Gantify vs Zoho Projects: critical path and baselines, free
Zoho Projects is an affordable suite, with budgets and earned value on its paid plans. Gantify offers the critical path, baselines and .mpp import free of charge to the whole team.
In this article
Zoho Projects is a project management suite with good value for money and integration with the Zoho ecosystem. Gantify focuses on the scheduling engine: dependencies, calendars, constraints, the critical path and baselines as in Microsoft Project, with no higher tiers to unlock.
The comparison below is based on Zoho Projects’ official pricing page.
Who Zoho Projects and Gantify are for
Zoho Projects is designed for companies that want a complete, low-cost suite, with portfolio dashboards and, on the Enterprise plan, read-only users[1].
Gantify is designed for those who want a complete scheduling engine at no cost:
- project managers who need the critical path on every project;
- teams that work with Microsoft Project files;
- organizations that want to involve an unlimited number of people.
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Gantify | Zoho Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Opening .mpp files | Available.mpp/ | Not statedNot stated |
| Export | AvailableMicrosoft Project XML, CSV, print/ | Not statedNot stated |
| Dependencies (4 types, with lag) | AvailableFS, SS, FF and SF, with lag | Not statedNot stated |
| Critical path | Availableon demand, with total float | AvailableEnterprise plan (€9) |
| Baselines | Availablesaved automatically at first progress; slippage in days | AvailableEnterprise plan (€9) |
| Calendars and holidays | Availableworking calendars with exceptions | Availablebusiness calendar and holiday list (Premium) |
| Date constraints | Availableconstraint dates and deadlines | Not statedNot stated |
| Resources and over-allocation | Availableproject members assigned to tasks, daily workload, over-allocation warnings | PartialResources extension (Enterprise) |
| Costs and budget | Partialfixed and baseline costs from imported files; no budget view | Availableproject budget (Premium) |
| Earned Value Management (EVM) | Not availableNot available | Availableproject budget and EVM (Premium, €4) |
| Automatic resource levelling | Not availableapplies the leveling delay from .mpp files; does not calculate it | Not statedNot stated |
| Views | AvailableSummary, Gantt, list, board, calendar, workload | AvailableGantt, board, list, calendar, portfolio dashboard |
| Collaboration | Availableowner, editor and viewer roles; comments with @mentions | Available10 read-only users on the Enterprise plan |
| Public sharing | Availableread-only public link | Not statedNot stated |
| Interface languages | Available10 | Not statedNot stated |
| Self-hosting | Not availablemanaged service, EU servers (Germany) | Not statedNot stated |
| Entry price | Availablefree, ad-supported | Not available€4 per user/ |
| Free plan | Availableall features, no seat limit | Available5 users, 3 projects |
The data is the same as in our full comparison. Zoho Projects is ahead on budgets and earned value, and we state this clearly.
Scheduling
In Zoho Projects, the business calendar and holiday list are included in the Premium plan, and the critical path and baselines in the Enterprise plan[1]. In Gantify, they are available to everyone:
- FS, SS, FF and SF dependencies with lead and lag;
- date constraints and deadlines;
- project and resource calendars with holidays and exceptions;
- an automatic critical path;
- baselines with the variance of each task;
- multi-level subtasks created with Tab, as in MS Project.
Example: an agency with many client projects
An agency manages ten projects for as many clients, with designers, developers and copywriters shared across them. In Gantify, each project has its own Gantt chart with dependencies and a critical path, calendars take vacations and holidays into account, and the Workload view flags anyone overallocated in the same week across different projects. Each client follows progress through their own read-only public link, without taking up a license. There is no plan to choose: scheduling is fully included.
Import, export and migration
Gantify reads .mpp, Microsoft Project XML and Primavera .xer files, with an import report, and exports to Microsoft Project XML, CSV for Excel and print/PDF. Zoho Projects’ pricing page does not list .mpp import[1].
Collaboration
Zoho Projects includes 10 read-only users on the Enterprise plan[1]. In Gantify, anyone can be invited at no cost as an owner, editor or viewer, with comments and mentions, unique task keys, a change history and a read-only public link.
Pricing
Zoho Projects Premium costs €4 per user per month billed annually; the Enterprise plan, with the critical path and baselines, costs €9[1]. Gantify is free, supported by advertising, with no limit on the number of users.
Languages, data and AI assistant
Gantify is available in 10 languages and hosts data on servers in the European Union, in Germany. It includes an AI assistant that reads the plan, provides estimates and proposes changes for you to confirm and generates a first version of a plan from a description; through API keys and the MCP server, it integrates with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor and VS Code.
How to move from Zoho Projects to Gantify
- Export your tasks from Zoho Projects to a spreadsheet, using the options available on your plan.
- Create a free Gantify account and a new project, or start from a template.
- Paste the rows from Excel into the grid: names, durations and indentation become tasks and subtasks.
- Link the tasks: the engine calculates the dates and the critical path.
- Save a baseline and invite your team and clients.
Try Gantify with your own plan
Create a free accountConclusion
Zoho Projects is a complete and affordable suite, with budgets and earned value for those who need them. Gantify makes free what many tools reserve for higher tiers: the critical path, baselines and MS Project compatibility, for an unlimited number of people.
Frequently asked questions
Does Zoho Projects offer a free plan?
Yes, for up to 5 users and 3 projects[1].
Which Zoho Projects plan includes the critical path?
The Enterprise plan, according to Zoho’s pricing page[1]. In Gantify, it is included for every user.
Does Gantify manage budgets and earned value?
Gantify preserves and exports fixed task costs and baseline costs imported from Microsoft Project files (resource rates are not imported), but it does not offer a dedicated budget view or earned value, which Zoho Projects provides on the Premium plan[1].
Can clients view the plan without paying for licenses?
Yes, through the read-only public link or by inviting them as viewers, at no cost.
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.
- Pricingzoho.com
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.