Project 2024 Standard vs Professional: Which Edition Do You Need?
Microsoft Project is Microsoft’s desktop app for planning, scheduling, and tracking projects. The one-time-purchase version comes in two editions: Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024.
Both editions give you the same scheduling engine, the same Gantt charts, and the same core planning tools. The difference is how much you manage people and time and whether your plans need to connect to a server. This guide covers what each edition includes, based on Microsoft’s own product pages, and matches each one to the kind of work it suits.
The quick answer
- Project Standard 2024 is for one person planning and tracking their own projects: tasks, dates, dependencies, costs, baselines, and the critical path.
- Project Professional 2024 includes everything in Standard, plus tools to manage a team’s resources, submit timesheets, use the Team Planner view, and connect to Project Server Subscription Edition.
If you plan projects on your own PC and don’t need timesheets, Team Planner, or a Project Server connection, Standard is likely enough.
What both editions have in common
According to Microsoft, Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 are both:
- Licensed for one PC.
- Windows desktop apps. Microsoft lists Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2019 as supported operating systems.
- Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) releases. Microsoft says both support LTSC.
Shared tools include:
- Pre-built templates to get a new project started.
- Automated scheduling, with start and end dates filled in from task dependencies.
- Schedule, task, and cost management.
- Calendar, Gantt Chart, Network Diagram, and Task Sheet views.
- Baselines, milestones, and the critical path, so you can compare actual progress with the original plan.
- Resource leveling.
- What-if scenarios to test different task assignments.
- Multiple built-in timelines to show complex schedules.
- Task path highlighting in Gantt charts, so you can see how tasks depend on each other.
- Built-in reports to track progress.
- Copy and paste into Office apps, so project details can go straight into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
For a lot of planners, that covers everything they need.
What only Project Professional 2024 adds
Microsoft lists these as Professional features.
Resource management for teams
Microsoft describes Professional as having comprehensive resource management to build and balance project teams. Professional also includes the Team Planner view. Microsoft says Team Planner “is a feature available only with Project Professional.” It shows one row per team member with all of their assigned tasks, so you can spot who is overloaded and drag work to someone else or to a different time.
Timesheets
Professional lets you submit timesheets that capture time spent on project and non-project work. Microsoft positions this for payroll, project tracking, and invoicing, which matters to consultancies, agencies, and anyone who bills by the hour.
Project Server Subscription Edition
Microsoft lists the ability to connect to Project Server Subscription Edition as a Professional feature. If your organization runs Project Server for shared project and portfolio management, Professional is the edition that connects to it. Standard works on its own.
Teams presence and chat
On Project Professional 2024, Microsoft notes that you can hover over a team member’s name in a plan to see their online presence and start a chat or call in Microsoft Teams (Teams is licensed separately).
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Project Standard 2024 | Project Professional 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| License | 1 PC | 1 PC |
| Supported OS (per Microsoft) | Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2019 | Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2019 |
| Templates and automated scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Schedule, task, and cost management | Yes | Yes |
| Gantt, Calendar, Network Diagram, Task Sheet views | Yes | Yes |
| Baselines, milestones, critical path | Yes | Yes |
| Resource leveling | Yes | Yes |
| What-if scenarios and multiple timelines | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in reports | Yes | Yes |
| Comprehensive resource management | No | Yes |
| Team Planner view | No | Yes |
| Timesheets | No | Yes |
| Connect to Project Server Subscription Edition | No | Yes |
| Teams presence and chat in a plan | Not listed by Microsoft | Yes (Teams licensed separately) |
Which edition fits how you work?
Solo planners and small-business owners: Standard
If you’re planning an office move, a product launch, an event, or a renovation, and you’re the one building and updating the schedule, Standard has the tools you need: dependencies, a critical path, baselines, and cost tracking.
Construction, engineering, and facilities planners: depends on the team
Gantt charts, the critical path, milestones, and baselines are in both editions. If you also assign crews, balance workloads across several people, or record hours against tasks, choose Professional for its resource management, Team Planner, and timesheets.
Consultants and agencies who bill by time: Professional
Timesheets that capture time for payroll and invoicing are a Professional feature. If your projects feed into client billing, Professional is the better fit.
PMOs and organizations using Project Server: Professional
If your company runs Project Server Subscription Edition, Professional is the edition Microsoft lists as connecting to it.
Project managers juggling a shared team: Professional
When the hard part is who does the work, not just when, the Team Planner view and resource management in Professional make that easier to see and fix.
A simple decision checklist
Pick Professional if you answer yes to any of these:
- Do you assign and balance work across a team of people?
- Do you want the Team Planner view?
- Do you need timesheets for payroll, tracking, or invoicing?
- Does your organization use Project Server Subscription Edition?
If every answer is no, Project Standard 2024 is the right fit.
What about a Project subscription?
Microsoft also sells Project desktop as a subscription, now called Planner and Project Plan 3. Microsoft says the core features of Project Plan 3 and Project Professional 2024 are nearly identical when first purchased. The differences are that Plan 3 always gives you the latest version and needs an active subscription, and you can install it on up to five PCs. Project Professional 2024 is a one-time purchase that doesn’t expire once activated, per Microsoft.
If you’d like a subscription option instead, request a quote and tell us what you need.
Buying for a team
Each Project 2024 license covers one PC, so count the people who actually build and update schedules. Team members who only view or receive updates may not need the desktop app at all. Many teams mix editions: Professional for project managers who manage resources and timesheets, and Standard for staff who plan their own work. For several licenses, request a quote and we’ll put the order together.
Ready to choose? See Project Standard 2024, Project Professional 2024, or browse all Microsoft Project licenses. After you order, follow the installation and activation steps included with your order. If anything doesn’t work as expected, contact our support team and we’ll help you sort it out.
Frequently asked questions
Project Professional 2024 includes everything in Project Standard 2024, plus comprehensive resource management, the Team Planner view, timesheets for payroll, project tracking, and invoicing, and the ability to connect to Project Server Subscription Edition. Standard covers scheduling, task and cost management, baselines, milestones, the critical path, and resource leveling.
No. Microsoft says Team Planner is a feature available only with Project Professional.
No. Microsoft lists the ability to connect to Project Server Subscription Edition as a Project Professional 2024 feature. Project Standard 2024 works as a standalone desktop app.
Yes. Microsoft lists Calendar, Gantt Chart, Network Diagram, and Task Sheet views, plus baselines, milestones, and the critical path, in Project Standard 2024. Both editions also include task path highlighting in Gantt charts.
Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 are Windows desktop apps. Microsoft lists Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2019 as the supported operating systems, and macOS isn’t among them.
Microsoft licenses both Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 for one PC. If several people need Project, each needs their own license.
Questions about Project?
Not sure which edition your team needs, or buying several licenses at once? We’re happy to help.
- Business or volume orders: request a quote.
- Help with an order: email support@solveditservices.com (fastest), or call (447) 223-5297.
- More answers are on our FAQ page.