GanttProject vs Smartsheet 2026: Free Desktop vs Spreadsheet Platform

GanttProject vs Smartsheet: what is the short answer?

Choose GanttProject when your priority is offline scheduling, local file ownership, and no subscription. Choose Smartsheet when your priority is schedule data alongside operational grids, forms, reports, dashboards, and automation. 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 Smartsheet 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

Smartsheet

Figure	Value	Source
Free plan	None; a 30-day trial	Smartsheet pricing
Pro (Gantt and dependencies)	$9 per member per month billed annually, $12 monthly; 10 members at most	Smartsheet pricing
Critical path	Pro, Business and Enterprise	Smartsheet help: critical path
Rating	4.5 out of 5 from 3,567 reviews	GetApp

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 Smartsheet the better choice?

Smartsheet is the stronger fit when the priority is schedule data alongside operational grids, forms, reports, dashboards, and automation. Smartsheet combines a spreadsheet-like grid with reports, dashboards, forms, and automations; Pro allows up to 10 members plus unlimited contributors and includes 250 automations a month.

For schedule buyers, the current entitlement is: Gantt view is included on Pro and higher plans. Dependencies (predecessors) are available on Pro and higher plans. Critical path is available on Pro, Business, and Enterprise.

The tradeoff is not hidden. The grid-first model is less focused than a dedicated scheduler, Pro stops at 10 members, and larger teams move to Business at $19 per member/month.

Choose Smartsheet 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.
• Smartsheet: For 10 members, Pro is $1,080/year, at its 10-member limit. Business is $2,280/year.

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.

Smartsheet: Gantt view is included on Pro and higher plans. Dependencies (predecessors) are available on Pro and higher plans. Critical path is available on Pro, Business, and Enterprise. Baselines were not part of our check; confirm them on Smartsheet’s current pricing page.

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 Smartsheet?

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 Smartsheet 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 Smartsheet.

Frequently asked questions

Is GanttProject or Smartsheet 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 members, Pro is $1,080/year, at its 10-member limit. Business is $2,280/year. 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. Smartsheet: There is no free plan; Smartsheet offers a 30-day trial. “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. Smartsheet: Dependencies (predecessors) are available on Pro and higher plans.

Which one supports critical path?

GanttProject: The desktop app calculates the critical path. Smartsheet: Critical path is available on Pro, Business, and Enterprise.

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. Smartsheet: Baselines were not part of our check; confirm them on Smartsheet’s current pricing page.

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. Smartsheet, Pricing
7. Smartsheet Learning Center, Gantt view
8. Smartsheet Learning Center, Dependencies and predecessors
9. Smartsheet Learning Center, Critical path
10. GanttFather, Pricing