How PC.o compares
PC.o does most of what the three do, a little more in places, for a lot less money, with less to learn and nothing to install.
Schedules similar to P6 or similar to Microsoft Project — your choice per schedule. Switch between the two on screen, with a dry run and a change log.
How the PC.o Scheduler stands against the three tools most planners already know. The PC.o column is what is in the product today (the Scheduler is in beta); the other three columns are from each vendor's public documentation, October 2026.
92%
PC.o Scheduler
of 75 features
Browser only. $25 / month or $200 / year on top of a Basic or Pro plan; 10 field updaters included.
69%
Microsoft Project
of 75 features
Project Professional / Standard desktop (Windows) and Planner Premium (web). Plan 1 about $10, Plan 3 $30, Plan 5 $55 per user per month; desktop one-time from about $680.
71%
Primavera P6
of 75 features
P6 Professional (Windows), P6 EPPM (web) and Primavera Cloud. Named-user licences in the thousands of dollars, cloud by quote.
54%
Smartsheet
of 75 features
Browser and apps. Pro about $12 and Business about $24 per member per month billed yearly; Resource Management and Control Center are add-ons.
A feature the product has counts 1, a partial one or a paid add-on counts ½ (yes 1, partial or add-on ½), over the same 75 features for each column.
The simple facts
| Fact | PC.o Scheduler | Microsoft Project | Primavera P6 | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price for one full scheduler seat | $25 / month or $200 / year, on a $25 Basic plan | Plan 3 $30 / user / month; desktop from about $680 one-time | Named-user licences in the thousands; cloud by quote | Pro about $12, Business about $24 per member per month; add-ons extra |
| Field people who answer update requests | 10 included, no licence; packs of 10 at $5 / month | A licence each | A licence each (Team Member) | Free by email |
| Install | Nothing: a browser on Mac, Windows or iPad | Windows desktop app; Planner Premium in the browser | Windows desktop; EPPM / Primavera Cloud in the browser | Nothing |
| Opens the files people already have | XER, P6 XML, MPP, Project XML, Excel look-aheads, PDF out | MPP, Project XML, Excel; no XER | XER, P6 XML; Project XML with care; Excel | MPP and Excel in; Excel and PDF out |
| Time to a first schedule | Minutes: pick one of four ways in, type names in blank rows, links by name | An afternoon with the desktop app | Days: EPS, OBS, calendars, codes before the first activity | Minutes, as a sheet |
| Scheduling depth | Both rule sets, calendars, constraints, float, longest path, LOE, EV, cash flow | Full | Full, the deepest | Dependencies and a critical path; no float, constraints or data date |
| The analysis of the schedule's quality | Built in: the PC.o analysis, Word report, comparison, freshness | Add-ins | Primavera Cloud schedule check; add-ins for P6 | None |
Feature by feature
✓ Yes◐ Partial or add-on○ No
| Feature | PC.o Scheduler | Microsoft Project | Primavera P6 | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What only PC.o does | ||||
| Two rule sets in one tool: scheduling similar to P6 (Advanced engine) or similar to Microsoft Project (Standard engine), chosen per schedule | YesAdvanced or Standard engine, per schedule | NoIts own rules only | NoIts own rules only | No |
| Converts a schedule between the two rule sets on screen, quickly | YesOn screen: dry run, then a change log of every moved date | NoExport / re-import only | NoExport / re-import only | NoExport / re-import only |
| Scheduling engine | ||||
| Critical path method, forward and backward pass, total and free float | YesBoth engines; JS and C# agree | Yes | Yes | PartialCritical path shown; no float columns |
| Relationship types FS, SS, FF, SF with positive and negative lag | YesLag calendar option; % and elapsed lags in Standard | Yes | Yes | YesLag in days |
| Data date and progress rules (retained logic, progress override, actual dates) | YesPlus Update as planned by dragging the data date | PartialStatus date with split and move options | Yes | NoNo data date; % complete only |
| Constraints (start or finish on, on or before, on or after, mandatory, as late as possible, expected finish, deadlines) | YesSecondary constraint too | YesEight types plus deadlines | YesNine types | NoDates follow predecessors or are typed |
| Must finish by driving negative float | Yes | PartialProject finish deadline | Yes | No |
| Longest path and multiple critical paths | YesLongest path; multiple critical paths in Standard | PartialMultiple critical paths option; no longest path | YesLongest path and multiple float paths | No |
| Activity types: task, start and finish milestones, level of effort, WBS summaries | YesLOE in Advanced; WBS summaries roll up | PartialMilestones and summaries; no LOE | YesPlus resource-dependent and WBS summary activities | PartialMilestones and parent rows |
| Calendars per activity with shifts, exceptions and partial days; an account library | YesGraphical calendar editor; two built-ins | YesBase, task and resource calendars | YesGlobal, project and resource calendars | PartialOne working-days setting per sheet |
| Suspend and resume, or splits | YesOne suspend in Advanced; splits in Standard | YesSplits | YesSuspend and resume | No |
| Manual and inactive tasks | YesStandard engine | Yes | No | PartialDependencies can be turned off |
| Auto schedule or schedule on demand (F9) | Yes | Yes | YesF9 | YesAuto only |
| Resource-driven durations and resource calendars | NoDurations are fixed in v1 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Editing and the sheet | ||||
| Four ways in: Standard or Advanced rules × Simple or Full mode, so each kind of planner, a field person or a beginner starts on a familiar footing | YesPick the pair when you open or create a schedule; switch later | PartialOne rule set; Planner Premium is a separate, simpler product | NoOne system, one way of working | PartialOne simple way of working; card and grid views |
| Spreadsheet feel: type into blank rows, a cell cursor, Enter, F2, Delete, ranges, fill down | YesMac keys too | Yes | PartialColumns edit in place; add a row by command | YesIt is a sheet |
| Copy and paste to and from Excel as a table; paste a list of activities | YesA table round trip with outline level; a pasted list from Word or Excel becomes activities | Yes | PartialPaste into columns is limited | Yes |
| Typed durations and dates (3w, 10d, mon, +3d, 12/1) | YesIn every cell and in Details | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Undo and redo | YesMulti-step, including structure edits | Yes | PartialLimited undo | Yes |
| Structure edits: indent, outdent, move rows, insert a fragnet | Yes | Yes | Yes | YesIndent and move; no fragnets |
| Drag bars with the rules explained in a toast | Yes | PartialDrag; no explanation | PartialDrag; no explanation | PartialDrag |
| Links typed by shorthand (A1020FS+2d) or by name | YesShorthand on short activity IDs; names in Simple mode | YesRow numbers | PartialDialogs | YesRow numbers |
| A Simple mode for field people (six columns, links by name) and a Full mode | YesRemembered per user and schedule | PartialPlanner Premium is the simple product; a different app | No | PartialCard view |
| Activity details as a floating window or a bottom pane, with a toggle | Yes | YesTask form and Task Information | YesBottom details | PartialRow panel |
| Save your own defaults for new schedules | YesSave as my defaults in the New schedule dialog | YesTemplates and options | YesTemplates and user preferences | YesTemplates |
| Phone and tablet editing | YesTouch layout under 600 px, pinch zoom | PartialPlanner app; desktop needs Windows | PartialTeam Member app for updates | YesApps |
| Gantt, views and printing | ||||
| Gantt with logic lines, critical and longest-path colouring, data date line | YesOwn renderer, lines routed to off-screen partners | Yes | Yes | YesDependency lines and critical path |
| Baseline bars under the current bars | YesActive baseline strip; variance columns | YesUp to eleven baselines | YesUp to three shown | PartialOne baseline |
| Non-working time shading per activity calendar, exceptions drawn | YesToggleable | Yes | Yes | PartialSheet-level |
| Search, filters (critical, late, status, owner, open ends) and sorting inside or without the WBS | Yes | YesPlus grouping and custom fields | YesPlus grouping by codes | YesFilters, sort, conditional formatting |
| Grouping by activity codes or custom fields | NoCodes kept for the round trip only | Yes | Yes | PartialReports group by columns |
| Column chooser with computed (Σ) columns and presets; saved views per user | YesDefault, Scheduling, Costs, Baseline, Simple, Custom | YesTables and views | YesLayouts | YesSaved views and reports |
| Light and dark theme | Yes | PartialOffice themes | No | No |
| Print to PDF with fit to width, header and footer, optional row numbers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Three-week look-ahead view | YesDefault in the viewer; Excel export | PartialFilter | PartialFilter and layout | PartialFilter |
| Costs, resources, earned value, cash flow | ||||
| Resource dictionary with dated rates; assignments with budgeted, actual and remaining units; expenses | YesDated rates and limits; the Calendar column names the project calendar and its hours | Yes | Yes | PartialColumns and formulas; Resource Management add-on for people |
| Cost roll-up to WBS and project, EAC, cost variance | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartialFormulas |
| Earned value from a baseline: BCWS, BCWP, SPI, CPI, SV, CV, VAC, TCPI | YesBCWS from the pinned baseline by working day; SPI, CPI, SV, CV, VAC, TCPI in the Cost summary, the headline and Details | YesDesktop, with a baseline and status date | Yes | No |
| Cash flow by week, month, quarter or year | YesWeek, month, quarter or year in the live panel and the usage tab | YesReports and task usage | YesResource and cost spreadsheets | PartialFormulas and charts |
| Early versus late cash flow envelope with the baseline S-curve inside it | YesEARLY BASE and LATE BASE rows; the baseline S-curve from the pinned baseline | PartialVia reports | YesProfiles | No |
| Spread curves: standard shapes and your own 21-point curves, saved in a library | YesTen standard curves and your own 21-point curves in a library; a manual spread per assignment | YesEight work contours on assignments | YesResource curves, 21 points | No |
| Max units per resource, overallocation marks, a resource usage histogram | YesMax units per day on the rate row; the overload marks count weeks; the Resource usage tab opens in units with the limit line; dated limits | Yes | Yes | Add-onResource Management |
| Resource levelling | NoYou see the overload by week and decide what moves; no automatic levelling | Yes | Yes | No |
| Headline strip: critical count, negative float, finish, EAC and CPI live while editing | YesCritical, negative float, finish, EAC, CPI and SPI, live while you edit | PartialProject statistics | PartialProject details | PartialSheet summary |
| Baselines, analysis and comparison | ||||
| Baselines by reference: any schedule, pinned revision, several per schedule, an active one | YesA baseline is a whole schedule you can open and analyse; the upload is the copy's baseline by default | YesEleven baselines as fields inside the file; dates and cost only | YesBaseline projects, hidden until exported or assigned | PartialOne baseline |
| Schedule quality analysis (DCMA-style checks) and a Word report, from the same tool | YesThe PC.o analysis the Scheduler sits on; run in place | NoThird-party add-ins | PartialSchedule check in Primavera Cloud; third-party for P6 | No |
| What moved after a reschedule | YesDiff of dates with a toast | PartialChange highlighting | No | PartialCell history |
| Compare two updates (dates, logic, critical set) | YesThe PC.o comparison report | PartialCompare Projects utility | YesClaim Digger / schedule comparison | PartialVersion history |
| Analysis freshness: the report says which revision it was run on; rerun on demand or on close | YesThe out-of-date pill everywhere the schedule shows | No | No | No |
| Back to the last analysed revision in one step | YesOne step, undoable until you leave the page; a save of unchanged content writes no revision | PartialUndo or a saved copy | PartialReflections | PartialVersion history |
| Trends across updates and a project dashboard | No | PartialProject Online reports | YesEPPM dashboards | YesDashboards |
| Updates from the field | ||||
| Send update requests to people with no licence; they answer from a phone link | YesPhone cards or a wide Gantt; the link dies on submit | NoA licence per team member | PartialTeam Member licence; timesheets | YesUpdate requests by email |
| Field answers carry schedule logic: actual or estimated start and finish feed the engine | YesReview, apply accepted, set the data date | PartialThrough Project Online task updates | YesThrough Team Member | NoCells update; no scheduling rules |
| Review before applying, who has answered, cycle history, reminders | Yes | Partial | Partial | PartialAutomations |
| Pricing of field updaters | Yes10 included; packs of 10 at $5 / month | NoLicence each | NoLicence each | YesFree for the recipient |
| Import, export and files | ||||
| Open XER and P6 XML | YesAdvanced engine | No | YesNative | No |
| Open MPP and Project XML | YesStandard engine | YesNative | PartialProject XML | PartialImport |
| Export XER and P6 XML, with a conversion log | YesRound-trip tested | No | Yes | No |
| Export Microsoft Project XML (Project opens it) or .mpp | YesFrom the Scheduler's File ▸ Export (both engines, the pinned baseline as Project's Baseline) and from Files ▸ Convert; the binary .mpp itself is not written | Yes | PartialProject XML | NoExcel, PDF, image |
| Open an Excel schedule or look-ahead and edit it as a schedule | YesStart On constraints for dates; opens in Simple mode | PartialExcel import wizard | PartialExcel import | YesImport a sheet |
| Excel export, PDF print | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| A portable file of our own (.pcosched) with the model as the record | Yes | Yes.mpp | Yes.xer | No |
| Collaboration and sharing | ||||
| Autosave with recovery after a closed window | Yes2 s / 30 s, browser recovery | PartialDesktop saves on demand; web autosaves | PartialDatabase commits | Yes |
| Who is editing: a single-editor lock with Take over, viewers see everything | Yes | PartialCheck-out in Project Online | YesMulti-user on the database | YesReal-time co-editing |
| Several people editing the same schedule at once | NoOne editor, any number of viewers | PartialPlanner Premium | Yes | Yes |
| Read-only share links: a frozen state, or a live link that follows the schedule | YesBoth; the live link is revocable and 30 days | PartialSharePoint and Power BI | PartialEPPM portal | YesPublished links |
| Pop-out window per schedule, the Files page stays put | Yes | YesDesktop windows | Yes | PartialTabs |
| Group seats managed by the account manager | YesA Scheduler pool per group | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dashboards, forms and automations | NoDashboards arrive with projects and portfolios | PartialPower BI, Power Automate | PartialEPPM dashboards | YesA core strength |
| Platform, access and pricing | ||||
| Runs in a browser on Mac, Windows and iPad, nothing to install | Yes | PartialDesktop is Windows only; Planner Premium in the browser | PartialP6 Professional is Windows; EPPM and Primavera Cloud in the browser | Yes |
| Price for a full scheduler seat | Yes$25 / month or $200 / year on a Basic or Pro plan | PartialPlan 3 at $30 / month; desktop from about $680 | PartialThousands per named user | PartialPro about $12 / member / month; add-ons extra |
| Free trial that includes the scheduler | Yes30 days | PartialTrials | No | PartialTrials |
| Schedules stay readable after the subscription ends | YesView-only, the analysis unaffected | PartialFiles stay on disk | Partial | PartialRead-only |
| Short chaptered how-to videos inside the product | Yes31 videos, one topic each | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beta label with Send feedback | YesOn the header, the plan card and the public pages; one switch | No | No | No |
Where PC.o is different
- Two rule sets, one tool. Scheduling similar to P6 (the Advanced engine) or similar to Microsoft Project (the Standard engine), chosen per schedule.
- Switch between them on screen. A schedule moves from one rule set to the other in the browser, with a dry run and a change log of what moved, and Files > Convert converts between the file formats.
- Four ways in. Standard or Advanced rules, Simple or Full mode: whoever you are coming from, or if you are starting fresh, one of the four already looks like what you know.
- Field updates without licences, with logic. Anyone answers from a phone link; the answers become actual or estimated dates the engine schedules, after review.
- Analysis in the same place. The schedule quality analysis, the Word report, the comparison and the freshness pill are part of the editor, not a separate product.
- Baselines you can open. A baseline is a real stored schedule, not fields inside a file: open it, compare it, print it, run the analysis on it.
- Cash flow the way a planner reads it: the early and late envelope with the baseline S-curve inside, standard and custom spread curves, and the live panel while editing.
- Price and reach. $25 a month on a Basic plan, browser only on Mac, Windows and iPad, with a 30-day trial.
Vendor columns from public documentation, October 2026.
Primavera, P6, Microsoft Project and Smartsheet are trademarks of their owners. PC.o is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by any of them.