Microsoft Planner vs To Do: Which Tool Should You Use to Manage Your Tasks?

With emails piling up, back-to-back meetings, and projects multiplying, managing tasks effectively is a real daily challenge for professionals in Switzerland. Microsoft offers two flagship tools to help organize work: Microsoft Planner and Microsoft To Do. But which one truly fits your needs? Both apps, integrated into Microsoft 365, can look similar at first glance. In practice, they serve very different use cases. Whether you work in an SME, manage projects in a multinational company in Zurich, or freelance from Lausanne, this guide will help you make the right choice. Explore the features, key differences, and best practices to optimize your task management in 2025.

Table of contents:

1. What is Microsoft Planner?
2. What is Microsoft To Do?
3. Comparison table: Planner vs To Do
4. How Planner and To Do work together
5. Real-world use cases: which tool for which situation?
6. Licensing for companies
7. Best practices to optimize usage

What is Microsoft Planner?

Before comparing the two solutions, it helps to clearly understand what each tool offers. Let’s start with Microsoft Planner, Microsoft 365’s collaborative project management solution.

Definition and positioning of Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is a collaborative project management tool designed for teams. Launched in 2016, it helps teams plan, organize, and track task progress within a shared workspace. According to Microsoft Support, Planner provides an intuitive visual interface based on the Kanban method, comparable to tools like Trello or Asana.

The app is primarily aimed at project teams, managers, and department leads who need to coordinate work across multiple contributors. Microsoft Planner is particularly well-suited to team projects that require collaboration and coordination, especially when tasks are interconnected.

Key features of Microsoft Planner

Planner includes a set of features built for teamwork. Plans are the core element: each plan represents a project or initiative. Inside a plan, buckets help organize tasks by category, phase, or topic. For example, a marketing project might include buckets such as “Concept,” “Production,” and “Distribution.”

You can enrich each task with plenty of details: assignment to one or more members, due dates, priority level (urgent, important, medium, low), checklists for sub-tasks, attachments, and comments. Color labels make it easy to categorize tasks at a glance. Recurring tasks help avoid recreating the same structure for repeated workflows.

Available views

One of Planner’s biggest strengths is its multiple views. The Board view displays the classic Kanban layout with tasks organized into columns. Grid view provides a detailed list format, ideal for thorough reviews. The Schedule (calendar) view helps visualize due dates over time. The Charts view offers progress dashboards to quickly spot late or completed tasks.

For more advanced needs (a Gantt-style Timeline, dependencies, sprints), Microsoft relies on Planner Premium (formerly Project for the Web), which requires a dedicated license, according to Microsoft Learn.

Native integration with Microsoft 365

Planner becomes especially powerful thanks to its deep integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. Each plan is automatically linked to a Microsoft 365 Group, which provides access to a shared SharePoint space, a group mailbox, and a OneNote notebook. Integration with Microsoft Teams lets you add a Planner tab directly in team channels for centralized access.

Automation with Power Automate also unlocks many options, such as creating tasks automatically from emails or forms.

What is Microsoft To Do?

Now let’s look at Microsoft To Do, the personal task management app known for its simplicity and daily usefulness.

Definition and positioning of Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do is an individual task management app that evolved from Wunderlist, acquired by Microsoft in 2015. Unlike Planner, it focuses on personal productivity rather than team collaboration. According to Futura Sciences, “Microsoft To Do has established itself as a must-have tool for planning and managing tasks, whether in a personal or professional context.”

The app is completely free and available across platforms: Windows, iOS, Android, and web. It’s aimed at employees who want to organize their day, students, freelancers, or anyone looking for a simple way to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

Essential features of Microsoft To Do

To Do offers features centered on individual organization. Custom task lists make it easy to group activities by theme, project, or area of life. Each task can include a due date, a reminder, notes, and even attachments up to 25 MB. Steps (sub-tasks) help break complex actions into smaller, manageable items.

The recurring tasks feature is especially useful for routines and habits. According to Le Blog du Modérateur, “tasks reset every day in My Day, and To Do provides smart suggestions for tasks to do today.”

The “My Day” feature: the heart of To Do

To Do’s real strength lies in its “My Day” feature. This personalized daily planner helps you prioritize what matters most today. Each morning, you start with a blank list and can manually add key priorities or rely on smart suggestions based on overdue and upcoming tasks.

According to Microsoft Support, “all tasks entered in the My Day view are also saved in your task list. Anything you can’t finish today will be saved and suggested again tomorrow.” This approach encourages effective daily planning without mental overload.

Integration with the Microsoft ecosystem

To Do integrates seamlessly with Outlook. Tasks created in Outlook automatically appear in To Do, and vice versa. Flagged emails become tasks in the “Flagged email” list. This two-way sync helps centralize all action items without switching between apps.

Tasks assigned to you in Planner are automatically synced into To Do as well, so you can view both personal tasks and team assignments from a single interface.

Comparison table: Planner vs To Do

To make things clearer, here’s a direct comparison of both tools based on the most important criteria. This table helps you quickly identify which solution best matches each need.

Microsoft Planner stands out thanks to its native integrations and team-friendly experience, while To Do shines through its simplicity for daily work.

How Planner and To Do work together

Good news: you don’t have to make a permanent choice between the two tools. Microsoft designed these apps to work together, not against each other.

Automatic task synchronization

When a Planner task is assigned to a user, it automatically appears in To Do in the “Assigned to me” list. This sync helps centralize personal tasks, whether they come from team projects or individual initiatives, in one place. Changes made in either app are reflected across the other.

According to Microsoft Support, “the best part is that you can use To Do and Planner together so they complement each other. In To Do, select Assigned to you to view tasks assigned to you.”

The unified Planner app in Teams (2024–2025)

In 2024, Microsoft rolled out a major overhaul by unifying the task management experience. The former “Tasks by Planner and To Do” app was renamed simply “Planner” in Teams. This new version centralizes individual tasks (To Do), team plans (Planner), and, depending on licensing, advanced capabilities associated with Planner Premium (formerly Project for the Web).

With the new Planner, Microsoft brings three approaches into one tool: To Do’s simplicity for everyday work, Planner’s collaboration for teams, and Planner Premium’s power for complex projects.

Recommended combined usage strategy

For professionals in Switzerland, the best approach is to use both tools in a complementary way. Planner manages team projects with shared visibility. To Do handles personal tasks and daily planning through “My Day.” The unified Teams experience provides a consolidated view of everything.

This strategy helps you keep track of commitments, whether they belong to a collective project or individual responsibilities.

Real-world use cases: which tool for which situation?

The theory is useful. Real life is better. Here are practical scenarios to help you choose the right tool in each professional context.

Managing a team marketing project

Recommended tool: Microsoft Planner

A communications agency launches a campaign for a client. The project manager creates a plan with buckets by phase: “Brief,” “Creation,” “Approval,” “Distribution.” Each task is assigned to the relevant designer, copywriter, or community manager. Progress charts help present project status during weekly meetings. Teams integration keeps discussions around the plan in one place.

Daily organization for an employee

Recommended tool: Microsoft To Do

An accountant uses To Do to structure the workday. Each morning, they open “My Day” and add key priorities: month-end close, client calls, budget preparation. Important emails received in Outlook are flagged and automatically appear as tasks. Reminders help avoid missing critical tax deadlines.

Coordinating an SME

Recommended tool: Planner + To Do combined

An SME with 25 employees in Fribourg uses Planner for each department: a “Client projects” plan, an “HR” plan, and an “IT” plan. Employees manage personal tasks in To Do and see their Planner assignments in the “Assigned to me” list. This setup gives leadership a clear overview while preserving individual autonomy.

Licensing for companies

Cost is a legitimate concern for decision-makers. The good news is that both tools are available at no extra cost for most organizations.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium subscriptions include Microsoft Planner, as do Enterprise E1, E3, and E5 licenses.

Microsoft To Do is completely free, even without a Microsoft 365 subscription. A simple Microsoft account is enough to access all features.

For advanced needs (a Gantt-style Timeline, dependencies, sprints, Copilot), a Planner Plan 1 license or higher is required via Planner Premium (formerly Project for the Web).

Best practices to optimize usage

Having the right tools isn’t enough. You also need to use them effectively. Here are practical tips to get the most out of each solution.

Tips for Microsoft Planner

Name buckets clearly based on project phases to make navigation easier. Use color labels consistently across plans to improve readability. Always assign an owner to each task to reinforce accountability. Use charts in team meetings to support transparency. Finally, automate repetitive actions with Power Automate to save time.

Tips for Microsoft To Do

Start each day by planning “My Day” to build a productive routine. Use reminders for critical deadlines to avoid costly oversights. Create recurring tasks for regular work (weekly reporting, monthly follow-ups). Break large tasks into steps to make them less intimidating. Sync with Outlook to centralize action items.

Conclusion

In the end, the real question isn’t “Microsoft Planner or To Do?” but rather “how can you use both tools together?” Planner excels at collaborative project management with Kanban boards, progress charts, and Teams integration. To Do shines for everyday personal organization thanks to “My Day” and Outlook sync.

For professionals, the winning strategy is to combine both apps. Team projects belong in Planner. Individual tasks and daily planning are managed in To Do. The unified Planner experience in Teams provides a consolidated view. With Copilot and AI-driven features, Microsoft is further strengthening this integrated experience for 2025.

Ready to improve the way you manage tasks? Start by creating your first Planner plan for a pilot project, and set up To Do for personal productivity. Your days will feel far more organized.

FAQ:

Can I use Microsoft Planner without Microsoft Teams?

Yes, absolutely. Microsoft Planner is available via the Microsoft 365 portal or directly in Microsoft Teams, without requiring you to use Teams on a daily basis. All core features remain available. However, Teams integration provides a smoother experience by centralizing conversations and files around the project plan.

Do tasks created in To Do appear in Planner?

No. The sync works in one direction. Planner tasks assigned to a user appear in To Do (in the “Assigned to me” list). Tasks created directly in To Do remain personal and do not flow back into Planner. This logic preserves the distinction between team work and personal organization.

Does Microsoft To Do work offline?

Yes. The To Do mobile app offers an offline mode. Recently viewed tasks remain accessible, and changes sync once you’re back online. Planner, on the other hand, requires an active connection for full functionality, even though the mobile app can cache limited data.

Is there a limit to the number of tasks in a Planner plan?

Yes. Microsoft enforces a limit of several thousand tasks per plan (around 2,400). For large initiatives, it’s usually better to split the work into multiple plans or archive completed plans. This limit applies to plans and may change as the platform evolves.

How can I migrate from Trello to Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft does not offer a native import tool directly from Trello. However, several options exist: use Power Automate to create tasks automatically, rely on third-party migration tools, or perform a manual migration for smaller projects. For Swiss organizations with many Trello boards, working with a certified Microsoft partner can be a smart choice.