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RationalPlan Review
What is RationalPlan?
RationalPlan is a project management platform that puts the emphasis on improving productivity, simplified use and fast learning. It was developed to address various types of users, ranging from novice project managers, users that require an environment to manage multiple projects and up to enterprises that are in need of a distributed solution with concurrent access. With RationalPlan, project managers and team members will find it easy to build project plans that are consistent with their requirements and end goals, effectively manage resources and evaluate workload, monitor project progress, estimate expenditures, and track and manage budget.
Show MoreOverview of RationalPlan Benefits
Choosing RationalPlan entails a string of advantages for project managers, team members, and companies alike. Among the benefits RationalPlan presents include:
- Effortless management and monitoring of projects, budget, and resources.
- Quickly identify issues and potential problems that might hamper a project’s progress.
- Monitor and follow project progress in terms of completion, schedule, and expenses.
- Undo or redo steps on multiple levels.
- Build and implement project plans immediately and plan schedules.
RationalPlan puts the accent on productivity and tries to be as easy to use as possible: straightforward and intuitive.
The Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule)
Compared with other products, RationalPlan has the same power but is more affordable to users. If you compare, for example, the RationalPlan Single product with Microsoft Project standard version you get 80% of the functionality at 20% of the price. The vendor states that a particular customer, after buying RationalPlan, wanted a refund because could not find certain features that were available in MS Project. After explaining to him where he can find that functionality, the vendor also recommended to keep the product. A few days later, the vendor received this answer: “Now that I get to know RationalPlan better, I wouldn’t want to miss it anymore. You helped me save a lot of money by preventing me from buying MS-Project.”
Embedded project guide
Project management applications tend to be a little bit more complicated and require some training for users to understand how to use them. There are special terms and notions that need additional explanations to understand them. RationalPlan offers an embedded project guide that takes users step by step through the whole process of initiating, planning and controlling a project. It is great for a novice or accidental project manager and also has the power and the tools to assist an experienced one. Once users get used to the software they can hide the project guide, increase the workspace area and create their own pattern in using the product.
Works everywhere
RationalPlan was developed to work on any operating system: Windows, Mac OS X, different Linux flavors. Even more with the cloud service module it can run directly within the browser no matter what the underlying operating system is.
Reliable support
One of the main aspects that RationalPlan believes in is client satisfaction. That is why customer support is a priority for the vendor.
Show MoreOverview of RationalPlan Features
- Assumptions and constraints
- Risks
- Working calendars
- Task types
- Constraints
- Deadlines
- Split tasks
- Recurrent tasks
- Fixed costs
- Milestones
- Beselines
- Workflow
- Critical path
- Task tracking
- Timephased cost distribution
- Timephased work distribution
- Work Breakdown Structures
- Gantt charts
- Earned Value Management
- Embeded project guide
- Reports
- Export to Excel
- Email notifications
- Filters
- Documents
- Zoom in/out
- Microsoft Project integration
- Google Drive integration
- Dropbox integration
- SkyDrive integration
- Portfolio management
- Client Management
- Server Management
What Problems Will RationalPlan Solve?
Collaboration environment for an energy recovery company: Bowman Power Group is a world leader in advanced exhaust energy recovery technologies for reciprocating engines, which are the dominant plant for power generation in remote areas for renewable fuels and for biomass energy applications. The company needs a solid solution that allows them to manage their portfolio of inter-related projects with shared resources. They also need different types of users with restrictive access rights to different parts of the projects. RationalPlan Server is an ideal solution for such requirements.
Features: project portfolio management module, collaboration among users, server side capabilities.
Software for a project management course: James Cook University provides project management related courses and needs a simple but powerful tool to apply all the methodologies that students learn. RationalPlan is an ideal tool that follows the PMI standards and offers an embedded project guide that takes users step by step through all the phases of managing a project. No need to go to the tutorial or help section. The program is powerful and intuitive. Learning curve is not steep at all.
Features embedded project guide that follows the PMI standards
Renovate houses and watch the progress: Morgan Jones renovates houses and needs to watch progress closely. Every day she needs to enter the completion for each activity and monitor if the project evolves according to the initial plan and estimated budget. Critical tasks must be brought to her attention.
Features: task tracking, Earned Value Management, critical path management
How Much Does RationalPlan Cost?
RationalPlan Pricing Plans:
Free Trial
Beginner
$19 per month
Master
$59 per month
Production
$94 per month
Single
$57 (free for Linux)
Multi
$98
Server
Contact vendor
What are RationalPlan pricing details?
RationalPlan Pricing Plans:
Free Trial
Beginner
$19 per month
Master
$59 per month
Production
$94 per month
Single
$57 (free for Linux)
Multi
$98
Server
Contact vendor
RationalPlan provides 2 editions for their product with a one-time licensed payment plus an on-premise/cloud-hosted server version which is available on a monthly subscription. Once the order is completed, purchasers will get a confirmation email containing the license key. Discounts are offered when purchased in volume.
Cloud-hosted versions:
Beginner – $19 per month
- Unlimited users
- 20 projects
- 700 tasks
- 7GB storage
Master – $59 per month
- Unlimited users
- 50 projects
- 2000 tasks
- 15GB storage
Production – $94 per month
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited projects
- Unlimited tasks
- 20GB storage
On-premise versions:
Single – $57 (free for Linux)
Contains the following:
- Basic features
- Task Management tools
- Project management tools
- Resource management tools
Multi – $98
Carries all Single features plus:
- Portfolio management
- Client management
Server – contact Rational Plan
Choose between the on-premise or cloud option
User Satisfaction
Positive Social Media Mentions
7
Negative Social Media Mentions
0
We know that when you make a decision to purchase a Project Management Software it’s important not only to learn how experts score it in their reviews, but also to find out whether the actual clients and companies that purchased it are genuinely content with the service. That’s why we’ve devised our behavior-based Customer Satisfaction Algorithm™ that aggregates customer reviews, comments and RationalPlan reviews across a vast array of social media sites. The data is then displayed in an easy to understand way revealing how many clients had positive and negative experience with RationalPlan. With that information at hand you should be prepared to make an informed purchasing decision that you won’t regret.
Video
Technical details
Devices Supported
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone/iPad
- Mac
- Web-based
Deployment
- Cloud Hosted
- On Premise
Language Support
- English
Pricing Model
- Monthly payment
- One-time payment
Customer Types
- Small Business
- Large Enterprises
- Medium Business
- Freelancers
What Support Does This Vendor Offer?
- phone
- live support
- training
- tickets
What integrations are available for RationalPlan?
RationalPlan supports integration with the following business systems and applications:
- Dropbox
- OneDrive
- Google Drive
- Adobe Reader
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
- iCalendar
RationalPlan User Reviews
RationalPlan average rating:
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Write your own review of this product
ADD A REVIEWThe most favorable review
PROS: I love that RationalPlan is web-based and works well with my Mac. It is quite similar to MS Project, which I used before, so the transition wasn't painless. It comes with all the features I need, such as task management ans Gantt charts. I love that it offers Outlook integration, which makes emailing to other members of the team easy and quick.
CONS: Whenever I export to Excel, the tier levels of the tasks and sub-tasks just disappear. That is a big thing as setting email emails on tasks that are late is not an option.
The least favorable review
PROS: RationalPlan has everything I need from a project planning and management tool: user-friendly, easy to learn, and comes with the basic features and functionalities. I find it easy to create project timelines. I want a reliable system without the steep learning curve and RationalPlan is just that.
CONS: It seems that RationalPlan is created in Java and does not feature OX X interface components like the Save Dialog box.
More reviews from 9 actual users:
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Latest
- Latest
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- Most positive
- Most negative
Ideal Project Software For Teachers
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 30.11.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Higher Education
PROS: I have been using RationalPlan as a teaching aid for Project Management at James Cook University and I have nothing but praises. The platform is intuitive, easy to use, and well supported. My students find it very friendly and has a short learning curve, which means they are able to run with it and develop highly detailed and well constructed plans with the use of this tool.
CONS: Nothing to dislike. Especially when the latest version offers a smoother and better user experience.
My Thoughts on RationalPlan
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 25.11.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Utilities
PROS: No doubt the best alternative there is to MS Projects. Very user friendly whether you want to manage small projects or head larger, more complicated expansions. I run a small business and RationalPlan is an excellent tool for tracking and estimating projects.
CONS: There is nothing to dislike about this platform.
Best Alternative To MS Project
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 30.06.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Hospital and Health Care
PROS: It is clear that RationalPlan is created using sound project management principles. Setting up is a breeze, as well as planning and managing projects. The software is easy to use and doesn't present any complications, especially if one becomes well versed in the platform. I also love how their email support is responsive, quick, and very friendly.
CONS: The way they describe Fixed Units vs Fixed Work tasks seems awkward. It also has compatibility issues with WebEx, which we use to train remote users.
Outstanding Project Management Tool For Multiple Platforms
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 03.03.2021
Company Size: 1-10 Employees
Industry: Information Technology
PROS: RationalPlan is an ideal application especially for our company where we belong on a multi-disciplinary group. That means we have different individuals who are using different opeating systems. RationalPlan makes it easy for us to function individually and collectively.
CONS: I wish they could improve on their MS Project integration. That being said, RationalPlan is a comprehensive tool all by itself.
A whole lot better than MS Project
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 14.02.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Hospital and Healthcare
PROS: I love that RationalPlan is web-based and works well with my Mac. It is quite similar to MS Project, which I used before, so the transition wasn't painless. It comes with all the features I need, such as task management ans Gantt charts. I love that it offers Outlook integration, which makes emailing to other members of the team easy and quick.
CONS: Whenever I export to Excel, the tier levels of the tasks and sub-tasks just disappear. That is a big thing as setting email emails on tasks that are late is not an option.
The Perfect Tool For My Small Projects
Read full review >
4/5
Overall impression
4/5
Customer Support
4/5
Value for Money
4/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 06.02.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Research
PROS: RationalPlan has everything I need from a project planning and management tool: user-friendly, easy to learn, and comes with the basic features and functionalities. I find it easy to create project timelines. I want a reliable system without the steep learning curve and RationalPlan is just that.
CONS: It seems that RationalPlan is created in Java and does not feature OX X interface components like the Save Dialog box.
Unbeatable Value For Your Money
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 12.03.2018
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Automotive
PROS: It is a user-friendly project management platform with dependencies and a gantt chart yet it doesn't cost as high as MS Project. I love how it remains fast and doesn't cause any lag on my poor bloated laptop. It creates PDFs and anyone with a free viewer can easily look at the files.
CONS: I would love it if the filters on the different columns were more user-friendly as well as the levelling resources.
A Better, More Cost Effective MS Project Alternative
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 18.01.2018
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Mechanical or Industrial
PROS: I love how RationalPlan is easy and very straightforward yet has all the features to rival MS Project. The best part is that it costs lesser than MS Projects. This is a big thing as our company wants a system that has everything we need without us spending too much.
CONS: We encountered some difficulties when we uploaded our projects to the server. But this was a few years ago and with the recent developments, I believe this is already a non-issue.
Simply an amazing project management software
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 20.12.2017
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Computer Software
PROS: I thought I'll never find another project management tool as good as MS Project, until I found RationalPlan. It has all the features I would expect from a project management platform and then some. I also love how very intuitive the software is, how helpful it is, and how attractive it looks. In terms of usability, it is at the top of its class.
CONS: Nothing wrong about the software. I just hate the fact that I didn't discover this amazing software sooner.
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Ideal Project Software For Teachers
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 30.11.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Higher Education
My Thoughts on RationalPlan
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 25.11.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Utilities
Best Alternative To MS Project
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 30.06.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Hospital and Health Care
Outstanding Project Management Tool For Multiple Platforms
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 03.03.2021
Company Size: 1-10 Employees
Industry: Information Technology
A whole lot better than MS Project
Read full review >
5/5
Overall impression
5/5
Customer Support
5/5
Value for Money
5/5
Ease of Use
Published on: 14.02.2021
Company Size: More than 100 Employees
Industry: Hospital and Healthcare
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