Planitude vs Primavera P6: .xer files and critical path, free
Primavera P6 is the standard for large construction and engineering programs. Planitude reads .xer files and makes the same CPM approach accessible to those who need to work on the plan without an enterprise license.
In this article
Oracle Primavera P6 is the reference for large construction, energy and engineering projects: scheduling with the critical path method (CPM), baselines over time, and role and resource optimization. Not every professional in these sectors, however, is responsible for scheduling: subcontractors, suppliers, site managers and clients often receive an .xer file and need to open it, interpret it and update it.
Planitude is designed for them as well. The comparison below is based on data from Oracle’s official page.
Who Primavera P6 and Planitude are for
Primavera P6 is designed for organizations that manage large projects and portfolios, with CPM scheduling, resource optimization and cost comparison against the baseline[1].
Planitude is designed for the parties working around those projects:
- subcontractors and suppliers who receive an
.xerfile from the client; - site managers and engineers who need to update their own phases;
- PMOs and professional firms that manage mid-sized projects with CPM logic, without enterprise infrastructure.
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Planitude | Primavera P6 |
|---|---|---|
| Opening .mpp files | Available.mpp/ | Not statedNot stated |
| Export | AvailableMicrosoft Project XML, CSV, print/ | Not statedNot stated |
| Dependencies (4 types, with lag) | AvailableFS, SS, FF and SF, with lag | AvailableCPM scheduling |
| Critical path | Availableon demand, with total float | AvailableCPM scheduling |
| Baselines | Availablesaved automatically at first progress; slippage in days | Availabletime-phased baseline |
| Calendars and holidays | Availableworking calendars with exceptions | Not statedNot stated |
| Date constraints | Availableconstraint dates and deadlines | Not statedNot stated |
| Resources and over-allocation | Availableproject members assigned to tasks, daily workload, over-allocation warnings | Availablerole and resource optimisation, capacity planning |
| Costs and budget | Partialfixed and baseline costs from imported files; no budget view | Availableforecast cost compared with baseline cost |
| Earned Value Management (EVM) | Not availableNot available | Not statedNot stated |
| Automatic resource levelling | Not availableapplies the leveling delay from .mpp files; does not calculate it | Not statedNot stated |
| Views | AvailableSummary, Gantt, list, board, calendar, workload | Not statedNot stated |
| Collaboration | Availableowner, editor and viewer roles; comments with @mentions | AvailableAvailable |
| Public sharing | Availableread-only public link | Not statedNot stated |
| Interface languages | Available10 | Not statedNot stated |
| Self-hosting | Not availablemanaged service, EU servers (Germany) | Not statedNot stated |
| Entry price | Availablefree, ad-supported | Not statedprice not published by Oracle |
| Free plan | Availableall features, no seat limit | Not availableNot available |
The data is the same as in our full comparison. “Not stated” means that Oracle does not provide the information on the page consulted, not that the feature is missing: Primavera P6 is a very broad product.
Scheduling
Primavera P6 is built on CPM scheduling, with baselines over time[1]. Planitude applies the same critical path logic:
- FS, SS, FF and SF dependencies with lead and lag;
- date constraints and deadlines;
- project and resource calendars with holidays and exceptions;
- a critical path recalculated with every change;
- baselines with the variance of each task;
- multi-level subtasks created with Tab.
Example: a subcontractor receiving an .xer file
A building services contractor receives the schedule for a hospital from the general contractor in .xer format. By importing it into Planitude, the contractor sees its own tasks in the context of the master plan, with the critical path highlighted, and immediately identifies the activities with no float. It can then detail its own phases with subtasks, assign crews, check the daily workload and share progress with the site manager through a read-only link. If the plan needs to be returned in a Microsoft Project format, Planitude exports to Microsoft Project XML.
Import, export and migration
Planitude imports Primavera .xer files, as well as .mpp and Microsoft Project XML, with a report that lists the items that could not be mapped. For output, it exports to Microsoft Project XML, CSV for Excel and print/PDF. The Primavera P6 product page does not list import and export formats[1].
Collaboration
Planitude lets you invite anyone by link with a role (owner, editor, viewer), with no per-user cost; each task has a unique key, comments with mentions and a history, and a read-only public link is available for people without an account. For Primavera P6, Oracle’s page lists collaboration among its capabilities[1].
Pricing
Oracle does not publish a price for Primavera P6 on the product page[1]. Planitude is free, supported by advertising, with no limit on the number of users.
Languages, data and AI assistant
Planitude is available in 10 languages and hosts data on servers in the European Union, in Germany. It includes an AI assistant that reads the plan, provides estimates and proposes changes for you to confirm, as well as API keys and an MCP server for integration with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor and VS Code.
How to work with Primavera P6 files in Planitude
- Export the project from Primavera P6 in
.xerformat, or request it from the scheduler. - Create a free Planitude account.
- Import the
.xerfile and review the import report. - Save a baseline immediately after the import, to measure every subsequent variance.
- Invite your team and share the plan in read-only mode with those who only need to view it.
Try Planitude with your own plan
Create a free accountConclusion
Primavera P6 remains the reference tool for large project portfolios. Planitude does not aim to replace it in large PMOs: its goal is to make CPM scheduling accessible to all the other parties involved, with .xer import, the critical path and sharing, free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
Does Planitude open Primavera P6 .xer files?
Yes. Planitude imports .xer files with tasks, dependencies and calendars, and presents a report of the items that could not be mapped.
How much does Primavera P6 cost?
Oracle does not publish a price on the Primavera P6 product page[1]. Planitude is free.
Does Planitude optimize resources like Primavera P6?
No. Planitude shows the daily workload and flags overallocations, but it does not optimize or level resources automatically.
Can Planitude export back to .xer format?
No. Planitude exports to Microsoft Project XML, CSV and print/PDF.
Sources
Every fact about the products mentioned comes from these official pages, checked in September 2026. Prices are list prices, in the currency and billing period shown by the vendor, and may change.
- Product pageoracle.com
Try Planitude with your own plan
Create a free account, import your .mpp file or start from a template: within minutes you will see the Gantt chart with dependencies, calendars and the critical path.