Planitude vs Basecamp: dependency-based scheduling, free
Basecamp organizes a team’s messages, to-dos and files at a flat price. Planitude handles the schedule: dependencies, critical path and baselines, free of charge.
In this article
Basecamp by 37signals is valued for a clear principle: bringing order to project communication. Message boards, to-do lists, a kanban-style Card Table and a calendar, brought together in a single space, with unlimited users. Planitude focuses on a different aspect: the schedule, with dates calculated from dependencies and the critical path always in view.
The comparison below is based on Basecamp’s official pricing page.
Who Basecamp and Planitude are for
Basecamp is designed for teams and agencies that want a single home for discussions, tasks and documents, with a predictable price and no per-user cost[1].
Planitude is designed for those who need to plan over time:
- project managers coordinating interdependent phases;
- technical, construction or production teams with binding deadlines;
- people who need to exchange schedules with clients that use Microsoft Project.
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Planitude | Basecamp |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not statedNot stated |
| Baselines | Availablesaved automatically at first progress; slippage in days | Not statedNot stated |
| Calendars and holidays | Availableworking calendars with exceptions | Not statedNot stated |
| Date constraints | Availableconstraint dates and deadlines | Not statedNot stated |
| Resources and over-allocation | Availableproject members assigned to tasks, daily workload, over-allocation warnings | Not statedNot stated |
| Costs and budget | Partialfixed and baseline costs from imported files; no budget view | Not statedNot stated |
| Earned Value Management (EVM) | Not availableNot available | Not statedNot stated |
| 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 | Partialmessage boards, to-dos, card table (kanban), schedule |
| Collaboration | Availableowner, editor and viewer roles; comments with @mentions | Availableunlimited users, no per-user fees |
| 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 availableUSD 59 per month (Studio, 10 projects); Unlimited USD 300 per month |
| Free plan | Availableall features, no seat limit | Available1 project |
The data is the same as in our full comparison. “Not stated” means that Basecamp does not list the feature on its pricing page, not that the feature is missing.
Scheduling
The Basecamp views listed on its pricing page are message boards, to-dos, the Card Table and a calendar[1]. Planitude adds a scheduling engine:
- FS, SS, FF and SF dependencies with lead and lag;
- date constraints and deadlines;
- calendars with holidays and exceptions, including per resource;
- a critical path recalculated with every change;
- baselines with the variance of each task;
- multi-level subtasks created with Tab, and Summary, Gantt, List, Board, Calendar and Workload views.
Example: an agency and a client website
An agency delivers a new website for a client: kickoff meeting, content architecture, design, development, testing and launch. Discussions with the client can take place in whichever tool the agency prefers; the project calendar, however, requires scheduling logic. In Planitude, development starts only after the design is approved, testing overlaps with the final weeks of development and the launch has a deadline. When approval slips, the critical path immediately shows the impact on the finish date, and the client can check it through the read-only public link.
Import, export and migration
Planitude 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. Basecamp’s pricing page does not list import or export of MS Project files[1].
Collaboration
Basecamp includes unlimited users with no per-user cost[1]. Planitude likewise places no limit on the number of people: link invitations with roles (owner, editor, viewer), tasks that can be assigned to several people, comments with mentions, unique task keys, a change history and a read-only public link.
Pricing
Basecamp offers a free plan for 1 project; the Studio plan costs USD 59 per month for 10 projects and the Unlimited plan USD 300 per month[1]. Planitude is free and supported by advertising.
Languages, data and AI assistant
Planitude 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 with phases, tasks and dependencies from a description; through API keys and the MCP server, it integrates with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor and VS Code.
How to move your schedule from Basecamp to Planitude
- List the project tasks in a spreadsheet, starting from your Basecamp to-dos if useful, with estimated durations.
- Create a free Planitude account and a new project, or ask the AI assistant for a first draft based on a description.
- Paste the rows from Excel into the grid: names, durations and indentation become tasks and subtasks.
- Link the tasks with dependencies: the engine calculates the dates and the critical path.
- Save a baseline and share the public link with the client.
Try Planitude with your own plan
Create a free accountConclusion
Basecamp is an excellent tool for project communication, at a flat price. Planitude is the right tool for the schedule: dependencies, critical path and baselines, free of charge and for the whole team. Many teams use one tool to communicate and the other to plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does Basecamp include a Gantt chart?
Basecamp’s pricing page lists message boards, to-dos, the Card Table and a calendar[1]; it does not document a Gantt chart with dependencies.
Does Basecamp charge per user?
No. Basecamp states that it offers unlimited users with no per-user cost, on flat-price plans[1]. Planitude also has no per-user cost, and it is free.
Can Planitude be used alongside Basecamp?
Yes. Discussions can stay in Basecamp and the schedule in Planitude, shared through the read-only public link.
Can Planitude create a plan from a description?
Yes. The AI assistant proposes phases, tasks and dependencies, and the engine calculates the dates.
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.
- Pricingbasecamp.com
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.