The Tom's Planner Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Tom's Planner in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Tom's Planner
The Insider’s Guide
Browser-based Gantt chart maker with drag-and-drop time blocks
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among project management tools, read from Tom's Planner’s own pages.
Made by Tom's Planner NV · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Tom's Planner’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Tom's Planner’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 1 of the 79 other project management tools we grade
Tom's Planner is an online Gantt chart tool for people who find spreadsheets too messy and full project management software too much. Schedules are built by dragging color-coded time blocks onto a timeline, with dependencies, filters and templates, and an AI Assist that drafts a chart from a short description. Only the person who creates and shares charts needs a paid account; invited team members can use free ones.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Tom's Planner, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, and the work is building the chart itself, row by row.
- 1
Best for quick Gantt charts without full project software
Teams wanting full project software should look elsewhere.
- 2
Paid plans start at $9.95 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $9.95 per account / month, billed yearly at $119 (or $39 per quarter).
- 3
There is a free plan
Personal: 1 schedule of up to 200 rows, with email support, and you can join schedules other people share. No inviting others, printing or exporting.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Drag-and-drop time blocks
Add color-coded time blocks to a chart with the mouse, then stretch, shrink or move them as plans change. Several blocks can sit on the same row.
- 6
Dependencies
Link an activity to the one it depends on so that a large schedule stays up to date when dates move.
- 7
Progress tracking
Show status with percentages, traffic lights, icons or colored time blocks, whichever suits the project.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 1 of 79
That is against the other project management tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Tom's Planner you could make: Gantt & timelines and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Tom's Planner at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $9.95 per account / month, billed yearly at $119 (or $39 per quarter)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Tom's Planner NV
- Category
- Project Management
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for quick Gantt charts without full project software
Tom's Planner makes Gantt charts and nothing else: drag time blocks onto a timeline, link the ones that depend on each other, and share the result. Only the chart's owner pays, from $119 a year. The free account is 1 schedule with no printing, exporting or inviting, there's no month-to-month billing and no API, and it runs only in the browser. Teams wanting full project software should look elsewhere.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Professional is $9.95 a month per account, billed yearly at $119, which is the dear end of this category for one person drawing charts. Only the chart's owner pays and the team joins free, so the cost per head falls as the team grows. No month-to-month option. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The free Personal account has caps you'll hit straight away: 1 schedule of 200 rows, and no inviting anyone, no printing and no exporting. You can join schedules other people share with you. |
| Features | C | It does chart-drawing fully and that's a much smaller job than this category's: time blocks you drag, dependencies, progress as percentages or traffic lights, a timeline zooming from years to 5 minutes, 200-odd templates and an AI first draft. No critical path, baseline, boards or time tracking. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and the work is building the chart itself, row by row. There's nothing to install, blocks move with the mouse, templates give a starting point, and invited collaborators need only a free account. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Browser only. No desktop or mobile app is listed, and no API either. What it has is file traffic: imports from Excel, MS Project, Outlook and Google Calendar, and exports to MS Project, Excel, CSV, PDF and images on paid accounts. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Tom's Planner is for
- Fits if you've outgrown spreadsheets for timelines but don't want full project software
- Works for one project manager sharing charts with a team who join on free accounts
Who it is not for
- Tight if you're staying free, with 1 schedule of 200 rows and no printing, exporting or inviting
- Skip it if you want a phone or desktop app, because it only runs in the browser
- Too light for teams that need task boards, workloads, a critical path, baselines or time tracking
- Watch out: there's no monthly billing, only $39 a quarter or $119 a year, and Professional stops at 20 schedules
- Pricey if you need embedding, local saves or JSON export, which need Unlimited at $239 a year
Good to know
Good for
- People who have outgrown spreadsheets but do not want full project software
- A project manager sharing charts with team members on free accounts
- Quick Gantt charts for proposals and client updates
Worth knowing
- The free Personal account is limited to 1 schedule of 200 rows and cannot print, export or invite collaborators.
- Embedding charts, saving schedules locally and JSON export are limited to the Unlimited plan.
- Paid plans are billed quarterly or yearly; the pricing page shows no month-to-month option.
- It runs in the browser, and the vendor's site lists no desktop or mobile apps.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9.95
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Tom's Planner has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.95 per account / month, billed yearly at $119 (or $39 per quarter).
Only the chart's owner pays and the team joins free, so the cost per head falls as the team grows.
Personal
$0
1 schedule with up to 200 rows or activities. Can collaborate on schedules shared by others, but cannot invite people, print or export.
Professional
$9.95
per account / month, billed yearly at $119 ($39 billed quarterly)
20 schedules, unlimited invited collaborators, printing, a custom logo, and export to MS Project, Excel, CSV, PDF and image files.
Unlimited
$19.95
per account / month, billed yearly at $239 ($79 billed quarterly)
Unlimited schedules, plus embedded charts, saving schedules locally, JSON export and printing for every invited collaborator.
The free plan
Personal: 1 schedule of up to 200 rows, with email support, and you can join schedules other people share. No inviting others, printing or exporting.
Read from tomsplanner.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 25% with an annual subscription
Professional is $119 a year against $39 a quarter ($156 over a year), and Unlimited is $239 a year against $79 a quarter ($316). The vendor rounds the saving to 25%.
Stated on tomsplanner.comOther savings
Corporate account discount from 5 subscriptions
The pricing FAQ gives 25% off either plan with 5 to 9 subscriptions, 35% with 10 to 19 and 50% with 20 or more, on top of the annual saving. Arranged by email.
Stated on tomsplanner.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Browser-based Gantt chart maker with drag-and-drop time blocks. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, real-time collaboration, templates, Gantt & timelines.
No critical path, baseline, boards or time tracking.
- Drag-and-drop time blocks
- Add color-coded time blocks to a chart with the mouse, then stretch, shrink or move them as plans change. Several blocks can sit on the same row.
- Dependencies
- Link an activity to the one it depends on so that a large schedule stays up to date when dates move.
- Progress tracking
- Show status with percentages, traffic lights, icons or colored time blocks, whichever suits the project.
- Zoomable timeline
- Switch the schedule view between yearly, monthly, weekly and daily scales, down to 5-minute intervals.
- AI Assist and templates
- AI Assist drafts a Gantt chart from a project description, which is shared with OpenAI for processing. There are also more than 200 chart templates.
- Import, export and sharing
- Imports schedules from Excel, MS Project, Outlook and Google Calendar. Paid accounts can print and export, and Unlimited accounts can embed charts that update live.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Excel
- Outlook
- Google Calendar
Tom's Planner is made by Tom's Planner NV.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
1/79
Other project management tools it is graded above
Tom's Planner's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 79 other project management tools we grade, and level with 1.
Its paid plans start at $9.95 a month, against a middle price of $8 for the category: 45 of the 74 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 46 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 80 project management tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Tom's Planner’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 16 of 79
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 79
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 79
- CEase of useAbove 2 of 79
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 79
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 78 project management tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Tom's Planner is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Tom's Planner you could make: Gantt & timelines and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 77 of the 79 other project management tools grade higher. It costs $119.40 a year.
What you could make
- Gantt & timelines and templates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Tom's Planner’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
TeamGantt, GanttPRO, Instagantt, Smartsheet and GanttProject
The 5 tools Tom's Planner is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
TeamGantt
Free plan · from $59/mo
Web-based Gantt chart scheduling priced by project, not seat.
- Only TeamGantt lists iOS and Android apps.
- Tom's Planner also covers templates.
- TeamGantt also covers tasks, kanban boards and time tracking.
- 2.2GPA
GanttPRO
Free trial · from $8/mo
Online Gantt chart maker for planning and tracking projects.
- Tom's Planner has a free plan. GanttPRO does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only GanttPRO lists iOS and Android apps.
- Tom's Planner also covers templates.
- 2.2GPA
Instagantt
Free plan · from $10/mo
Web-based Gantt charts, standalone or synced with Asana.
- Instagantt also covers tasks, kanban boards and time tracking.
- 3.0GPA
Smartsheet
Free trial · from $9/mo
Spreadsheet-style project and work management for teams.
- Tom's Planner has a free plan. Smartsheet does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Smartsheet lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Tom's Planner also covers templates.
- 2.8GPA
GanttProject
Free plan · from €1/mo
Free, open-source desktop Gantt chart app for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Only Tom's Planner lists a web app.
- Only GanttProject lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- GanttProject is open source, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Tom's Planner free?
Tom's Planner has a free plan. Personal: 1 schedule of up to 200 rows, with email support, and you can join schedules other people share.
How much does Tom's Planner cost?
Tom's Planner lists 3 plans. Personal: $0.
What platforms does Tom's Planner work on?
Tom's Planner is available on Web.
Does Tom's Planner offer any discounts?
Tom's Planner publicly lists the following: Save 25% with an annual subscription; Corporate account discount from 5 subscriptions.
Does Tom's Planner have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Tom's Planner is listed for Web.
Does Tom's Planner have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Tom's Planner is listed for Web.
Is Tom's Planner open source?
Tom's Planner is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Tom's Planner integrate with?
Tom's Planner's listing names Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, Outlook and Google Calendar.
Who makes Tom's Planner?
Tom's Planner is made by Tom's Planner NV.
What are the alternatives to Tom's Planner?
The closest alternatives to Tom's Planner in our directory are TeamGantt, GanttPRO, Instagantt, Smartsheet and GanttProject.
How does Tom's Planner compare with other project management tools?
Tom's Planner's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 79 other project management tools we grade, and level with 1.
Is Tom's Planner good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Tom's Planner C for value for money. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4.
Could I make my own version of Tom's Planner?
The plain part of Tom's Planner you could make: Gantt & timelines and templates.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Tom's Planner’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Tom's Planner's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-02-15.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Tom's Planner NV. Prices change, so check tomsplanner.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Tom's Planner, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/toms-planner
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Tom's Planner: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/toms-planner
Know someone choosing between project management tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/toms-planner/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded project management tools after Tom's Planner, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Project Management Insider's GuideEvery one of the 80 project management tools we grade, compared
- GitHub Issues Insider's GuideIssue tracking and project planning built into GitHub3.4 GPA
- Freedcamp Insider's GuideProject management suite with a free plan for unlimited users3.2 GPA
- Huly Insider's GuideOpen-source project management with chat, docs and video calls3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Tom's Planner’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Tom's Planner is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Tom's Planner NV. Prices and plans change: check tomsplanner.com before you buy.