GanttProject vs TeamGantt 2026: Free Desktop vs Cloud Gantt

TL;DR: GanttProject vs TeamGantt in 2026

GanttProject is better when you need a completely free Gantt tool with no subscription, no user limit, and no cloud dependency — it runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, handles task dependencies, critical path, baselines, and exports to MS Project format, all at zero cost. TeamGantt is better when your team needs real-time cloud collaboration and a clean interface that non-technical colleagues can pick up in an afternoon — its Basic plan at $10/project/month (annual) lets any number of collaborators work together on a shared online Gantt without installing anything. GanttFather is the third option when you want the depth of a dedicated Gantt tool, cloud collaboration, and zero per-seat cost — flat per-project pricing with unlimited free viewers, never a per-seat bill.

At a glance: feature-by-feature comparison

Sources: pricing — ganttproject.biz/ (open source, confirmed free), teamgantt.com/pricing (retrieved 2026-04-28).

When GanttProject is the better choice

GanttProject’s most compelling feature is the simplest one: it costs nothing, forever. The application is open source under the GPL3 license and has been maintained since 2003. You download it, install it, and start scheduling — no account creation, no credit card, no trial period counting down. For individuals, academics, non-profits, or any organization where software budget approval is a barrier, that frictionless access is a real advantage.

The feature set is more complete than many people expect from free desktop software. GanttProject handles task dependencies, runs critical path analysis to identify which tasks drive your end date, compares your current schedule against a saved baseline, and exports directly to MS Project’s .mpp format. That last capability matters when you collaborate with clients or stakeholders who live in the Microsoft Project world — you can hand off a .mpp file without either party needing to reformat anything.

Resource tracking is built in too. You can assign people to tasks, view a resource load chart that shows overallocation, and calculate project costs. For a single project manager working on moderately sized projects — a construction phase plan, a product launch schedule, a software release — GanttProject delivers a functional offline Gantt without spending a dollar or waiting for a procurement process.

Pick GanttProject if: you need a genuinely free Gantt tool with no subscription, you work offline or in an environment without stable cloud access, or you need MS Project file compatibility at zero cost.

When TeamGantt is the better choice

TeamGantt’s defining strength is that it lives in the browser. There is nothing to install, nothing to update manually, and no file to email when a task changes. Any collaborator with a link can view the project — and on paid plans, they can edit it — in real time. For teams spread across locations, or where project managers need to keep non-technical stakeholders up to date without a training session, that accessibility gap between a cloud tool and a desktop app is decisive.

The interface is purpose-built for clarity. TeamGantt strips away configuration overhead and puts the timeline front and center. First-time Gantt users consistently report shorter time-to-working-schedule with TeamGantt than with tools that front-load settings. The drag-and-drop experience is polished, color coding is intuitive, and the Basic plan ($10/project/month annual) gets a small team to a collaborative, shared schedule within minutes of signing up.

TeamGantt’s per-project pricing also changes the cost conversation. Instead of paying per seat — which penalizes large teams even when most members are occasional viewers — TeamGantt charges for the project slot. A team of 15 people working on 3 projects pays the same Basic rate as a team of 3 on those same projects. That model is straightforward to budget when your project count is predictable and stable.

Pick TeamGantt if: your team needs real-time cloud collaboration, your stakeholders are non-technical and need a Gantt that requires no installation or training, or your project count is small and stable enough that per-project pricing is predictable.

Pricing reality check

The comparison here is genuinely unusual: one tool is free and the other is paid. The trade-off is not price — it is operational model.

GanttProject: $0, always. No plan tiers, no per-seat fees, no project limits. The cost is operational: every project file lives on the local machine of whoever created it. Sharing means emailing files. Updates mean saving a new version and re-sending. For a sole practitioner or a team where one person owns the schedule and everyone else receives PDF exports, that workflow is fine. For a team that needs multiple people editing the same Gantt in real time, GanttProject cannot deliver that without a separate file-sync system (Dropbox, SharePoint) and careful version discipline.

TeamGantt Basic: $10/project/month annual ($120/project/year). For two projects, that is $240/year; for five projects (the Basic tier max), $600/year. Critical path requires upgrading to Business at $19/project/month annual ($228/project/year, $1,140/year for five projects). There are no per-user charges — collaborators join free.

For a solo consultant running two or three client projects simultaneously, GanttProject’s $0 cost can make the file-management overhead worthwhile. For a team of five or more where everyone needs live access and the project schedule changes frequently, TeamGantt’s cloud model eliminates enough friction to justify the subscription cost.

Where GanttProject and TeamGantt both fall short — the modern-Gantt gap

GanttProject and TeamGantt represent opposite ends of the traditional Gantt spectrum — one is a free, offline desktop tool that hasn’t changed its collaboration model in two decades; the other is a polished cloud app that stays current but paywalls critical path behind its Business tier and has no mobile editing experience beyond viewing. Neither tool has native AI agent integration: you can’t connect a Claude or similar AI workflow to either Gantt engine without building a custom bridge. GanttProject’s data lives in local XML files that no AI tool reads natively; TeamGantt has no public API on its standard plans. Teams that want their Gantt schedule to be a live data source for AI-assisted planning will find both tools hit a wall at the same point.

The third option: GanttFather

GanttFather is a cloud Gantt tool whose 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 + lag), critical path, baselines, Kanban view, and Excel round-trip import/export, all included at $0. 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. The native MCP server means AI agents like Claude can read tasks, update schedules, and manage dependencies programmatically — no file exports or API workarounds needed. For teams that want the depth of GanttProject’s feature set with the real-time cloud access of TeamGantt, and without paying per seat, GanttFather fills that gap directly.

For a direct breakdown against each tool, see:

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

For a wider view of free Gantt options — including GanttProject, TeamGantt, and seven other tools — see Best Free Gantt Chart Tools in 2026.

FAQ

Is GanttProject really free?

Yes. GanttProject is free open-source software licensed under GPL3 — no subscription, no trial period, no feature paywalls. The optional paid download on the website is a voluntary contribution to support the developers; the software is identical whether you pay or not. It has been free since its release in 2003 and shows no sign of changing that model. The current version (3.4 Beta, released February 2026) runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Does GanttProject work without internet?

Yes — it is entirely offline. GanttProject stores project data as local files on your computer and requires no internet connection to run. This makes it suitable for environments with restricted or unreliable connectivity. The trade-off is that cloud sync and real-time collaboration require a separate file-sharing system on top of GanttProject itself.

Does TeamGantt have a free plan?

TeamGantt has a free Personal plan, but it is highly restricted: 1 project, 1 manager, 0 collaborators, and a maximum of 40 tasks. It works as a hands-on trial rather than a usable tool for any team. The first paid tier (Basic, $10/project/month annual) removes those limits and adds collaborators. Critical path requires the Business tier ($19/project/month annual).

Can GanttProject and TeamGantt both handle critical path?

GanttProject includes critical path analysis at no cost — it highlights which tasks directly impact your end date. TeamGantt offers critical path on its Business tier only ($19/project/month annual); the Basic tier does not include it. If critical path is essential and budget is constrained, GanttProject is the only free option between the two. TeamGantt Basic users need to upgrade or use the gantt visually to infer schedule pressure.

Can I import a GanttProject file into TeamGantt?

Not directly. GanttProject saves projects in its own XML format and also exports to MS Project’s .mpp format. TeamGantt does not support .mpp import. You would need to export from GanttProject as CSV and then manually recreate the structure in TeamGantt, which means dependencies and resource assignments would need rebuilding by hand. This migration path is not seamless.

Which is better for a student or academic project?

GanttProject. It is fully free with no account required, handles Gantt charts, dependencies, and critical path for projects of academic scale, and exports to PDF and PNG for submission. TeamGantt’s free plan caps at 40 tasks and 1 project — workable for a single course project but tight for anything more complex. GanttProject has been used in university project management courses for over a decade specifically because there is no license cost for students.

References:

1. GanttProject. (2026). “GanttProject — Free Desktop Project Scheduling”.
2. TeamGantt. (2026). “TeamGantt Pricing”.
3. GanttProject. (2026). “About GanttProject”.
4. TeamGantt. (2026). “TeamGantt Features”.