Free MS Project Alternatives — Project Scheduling Without a Licence
MS Project is still the scheduling language of most engineering projects: Gantt charts, critical path, resource allocation. But not every engineer, inspector or subcontractor needs an annual licence just to open a file, update progress or build a schedule for a mid-size project. The tools below are completely free — some are desktop programs, some are systems you install on a server and use as a team.
Desktop scheduling software
1. ProjectLibre
The closest alternative to MS Project. It opens and saves .mpp and XML files, and shows Gantt, network (PERT) diagrams, critical path, resources and Earned Value curves. Anyone who knows MS Project will feel at home within minutes.
What's missing: no real-time collaboration, and resource levelling is less advanced.
2. GanttProject
Simpler and lighter: tasks, dependencies, milestones, resources and export to PDF and image. Suits a design schedule or a small project, and imports and exports MS Project files.
ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre
An open-source alternative to Microsoft Project — Gantt, critical path and resource management.
Get it from the vendorGanttProject
GanttProject
A simple, fast Gantt chart with resources and PDF export.
Get it from the vendorSystems for a team
3. OpenProject
The free Community edition includes Gantt, tasks, time tracking, wiki and forums — in the browser, with per-project permissions. It suits a design office that wants one place for the whole team, installed on its own server.
4. Redmine
Mature and stable: task and issue tracking, a basic Gantt, calendar and time tracking. Common in software teams, but it works just as well for managing a defects list or change requests on an engineering project.
5. Vikunja and Kanboard
For a small team that mostly needs task lists and a Kanban board: Vikunja gives lists, Kanban, a simple Gantt and reminders; Kanboard is deliberately minimal — board, columns, work-in-progress limits. Both are open source and suited to self-hosting.
OpenProject — Community Edition
OpenProject GmbH
Team project management in the browser — Gantt, tasks, documents and time tracking, self-hosted.
Get it from the vendorRedmine
Redmine Project
Task and issue tracking for an engineering project — with Gantt, time tracking and documentation.
Get it from the vendorVikunja
Vikunja
Task management with four views — list, Kanban, Gantt and calendar.
Get it from the vendorKanboard
Kanboard Project
A very simple Kanban board — what is in progress, what is waiting and what is done.
Get it from the vendorWhat isn't free
If you work for a client who requires Primavera P6 files, there is currently no free alternative that fully reads and writes XER. On such projects ProjectLibre is fine for early planning and checks, but the submission itself will need the original software.
So which one
Opening and updating MS Project files: ProjectLibre. A quick, simple schedule: GanttProject. A whole team in the browser: OpenProject. Tracking defects and requests: Redmine. Just tasks and Kanban: Vikunja or Kanboard.