Gantify
Sign inSign up
Guides

The best Microsoft Project alternatives in 2026

Microsoft set the retirement of Project Online for September 30, 2026. Nineteen tools compared, with data and official sources, to help you choose the one that best fits the way your team works.

by Gantify Team5 min readData verified in September 2026
Cover illustration for the article “The best Microsoft Project alternatives in 2026”
In this article
  1. Why evaluate an alternative now
  2. Evaluation criteria
  3. The complete picture
  4. Alternatives by requirement
  5. All detailed comparisons
  6. How to choose: five questions
  7. Frequently asked questions

Microsoft set the retirement of Project Online for September 30, 2026[1]. For many teams, this is the moment to decide where to continue planning. There are many options: other Microsoft offerings, online Gantt tools, desktop applications, work management platforms and enterprise suites.

We analyzed nineteen tools, using only data from their official pages. Gantify is our product, and we say so from the outset: for that reason, every statement about other tools is backed by a source, and where a competitor is stronger, we say so.

Why evaluate an alternative now

Microsoft has set the retirement of Project Online for September 30, 2026[1]. Every interaction with a Project Online site requires at least a Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 license[3], so organizations using the service were already paying a license for every person involved. The migration is an opportunity to clarify two points: which capabilities are actually needed, and how many people need to view and update the plan.

Evaluation criteria

When moving a live plan out of Project Online, six questions make the difference:

  1. Does it open your existing files? An alternative that reads .mpp files avoids rebuilding the plan by hand.
  2. Does it calculate the critical path? Without dependencies and a critical path, a Gantt chart is only a graphic representation.
  3. Does it handle baselines and calendars? They are essential for measuring variances and respecting holidays and shifts.
  4. What does it cost for the whole team? Multiply the per-user price by the number of people who need to see the plan.
  5. Is there a permanent free plan? Or only a time-limited trial?
  6. Where is the data stored, and which languages does your team work in?

The complete picture

The tools in this comparison, data verified on September 28, 2026. Sources at the end of the article.
ProductOpening .mpp filesCritical pathFree planEntry price
GantifyOur product
Available.mpp/.mpt (2000–2019), .mpx, MSPDI .xml, Primavera .xer and .pmxml; resources added to task notes
Availableon demand, with total float
Availableall features, no seat limit
Availablefree, ad-supported
Microsoft Project Online
Availablewith the Project desktop client (Plan 3 and above)
AvailableAvailable
Not availableretirement on 30 September 2026
Not availableUSD 30.00 per user/month, billed annually (Plan 3)
Planner and Project Plan 3
AvailableProject desktop app included
Availablebaselines and critical path in Plan 3
Not availablebasic Planner included in Microsoft 365
Not availableUSD 30.00 per user/month, billed annually; Planner Plan 1: USD 10.00
GanttPRO
Available.mpp from Microsoft Project 2003 to 2019
AvailableAvailable
Not available14-day trial only
Not availableUSD 7 per user/month, billed annually (Core)
ProjectLibre
Available.mpp and .xer
Availablecritical path and float
Availablefull desktop application, open source
Availabledesktop edition free; Cloud pricing not published
Asana
Not statedNot stated
AvailableAdvanced plan (USD 24.99)
AvailablePersonal plan: 2 users, no timeline or Gantt
Not availableUSD 10.99 per user/month billed annually, USD 13.49 billed monthly (Starter)
monday.com
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Available2 seats, 3 boards, no Gantt
Not available€9 per seat/month, billed annually (Basic); Gantt from €12
Smartsheet
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Not available30-day trial only
Not available€8 per member/month, billed annually (Pro, 1–10 members)
Wrike
Availabletasks, durations, dependencies, assignees
Not statedNot stated
Availableunlimited users, board and table views, no Gantt
Not availableUSD 10 per user/month, billed annually (Team, 2–15 users)
ClickUp
Not availablenot among the listed import sources
AvailableBusiness plan and above
Availableunlimited tasks, 60 MB of storage, Gantt as a trial only
Not availableUSD 7 per user/month billed annually, USD 10 billed monthly (Unlimited)
Jira
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Available10 users, timeline view included
Not availableUSD 7.91 per user/month (Standard); Plans on Premium (USD 14.54)
TeamGantt
Partial.mpp: names, dependencies, dates and % complete; resources are not imported
Availablepaid plans
AvailablePersonal plan: 1 user, 1 project, 40 tasks
Not availableUSD 59 per month or USD 590 per year (Base: 5 projects, 1 manager)
Zoho Projects
Not statedNot stated
AvailableEnterprise plan (€9)
Available5 users, 3 projects
Not available€4 per user/month, billed annually (Premium)
Primavera P6
Not statedNot stated
AvailableCPM scheduling
Not availableNot available
Not statedprice not published by Oracle
OpenProject
Not statedNot stated
Not statednot documented in the Gantt guide
AvailableCommunity edition, self-hosted, no user minimum
AvailableCommunity edition free; Basic USD 7.25 per user/month, minimum 25 users
GanttProject
Availablereads .mpx, .mpp and XML/MSPDI
Not statedNot stated
Availablefull desktop application
Availabledesktop edition free; cloud pay-as-you-go, pricing not published
Notion
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Available10 guests; block limit for team use
Not available€9.50 per member/month (Plus)
Basecamp
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Available1 project
Not availableUSD 59 per month (Studio, 10 projects); Unlimited USD 300 per month
Trello
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Available10 collaborators, 10 boards per Workspace
Not availableUSD 5 per user/month billed annually (Standard); timeline requires Premium (USD 10)
Merlin Project
Not statedNot stated
Not statedNot stated
Not available30-day trial only
Not availableUSD 22.99 per month (Mac); Express USD 6.99, iPad USD 9.99

The table shows the key rows of our full comparison, which contains eighteen. Every cell comes from an official page; “Not stated” means that the vendor does not provide the information, not that the feature is missing.

Alternatives by requirement

Staying with Microsoft

Planner and Project Plan 3 includes the Project desktop app, with critical path, baselines, resource leveling and earned value[4]. It is the consistent choice for organizations standardized on Microsoft 365 that accept the per-seat cost[2].

The MS Project engine, in the browser and free

Gantify is designed for those who want the same scheduling logic as MS Project (four dependency types with lead and lag, constraints, calendars, critical path, baselines) without per-user licenses. It opens .mpp, Microsoft Project XML and Primavera .xer files, exports to Microsoft Project XML, is available in 10 languages and hosts data in Germany. It does not offer automatic resource leveling or earned value.

Paid online Gantt tools

GanttPRO imports .mpp files from MS Project 2003 to 2019[6] and starts with a paid Core plan, with a 14-day trial[5]. TeamGantt offers a free plan for 1 user and 1 project, plus bundle-based plans[17]; its MS Project import does not include resources[18].

Desktop applications

ProjectLibre is a free, open-source desktop application with earned value and resource leveling that reads .mpp and .xer files[7]. GanttProject is free, works offline and is compatible with the MSPDI format[23]. Merlin Project is native to Mac and iPad, with a 30-day trial[27][28].

Work management platforms

Asana, monday.com, Smartsheet, Wrike, ClickUp, Jira and Zoho Projects are broad platforms for coordinating work. In many of them, Gantt charts or the critical path are reserved for higher tiers: in Asana the critical path is included in the Advanced plan[9], in ClickUp in the Business plan[14] and in Zoho Projects in the Enterprise plan[19]. Wrike imports MS Project files but does not export them back[13].

Enterprise and open-source solutions

Primavera P6 is the reference for large programs managed with the critical path method (CPM), with no published price[20]. OpenProject offers a Community edition to install on your own servers[21].

Documents and communication

Notion, Basecamp and Trello excel at documents, communication and boards; their pricing pages do not document a Gantt chart with critical path[24][25][26].

All detailed comparisons

How to choose: five questions

  1. Do you need to open .mpp files or exchange them with clients? Choose a tool that imports them and, ideally, exports them as well.
  2. Do your project dates depend on one another? You need a critical path, not just a timeline.
  3. How many people need to see the plan? Multiply the per-user price by that number.
  4. Do you need resource leveling, earned value or portfolio management? In that case, consider the full suites.
  5. Does your team work across different operating systems or in several languages? A multilingual web application simplifies adoption.

Try Gantify with your own plan

Create a free account

Frequently asked questions

Which free alternative is closest to Microsoft Project?

Among online tools, Gantify reproduces the logic of MS Project (four dependency types, constraints, calendars, critical path, baselines) and opens .mpp files, free of charge. Among desktop tools, ProjectLibre is free and open source[7].

What happens to Project Online data after the retirement?

The retirement is set for September 30, 2026[1], after which the service is no longer available. Projects exported as .mpp or XML, or saved with Project desktop, can be imported into the tool of your choice.

Which alternatives open .mpp files?

Among those analyzed: Gantify, GanttPRO[6], ProjectLibre[7], GanttProject[23], Wrike[13] and, with some limitations, TeamGantt[18], in addition to the Microsoft tools.

Why does this guide put Gantify at the center?

Because it is our product. For that reason, every data point about other tools is backed by an official source, and where a competitor is more complete, we say so.

Sources

Every fact about the products mentioned comes from these official pages, checked in September 2026. Prices are list prices, in the currency and billing period shown by the vendor, and may change.

  1. Microsoft Project Online: Lifecyclelearn.microsoft.com
  2. Microsoft Project Online: Pricingmicrosoft.com
  3. Microsoft Project Online: Service descriptionlearn.microsoft.com
  4. Planner and Project Plan 3: Project desktop featuresmicrosoft.com
  5. GanttPRO: Pricingganttpro.com
  6. GanttPRO: MS Project importhelp.ganttpro.com
  7. ProjectLibre: Product pageprojectlibre.com
  8. ProjectLibre: ProjectLibre Cloudprojectlibre.com
  9. Asana: Pricingasana.com
  10. monday.com: Pricingmonday.com
  11. Smartsheet: Pricingsmartsheet.com
  12. Wrike: Pricingwrike.com
  13. Wrike: MS Project importhelp.wrike.com
  14. ClickUp: Pricingclickup.com
  15. ClickUp: Import sourcesclickup.com
  16. Jira: Pricingatlassian.com
  17. TeamGantt: Pricingteamgantt.com
  18. TeamGantt: MS Project importsupport.teamgantt.com
  19. Zoho Projects: Pricingzoho.com
  20. Primavera P6: Product pageoracle.com
  21. OpenProject: Pricingopenproject.org
  22. OpenProject: Gantt docsopenproject.org
  23. GanttProject: Product pageganttproject.biz
  24. Notion: Pricingnotion.com
  25. Basecamp: Pricingbasecamp.com
  26. Trello: Pricingtrello.com
  27. Merlin Project: Product pageprojectwizards.net
  28. Merlin Project: Pricingprojectwizards.net
Full table with every tool →

Try Gantify with your own plan

Create a free account, import your .mpp file or start from a template: within minutes you will see the Gantt chart with dependencies, calendars and the critical path.

Create a free accountSee the full comparison

Advertising keeps Gantify free