Microsoft Project alternatives: where to go and how to move your schedules
Six destinations, one per profile, and a six-step migration plan.
Short answer: Smartsheet if you want a shared Gantt your whole team updates, Planner with Planner and Project Plan 3 if IT wants you to stay on Microsoft 365, ProjectLibre for a free desktop look-alike, GanttPRO for a simple Gantt on a small budget, Wrike if you run dozens of projects at once, and OpenProject if your data has to stay on your own servers. One thing to know first: no tool imports an .mpp file perfectly. Tasks, dates and dependencies come through almost everywhere. Resources, costs and baselines mostly don't. We compared all six, their prices and their import paths in 2026.
Rankings are editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why teams leave Microsoft Project, and why now
Microsoft Project still has the best scheduling engine around: critical path, constraints, resource leveling. Nobody copies it exactly. But the same six complaints keep coming up from people on their way out.
Project Online shut down in 2026
Microsoft retired Project Online in 2026. After the cutoff, projects and their data can't be reached in the service, and Power BI reports fed by its data feed stopped too. If your team lived in Project Online, you're moving no matter what. You might as well pick where.
$30 per user, per month
Planner and Project Plan 3, the license that gets you real Project inside Microsoft 365, lists at $30 per user per month, billed annually, before tax. A 10-person team mostly checking status pays $3,600 a year for software half of them only read.
Features spread across three apps
A Plan 3 holder put it plainly on Microsoft's own forum: some features live in Planner, some only in the desktop client, some in the Project Online web app. Financial reporting needs the desktop client. That's three interfaces for one project.
The new Planner does less
Microsoft's official path, premium Planner, doesn't carry everything over. Specialist vendors list the gaps: shared resource pool, portfolio view, baselines, custom reports, approval workflows. Project Online roadmaps don't move either. You rebuild them.
Built for one scheduler
The .mpp file sits on the planner's Windows machine. Everyone else gets a PDF or a screenshot of the Gantt. Once five people need to update their own tasks, that model breaks and the updates come in by email.
Everything runs through Microsoft 365
Sharing a plan with a client or contractor means an account in your tenant or another license. Teams with lots of outside partners end up copying the schedule into a shared spreadsheet, and now there are two versions of the truth.
You're leaving because… go to…
Usually one line fits. Each card jumps to the full write-up. Weighing monday.com? It doesn't import .mpp files, but our monday.com review tells you if the Excel detour is worth it.
Imports .mpp and .xml files, from $9 per member on annual billing.
IT wants you to stay on MicrosoftPlannerThe official Project Online successor, Plan 3 at $30 per user.
You want the same desktop app, freeProjectLibreFree on Windows, Mac and Linux, opens .mpp files directly.
You plan alone or with a small crewGanttPROOnline Gantt from $7 per user, annual billing, .mpp import.
You juggle dozens of projects at onceWrikeMS Project import, Team plan at $10 per user, billed annually.
Your data must stay on your serversOpenProjectFree self-hosted Community edition.
Microsoft Project alternatives, tool by tool
For each one: why move there, who it's for, its limit, how to bring your schedules over, and what it costs in 2026.
Smartsheet: the closest shared Gantt
Closest matchWhy move to Smartsheet. It's an online grid that turns into a Gantt chart with dependencies, critical path and percent complete. It imports Microsoft Project files directly (.mpp, .mpx, .mspdi and .xml) and can export back to Project XML, so you keep an exit. Everyone updates their own rows, no email chains.
Who it's for. Teams of 5 to 50 running projects with milestones and dependencies who want everyone in the same plan.
Who it's not for. Anyone who relied on Project's resource leveling. Smartsheet tracks workload; it doesn't recalculate it the way Project does.
Its limit. Cost climbs fast with paid members, and Project constraints ("start no earlier than") aren't supported. We've seen teams leave Smartsheet over price too, so read switching from Smartsheet before you sign.
How to migrate. If an .mpp import scrambles the row order, save the file as .xml from Project and import that copy. Expand every summary task before saving: users report collapsed subtasks getting skipped. Coming from Project Online, Smartsheet documents an Excel-export route that skips the desktop client entirely.
- Trial
- 30 days, no card
- Pro
- $12/member/month ($9 annual)
- Business
- $24 ($19 annual)
- Import
- .mpp, .mpx, .xml
Planner: stay on Microsoft without Project Online
Stay on MicrosoftWhy move to Planner. It's where Microsoft sends Project Online customers. With Planner and Project Plan 3 you keep the Gantt, dependencies, summary tasks and Copilot, inside the Teams and Microsoft 365 setup you already pay for. The same license includes the Project desktop app, which the shutdown didn't touch.
Who it's for. Companies standardized on Microsoft 365, with IT managing licenses, running mid-size projects.
Who it's not for. PMOs that lived on the resource pool, baselines and portfolio view. Those are missing or stuck in the desktop client.
Its limit. Custom fields are capped at around ten, and roadmaps don't transfer: you rebuild them as portfolios. Premium features like subtasks only work in premium plans, and upgrading a plan to premium also removes some basic features.
How to migrate. Microsoft offers no automatic migration tool from Project Online. The route described on Microsoft's support Q&A: open the Planner app in Power Apps and import the desktop .mpp file there. Some Project features don't carry over, and there's no export back to .mpp, so keep your original files. Tip: archive finished projects as .xml in SharePoint instead of migrating everything.
- Plan 3
- $30/user/month (annual)
- Includes
- Project desktop
- Import
- .mpp via Power Apps
- Gap
- no resource pool
ProjectLibre: the free desktop look-alike
FreeWhy move to ProjectLibre. It's the closest thing to Microsoft Project in form: a desktop app with Gantt, PERT network, resources and critical path. It opens .mpp files directly (and Primavera .xer files), it's free, and it runs on Mac and Linux, which Project never has.
Who it's for. The solo scheduler who builds a plan and shares it, students, and small shops tired of paying for a license they open twice a month.
Who it's not for. Teams that update the plan together. The desktop version doesn't share anything in real time.
Its limit. The interface feels dated, the Gantt pane is awkward to resize, and some users report baselines getting thrown off after an .mpp import. The cloud version isn't free: Core runs $9.99 per user per month, billed annually.
How to migrate. Open your .mpp, then check three things: baseline dates, the working calendar (holidays) and resource assignments. If the baseline looks wrong, set it again in ProjectLibre before you start tracking.
- Desktop
- free
- Cloud
- Core $9.99/user/month (annual)
- Files
- opens .mpp and .xer
- Runs on
- Windows, Mac, Linux
GanttPRO: a simple online Gantt that's cheap
Small budgetWhy move to GanttPRO. It does one thing well: an online Gantt chart with dependencies, milestones, workload and share-by-link. It imports .mpp files when you create a project, and most people are productive in an afternoon.
Who it's for. Project managers, agencies and small teams who mostly used Project to draw a Gantt and show it to a client.
Who it's not for. PMOs tracking a portfolio with budgets and approvals. The portfolio side is thin.
Its limit. Listed prices are annual: Core $7, Advanced $10, Business $17 per user per month. Monthly billing costs about 20% more, and Enterprise needs 5 users minimum on an annual contract.
How to migrate. Click the + at the top left, create a new project, choose Import and pick your .mpp. Use the 14-day trial (no card) to import your biggest schedule: large files take a while to load, and that's where you'll spot what's missing.
- Trial
- 14 days, no card
- Core
- $7/user/month (annual)
- Advanced
- $10 (annual)
- Import
- .mpp on project creation
Wrike: for running lots of projects at once
Multi-projectWhy move to Wrike. Wrike imports a Microsoft Project file straight into a folder or project, with dependencies plus lead and lag times. It adds what Project handles poorly: request intake, team-wide workload, and visibility over dozens of projects at once. Our overall score: 3.4 out of 5 (see our full Wrike review).
Who it's for. Marketing teams, agencies and internal service teams running many short projects in parallel.
Who it's not for. Schedulers who want a day-by-day planning engine. Wrike is a team-management tool more than a scheduling tool.
Its limit. Getting out. Wrike doesn't export to Microsoft Project, and the $25 Business plan (billed annually) becomes necessary once you pass 15 people.
How to migrate. The importer takes Project 2013 and 2016 files plus XML, up to 5 MB. Over that, save as .xml: the file shrinks a lot. Custom fields don't come through this importer, so bring them in with a separate Excel import.
- Free plan
- yes, small teams
- Team
- $10/user/month, annual (2 to 15)
- Business
- $25/user/month, annual
- Import
- Project 2013, 2016, XML, 5 MB max
OpenProject: open source, on your own servers
Self-hostedWhy move to OpenProject. It's open-source project management with Gantt, milestones, dependencies and time tracking. The Community edition is free and runs on your own servers, so your schedules never leave the building. The vendor is German and also sells hosting.
Who it's for. Public bodies, manufacturers and regulated organizations with an IT team and strict data-location rules.
Who it's not for. Small teams wanting vendor hosting: Cloud plans start at 25 users.
Its limit. The cloud entry price. Basic is €5.95 per user per month, but with a 25-user minimum that's roughly €149 a month even for a team of ten. The free edition needs someone to install and patch it.
How to migrate. We didn't find a native .mpp import in its plans. Safest path: export your plan from Project to Excel (name, dates, predecessors, owner), clean it up, and ask OpenProject which import method fits your version before you commit.
- Community
- free, self-hosted
- Cloud Basic
- €5.95/user/month
- Minimum
- 25 users
- Monthly
- +€1 (Basic only)
All 6 alternatives side by side
Our default pick: Smartsheet for a team, ProjectLibre if you plan alone. For 10 people on annual billing, budget about $1,080 for Smartsheet Pro, $840 for GanttPRO Core and $3,600 for Microsoft's Plan 3. Coming from Trello rather than Project? Read switching from Trello.
| Free or entry plan | Starting price and .mpp import | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft ProjectWhere you're starting | No free plan; Project Online shut down in 2026 | Planner and Project Plan 3: $30/user/month, annual |
| SmartsheetClosest match | 30-day trial, no card | Pro $12 per member ($9 annual); .mpp and .xml import |
| PlannerStay on Microsoft | Basic Planner included in Microsoft 365 | Plan 3 at $30; .mpp import via Power Apps |
| ProjectLibreFree | Free desktop app | Cloud Core $9.99 annual; opens .mpp |
| GanttPROSmall budget | 14-day trial, no card | Core $7 annual; .mpp import |
| WrikeMulti-project | Yes, small teams | Team $10 per user, annual; Project and XML import, 5 MB max |
| OpenProjectSelf-hosted | Free Community edition | Cloud Basic €5.95, 25-user minimum; no native .mpp import found |
Entry prices per user per month, before tax, subject to change. Always price it on your real number of paid editors.
Moving off Microsoft Project in six steps
Order matters. Each step protects something: your data, your history, your dependencies, your team's trust.
List every live project
Day 1List every project: active, closed, template. For each, note whether it uses shared resources, costs, baselines or custom fields. On most Project servers, about half the projects are finished. Those get archived, not migrated.
- Time
- half a day
- Output
- one project list
Export each project as .mpp and .xml
Days 1 to 2Save every project in both formats. The .mpp feeds ProjectLibre, Smartsheet and GanttPRO; .xml goes into Wrike more cleanly and fixes scrambled rows in Smartsheet. Expand all tasks before saving. Add an Excel export to keep custom fields on the side.
- Formats
- .mpp, .xml, .xlsx
- Tip
- expand everything first
Archive what won't migrate
Day 2Baselines, workload history and reports almost never survive an import. Keep copies of the .mpp files and PDF exports of key reports in a read-only shared folder. If Power BI dashboards read from Project Online, export their data now: the source is gone.
- Keep
- baselines, reports
- Where
- read-only shared folder
Import one pilot project and compare
Week 1Import one project, your most complex, during the free trial. Compare three numbers with Project: finish date, task count and dependency count. If they don't match, find out why before going further (calendar, constraints, collapsed tasks).
- Compare
- finish date, tasks, links
- When
- during the trial
Rebuild resources and invite the team
Week 2Project resources become people or roles in the new tool. Create them with the same email addresses used in Project, or tasks land unassigned. Invite two or three people first who will actually update their tasks.
- Key
- same email addresses
- First
- 2 to 3 users
Cut over, keep Project read-only for a month
Weeks 3 to 4Announce a cutover date: from that day, the reference plan lives in the new tool. Keep one Project license (or free ProjectLibre) for a month so you can reopen old files if a number gets questioned. Then cancel.
- Overlap
- one month
- Read .mpp
- ProjectLibre, free
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a Microsoft Project exit go wrong
The same mistakes keep showing up. None are dramatic, and each one costs weeks.
Assuming the .mpp comes through intact
Tasks, dates and dependencies make it almost everywhere. Resources, costs, constraints and baselines rarely do. Check on a pilot before promising anything to leadership.
Forgetting the working calendar
Holidays, four-day weeks, summer shutdowns: skip the calendar and every date slides a few days. It's the most common reason a finish date changes after import.
Importing collapsed tasks
Smartsheet users have watched collapsed subtasks vanish. Expand everything before saving. That rule costs nothing in any tool.
Migrating closed projects
A finished project doesn't need a live Gantt. Archive it as .mpp and PDF. You move half as many files, and the import stays readable.
Paying for people who only read
Count who edits the plan and who just views it. Smartsheet charges members and lets viewers in free; OpenProject Cloud makes you pay for 25 seats. The cheapest tool on paper can cost double on your real team.
Changing tool and method at once
Going from Project to a Kanban board and a new way of running projects is two projects. Bring your schedules over as Gantts first, then change the method once people are comfortable.
Microsoft Project alternative: common questions
What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Project?
ProjectLibre. It's a free desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux that opens .mpp files directly and keeps the Gantt, resources and critical path. If you need several people working together, OpenProject's Community edition is also free, as long as you host it yourself.
Is Project Online really gone?
Yes. Microsoft retired Project Online in 2026, and projects can't be accessed in the service after the cutoff. Project desktop, Project Server and Planner weren't affected. If you still need data back, talk to your Microsoft 365 admin right away.
Is the Project desktop app going away too?
Not as of now. The retirement only covered Project Online. The desktop app is still sold and comes with Planner and Project Plan 3. What changed is that online sharing now runs through Planner.
Can I open an .mpp file without Microsoft Project?
Yes. ProjectLibre opens it for free, and Smartsheet, GanttPRO and Wrike import it into an online project. Tip: if an import fails or scrambles rows, re-save the file as .xml from Project. That format goes through more cleanly everywhere.
Is Smartsheet better than Microsoft Project?
For teams, usually yes; for heavy scheduling, no. Smartsheet wins on collaboration and price per editor. Project still wins on resource leveling and constraints. If one person builds complex schedules, keep Project or ProjectLibre for that person. Building sites? See our construction project management ranking.
Does Microsoft Planner replace Project?
Partly. With Plan 3, Planner keeps the Gantt, dependencies and summary tasks. It doesn't bring over the shared resource pool, baselines or Project Online's portfolio view. For a PMO, that gap is usually what triggers the search for something else.
How much does a Microsoft Project alternative cost for 10 people?
Anywhere from $0 to about $3,600 a year. ProjectLibre is free, Smartsheet Pro runs about $1,080 a year for 10 members, GanttPRO Core $840, and Microsoft's Plan 3 $3,600. Only count people who edit the plan.
Which tool works best for many projects at once?
Wrike. It's built to track a team's workload across dozens of projects, with request forms and dashboards. Still unsure? See our ranking of project management software.
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