Microsoft Project vs ProjectLibre
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Project
Desktop project scheduling for Windows with Gantt charts
ProjectLibre
Microsoft Project-compatible scheduling: free desktop app, paid cloud
Where they differ
- Microsoft Project starts at $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024). ProjectLibre starts at $9.99 per user / month, billed annually.
- ProjectLibre has a free plan. Microsoft Project does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ProjectLibre lists a web app.
- Only ProjectLibre lists macOS and Linux apps.
- Microsoft Project can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- ProjectLibre is open source, according to its own site.
- Microsoft Project also covers templates and tasks.
At a glance
| Microsoft Project | ProjectLibre | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $30.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Plan 3), or $679.99 one-time (Standard 2024) | $9.99 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | ProjectLibre Desktop: a free, open-source app for a single user managing individual project files on Windows, macOS or Linux, with no subscription. |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of Planner and Project Plan 3, credit card required. No trial is listed for the one-time licenses | 7-day free trial of ProjectLibre Cloud for up to 15 users, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | ProjectLibre |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | projectlibre.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
ProjectLibre
- Teams moving schedules off Microsoft Project or Project Online
- Individual project managers who want a free desktop scheduler
- Plans that need earned value, resource leveling and risk analysis
Worth knowing
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.
ProjectLibre
- The free Desktop app is for one user and individual projects; collaboration, portfolios, resource leveling, risk analysis and AI are in the paid Cloud.
- ProjectLibre Core is priced only with annual billing; the pricing section shows no month-to-month rate.
- A second, higher cloud tier is marked Coming Soon, and Core lists enterprise resource and portfolio management with an asterisk the page does not explain.
- The Cloud trial lasts 7 days and covers up to 15 users.
Key features
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.
ProjectLibre
- CPM scheduling and Gantt charts
- Schedules use dependencies, constraints, calendars, baselines and critical path with float, shown as a Gantt chart, a WBS chart or a network diagram.
- Microsoft Project and Primavera import
- Opens Microsoft Project .mpp files and Primavera .xer files directly, keeping tasks, dependencies, resources and the project structure.
- Resource leveling and shared pools
- ProjectLibre Cloud finds over-allocated resources and levels them at the project or portfolio level, drawing on enterprise resource pools shared across projects.
- Risk analysis and schedule audits
- Cloud runs Monte Carlo risk analysis and DCMA schedule-quality audits on the schedule, alongside earned value reporting with SPI, CPI and TCPI.
- AI Co-Pilot
- In Cloud, the Co-Pilot builds a CPM schedule from a prompt and can then edit tasks, the WBS and resources as the project changes.
- Free desktop app
- ProjectLibre Desktop is installed on Windows, macOS or Linux, keeps project files on the user's computer and is offered in 54 languages.
Plans
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.
ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre Desktop$0
Free, open-source desktop app for one person: Gantt chart, WBS, critical path, baselines, single-project resources, costs and earned value.
ProjectLibre Core$9.99
per user / month, billed annually
The cloud plan on sale today: Microsoft Project import, Gantt and WBS scheduling, Core and Pro user modes and the AI Copilot.
