Free Gantt Chart · For Startups
Free Gantt Chart for Startups
GanttFather is a free Gantt chart for startups that need to plan fast without a per-seat tax or AI paywalls. Viewers and guests are always unlimited and free, and editing a project someone else owns is free — so a 20-person team where most people only view can pay the same as a 2-person team. Native Model Context Protocol server lets Claude, Cursor, and other AI agents draft roadmaps and run critical-path analysis programmatically. The free tier gives you 1 project you own with 2 editor seats; extra projects are a flat $5/month each ($30/year) and a 3rd active editor is $2/month.
Why generic project tools fail growing startups
- Per-seat pricing scales with headcount — exactly when budget is tightest and the team is doubling.
- AI is gated behind enterprise tiers ($30+/user/month for Copilot-style add-ons) when you need it most.
- No native MCP server means agents like Claude or Cursor cannot manage your roadmap programmatically.
- Vendor lock-in: data trapped in proprietary formats (.mpp, custom JSON) makes pivots painful.
- Critical path analysis is paywalled in most tools — but founder-led teams need it to spot the next bottleneck.
What GanttFather gives startups for free
Flat per-project pricing that does not punish hiring
Pay per project you own, not per head. Viewers and guests are always unlimited and free, and editing a project someone else owns is free too. A 20-person team where most people only view pays the same as a 2-person team running the same projects. Hire freely without re-budgeting your project tool every quarter.
Solves: Per-seat scaling pain
Native MCP server for AI agents
GanttFather ships with a Model Context Protocol server at mcp.ganttfather.com. Connect Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible client. Agents read tasks, manage dependencies, run critical-path analysis programmatically. No add-on fee.
Solves: AI gating pain
Critical path on the free tier
Critical path analysis is included in the free plan, not gated to a Business or Enterprise tier. Founders see the longest dependency chain and know exactly which task delay slips the launch date.
Solves: CPM paywall pain
REST API + Excel round-trip on free tier
Open data model. REST API for scripting, two-way Excel import/export for finance and stakeholder handoffs. Your project data is never trapped — export anytime, no vendor lock-in.
Solves: Vendor lock-in pain
All features unlocked on day one
Dependencies, critical path, Kanban, real-time collaboration, virtual resources, public share links, MCP/AI — every feature works on the free tier. Capacity (how many projects you own and active editors per project) is the only thing paid plans change, never which features you get.
Solves: Feature-gating pain
1 project free, $5/month per extra project you own
The free tier gives you 1 project you own with 2 editor seats and unlimited free viewers. Need more? Each extra project you own is a flat $5/month ($30/year — 50% off). One more active editor on a project is $2/month ($12/year). Cancel anytime with a 7-day refund window.
Solves: Burn-rate pain
Real startup workflows
AI-assisted roadmap planning
You are a 4-person YC startup writing a Q3 roadmap. The CTO drafts the technical spec in a doc; you need to translate that into a sequenced plan with realistic dates.
How GanttFather helps: Connect Claude Desktop to GanttFather via MCP. Paste the spec into the chat: "Create a Q3 plan with milestones, dependencies, and a 12-week timeline." The agent calls create_task repeatedly and sets dependencies via update_task. You review the draft and tighten dates — total time: 15 minutes instead of 2 hours.
Daily founder standup with AI summaries
The founders want a 60-second project status every morning without dragging the team through a 30-minute call.
How GanttFather helps: Each morning, ask the AI agent: "What is the GanttFather Q3 project status? Anything overdue or on the critical path?" The agent calls get_project_summary, get_critical_path, and list_overdue_tasks, then returns a one-paragraph summary. No meeting required.
Investor reporting via Excel export
A monthly investor update needs a snapshot of progress on every active product line.
How GanttFather helps: Export each project to Excel directly from the GanttFather UI. Drop the .xlsx files into your investor doc, or pivot the data into a custom dashboard. The export preserves task names, dates, dependencies, status, and assignees — no manual retyping.
Cross-team collaboration without a per-seat tax
The 4-person team grows to 12 over a quarter. New hires need access to the roadmap from day one.
How GanttFather helps: Invite each new hire as a viewer for free — viewers and guests are always unlimited. The first 2 editors on each project you own are free; only a 3rd active editor on the same project adds $2/month. Permission levels (Owner, Admin, Member, Guest) control what they can edit. Hire on Tuesday, project access live by Wednesday — cost driven by projects owned, not team size.
Frequently asked questions
Why flat per-project pricing instead of per-seat?
Because team size at a startup is unpredictable. Per-seat pricing means every hire raises your bill. GanttFather keeps cost tied to the projects you own, not headcount — viewers and guests are always free and editing someone else's project is free, so a 4-person team and a 40-person team running the same projects can pay the same. Each project you own includes 2 editor seats; a 3rd active editor is $2/month.
Can AI agents really manage our backlog?
Yes. The GanttFather MCP server exposes 14 tools (create_task, update_task, get_critical_path, list_overdue_tasks, etc.) that any MCP-compatible AI client can call. See /mcp for the full toolset and example workflows. Authentication is per-project, so an agent cannot accidentally modify projects outside its scope.
How does GanttFather compare to ClickUp or Notion for startups?
ClickUp is broader (docs, sprints, time tracking, chat) but its Gantt view feels secondary inside that breadth, and critical path is gated to the Business tier ($12/user/month). Notion has no native Gantt — third-party templates break under real dependencies. GanttFather is purpose-built for Gantt-first planning with all advanced features free. Compare at /vs/clickup.
Is the data exportable if we outgrow the tool?
Yes. Three exit paths: (1) Excel export preserves tasks, dates, dependencies, assignees in .xlsx; (2) REST API for programmatic export — included on every plan, no upsell; (3) MCP tools can dump full project state through any AI client. No vendor lock-in.
What is the upgrade path if we need more than 1 project?
Add projects you own for a flat $5/month each ($30/year — 50% off). Each one includes you plus 2 editor seats and unlimited free viewers; a 3rd active editor on any project is $2/month. Add as many projects as you need and cancel anytime. There is no "tier" to jump — cost scales linearly with the projects you own, not your headcount. Existing legacy slot subscriptions keep working and each counts as one project you own.
Does the free tier expire after 30 days?
No. The free tier is permanent — no trial countdown, no card required, no "upgrade in N days or lose access." 1 project you own, 2 editor seats, unlimited free viewers and guests, every feature. Forever.
Try GanttFather free
Every feature is free — Gantt, Kanban, dependencies, critical path, real-time collaboration, Excel sync, AI agents. Free tier includes 1 project you own, 2 editor seats, and unlimited viewers and guests.
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