GanttProject vs Microsoft Project 2026: Free Open Source vs Enterprise PM

GanttProject vs Microsoft Project: what is the short answer?

Choose GanttProject when your priority is offline scheduling, local file ownership, and no subscription. Choose Microsoft Project when your priority is desktop scheduling depth, baselines, lead and lag, and the Microsoft ecosystem. Neither is universally better: the decisive questions are who needs to edit the schedule, whether critical path and baselines are required, and whether the surrounding workflow should be a focused scheduler or a broader work platform.

Checked on 18 October 2026: Prices and plan details below were checked against the vendors’ official pricing and help pages. Prices are USD list prices for annual billing unless stated otherwise; taxes, promotions, regions, legacy plans, and negotiated contracts can differ.

How do GanttProject and Microsoft Project compare now?

The table separates a visible timeline from formal schedule controls. A product can show dated bars while placing dependencies, critical path, or baseline comparison on a higher tier. That distinction matters more than whether a marketing page simply says “Gantt.”

Figures and their sources

GanttProject

Figure	Value	Source
Desktop app	Free, every feature included; no limit on projects, tasks or users	GanttProject
Microsoft Project files	Imports MPX, MPP and XML; exports XML	GanttProject
Latest stable version	3.3, released 15 January 2024; 3.4 Beta VI on 14 September 2026	GanttProject home page
Rating	4.2 out of 5 from 175 reviews	Capterra UK

Microsoft Project

Figure	Value	Source
Project Standard 2024	$679.99 one-time, for one PC	Microsoft Project plans and pricing
Project Professional 2024	$1,129.99 one-time, for one PC	Microsoft Project plans and pricing
Desktop app by subscription	Comes with Planner and Project Plan 3, $30 per user per month paid yearly	Microsoft Planner plans and pricing
Project Online	Retired on 30 September 2026	Microsoft lifecycle: Project Online

Checked on 18 October 2026.

When is GanttProject the better choice?

GanttProject is the stronger fit when the priority is offline scheduling, local file ownership, and no subscription. The desktop app works on local files and needs no account; GanttProject Cloud is an optional pay-as-you-go service for working together.

Its current scheduling position is also clear: The Gantt chart is the main planning view of the desktop app on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Dependencies and constraints drive automatic scheduling, with finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish links. The desktop app calculates the critical path.

The main qualification is equally important. Real-time browser collaboration and mobile access are not part of the desktop app, and the latest stable release, 3.3, dates from 15 January 2024 (3.4 is in beta; Beta VI arrived on 14 September 2026).

Choose GanttProject if: its surrounding workflow matters as much as the chart, its current plan limits match the real editor group, and the team has tested one representative project rather than comparing feature names alone.

When is Microsoft Project the better choice?

Microsoft Project is the stronger fit when the priority is desktop scheduling depth, baselines, lead and lag, and the Microsoft ecosystem. Project desktop is a Windows app; shared web planning now happens in Planner, because Microsoft retired Project for the web on 1 August 2025 and Project Online on 30 September 2026.

For schedule buyers, the current entitlement is: Project desktop has Gantt Chart, Calendar, Network Diagram, and Task Sheet views; Planner Plan 1 and above add a web Timeline (Gantt) view. Project desktop supports all four link types (finish-to-start by default) with lead and lag; Planner and Project Plan 3 adds advanced dependencies with lead and lag on the web. Critical path is in Project Standard and Professional, and in Planner and Project Plan 3.

The tradeoff is not hidden. The product has a steeper learning curve and a higher price. Project Online was retired on 30 September 2026 and its projects are no longer accessible, so Microsoft now points Project Online customers to Planner Plan 3 or 5, or to Project Server Subscription Edition, which runs on their own servers.

Choose Microsoft Project if: its pricing unit matches how the team works, its scheduling tier contains every required control, and the product’s collaboration model fits internal and external participants.

What does the price comparison look like for 10 people?

• GanttProject: The desktop app is $0 for any team size; file sharing and coordination are up to the team. With GanttProject Cloud, 10 people for a year use 120 credits, or €120.
• Microsoft Project: For 10 users, Planner and Project Plan 3 is $3,600/year. Ten Project Standard 2024 licenses are $6,799.90 one-time (Professional: $11,299.90).

Those figures are not automatically like-for-like. A free viewer, collaborator, guest, manager, or desktop user can have different permissions in each product. Compare the smallest group that must actually create tasks, change dates, restructure dependencies, and administer the schedule—not the total number of people who may open a link.

For procurement, model at least three cases: the current editor count, the editor count after one year, and the number of simultaneously active projects. Then confirm the result in each vendor’s checkout because seat limits, project add-ons, and regional pricing can change the total.

Which product has the stronger Gantt scheduling model?

GanttProject: The Gantt chart is the main planning view of the desktop app on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Dependencies and constraints drive automatic scheduling, with finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish links. The desktop app calculates the critical path. The desktop app includes project baselines; it also imports MPX, MPP, and XML files and exports XML for Microsoft Project.

Microsoft Project: Project desktop has Gantt Chart, Calendar, Network Diagram, and Task Sheet views; Planner Plan 1 and above add a web Timeline (Gantt) view. Project desktop supports all four link types (finish-to-start by default) with lead and lag; Planner and Project Plan 3 adds advanced dependencies with lead and lag on the web. Critical path is in Project Standard and Professional, and in Planner and Project Plan 3. Baselines are in Project Standard and Professional, and in Planner and Project Plan 3.

A stronger schedule model is not always the better product. A team may rationally accept lighter Gantt controls in exchange for automation, documents, dashboards, or ecosystem fit. Conversely, a project manager who recalculates handoffs daily should not buy a broad platform merely because it can display a timeline.

What should you test before choosing?

1. Import or rebuild one real project with at least 30 tasks.
2. Create the dependency types the project actually uses, including lag if relevant.
3. Move a predecessor and confirm how successors react.
4. Display critical path and a baseline using the tier you intend to buy.
5. Invite one scheduler, one contributor, and one read-only stakeholder.
6. Export the schedule in the format your clients or PMO require.
7. Price the exact number of paid editors and active projects at checkout.

This test exposes permission, scale, and plan-limit differences that a marketing comparison cannot.

When is GanttFather a better fit than GanttProject or Microsoft Project?

GanttFather is the simpler cost pattern when a project needs a Gantt-first workspace, a small group of editors, and many reviewers. The free plan includes one project you own with two editor seats and unlimited free viewers, and no feature is locked to a paid plan: FS, SS, FF, and SF dependencies with lag and lead, critical path, milestones, auto-scheduling, Gantt, List, and Board (Kanban) views, Excel import and export, PDF and PNG reports, live updates from other editors, and an MCP server for AI agents. Each extra project is US$5 a month (US$2.50 a month billed yearly), and each extra editor seat is US$2 a month (US$1 a month billed yearly).

The limits should be explicit: GanttFather has no baselines, no task comments, and no automatic resource leveling; it runs only in the browser, with no desktop app or offline mode; and dependencies do not travel through its Excel import and export. Microsoft Project plans come in only as an Excel file exported from Project; GanttFather does not read .mpp or XML files. GanttProject or Microsoft Project can be the better purchase when those capabilities, a larger ecosystem, or their specialized workflow outweighs the price difference.

Create a free GanttFather project and reproduce one dependency-heavy phase before deciding. For direct product pages, see GanttFather vs GanttProject and GanttFather vs Microsoft Project.

Frequently asked questions

Is GanttProject or Microsoft Project cheaper?

It depends on paid editors, active projects, and the feature tier. The desktop app is $0 for any team size; file sharing and coordination are up to the team. With GanttProject Cloud, 10 people for a year use 120 credits, or €120. For 10 users, Planner and Project Plan 3 is $3,600/year. Ten Project Standard 2024 licenses are $6,799.90 one-time (Professional: $11,299.90). Compare the exact checkout totals rather than multiplying a headline price that may use a different team-size band or project bundle.

Which one has a usable free Gantt chart?

GanttProject: The desktop app is free, open-source software (GPL-3.0) with every feature included; a $5+ download that supports the project is optional. Microsoft Project: Microsoft lists no free edition; Planner and Project Plan 3 can be tried free for 30 days. “Free” should be evaluated with its usage, task, project, and collaboration limits—not just account creation.

Which one supports dependencies?

GanttProject: Dependencies and constraints drive automatic scheduling, with finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish links. Microsoft Project: Project desktop supports all four link types (finish-to-start by default) with lead and lag; Planner and Project Plan 3 adds advanced dependencies with lead and lag on the web.

Which one supports critical path?

GanttProject: The desktop app calculates the critical path. Microsoft Project: Critical path is in Project Standard and Professional, and in Planner and Project Plan 3.

Which one supports baselines?

GanttProject: The desktop app includes project baselines; it also imports MPX, MPP, and XML files and exports XML for Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project: Baselines are in Project Standard and Professional, and in Planner and Project Plan 3.

How should a team migrate between them?

Export the smallest representative project first, preserve a copy of the source data, and validate task hierarchy, dates, dependency types, lag, assignees, comments, and custom fields after import. No cross-vendor migration preserves every permission, automation, dashboard, or integration, so budget time for manual reconstruction and acceptance testing.

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Sources

1. GanttProject, Free Gantt chart software
2. GanttProject, Official site and releases
3. GanttProject Cloud, 10-credit pack
4. GanttProject source code, dependency types
5. GanttProject source code, critical path
6. Microsoft, Project plans and pricing
7. Microsoft, Planner plans and pricing
8. Microsoft Learn, Planner trial
9. Microsoft Support, Link tasks in a project
10. Microsoft Learn, Project for the web service description
11. Microsoft Learn, Project Online lifecycle
12. Microsoft Planner blog, Project Online is retiring
13. GanttFather, Pricing