What are the differences between Microsoft Project & Primavera?

Baselines

In MS Project only11 baselines can be created. In Primavera unlimited baselines can be created.

Multiple User Access

MS Project doesn't allow multiple users to work on a single project at the same time, Primvera allows you to do that. In Primavera you can even specify what features of Primavera a particular user can use , and which he can not.

Issues & Risks

MS Project lacks the feature of tracking project issues or risks. In Primavera, we can record issues and risks.

Web Support

Primavera plan, documents and other information can be converted to HTML directly from the software. MS Project doesn't have such option.

Steps

Steps in Primavera allows you to create sub-activities (steps) of an activity. Each step can have its own start and finish date, and a completed step can be marked as completed. This useful feature is missing in MS Project.

Expenses

Besides Costs, in Primavera project expenses e.g training, travel, etc can also be added, in MS Project we can not.

Custom Fields

Both MS Project and Primavera allows us to create custom fields. But MS Project even allows us to set complex formulas or use fields and add additional values to it, to use in the custom field. In Primavera we can create a blank custom field, but can not set formulas to it, so users have to manually enter values in each in the field, for each column.

Columns

Primavera P6 has many useful columns. It comes installed with over200 columns, each giving you different information. Some column category to name include EVM, Budgeting, Costs, etc. On the other hand in MS Project, there are only around40 columns.

Multiple Activity Relationships

In Primavera P6, more than one type of relationship can be established between activities e.g we can have FF and SS between the same two activities. In MS Project only one relationship can be made between two activities.

Project Website

The Primavera P6 software can create a comprehensive website comprising of complete project details including activities, resources, reports, risks, issues, WBS, and everything that has been entered in the software. This website is very valuable feature and is not present in MS Project.

Multiple Project Creation, View and Tracking

In Primavera multiple projects can be created and viewed. This can be done in MS Project too but since MS Project is not intended for multiple project use, it doesn't allow us to do things like we can do in Primavera like multiple project tracking, multiple project or WBS comparisons, cost and units calculations.There are many more minor differences between Primavera P6 and and MS Project but above list is of major and prominent differences between the two software.

WBS

In Primavera P6 WBS is created separated from activities. Once WBS has been created, then we can add activities with each WBS element. Whereas in MS Project, activities are indented to make them look like WBS.