Microsoft offers a one-month free trial of its Project subscriptions, now sold as Planner Plan 1 (formerly Project Plan 1) and Planner and Project Plan 3. Only Plan 3 includes the Project desktop app. You need a payment method to start, the trial converts to a paid subscription when the month ends unless you cancel, and there's no free trial of the one-off Project Standard 2024.
If you've been hunting for a 'Microsoft Project free download', this is why you can't find one. Microsoft has folded Project into Planner, renamed the plans and put the desktop app behind the top tier. Here's what each trial gives you and the pricing catch that applies only to trials.
Which Project trial do you need?
| Planner Plan 1 | Planner and Project Plan 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Formerly called | Project Plan 1 | Project Plan 3 |
| Apps | Web and Teams apps | Planner in Teams, Planner web app and the Project desktop app |
| Good for | Structured plans, sprints, finish-to-start dependencies | Portfolios, baselines, critical path, advanced dependencies with lead and lag, Assignments view |
| Trial | One month | One month |
| Price shown | $10.00 per user a month, paid yearly, as of October 2026 | From $18.00 per user a month on a first-year promotion, normally $21.00, as of October 2026 |
If what you picture when you hear 'Microsoft Project' is the classic Gantt chart desktop app, you need the Plan 3 trial. Plan 1 is a web tool.
The pricing catch on trials
Microsoft's pricing page says Plan 3's lower first-year price requires an annual commitment and applies to the first year only, and then adds a line that's easy to miss: this promotion is not available on trial subscriptions. So the price you see on the plan card may not be the price you pay when a trial converts. Check what your trial will move to before the month is up.
How the trial works
- Microsoft says a payment method is required to start a trial.
- After the one-month free trial, your subscription automatically converts to a paid subscription based on the term and billing plan you choose.
- You can cancel any time during the trial to stop future charges.
- Storage for trials is limited.
- Microsoft says it can suspend access if payment isn't received after the trial ends.
Microsoft's announcement of self-service trials adds that you can request up to 25 trial licences and assign them to colleagues in the Microsoft 365 admin center, and that the exact trial length varies depending on the month you sign up. The expiry date appears in the trial subscription details in the admin center. That announcement also said self-service trials weren't available for Education or Government customers.
What happens if you don't cancel
Microsoft's plan cards describe both plans as annual subscriptions that auto renew, with recurring annual billing and a payment method required. So if the trial converts, you're committing to a year, billed on the plan and term you chose. If the payment then fails, Microsoft says it can suspend access to the service. Set your reminder a week before the expiry date shown in the admin center, not the day before.
Plan 1 or Plan 3: a quick way to choose
Ask your team one question: do you need baselines and critical path? If the answer is yes, or someone insists on the desktop app, it's Plan 3. If you mainly need shared plans, boards, timelines and sprints inside Teams, Plan 1 covers it.
No trial for Project Standard 2024
A Microsoft staff answer on Microsoft Q&A confirms that Microsoft doesn't offer a free trial for Project Standard 2024, or for the Professional edition, because they're one-time perpetual purchases. The only supported way to evaluate desktop Project before buying is the Plan 3 subscription trial, which includes the desktop app.
How to start the trial
- Go to Microsoft's Planner plans and pricing page.
- Choose Planner Plan 1 or Planner and Project Plan 3 and select Try for free.
- Sign in with your work Microsoft account or create one.
- Add your payment details.
- For Plan 3, install Project from your Microsoft 365 home page: select Install and more, find Project in your products and select Install.
How to cancel
Cancel in the Microsoft 365 admin center before the trial ends. If you're not the admin, ask whoever manages your organisation's Microsoft 365 account, because trial licences sit there. Microsoft says admins can also switch off self-service trials for the whole organisation if they'd rather control purchases centrally.
Is Project the right tool at all?
Microsoft Project is built for structured, dependency-heavy work. Many small teams are better served by simpler tools. Before you start the clock, compare it with my picks for project management software and the free Gantt chart tools if a timeline view is all you need.
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Make the month count
- Rebuild one real project in it, with dependencies, so you see how scheduling behaves.
- Invite the two or three people who'll use it every day, not the whole company.
- On Plan 3, test the desktop app and the web app side by side, so you know which one your team prefers.
- Note the date you need to decide by, which is the expiry date in the admin center, not 30 days from when you started.
My advice
Decide first whether you need the desktop app. If you do, go straight to the Plan 3 trial and ignore the rest. If you don't, Plan 1 may be all you need, and it's the cheaper plan to live with. Either way, read the price your trial converts to, because the headline promotion doesn't apply to trials, and cancel a few days early if your team hasn't adopted it.
If you want a spreadsheet-style planner, try the Smartsheet free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free trial of Microsoft Project?
Yes. Microsoft offers a one-month free trial of Planner Plan 1 (formerly Project Plan 1) and Planner and Project Plan 3.
Which Microsoft Project trial includes the desktop app?
Planner and Project Plan 3. Microsoft lists the Project desktop app as part of that plan.
Can I get a free trial of Project Standard 2024?
No. A Microsoft staff answer says there's no free trial of perpetual editions such as Project Standard 2024.
Do I need a card for the Microsoft Project trial?
Yes. Microsoft says a payment method is required, and the trial converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel.
Does the Plan 3 promotional price apply after a trial?
Microsoft says the promotion is not available on trial subscriptions, so check the price your trial converts to.
