Looking for Microsoft Project Alternatives? Try These 8 Options

Microsoft Project is a powerful project management tool, but it’s expensive and sometimes difficult to learn. If you don’t want to shell out a fortune or spend forever learning to use it, try one of these Microsoft Project alternatives instead. These all offer free versions to let you try things out. For smaller teams and individuals, you may find all you need is the free plan.

1. Agantty – Best for Unlimited Tasks

Price: Free | Available on: Web, Windows, iOS, and Android

While many alternatives restrict your tasks, Agantty lets you enjoy unlimited tasks. In fact, you can invite unlimited users, as long as you’re all part of the same team. Just like Microsoft Project, you’ll create Gantt charts to track projects and tasks. It’s also easy to start using immediately, thanks to a clear layout and drag-and-drop organization. Easily create reminders and keep your entire team on track.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Free for unlimited tasks
• Set reminders and user permissions
• Invite your whole team for free
• Available on Web, desktop, and mobile

Cons

• Free version is limited to a single project and team (Plans start at $6/user/month)
• No detailed reporting

Tip: to go along with this cross-platform project management tool, get a cross-platform note-taking app.

2. GanttProject – Best Budget-Friendly

Price: Free for self-hosted | Free for up to 2 cloud members | $1/month/active user for 3+ users

Available on: Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux

GanttProject is probably the most budget-friendly option on this list. If you’re downloading it to use on your system, it’s completely free for Windows, macOS, and Linux, or you can donate $5 to help support the project. Of course, a cloud version is available, and everything’s free for up to two users a month. Add more users for just $1 per month. You can easily connect the desktop and cloud versions. While it’s a more basic alternative, it’s beginner-friendly, especially if you don’t need all the bells and whistles.

Pros

• All features available for free
• Desktop and cloud versions available
• Create custom columns for tasks
• Create unlimited tasks and projects

Cons

• Very basic features for project tracking
• May not be powerful enough for larger businesses/teams

3. ProjectLibre – Best Open Source Alternative

Price: Free for download | Unspecified monthly fee for cloud service

Available on: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Web

ProjectLibre is a surprisingly feature-rich Microsoft Project alternative. The open-source project is completely free to download and use. The cloud version is still in beta, but you can request access for teams of more than three users using a business email address. The cost isn’t specified outside of being cheaper than Microsoft Project. It’ll even open Microsoft Project files to help you migrate easily. Enjoy Gantt charts, resource histograms, cost charts, and so much more. The more you explore, the more amazing features you will find for free.

Pros

• Offers many similar features to Microsoft Project
• Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Manage tasks, resources, employees
• Create charts and histograms
• Set up custom multi-pane windows

Cons

• Cloud version is still in beta, with no costs listed on the site
• You’ll need to join the free community to access any help/tutorials

FYI: wondering what Microsoft Project alternatives are available for Linux

? Check out this list.

4. ClickUp – Best All-in-One App

Price: Free | Premium plans starting at $5/user/month

Available on: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android

ClickUp has the single most generous free plan of any Microsoft Project alternative. Tackle unlimited tasks with unlimited members for free. Obviously, the free plan has restrictions, such as 100 MB of storage and limited views/chart types. But, for small teams, this is a huge advantage over Project. Plus, the premium versions give you extras Project doesn’t, such as chat, video recording, templates, custom views, goals, and free 24/7 support. With Project, all this requires extra software to accomplish.

Pros

• Generous free plan
• Premium plans include extra features, while Microsoft requires you to buy extra software to use
• Easy to customize to your needs
• Get started quickly with templates
• Collaborate with chat, documents, whiteboards, and more all in the same app
• Numerous tutorials and free support

Cons

• Could be too many features for some teams
• Free plan doesn’t include Gantt charts

5. Asana – Best for Project Views, Integrations, and Generous Free Plan

Price: Free | Premium starts at $10.99/user/month

Available on: Web, Windows, iOS, and Android

Asana is already a well-known project management app and a worthy Microsoft Project competitor. There’s a generous free plan with unlimited projects and tasks that allows collaboration with up to 15 team members. You even get multiple view types, such as list, calendar, and board, along with over 100 app integrations. Easily connect other apps to Asana to manage everything in one place. Plus, every plan gives you unlimited storage.

Pros

• Incredible free plan with unlimited storage
• Multiple view types beyond what Microsoft Project offers
• Over 200 app integrations available (custom available upon request)
• Guests are always free
• Create automated workflows

Cons

• No macOS or Linux desktop apps
• Free plan is limited to 100 MB per file

Good to know: if you’re looking to make the platform even easier, learn these Asana keyboard shortcuts.

6. Hitask – Best for Simple Project Management

Price: Free for up to 5 users | Premium starts at $5/user/month

Available on: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

Hitask feels like a stripped-down version of Microsoft Project, making it ideal for simpler project management – without feature bloat. This is also what makes it more beginner-friendly. You can still track projects and tasks. There’s email and calendar integration, along with reports and repeating tasks. Plus, team chat is built into the app. While it’s not the most sophisticated alternative, you can try most features for free for up to five users, making it easy to see if you like it before subscribing.

Pros

• Free plan allows unlimited tasks and projects
• Built-in issue tracking
• Integrates with Outlook and Google
• Chat directly in the app

Cons

• No Gantt charts
• Might be too basic for some users

7. Wrike – Best for Team Management

Price: Free | Premium plans start at $9.80/user/month

Available on: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

Wrike goes well beyond just project management. It also offers numerous team management tools, making it ideal for teams wanting a two-in-one solution. AI tools let you turn rough notes into project tasks, and templates help you get set up quickly. You can automate new team member onboarding, manage time/schedules, and easily check work capacity to better assign tasks. Plus, there are multiple ways to view projects and tasks to check in on progress.

Pros

• Unlimited users in free plan
• Manage tasks, schedules, and requests in one place
• Customizable dashboards
• Numerous app integrations
• Wide variety of views, such as Kaban, Gantt, tables, calendars, etc.

Cons

• Most features, including Gantt charts, are only available in premium plans
• No unlimited storage plans

Tip: need more ideas for your team? Check out these project management tools made for any team.

8. Smartsheet – Best for Excel and Sheets Users

Price: Free for one user | Premium starts at $7/user/month

Available on: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

Smartsheet is sort of what you’d expect the baby of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Project to look like. It’s an extremely powerful baby that gives you collaboration features, a variety of progress views, integrations with other apps, and full project and resource management tools. However, getting things set up feels much like filling in a spreadsheet and a few forms, making it also a great option if you’ve never used project management tools before.

Pros

• Customizable sheets (how all your data is set up)
• Grid, calendar, Gantt, card, and more views
• Get started quickly with templates
• Spreadsheet formulas, cell formatting, cross linking, and more
• Assign, manage, and view progress of tasks

Cons

• Free plan is limited to a single user and two editors
• Limited storage outside of the custom quote Enterprise plan

Frequently Asked Questions

If I'm already using Microsoft Project, can I import my data?

Some of these tools will let you import your data. However, some require you to start from scratch. Microsoft Project alternatives with a direct import option are best in this case. Or, at least, look for alternatives that have app integrations to import your data from those apps.

Are there any other project management tools I can try?

If none of these are exactly what you’re looking for, try our list of project management tools, which does share a few options. There’s also Teamly, which allows unlimited users in the free plan.

Is switching to an alternative beneficial?

Unless you’re truly tied to the Microsoft ecosystem, you’ll likely save by switching to an alternative. Plus, many alternatives combine Project’s features into a single app, such as collaboration (requires Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration in Project). Try out a free plan for any of the alternatives above to see whether you like it before fully committing.

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