Best Desktop Gantt / MS Project Alternatives (2026)

ProjectLibre is the leading open-source desktop alternative to Microsoft Project, running locally on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It covers Gantt charts, network diagrams, WBS/RBS charts, resource allocation, task dependencies, critical-path tracking, and earned-value costing, and can read and write Microsoft Project (.mpp) files. Founded by Marc O'Brien and Laurent Chretienneau, it is released under the Common Public Attribution License (CPAL) and has been downloaded millions of times worldwide.

GanttProject is a free, open-source desktop project-scheduling application for Windows, macOS, and Linux, written in Java and licensed under GPL-3.0. Maintained since 2003 by BarD Software, it focuses on Gantt charts, task hierarchies and dependencies, milestones, resource assignments with load charts, PERT charts, and baselines, and can import/export Microsoft Project files plus export to PDF and HTML. It is a lightweight, single-user alternative to Microsoft Project.