GanttProject vs Smartsheet 2026: Free Desktop vs Spreadsheet Platform

TL;DR: GanttProject vs Smartsheet in 2026

GanttProject is better when you need a free, fully offline Gantt scheduling tool for individual or small-team use — it is open-source, runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and has no subscription fee, making it the right choice for users who want desktop-based scheduling without ongoing cost. Smartsheet is better when your team needs a cloud-based spreadsheet platform with real-time collaboration, automated workflows, and multi-view project tracking across multiple members — starting at $9/user/month (annual) on the Pro plan. GanttFather is the third option when you want the Gantt depth of a desktop tool with the real-time collaboration of a cloud platform — your first project is free, with unlimited viewers and editing that collaborators never pay for.

At a glance: feature-by-feature comparison

Sources: pricing — smartsheet.com/pricing (retrieved 2026-04-28); ganttproject.biz (retrieved 2026-04-28).

When GanttProject is the better choice

GanttProject’s most compelling argument is its price: it is completely free. The application is distributed under the GPL3 open-source license, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and requires no account, no subscription, and no ongoing cost. The optional pay-what-you-wish download supports continued development, but it is never required. For freelancers, students, small nonprofits, or any individual planner who needs a solid Gantt chart tool and cannot justify a monthly subscription, GanttProject delivers scheduling capability that no paid plan can undercut.

Beyond price, GanttProject offers genuine Gantt depth. It supports task hierarchies, finish-to-start dependencies, resource assignment, baseline tracking, and critical path visualization — all in the free desktop application. Export options are broad: Microsoft Project XML format, Excel, CSV, PDF, and PNG. For project managers who need to share schedules with external stakeholders using Microsoft Project, GanttProject’s .xml export is a useful bridge that Smartsheet cannot match without a manual conversion step.

GanttProject also works fully offline. There are no internet connectivity requirements, no cloud sync interruptions, and no concern about pricing changes or service discontinuation affecting access to your project files. For users in low-connectivity environments or those with strict data locality requirements, the desktop-local model is a practical advantage rather than a limitation.

Pick GanttProject if: you need a free, offline-capable Gantt tool with dependency and critical path support and have no requirement for real-time team collaboration in the cloud.

When Smartsheet is the better choice

Smartsheet’s core advantage over GanttProject is real-time cloud collaboration. The moment a team grows beyond one or two people working on the same schedule, GanttProject’s desktop model creates coordination friction — files must be manually shared, version control is manual, and there is no shared view of current project status without sending an updated file. Smartsheet eliminates that friction with a cloud-native model where all members see the same live sheet, comments thread in context, and automated notifications alert stakeholders when rows change.

For business teams that manage projects alongside operational data, Smartsheet’s grid interface is also more flexible than a pure Gantt application. The same sheet can track deliverable timelines, budget figures, owner assignments, and status flags — all in one tabular view that stakeholders can filter, sort, and share with unlimited free viewers. GanttProject has no equivalent multi-column operational view; its interface is purpose-built for scheduling, not for data management.

Smartsheet’s automation layer is another meaningful differentiator for teams running repeatable processes. The Pro plan at $9/user/month (annual) includes 250 automated actions per month — sending approval requests, moving rows between sheets when status changes, or alerting leads when deadlines pass. None of this is available in GanttProject. If your projects involve review cycles, handoffs, or status notifications, Smartsheet handles them natively while GanttProject requires manual coordination outside the tool.

Pick Smartsheet if: your team needs cloud-based real-time collaboration, automated workflow notifications, and a multi-view operational platform that goes beyond pure Gantt scheduling.

Pricing reality check

The pricing gap between these two tools is as wide as it gets in project management software:

• GanttProject: $0 forever. Full Gantt, dependencies, critical path, resource assignment, and export. No seats, no subscription, no trial expiration. The optional donation is the only cost.
• Smartsheet Pro: $9/user/month annual. For a 10-person team: $9 × 10 × 12 = $1,080/year. Includes cloud Gantt and dependencies, but no critical path, no Timeline view, and only 250 automations/month.
• Smartsheet Business: $32/user/month annual. Same 10-person team: $3,840/year. Adds Timeline view, workload tracking, and unlimited automations — but still no critical path.

The comparison highlights the fundamental trade-off: GanttProject delivers better scheduling depth (including critical path) at $0, while Smartsheet charges $1,080–$3,840/year for the collaboration and workflow features GanttProject cannot provide. Teams must decide which gap they can live with: the absence of cloud collaboration, or the absence of critical path and a recurring subscription cost.

Where GanttProject and Smartsheet both fall short — the collaboration-and-depth gap

GanttProject and Smartsheet represent opposite ends of the project management spectrum, and each has a significant blind spot. GanttProject has no cloud collaboration in the free tier — team members cannot co-edit schedules in real time, and sharing requires exporting and re-importing files manually. Any real-time coordination happens outside the tool. Smartsheet, by contrast, is cloud-native and collaborative but lacks critical path analysis at every plan tier — a meaningful gap for any team that needs to identify which tasks drive the project end date. Smartsheet also has no mobile app scheduling capability, automations are capped at 250/month on the entry plan, and the Timeline view that most closely resembles a traditional Gantt is locked behind the Business plan at $32/user/month. Teams that need both Gantt depth and cloud collaboration are caught between two tools that each solve only half the problem.

The third option: GanttFather

GanttFather is built to close the gap between offline scheduling depth and cloud collaboration. The free tier includes your first project with 2 editor seats and unlimited free viewers and guests — plus all four dependency types (FS, SS, FF, SF with lag), critical path, Kanban, Excel round-trip import/export, and a native MCP server so AI agents like Claude and Cursor can read and manage your schedules directly. Extra projects you own are $5/month each ($30/year, 50% off) and every feature stays included — pricing grows with the projects you own, never with headcount. Viewers and guests are always free, and editing a project someone else owns costs nothing. You get GanttProject’s scheduling rigor (dependencies, critical path, Gantt as the primary view) with Smartsheet’s cloud collaboration model (real-time multi-user access, no file sharing required) — at $0 for most small teams.

• How GanttFather compares to GanttProject →
• How GanttFather compares to Smartsheet →
• See GanttFather pricing

For more context on how GanttProject compares against other Gantt-focused tools, see GanttProject vs TeamGantt 2026.

FAQ

Is GanttProject really free?

Yes, completely. GanttProject is open-source software distributed under the GPL3 license and available for free on Windows, macOS, and Linux. There is an optional pay-what-you-wish donation when downloading, but it is never required. The full feature set — Gantt, dependencies, critical path, resource assignment, and export — is included at $0.

Does GanttProject work online or offline?

The free desktop version of GanttProject works fully offline. Project files are stored locally on your computer. There is a separate paid cloud service called GanttProject Cloud that enables online access and collaboration, but the free desktop application has no internet requirement and no cloud sync.

Does Smartsheet have a free plan?

No. Smartsheet offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, but there is no ongoing free tier. After the trial, the minimum paid plan is Pro at $9/user/month (annual billing). Every active collaborating member requires a paid seat, though viewers are unlimited and free on all plans.

Can GanttProject do critical path analysis?

Yes. GanttProject includes critical path visualization in the desktop application at no cost. This is one of its strongest advantages over Smartsheet, which does not offer native critical path calculation at any plan tier. For users who need critical path as part of their scheduling workflow, GanttProject delivers this feature for free while Smartsheet does not offer it at all.

Can multiple people collaborate on a GanttProject file at the same time?

Not with the free desktop version. GanttProject files are local, so collaboration requires manually sharing and merging files — there is no simultaneous multi-user editing. GanttProject Cloud (a paid add-on) addresses this, but it adds a subscription cost. If real-time team collaboration is a requirement, Smartsheet or a cloud-native tool like GanttFather is a more practical choice.

What file formats can GanttProject export to?

GanttProject exports to Microsoft Project XML format (.xml), Excel, CSV, PDF, and PNG. The Microsoft Project XML export is particularly useful for teams that need to share schedules with clients or contractors using .mpp-compatible tools. Smartsheet does not natively import or export .mpp files — it relies on Excel or CSV as the transfer format.

References:

1. GanttProject. (2026). “GanttProject — Free Project Management Software”.
2. Smartsheet. (2026). “Smartsheet Pricing”.
3. GanttProject. (2026). “GanttProject Features”.
4. Smartsheet. (2026). “Smartsheet Platform Features”.