Best Gantt chart software 2021

The best Gantt chart software makes it simpler and easier to manage more complex projects.

Gantt chart software can be a powerful weapon in a project manager’s toolset. A Gantt chart provides a macro view of a project’s timeline and schedule, as well as the progress and team member assignment of each task. It also shows the interdependence of each task (i.e., whether tasks A and B must be completed before task C can begin).

With a Gantt chart, you can get a high-level view of a complex project, spot potential bottlenecks in a timeline of tasks, and see how adjustments affect the timeline and budget. 

Gantt charts are just one part of a complete project planning suite. For our opinion on the best tools to organize teams and tasks overall, see our complete list of the best project management software. Some of these tools, like Trello, have Gantt chart plugins, though Gantt charts aren’t their central focus. 

In this article, we look at the best Gantt chart software options for making and editing Gantt charts for any project, big and small.

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Instagantt is a feature-rich, powerful Gantt chart tool with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Tasks can easily be split into subtasks, and a workload management tool lets you balance a project across your team. 

Instagantt is available as a standalone Gantt chart maker or as a plugin for one of our favorite project management tools, Asana. A seven-day free trial is available.

Additional project views, like Board and Kanban, can help your team brainstorm creative projects, and the reporting tools show you where a project might become delayed. 

Even if you don’t use Asana as your main project management software, Instagantt’s advanced tools are incredibly useful, making it a superb choice for any complex project.

Smartsheet is a web-based spreadsheet and Gantt chart app used by companies like Cisco and Hilton. While it doesn’t break any molds, it’s a tried-and-tested, professional project management tool that’s best suited for corporate planning rather than creatively driven projects.

Smartsheet comes in four pricing plan levels. The Individual plan includes support for up to 10 charts and five dashboards, as well as alerts, reminders, automation, and templates. App integration for Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, and Microsoft Teams is included. 

The Business plan allows for 100 charts per user. You also get unlimited reports and dashboards, resource management tracking, an activity log, group management, and integration support for ODBC, Skype for Business, Quip, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and Adobe Creative Cloud.

The Enterprise and Premier plans have features like unlimited Gantt charts and Salesforce integration, but you need to contact Smartsheet for the pricing details. 

The tutorials, training, product certification, and support request portals are all excellent. Also, Smartsheet feels like a more modern version of Microsoft Project, so if you’ve used Project or Excel for project management in the past, you’ll hit the ground running with Smartsheet. 

• Read our full Smartsheet review.

As the most well-known Gantt chart software in the corporate world, Microsoft Project gets points for familiarity and decades of usage. But it’s not the most user-friendly choice on our list and can be expensive for large teams.

Microsoft Project is available as a cloud-based or on-premise solution, offering versions that are browser-based only. The basic plan is browser based only, whereas the mid-range plan has a downloadable desktop client. The top tier plan includes support for demand management. 

A Microsoft 365 subscription includes access to Microsoft Project online, along with other Microsoft Office productivity tools, such as Word and PowerPoint.

That said, Microsoft Project is an excellent project management tool for experienced Gantt chart users, and its project cost projection features are some of the best in the business.

• Read our full Microsoft Project review.

Easy and intuitive to use, TeamGantt is free for teams of up to three people working on a single project. The Standard and Advanced pricing plans are both based on the number of users. The main difference between the two is that the Standard plan is focused on projects, while the Advanced plan includes time tracking and hourly estimates.

TeamGantt has apps for iOS and Android and can sync with Trello, Slack, Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook. While this is fine for most small businesses, it lags behind the integrations available in more established options, such as Smartsheet.

The competitively priced ProofHub is a Gantt chart tool for small businesses that aims for simplicity while including major features such as task management tools, time tracking, notifications, file sharing, reports, and in-app chat.

Both of ProofHub’s plans allow for unlimited users. The Essential plan allows for 40 projects and file storage up to 15 GB. The Ultimate plan starts allows for unlimited projects, and includes extra features like API support, custom roles, advanced activity logs, data export, and priority support. 

ProofHub offers adequate tools for project management without breaking the bank, making it a top choice for small and growing businesses.

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