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.
In this article
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. Planitude 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:
- Does it open your existing files? An alternative that reads
.mppfiles avoids rebuilding the plan by hand. - Does it calculate the critical path? Without dependencies and a critical path, a Gantt chart is only a graphic representation.
- Does it handle baselines and calendars? They are essential for measuring variances and respecting holidays and shifts.
- What does it cost for the whole team? Multiply the per-user price by the number of people who need to see the plan.
- Is there a permanent free plan? Or only a time-limited trial?
- Where is the data stored, and which languages does your team work in?
The complete picture
| Product | Opening .mpp files | Critical path | Free plan | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlanitudeOur product | Available.mpp/ | 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/ |
| 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/ |
| GanttPRO | Available.mpp from Microsoft Project 2003 to 2019 | AvailableAvailable | Not available14-day trial only | Not availableUSD 7 per user/ |
| 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/ |
| monday.com | Not statedNot stated | Not statedNot stated | Available2 seats, 3 boards, no Gantt | Not available€9 per seat/ |
| Smartsheet | Not statedNot stated | Not statedNot stated | Not available30-day trial only | Not available€8 per member/ |
| Wrike | Availabletasks, durations, dependencies, assignees | Not statedNot stated | Availableunlimited users, board and table views, no Gantt | Not availableUSD 10 per user/ |
| 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/ |
| Jira | Not statedNot stated | Not statedNot stated | Available10 users, timeline view included | Not availableUSD 7.91 per user/ |
| 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/ |
| 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/ |
| GanttProject | Availablereads .mpx, .mpp and XML/ | 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/ |
| 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/ |
| 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
Planitude 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
- Planitude vs Microsoft Project Online: the free alternative
- Planitude vs Planner and Project Plan 3: no per-user licenses
- Planitude vs GanttPRO: online Gantt with .mpp files, free
- Planitude vs ProjectLibre: a shared Gantt in the browser, free
- Planitude vs Smartsheet: critical path and .mpp files, free
- Planitude vs Asana: critical path scheduling for free
- Planitude vs monday.com: Gantt and critical path, free
- Planitude vs Wrike: import and export MS Project files
- Planitude vs ClickUp: critical path and .mpp files at no cost
- Planitude vs Jira: project schedule and critical path, free
- Planitude vs TeamGantt: intuitive Gantt, free for the whole team
- Planitude vs Primavera P6: .xer files and critical path, free
- Planitude vs Zoho Projects: critical path and baselines, free
- Planitude vs OpenProject: ready to use, EU-hosted, free
- Planitude vs GanttProject: a shared online plan, free
- Planitude vs Merlin Project: on Mac, Windows and Linux, free
- Planitude vs Notion: a critical path schedule, free
- Planitude vs Trello: board and critical path Gantt, free
- Planitude vs Basecamp: dependency-based scheduling, free
How to choose: five questions
- Do you need to open
.mppfiles or exchange them with clients? Choose a tool that imports them and, ideally, exports them as well. - Do your project dates depend on one another? You need a critical path, not just a timeline.
- How many people need to see the plan? Multiply the per-user price by that number.
- Do you need resource leveling, earned value or portfolio management? In that case, consider the full suites.
- Does your team work across different operating systems or in several languages? A multilingual web application simplifies adoption.
Try Planitude with your own plan
Create a free accountFrequently asked questions
Which free alternative is closest to Microsoft Project?
Among online tools, Planitude 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?
Why does this guide put Planitude 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.
- Microsoft Project Online: Lifecyclelearn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Project Online: Pricingmicrosoft.com
- Microsoft Project Online: Service descriptionlearn.microsoft.com
- Planner and Project Plan 3: Project desktop featuresmicrosoft.com
- GanttPRO: Pricingganttpro.com
- GanttPRO: MS Project importhelp.ganttpro.com
- ProjectLibre: Product pageprojectlibre.com
- ProjectLibre: ProjectLibre Cloudprojectlibre.com
- Asana: Pricingasana.com
- monday.com: Pricingmonday.com
- Smartsheet: Pricingsmartsheet.com
- Wrike: Pricingwrike.com
- Wrike: MS Project importhelp.wrike.com
- ClickUp: Pricingclickup.com
- ClickUp: Import sourcesclickup.com
- Jira: Pricingatlassian.com
- TeamGantt: Pricingteamgantt.com
- TeamGantt: MS Project importsupport.teamgantt.com
- Zoho Projects: Pricingzoho.com
- Primavera P6: Product pageoracle.com
- OpenProject: Pricingopenproject.org
- OpenProject: Gantt docsopenproject.org
- GanttProject: Product pageganttproject.biz
- Notion: Pricingnotion.com
- Basecamp: Pricingbasecamp.com
- Trello: Pricingtrello.com
- Merlin Project: Product pageprojectwizards.net
- Merlin Project: Pricingprojectwizards.net
Try Planitude 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.