Contals vs Microsoft Planner
Planner is part of Microsoft 365 and fits when everyone has an account; at Contals, volunteers and helpers without a Microsoft account join for free.
Free for small teams. Volunteers and guests are always free. No credit card.
Feature by feature
| Aspect | Contals | Microsoft Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Kanban boards for teams with many projects and helpers | Tasks in Microsoft 365 and Teams: board, grid, schedule and chart views; timeline (Gantt), sprints and goals from Planner Plan 1 |
| Pricing model | Per full member; volunteers, guests, viewers free | Included in Microsoft 365 plans; premium features per user |
| Paid plans (list price, per user/month) | CHF 4.50 / €4.50 / $4.50 Team · CHF 9 / €9 / $9 Business (annual billing; early-access prices) | approx. Planner Plan 1 $10 · Planner and Project Plan 3 $30 (annual billing) |
| Free plan | 5 full members, 10 active boards, unlimited free roles | No free plan of its own; eligible nonprofits get Microsoft 365 Business Basic with Planner free for up to 300 people – for staff, not volunteers, according to Microsoft |
| Guests and helpers | Free on every plan and any number of boards | Guests through Microsoft 365 groups if IT allows guest access; guests get no e-mail when a task is assigned to them |
| Data location | EU jurisdiction (Cloudflare, a US company) | Microsoft 365 EU Data Boundary when the organization signed up in the EU or EFTA (Microsoft, a US company) |
| Mobile | Installable web app with push notifications; no native apps | Apps for iOS and Android (with a work or school account), in Teams and on the web |
| Extensions and integrations | 16 first-party Power-Ups in every plan (calendar, automation, date polls, booking pages, chat notifications …); public REST API and MCP server; imports from Trello and others | Teams, Outlook, To Do, Power Automate, Planner API in Microsoft Graph |
| AI | Your organization’s own AI provider (OpenAI-compatible, Anthropic, Google Gemini) for an assistant and AI on cards; no metered credits; MCP server for your own assistant | Copilot in Planner and the Planner agent with Microsoft 365 Copilot ($30 per user/month, annual billing) |
| Maturity | New, early access (as of October 2026) | Established, part of Microsoft 365 |
Microsoft Planner details from the vendor’s pricing page and public information, checked on 20 October 2026; annual list prices, rounded. Details may change – please check with the vendor. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/planner/microsoft-planner-business-plans-and-pricing, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/nonprofit-plans-and-pricing, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits/microsoft-365, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/guest-access-in-microsoft-planner-cc5d7f96-dced-4da4-ab62-08c72d9759c6, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/eudb/eu-data-boundary-learn
Which one fits you?
Microsoft Planner fits better if …
- Everyone who takes part already has a Microsoft 365 account, and you plan in Teams.
- You get Microsoft 365 free as a nonprofit and need simple task lists for your staff.
- You need a timeline (Gantt), sprints or portfolios – with Planner Plan 1 or Plan 3.
- Your IT wants to manage accounts, permissions and compliance centrally in Microsoft 365.
Contals fits better if …
- Volunteers, parents or helpers without a Microsoft account should take part – at Contals they are free on every plan.
- You are a registered church or charity: Team is free on request for up to 15 full members, and volunteers never count.
- You want to start without Microsoft 365 administration and without IT.
- You want a calendar, a dashboard and views across all boards on every plan.
Questions and answers
Is Microsoft Planner free for nonprofits?
Planner is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which eligible nonprofits get free for up to 300 people, according to Microsoft. The licenses are for staff – volunteers, members and program participants are not eligible, according to Microsoft. A timeline, sprints and goals need Planner Plan 1 ($10 per user and month, annual billing).
Can I move a plan from Planner to Contals?
Yes: Planner exports a plan as an Excel file, and Contals imports any Excel or CSV file. Before the import you map each column – the bucket as a list, plus labels, assignees and due dates – and see a preview.
Try Contals alongside the tool you use now.
Free for small teams. Volunteers and guests are always free. No credit card.