RationalPlan 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

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On this page

Overview
Pricing and Plans
Features
Integrations
User Reviews

Overview

RationalPlan

4.4

(99)

Pricing

Starting at $4.00 per month

About RationalPlan

RationalPlan is a project management solution that helps small and midsize businesses plan projects, allocate resources, analyze workloads, track work progress, estimate project costs and manage budgets.

Students, universities and freelancers can also effectively utilize RationalPlan for managing projects.

RationalPlan offers an embedded project guide that follows Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guidelines and takes users through each step of the project planning process.

Project managers can take advantage of project portfolio capabilities and collaboration features that can integrate multiple users. RationalPlan’s ProjectServer delivers a centralized location for storing and viewing all concurrent projects.

Resource management features help users understand expected timelines and budget allotment for particular projects.

RationalPlan can be deployed either on-premise or in the cloud. It can be purchased outright at a per user price that depends on the size of business or on a tiered subscription basis.

RationalPlan Screenshots

RationalPlan Pricing and Plans

Starting price: $4.00 per month

Free Trial

Free Version

Free

$0.00

Plan includes:

2 projects
100 tasks
5 MB storage
2 users

Beginner - Cloud

$4.00

per user, per month

Plan includes:

20 projects
700 tasks
7 GB storage

Master - Cloud

$12.00

per user, per month

Plan includes:

50 projects
2000 tasks
15 GB storage

Single - On Premise

$145.00

per user, one time

Plan includes:

Assumptions and Constraints
Availability
Etc
Fixed Costs
Google Drive Integration
Leveling
Onedrive Integration
Recurring Tasks
Risks
Task Types

Multi - On Premise

$288.00

per user, one time

Plan includes:

Budgets
Contacts
Inter-Projects Dependencies
Main Contact
Project's Client
Milestones
Baselines
Human resources
Standard/Overtime rates
Inter-projects dependencies

Server - On Premise

Pricing available upon request

Plan includes:

Assignments
% Complete
Concurrent Changes
Deadlines
Late Tasks
Multiple Users
Project Repository
Restore Points
Rights Per User
Web-Based Access

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RationalPlan Features

Popular features found in Project Management
Billing & Invoicing
Budget Management
Document Management
File Sharing
Gantt/Timeline View
Issue Management
Kanban Board
Milestone Tracking
Multiple Projects
Prioritization
Resource Management
Time & Expense Tracking
More features of RationalPlan
Access Controls/Permissions
Activity Tracking
Agile Methodologies
Alerts/Notifications
Automated Scheduling
Budgeting/Forecasting
Calendar Management
Client Portal
Collaboration Tools
Commenting/Notes
Communication Management
Contact Management
Dashboard
Estimating
Percent-Complete Tracking
Portfolio Management
Project Accounting
Projections
Project Management
Project Planning
Project Planning/Scheduling
Project Tracking
Project Workflow
Real Time Editing
Recurring Tasks
Reporting/Analytics
Reporting/Project Tracking
Reporting & Statistics
Resource Allocation & Planning
Risk Management
Spreadsheet View
Sub-Task Management
Task Board View
Task Editing
Task Management
Task Planning
Task Progress Tracking
Task Scheduling
Timesheet Management
Time Tracking
To-Do List
Traditional Methodologies
Version Control
Workflow Management

RationalPlan Integrations

Dropbox Business

Google Calendar

Google Drive

RationalPlan User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.4

Ratings Breakdown

51%

41%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

4.4

Value for money

4.7

Customer support

4.5

Functionality

4.3

nirmal j.

Verified reviewer

Construction

Used daily for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed February 2018

Found it better than MS Project for project management!

I am using Rational Plan as a MS Project substitute and have greatly benefitted by all its features. It helped me manage the tasks better.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

It is web-based and has better compatibility among different OS, it has similarbut better features than MS Project which include task and Gantt Chart features that the executives work with want to see. It integrates with Outlook, so tasks can be emailed to responsible staff. The export to PDF is great for sharing a snapshot of all the tasks in the entire project along with the Gantt Chart.

Cons:

while exporting to Excel,it loses the formatting. There's no way to set up emails on tasks that are late. The main way to track tasks is by manually entering the percentage of work completed.

Vendor Response

Not sure what product you are using but in the latest version of RationalPlan Cloud it is implemented the late task notification. Just make sure it is activated from the Administration area. Resources can also track their tasks in the My Assignments area by entering their individual actual work and the percentage completion will be automatically computed by the application. Regarding loosing format when exporting to Excel we would appreciate some detailed feedback in order to improve it. Just drop us an email to support.

Replied February 2018

Bill B.

Verified reviewer

Construction

2-10 employees

Used daily for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed November 2018

Great project management software.

My partner and I build large custom homes. By using RationalPlan, we can queue the subs and make the entire process go more quickly. It is a great tool, but like any tool, you have to use it. It is not magic.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

Intuitive. Easy to learn. Many features (some I have not explored yet).

Cons:

I have not figured out how to have a couple of projects open at the same time. Also have not figured out how to sort entries.

Frank K.

Machinery

11-50 employees

Used weekly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed February 2017

Franklin Automation

We have not gotten to the point yet where we are utilizing the resource management tools, but given that we are typically managing 3 - 4 projects at any given time this is definitely the goal. What would be most beneficial at this time is to have some way of entering and accumulating data. Currently I have to set-up project spreadsheets with all of my cost codes down the left margin and dates across the top so that I can enter time sheets and accumulate hours for each job cost code for all projects. With the accumulated sub-totals I can then update my Gantt charts on Rational plan from time to time. It would be great if I could enter this time sheet data directly into Rational Plan instead of having to create and update these summarizing spread sheets.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

1. Inexpensive 2. Relatively easy to learn 3. Good customer support

Cons:

1. cannot enter raw data; has no way of accumulating time in a given cost code 2. some of the options are confusing (e.g. "always keep assignment units as set" and "try to keep the work when changing resources"...what do these mean???

Vendor Response

RationalPlan can export to a spreadsheet by simplg going to File/Data export menu. The " keep the work when changing resources" option is a Project Management option which indicate the application to recalculate duration of a task when adding resources for example so to keep the amount of work constant

Replied February 2017

Scott B.

Verified reviewer

Information Technology and Services

Used unspecified for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2015

Good alternative to Project

I have been RationalPlan Multi for several years now. I find it to be a good alternative to MS Project. I have little issue with importing project files that others have worked on. My issue is that it will only save files back out in Project XML format instead of .mpp format. This does make collaborating with others using MS Project difficult at times.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Pros:

Native to the Mac, good interface and easy to use.

Cons:

Does not save files to .mpp

Verified

Reviewer

Environmental Services

10000+ employees

Used monthly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed November 2018

Review

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

The software is very easy to pick up. I use this software for smaller project that require professional looking gantt chart but not the bells and whistles of more powerful software like P6. I can very quickly develop a project schedule without issue using this software.

Cons:

The software doesn't have the same level of user created support compared to other more popular software like MS project. If I have a problem with MS project I can usually just google the problem and find something on a forum.

Verified

Reviewer

Apparel & Fashion

201-500 employees

Used daily for free trial

Review source

Reviewed April 2019

Great for Multiprojects

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

the collaboration on this software is bar-none. We just finished our free trial and we will definitely be purchasing. Cannot wait to learn more and get access to all of the features.

Cons:

I have no cons about RationalPlan at this time.

Verified

Reviewer

Insurance

1001-5000 employees

Used other for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed November 2018

Simple tool for project planning and management

If you're looking for ease-of-use project planning and management tool, this can be it! You can manage multiple projects at the same time, be able to estimate the project durations and costs, and assure that you can stay track on your targets.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

We're looking for a software for project planning and we ended up using this application. I find this simple and straightforward for our projects. It allows me to create project timelines, build roadmaps (Gantt chart) and other basic functionalities for project planning and management.

Cons:

Couldn't think of any. It fulfilled the needs of our small projects.

Jeff D.

Verified reviewer

Pharmaceuticals

Self-Employed

Used unspecified for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed April 2016

Excellent alternative to MS Project for small businesses

As a small business, the cost of MS Project is difficult to justify. Rational Plan offers a good value alternative that allows you to create your own Gantt charts and read and edit those created in using MS Project.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Pros:

Simple workflow Creates good looking Gantt charts with ease Reliably reads in Gantt charts created by MS Project Allows you to use most of the features for Gantt charts that would expect in MS Project - e.g. Resources free version for Linux (Gold star for this)!

Cons:

Isn't a complete replacement for MS Project (but doesn't pretend to be) Lack of Calendar view

Verified

Reviewer

Higher Education

501-1000 employees

Used monthly for less than 12 months

Review source

Reviewed November 2018

Solid Project Management Tool

Students who use a macbook and cannot load MS Project need to rely on a solid management tool to perform their scheduling and cost management. It is a lifesaver for those students who rely on a macbook.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

The software follows along the same principles of MS Project that helps my students learn the tool quicker. The compatibility to work along side MS Project likewise helps students that work with Macbooks where they cannot load MS Project to their system.

Cons:

The reporting function is not as robust as MS Project.

Verified

Reviewer

Renewables & Environment

2-10 employees

Used monthly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed November 2018

Simple Scheduling

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Has all the basic features needed for critical path scheduling and Gantt chart visuals.

Cons:

At times I experience freezes that limit the ability to use the software. The print function is also not as clean as I would like for displaying a gantt.

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