Project Plan 1 and Project Online Essentials are different subscriptions:

Project Plan 1

  • Technology: Project for the web and Microsoft Power Platform
  • Who it’s for: Anyone who manages projects as a part of their job
  • How the subscription works: A Project Plan 1 subscription is independent from a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription. Plan 1 only works with projects created in the Project for the web service, which is a part of the Project Plan 1, Project Plan 3, and Project Plan 5 subscriptions.
  • Description: Project Plan 1 offers core, web-based capabilities such as scheduling, creating project teams, assigning tasks, and displaying multiple views like grid (list), board, and timeline (Gantt).

Project Online Essentials

  • Technology: Project Online and SharePoint
  • Who it’s for: Team members
  • How the subscription works: Project Online Essentials only connects to the Project Online service accompanying either a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 subscription within the tenant.
  • Description: Project Online Essentials features a web-based interface that allows users to submit timesheets and update tasks, issues, and risks only in projects created within Project Online.