfolio oversight.
What Is Microsoft Planner Premium?
Microsoft Planner Premium is Microsoft’s modern, browser-based project and portfolio management solution within Microsoft 365.
It supports:
- Structured scheduling
- Cross-team collaboration
- Portfolio oversight
- AI-powered assistance via Copilot
Planner Premium runs natively within Microsoft 365 and integrates seamlessly with:
- Microsoft Teams
- Outlook
- SharePoint
- Microsoft Power Platform
When extended with solutions such as Wellingtone Accelerator+, Planner Premium becomes a fully customisable, enterprise AI-ready PPM solution.
Planner Premium is Microsoft’s strategic successor to Project Online, which retires on 30 September 2026.
As the 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year for Project & Portfolio Management, Wellingtone works with organisations globally to implement, extend and optimise Planner Premium for enterprise use.
Why Microsoft Rebranded Project for the Web
Microsoft rebranded Project for the Web to Planner Premium to create a unified work management experience.
Clarity
Many organisations were confused between Planner and Project for the Web.
Unified Experience
A single Planner brand simplifies communication and adoption.
AI-First Strategy
Copilot can now operate across both personal task management and enterprise project delivery under one platform.
Wellingtone has supported hundreds of organisations through this transition and sees the rebrand as a strategic shift toward AI-enabled PPM.
Watch webinar recording: Transitioning from Microsoft Project for the web to Planner
Presented by Baz Khinda, Senior Microsoft Consultant, Wellingtone
Planner Basic vs Planner Premium
Microsoft now positions Planner in two tiers
Planner Basic (Included in Microsoft 365)
Best for:
- Individuals
- Small teams
- Lightweight task management
Key features:
- Kanban boards
- Buckets and labels
- Task checklists
- Basic reporting
- Microsoft Teams integration
Planner Premium (Formerly Project for the Web)
Best for:
-
Structured departmental projects
PMOs
Enterprise portfolio environments
Key features:
- Timeline (Gantt) view
- Task dependencies
- Baselines and critical path (Plan 3+)
- Agile backlogs and sprints
- Resource management (Plan 3+)
- Portfolio and roadmap views (Plan 5)
- Advanced Power BI reporting
- Copilot AI capabilities
When combined with Wellingtone Accelerator+, organisations gain:
- Portfolio governance
- Demand management
- RAID management
- Financial tracking
- Cross-project dependencies
- Enterprise resource insights
This is why many Project Online customers are choosing Planner Premium plus Accelerator+ as their strategic migration path.
Microsoft Planner Premium Pricing UK (2026)
Below is the current UK pricing structure (billed annually per user, per month):
| Plan | Monthly Price (GBP) | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Planner Basic | Included in Microsoft 365 | Task boards, buckets, checklists, basic views & reporting, Teams integration |
| Planner Plan 1 | £7.70 | All Basic features plus Timeline, dependencies, Agile tools, premium templates, advanced reporting |
| Planner Plan 3 | £23.10 | All Plan 1 features plus history, baselines, critical path, advanced dependencies and resource assignments view. |
| Planner Plan 5 | £42.30 | All Plan 3 features plus portfolio management demand management, advanced enterprise resource allocation, budgeting and financials, program management. |
Prices correct as of February 2026. Always verify with Microsoft before purchase.
Most UK organisations implementing structured project management require Plan 3 for project managers, with Plan 5 used selectively for portfolio leadership roles.
Microsoft Planner Licence Decision Matrix
| Requirement | Basic | Plan 1 | Plan 3 | Plan 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Management | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kanban boards | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Gantt view | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Task dependencies | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Agile backlogs | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Baselines | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Critical path | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Named resource assignments | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Portfolio reporting | ✖ | Limted | ✔ | ✔ |
| Demand management | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Enterprise resource allocation | ✖ | ✖ | Limited | ✔ |
If you’re new to Planner Premium or want to help your teams get the most from it, explore our Delivering Successful Projects with Microsoft Planner APM Endorsed training course.
How to Choose the Right Microsoft Planner Licence
Choosing the right licence is not just a pricing decision. It affects governance maturity, reporting capability and scalability.
At Wellingtone, we regularly see organisations either:
- Under-license and hit capability limits within months
- Over-license and pay for features that are never used
The right decision depends on three core dimensions.
1. Complexity of Your Project Schedules
Planner Basic may be sufficient if:
- Work is task-based
- There are no dependencies
- No baselines are required
Plan 1 is required if:
- You need structured scheduling
- Tasks depend on each other
- You use Agile boards
Plan 3 becomes essential if:
- You require baselines
- Critical path matters
- Named resources are assigned
- Performance tracking is required
Plan 5 is appropriate if:
- You manage portfolios
- You need demand management
- Enterprise resource modelling is required
- Financial oversight is critical
Ask internally:
Are we managing tasks, projects, programmes or portfolios?
2. Organisational Scale
Small teams:
Basic for contributors, Plan 1 for leads.
Cross-department delivery:
Plan 3 for project managers, Basic for wider teams.
Enterprise PMOs:
Plan 3 for PMs, Plan 5 for portfolio leads, Basic for contributors.
Wellingtone frequently models blended licence scenarios during Project Online migration planning to ensure cost optimisation.
3. Governance & Reporting Expectations
If leadership expects:
- Standardised reporting
- Portfolio dashboards
- Resource heatmaps
- Financial oversight
Plan 3 or Plan 5 is usually required, especially when paired with Power BI and Wellingtone Accelerator+.
Project Online Retirement – What You Need to Know
Microsoft has confirmed that Project Online will retire on 30 September 2026.
After this date:
- Project Online will no longer be accessible
- Data will not be retrievable without prior migration
- Legacy workflows will have been deprecated
Migration typically involves:
- Discovery and licence modelling
- Data migration
- Governance redesign
- Reporting rebuild
- Change and training
As Microsoft’s 2025 Partner of the Year for Project & Portfolio Management, Wellingtone recommends beginning migration planning early to avoid delivery risk.
Primary migration options:
-
Project Server Subscription Edition
For many organisations, Planner Premium combined with Wellingtone Accelerator+ provides the most future-ready replacement.
- Whether your licence mix is correct
- Whether Plan 5 is genuinely required
- How to structure your migration timeline
- Where cost can be optimised without reducing capability
Wellingtone supports organisations at every stage of that journey.
Watch webinar recording: Beyond Project Online – Full Planner Premium & Accelerator+ Solution
Presented by Baz Khinda, Sara Ng and Bradley Dewick
Integration Across Microsoft 365
Planner Premium integrates deeply across Microsoft 365:
Microsoft Teams
Embed plans directly into channels.
Outlook
Sync deadlines to calendars.
SharePoint
Connect documentation and schedules.
Power Platform
Automate workflows and build dashboards.
Copilot
Generate schedules, summarise status and identify risks using natural language.
Wellingtone supports organisations in embedding Copilot into structured PMO environments responsibly and securely.
What Does Planner Premium Cost in the UK?
“Planner Premium” is not a standalone licence name.
It refers to Planner with advanced scheduling features, which are available through:
- Planner Plan 1
- Planner & Project Plan 3
- Planner & Project Plan 5
Most UK organisations implementing structured project management require Plan 3 for project managers.
Plan 5 is typically used selectively for:
- Portfolio leads
- PMO heads
- Enterprise resource planners
It is rarely necessary for every user.
Realistic UK Cost Example
For illustration:
If an organisation has:
- 10 Project Managers → Plan 3 (£23.10)
- 2 Portfolio Leads → Plan 5 (£42.30)
- 50 Team Members → Planner Basic (included in M365)
The core Planner Premium licence investment would be:
- 10 × £23.10 = £231.00
- 2 × £42.30 = £84.60
Total = £315.60 per month (plus VAT)
This blended approach is common and avoids over-licensing.
As the 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year for Project & Portfolio Management, Wellingtone regularly supports UK organisations in modelling licence scenarios to ensure cost aligns with governance goals.
Should You Buy Directly from Microsoft?
Many organisations purchase licences directly through:
- Microsoft CSP partners
- Enterprise Agreements
- Microsoft Online
However, before committing, it is worth validating:
- Whether your licence mix is correct
- Whether Plan 5 is genuinely required
- Whether your migration approach impacts licence needs
- Whether governance design requires Power Platform extension
A short validation exercise can prevent unnecessary annual spend.
Why Work with Wellingtone?
Licensing, governance and migration are interconnected decisions.
Treating them separately often leads to:
- Reconfiguration within 12–18 months
- Reporting limitations
- Unexpected licence uplift costs
Wellingtone combines:
- Microsoft Gold Partner expertise
- 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year recognition
- Deep licensing knowledge
- APM Endorsed training
- AXELOS P3M3 consulting
- Enterprise Power Platform development
If you are reviewing Planner Premium pricing in the UK, planning a Project Online migration, or redesigning your PMO governance model, the next logical step is validating your overall PPM architecture.
A short consultation can clarify:
- Whether your licence mix is correct
- Whether Plan 5 is genuinely required
- How to structure your migration timeline
- Where cost can be optimised without reducing capability
Wellingtone supports organisations at every stage of that journey.
Book a Free Demo
If you’re reviewing licensing, planning a Project Online migration, or exploring how Wellingtone Accelerator+ extends Planner into an enterprise PPM solution, the most effective next step is a tailored demonstration. We’ll walk through your use case, licence structure and governance needs.
