Merlin Project vs OmniPlan

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

OmniPlan

• Project managers on Apple devices who prefer to buy a license once
• Schedules that need resource leveling, critical path and baseline tracking
• Opening and returning Microsoft Project files from a Mac or iPad, with Pro

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.

OmniPlan

• Available only for Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Vision Pro; no Windows, Android or browser version is listed.
• Collaboration, Microsoft Project support, Monte Carlo simulation and earned value analysis are Pro features, not part of the $199.99 Standard license.
• The features page marks the multi-project dashboard, HTML reports and earned value analysis as Mac only.
• A perpetual license covers 4.x updates only; later major versions are a paid upgrade, offered at a discount.

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.

OmniPlan

Gantt charts and network diagrams

View and edit a project as an interactive Gantt chart or as a network diagram of task relationships, alongside an outline with customizable columns.

Automatic scheduling and leveling

Builds a schedule from durations, dependencies, date constraints and assigned resources, and levels resources so none is booked beyond 100% of its availability.

Critical path and baselines

Highlights the tasks that determine the completion date and compares the current schedule with multiple saved baselines.

Monte Carlo simulation

A Pro feature that runs many simulations to forecast milestone completion dates at different confidence levels, using best-case and worst-case effort estimates.

Microsoft Project support

Pro opens Microsoft Project .mpp and .xml documents directly and exports to those formats on Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Vision Pro.

Collaboration and change tracking

Pro syncs shared projects through Omni's servers with a free Omni Account, or through a WebDAV server, and lets each collaborator's changes be accepted or rejected.

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.

OmniPlan

• v4 Standard License$199.99

  one-time purchase

  Version 4 with all 4.x updates on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, with the standard feature set. 30-day money-back guarantee.

• OmniPlan Subscription$199.99

  per year

  The latest Pro version on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, with no charge for major version upgrades. Renews yearly until canceled.

• v4 Pro License$399.99

  one-time purchase

  Version 4 with all 4.x updates, plus the Pro features: collaboration, Microsoft Project support, Monte Carlo simulation, reports and automation.

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.

OmniPlan

• Lifetime license

  One-time v4 license instead of a subscription

  A v4 Standard ($199.99) or Pro ($399.99) license is bought once and kept, with all 4.x updates included, as an alternative to the $199.99 yearly subscription.

• Education

  Education pricing on licenses

  Staff, faculty and students of accredited educational organizations can buy discounted licenses from Omni's Educational Store. Subscriptions and App Store purchases are excluded.

• Other savings

  Quantity discount on perpetual licenses

  Each license beyond the first in the same Omni Store transaction takes a further 5% off the whole order, up to 30%. The discount is not available on subscriptions.

• Other savings

  Family sharing through an Omni Account

  A personal license or subscription can unlock the app for immediate family members living in the same household. Team licenses and subscriptions are excluded.

• Other savings

  Upgrade pricing for owners of earlier versions

  The purchase page says upgrade discounts are available. The US App Store listing shows upgrades to v4 Standard at $99.99 and to v4 Pro at $199.99, half the full license prices.