Macabacus vs Lucen Timeline (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lucen Timeline grades higher than Macabacus: 1.8 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Macabacus grades higher on features. Lucen Timeline grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Macabacus
Excel, PowerPoint and Word add-in for finance and consulting
Lucen Timeline
PowerPoint add-in that turns project plans into timeline slides
Which one is for you
Pick Macabacus if
- Fits if you build decks from Excel models in banking or consulting
- Works for teams that enforce one brand and format across decks
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac, as only Windows is listed
- Pricey if you are one person, since the useful parts start at $360 a year
- Not for you if you do not own Microsoft Office, because it adds to Office and replaces nothing
- Watch out: SSO and the AI writing assistant need an Enterprise quote
- Watch out: Professional allows up to 5 admins and each needs a license
Pick Lucen Timeline if
- Fits if you report project schedules in PowerPoint on Windows
- Works for plans kept in Project, Smartsheet or Jira that a slide must follow, on the Expert plan
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're on a Mac or in a browser: the add-in is Windows only, and Timeline Online is a separate license at under $13 a month
- Tight if you stay free, with 10 milestones and tasks a slide, 1 timescale and a license to renew every year
- Pricey if you need imports from Project, Jira, Smartsheet or Wrike, which take Expert at under $21 a user a month
- Watch out: licenses are per user and sold only by the year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee and no monthly option
- Skip it if you want to build whole decks, since it only makes timeline slides
How we grade them
| 1.4GPAMacabacusWeak | 1.8GPALucen TimelineWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DProfessional is $360 a license a year, about $30 a month, three times the $10 middle of the category, and the linking and deck checking sit on it. Basic is $200 a year. | DLite is under $9 a user a month billed yearly, ordinary for presentation tools, but it allows 2 swimlanes. Unlimited swimlanes and Excel import need Plus at under $17, and refreshing from Project or Jira needs Expert at under $21, all on top of PowerPoint itself. |
| Free plan and trial | DA free trial is offered, but its length is not stated and there is no free plan. | CThe free add-in has the themes, and its license is renewed each year, but each slide stops at 10 milestones and tasks, with limited swimlanes and 1 timescale. A simple roadmap fits; a real project plan won't. |
| Features | CExcel shortcuts, linking to PowerPoint and Word, shared libraries, deck checking and chart tools. It does that finance job fully, but it edits nothing without Office and the best parts need Professional. | DThe timeline work covers swimlanes, dependencies, critical path, up to 3 timescales, import and refresh from Project, Smartsheet and Jira, and planned against actual. But it's one narrow job, and it needs PowerPoint on Windows to be any use. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating is on record. It is an add-in with libraries and links to set up before it pays off. | BNo rating on record, but it sits on the PowerPoint ribbon you already use: type the dates in or import a plan, and out comes a normal slide you can edit. Nothing to export, nothing to learn outside PowerPoint. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, though it ties into Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Entra ID. | CThe add-in is Windows and PowerPoint only, and Mac or browser users need Timeline Online, a separate licence. It does pull plans from Excel, Project, Smartsheet, Jira and Wrike, but there are no phone apps. |
| Best for | linking Excel models to PowerPoint decks | timeline slides in PowerPoint |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Macabacus and Lucen Timeline. How we grade
Price against what you get
Macabacus starts at $16.67 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Lucen Timeline starts at $9 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Lucen Timeline scores higher and starts $7.67 a month lower. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, 52 score higher than Macabacus for less, and 19 score higher than Lucen Timeline for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Macabacus also covers documents and spreadsheets.
- Lucen Timeline also covers templates and Gantt & timelines.
At a glance
| Macabacus | Lucen Timeline | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $200 per license / year | $9 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | Free add-in: timelines of up to 10 milestones and tasks per slide, limited swimlanes, 1 timescale and the pre-designed themes. The free license is renewed each year. |
| Free trial | Free trial offered; length not stated on the pages read | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Macabacus Inc. | Lucen Software |
| Price read from | macabacus.com | lucensoftware.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Macabacus
- It is an add-in; it needs Microsoft Office and does not edit slides on its own.
- Linking, libraries and deck checking need Professional or above.
- Enterprise features such as SSO and the AI writing assistant need a quote.
- Pricing is per license, and the Professional plan allows up to 5 administrators, each needing a license.
Lucen Timeline
- The add-in needs Windows and PowerPoint. Timeline Online, for Mac and browser users, is a separate license at less than $13 a month billed annually.
- The free version stops at 10 milestones and tasks per slide, and its license has to be renewed each year.
- Microsoft Project, Jira, Smartsheet and Wrike import and planned vs. actual tracking need the Expert plan.
- Licenses are per user and sold only as yearly subscriptions, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Key features
Macabacus
- Link Excel to PowerPoint
- Link PowerPoint and Word to Excel charts and cells so exhibits update from the model.
- Deck Check
- Checks presentations for formatting, layout and content errors and brand rules before sharing.
- Shared libraries
- A repository of reusable slides, images and charts for you and your team.
- Model auditing
- Tracing tools and formula checks for Excel workbooks.
- Chart tools
- Quick Charts such as waterfall charts and chart add-ons for Excel.
Lucen Timeline
- Timelines built inside PowerPoint
- The add-in sits on the PowerPoint ribbon and creates timelines and Gantt charts as native, editable slides, so there is nothing to export.
- Swimlanes and timescales
- Group tasks into swimlanes and nested sub-swimlanes and show up to 3 timescales on one chart. Lite allows 2 swimlanes; Plus and Expert are unlimited.
- Dependencies and critical path
- Link tasks and highlight the critical path from Plus. Importing dependencies from a source plan needs Expert.
- Import and refresh
- Plus imports from Excel. Expert imports and refreshes from Microsoft Project, Smartsheet and Jira, including several Jira projects or boards, and imports from Wrike.
- Planned vs. actual
- Expert shows progress bars, baselines and variance against the original plan, so a slide can show where a project has slipped.
- Templates and themes
- Pre-designed themes on every plan, timeline, Gantt and swimlane templates from Lite, and custom themes that can be shared and imported on Expert.
Plans
Macabacus
Basic$200
per license / year
Excel shortcuts, formula auditing, color palettes and basic tools for Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
Professional$360
per license / year
Adds Excel to PowerPoint and Word linking, shared libraries, deck checking and up to 5 admins.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited libraries and admins, SSO, AI writing assistant, tombstones and a dedicated account manager.
Lucen Timeline
Free$0
Up to 10 milestones and tasks per slide, limited swimlanes and dependencies, 1 timescale and pre-designed themes.
Lite$9
per user / month, billed annually as a 1-year license
More than 10 items per timeline, 2 swimlanes, timeline, Gantt and swimlane templates. Shown as less than $9 a month; the yearly total is not shown.
Plus$17
per user / month, billed annually as a 1-year license
Unlimited swimlanes and sub-swimlanes, dependencies and critical path, 3 timescales and import from Excel. Shown as less than $17 a month.
Expert$21
per user / month, billed annually as a 1-year license
Import and refresh from Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira and Wrike, Excel refresh, planned vs. actual, baselines and custom themes. Less than $21 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Macabacus or Lucen Timeline?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lucen Timeline is cheaper to start with: $9 a month for each person, against $16.67 a month when paid by the year for each person for Macabacus. Macabacus starts at $200 per license / year, and Lucen Timeline starts at $9 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Macabacus or Lucen Timeline?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Lucen Timeline has a free plan. Macabacus does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Macabacus and Lucen Timeline run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Lucen Timeline lists a web app. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.