GanttProject vs Microsoft Project
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GanttProject
Free, open-source desktop Gantt chart app for Windows, macOS and Linux
Microsoft Project
Desktop project scheduling for Windows with Gantt charts
Where they differ
- GanttProject starts at €1 per active team member / month for the optional Cloud service; desktop app is free. Microsoft Project starts at $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024).
- GanttProject has a free plan. Microsoft Project does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only GanttProject lists macOS and Linux apps.
- GanttProject is open source, according to its own site.
- Microsoft Project can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft Project also covers templates, tasks and reports.
At a glance
| GanttProject | Microsoft Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | €1 per active team member / month for the optional Cloud service; desktop app is free | $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024) |
| Free plan | The desktop app is free and open source under GPL3 with every feature; the vendor says unmodified binaries may be used for any purpose, including commercial use, without paying. | None |
| Free trial | GanttProject Cloud gives new sign-ups 2 free credits, with no credit card required | One-month free trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, credit card required. No trial is listed for the one-time licenses |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | BarD Software s.r.o. | Microsoft Corporation |
| Price read from | ganttproject.biz | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
GanttProject
- Small and medium businesses that want Gantt charts at no cost
- Exchanging schedules with people who use Microsoft Project
- Planning offline on Windows, macOS or Linux
Microsoft Project
- Project managers who build detailed schedules with dependencies and baselines
- Organizations that prefer a perpetual license to a subscription
- Teams that keep project and portfolio data on their own servers
Worth knowing
GanttProject
- Desktop only: the vendor lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps and no web or mobile version.
- Sharing a project with a team needs WebDAV or GanttProject Cloud, which is billed in euros from prepaid credits with a EUR 10 minimum top-up.
- The vendor says it is not designed to replicate every high-end enterprise feature of Microsoft Project.
- The current stable release, 3.3, came out in January 2024 and was last updated in January 2025; version 3.4 is in beta.
Microsoft Project
- Project desktop's requirements list only Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, and no Mac or mobile version appears on the pricing page.
- Project for the web was retired in August 2025 and Project Online's retirement date was September 30, 2026; browser-based plans now live in Microsoft Planner.
- Project Standard 2024 and Project Professional 2024 are each licensed for one user on one PC.
- Project Server Subscription Edition has no list price and needs SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, which is not included.
Key features
GanttProject
- Gantt chart and task scheduling
- Tasks are arranged in a hierarchy with dependencies and milestones and drawn on a Gantt chart, with an option to generate a PERT chart.
- Resource load chart
- Assign resources to tasks and see how much work each one carries on a separate resource load chart.
- Baselines and cost calculation
- Save baselines to compare the current plan with an earlier one, and calculate the cost of tasks.
- Microsoft Project interoperability
- Reads MPX, MPP and XML/MSPDI files produced by Microsoft Project and exports to XML/MSPDI, so plans can be exchanged with Microsoft Project users.
- Export to PDF, HTML and PNG
- Plans can be exported as PDF, HTML or PNG, and exchanged with Excel and other spreadsheet apps.
- Optional team collaboration
- Projects can be shared over WebDAV, or through GanttProject Cloud, which adds team access management, project locks, update notifications and a history of recent changes.
Microsoft Project
- Automated scheduling
- Tasks are scheduled from start and end dates, effort, lead and lag times and dependencies, and dates fill in automatically as those dependencies change.
- Gantt, calendar and network views
- Project Standard 2024 includes Gantt Chart, Calendar, Network Diagram and Task Sheet views, plus multiple timelines for presenting a complex schedule.
- Baselines and critical path
- Baselines compare actual progress with the original plan, and the critical path shows the tasks that form the longest path through a project.
- Resource management
- Resource leveling resolves conflicts and overallocations automatically. Project Professional 2024 adds fuller resource management and timesheets for payroll and invoicing.
- Built-in reports
- Prebuilt reports such as Burndown and Resource Overview summarize project and resource data, and a project file can be saved as a PDF.
- Project Server connection
- Project Professional 2024 can connect to Project Server Subscription Edition, an on-premises portfolio management server that runs on SharePoint Server.
Plans
GanttProject
GanttProject Desktop$0
The full desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, free and open source under GPL3.
GanttProject Cloud€1
per active team member / month, paid from prepaid credits
Optional collaboration service, described as in beta. The team owner and members who are idle that month are not charged; a one-person team is free.
Paid download$5+
one-time, buyer chooses the amount from $5
An optional purchase that funds development. The vendor states that paid and free downloads are identical.
Microsoft Project
Planner and Project Plan 3$30.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Subscription that includes the Project desktop client on up to five PCs, plus premium plans in Microsoft Planner on the web and in Teams.
Project Standard 2024$679.99
one-time purchase, licensed for 1 PC
Perpetual desktop license with schedule, task and cost management, Gantt Chart, Calendar and Network Diagram views, baselines, critical path and resource leveling.
Project Professional 2024$1,129.99
one-time purchase, licensed for 1 PC
Everything in Standard plus fuller resource management, timesheets and the ability to connect to Project Server Subscription Edition.
Project Server Subscription EditionCustom
On-premises project and portfolio management server built on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, bought through a Microsoft partner.
