GanttPRO vs Merlin Project

GanttPRO

• Project managers who plan with dependencies, baselines and a critical path
• Teams of 20 or more, which get a lower per-user rate on annual billing
• Organizations that want their data stored in EU data centers

Merlin Project

• Project managers on Mac who want Gantt scheduling with baselines and earned value
• Planning in places without a reliable internet connection
• Organizations that need project data kept off a vendor's cloud servers
• Exchanging plans with people who use Microsoft Project

GanttPRO

• There is no free plan: a subscription is needed after the 14-day trial, and single-user accounts are sold on annual billing only.
• Workload, portfolio view, time tracking, budgets, reports, the Jira Cloud integration and the API all need the Business plan.
• SAML SSO and custom roles need Enterprise, which requires at least 5 users and an annual subscription.
• Storage is 1 GB per user on Core, Advanced and Business. Data cannot be edited offline.

Merlin Project

• Runs only on Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Vision Pro; the vendor lists no Windows, Android or browser version.
• The Mac app and the iPad and iPhone app need separate subscriptions; the vendor offers no bundle.
• Subscription only: the vendor no longer sells a one-time or perpetual license.
• Merlin Project Express, the $6.99 edition, leaves out Kanban, mind maps, baselines, earned value and team features.

GanttPRO

Gantt charts with auto scheduling

Tasks are linked by dependencies and rescheduled automatically when dates change. Critical path, baselines, milestones and deadlines are included on every plan.

Board, list and dashboard views

A project can be switched from the Gantt chart to a Kanban-style board, a list or a dashboard on any plan. Calendar view starts on Advanced, portfolio and workload views on Business.

Workload and budgets

The Business plan shows each person's workload so work can be reallocated, and adds resource calendars, cost estimation and budget planning.

Time logs and reports

On Business and Enterprise, people log actual time on tasks, and owners and admins build reports on logged time that can be grouped, filtered and exported to Excel.

AI Gantt chart maker

An AI tool that drafts a Gantt chart is included in all four plans, according to the pricing page.

Sharing and export

A private link shares a live or static view of the chart with people outside the team, and charts export to PDF, PNG, XLSX and XML.

Merlin Project

Gantt chart and scheduling

Link tasks with dependencies, set milestones and read slack times. The critical path recalculates as progress is entered.

Kanban board and mind map

The same project data can be shown as a Kanban board or a mind map, and moving a card or adding a branch updates the Gantt chart.

Resources, baselines and earned value

Assign people, materials, companies and equipment to tasks and see who is overbooked. The full app also has dynamic baselines and earned value analysis.

Offline files with sync

Projects are stored on the user's devices and work without a connection. Teams sync through iCloud Drive, Dropbox or other cloud storage, not a vendor server.

AI project assistant

Since version 9, an assistant generates a starting project structure with tasks, dependencies and resources from a short text description.

Import and export

Reads and writes Microsoft Project XML, MindManager, FreeMind, OPML, CSV and iCalendar files, imports OmniPlan files, and exports PDF, image and HTML reports.

GanttPRO

• Core$8

  per user / month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly)

  Gantt charts with auto scheduling, critical path and baselines, board and list views, project calendar and virtual resources. $7 per user for 20 or more users.

• Advanced$12

  per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)

  Adds overdue tasks, custom fields, saved filters, calendar view, calendar exceptions and custom project templates. $10 per user for 20 or more users.

• Business$19

  per user / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)

  Adds workload and portfolio views, reports, budget planning, time tracking, Jira Cloud integration and the API. $17 per user for 20 or more users.

• Enterprise$25

  per user / month, billed annually

  For 5 or more users on an annual subscription. Adds SAML SSO, custom roles and rights, onboarding help and unlimited storage. Shown as a limited offer, down from $35.

Merlin Project

• Merlin Project Express$6.99

  per user / month, or $69.99 per year

  A separate, smaller Mac app with Gantt planning and resources. No Kanban, mind map, baselines or team features. App Store or Setapp only.

• Merlin Project for iPad$9.99

  per user / month, or $99.99 per year

  The full app on iPad, iPhone and Apple Vision Pro. A separate subscription from the Mac app.

• Merlin Project for Mac$22.99

  per user / month, or $229.99 per year

  The full Mac app with Gantt, Kanban, mind map, workload, baselines and earned value. Sold in the vendor's store and on the Mac App Store at the same price.

GanttPRO

• Annual discount

  Up to 20% off with annual billing

  The pricing toggle advertises 20% off annual plans. For teams under 20, Core is $8 instead of $9 per user / month, Advanced $12 instead of $15 and Business $19 instead of $24.

• Other savings

  Lower per-user rate from 20 users

  On annual billing, teams of 20 or more pay $7 for Core, $10 for Advanced and $17 for Business per user / month. From 40 members the page offers a custom quote.

• Startups

  50% off the first annual plan for startups

  Startups incorporated less than 3 years ago that have raised no more than a Series B round can apply for 50% off their first annual subscription. Monthly billing is excluded.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for nonprofits

  Healthcare, social care, non-governmental and educational nonprofits can apply for a 50% discount, submitting proof of eligibility for review.

• Education

  50% off annual plans for education

  GanttPRO's pricing FAQ offers educational organizations, along with health-related and non-profit ones, 50% off any annual plan on request by email.

Merlin Project

• Annual discount

  Two months free with yearly billing

  The price list labels yearly billing as 2 months free: the Mac app is $229.99 a year against $22.99 a month, which comes to $275.88 over 12 months.

• Education

  50% education discount on the Mac app

  The purchasing FAQ gives students and educators 50% off Merlin Project for Mac in the vendor's own store on proof of status. It is not offered through the App Store.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for nonprofits and charities

  Nonprofits and charities that send proof of status get 50% off the Mac list price in the vendor's store. Churches and clerical organizations are excluded.

• Other savings

  Volume discount from 10 licenses

  Mac subscriptions bought in the vendor's store get 5% off from 10 licenses, rising in steps to 30% from 100 licenses. It cannot be combined with other discounts.

• Other savings

  Family Sharing on App Store subscriptions

  A subscription bought through the App Store can be shared with up to five other family members through Apple's Family Sharing.