Merlin Project vs Microsoft Project

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Microsoft Project

No public discounts listed.