European Alternatives to Microsoft Project
Looking for a European alternative to Microsoft Project? Microsoft Project is sold by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington, and Microsoft has announced that the cloud service Project Online retires in September 2026, which forces every Project Online customer to choose a new tool anyway.
Eleven European tools cover Gantt planning, resource planning and portfolio work, from companies in Germany, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Ireland and France. They range from an open-source suite to a portfolio tool built to replace Project Online.
How we rank these tools — 4-step process
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1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and processes customer data in Europe. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
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2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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3
Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
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4
Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. It never buys a good review: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. Editorial policy
11 European Alternatives to Microsoft Project
OpenProject
Open-source project suite from Berlin with Gantt in every edition and a free Community edition
Easy8
Redmine-based Gantt, WBS and resource management from Prague, from €6.90 a user a month
Meisterplan
Portfolio and resource capacity planning from itdesign in Tübingen, pitched as a Project Online replacement
Zenkit
Karlsruhe work platform with Gantt from the €8 plan and servers in Germany
Planio
Berlin-hosted Redmine with Gantt, issue tracking and a 30-day trial, from €19 a month
Ganttic
Resource planner from Tartu with a permanent free plan for up to 10 resources
Stackfield
Munich collaboration suite with Gantt from €9 a user, hosted in Germany with end-to-end encryption
awork
Hamburg project and time tracking tool for agencies, from €5 a user a month, data in Germany
MeisterTask
Task boards with a free plan; Gantt timeline views come with the €24 Business plan
Teamwork.com
Cork-based project and resource planning for client work, contracted under Irish law
Wimi
Paris collaboration suite with tasks, Gantt and workspaces, Wimi Projects at €12 a user a month
Key takeaways
- Microsoft says Project Online retires in September 2026, so many teams have to choose a replacement now.
- OpenProject (Berlin) is open source, has a free Community edition and Gantt charts in every edition, with published Enterprise prices from €5.95 a user a month.
- Meisterplan (Tübingen) is built for portfolio and resource capacity planning and has a page about replacing Project Online, but it publishes no prices.
- Easy8 (Prague) lists Gantt, WBS and resource management from €6.90 a user a month, and the contracting company can be Czech, British or American.
- Ganttic (Tartu) has a permanent free plan for up to 10 resources; Zenkit, Stackfield and MeisterTask add Gantt at €8, €9 and €24 a user.
Why people leave Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is the planning tool most project managers learned first. It builds a schedule from tasks, durations and dependencies, draws it as a Gantt chart, and since the move to the cloud it comes as Project Plan 1, Plan 3 and Plan 5, with a desktop app from Plan 3 up, plus Project for the web and Project Online. It fits large, formal projects with resource levelling and baselines better than lightweight task boards do.
The cloud side is changing. Microsoft's own service description for Project Online carries the note "Microsoft Project Online will be retired in September 2026", and its guidance points customers to Planner and Project Plans instead. Whatever you decide, anyone still on Project Online has to move something, and this is a natural moment to look at what else exists.
The tools on this page are European planners with real Gantt or portfolio features, not task boards that happen to have a timeline. Eleven qualify, from an open-source suite to a portfolio tool that markets itself as a Project Online replacement. We could not read Microsoft's current Project prices or its business contract terms, so this page makes no claim about either.
- Project Online is being retired, so a move is coming anyway Microsoft has said Project Online retires in September 2026. Customers who relied on its portfolio and resource features are told to look at Planner and Project Plans, which is a different product with different strengths. If a migration is unavoidable, comparing European tools costs little extra and may fit your size better.
- You may not need the whole Microsoft stack Project plans sit inside the Microsoft 365 licensing and admin model. A team that only needs Gantt planning and resource capacity can often get that from a stand-alone tool such as Ganttic or OpenProject, and pay per user for just that. The trade-off is losing the tight link to Teams, Outlook and Excel.
- Several European options publish their prices and offer a free way in OpenProject has a free Community edition and lists Basic, Professional and Premium prices. Easy8, Stackfield, Zenkit and MeisterTask list prices per user, and Ganttic has a free plan for up to 10 resources. For Gantt-heavy work that is a lower barrier than a subscription decision inside a larger licence.
- Contracts and hosting can sit in Europe The companies here are registered in Germany, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Ireland and France, and several (Stackfield, awork, Zenkit) say their servers are in Germany. Check the detail for your own case: the contracting entity, the governing law and the data location are different questions, and a few tools below are listed with the parts we could not verify.
What you have to replace, not just match
Write down which Project features you really use: dependencies between tasks, baselines, resource levelling, cost tracking, or a portfolio view across many projects. A simple timeline is available almost everywhere. Baselines, what-if planning and cost-to-resource rollups are not, and they decide the shortlist. Meisterplan, Easy8 and OpenProject go deepest here.
Export your schedules before you switch. Project files are usually moved by exporting to Excel or CSV and importing into the new tool, and dependencies and calendars rarely survive a round trip untouched. Re-create one live project first, compare its dates against the original, and run both tools side by side for a cycle before you retire the old plan.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | OpenProject | Berlin, Germany | Free Community Edition / Cloud from about €5.95/user/month | EU (Germany) |
| #2 | Easy8 | Prague, Czech Republic | Cloud, billed annually per user per month: Essentials €6.90, Business €13.90, Platform €25.90; Enterprise on request (custom SLA, managed server, private cloud); minimum 10 user licences for cloud, 25 for on-premises | EU (Czech Republic) |
| #3 | Meisterplan | Tübingen, Germany | Priced by number of resources scheduled, unlimited free users; custom quote by resource count (contact sales); 30-day free trial | EU (Germany) |
| #4 | Zenkit | Karlsruhe, Germany | Free plan / from about €9/user/month | EU (Germany) |
| #5 | Planio | Berlin, Germany | Free for 2 users / $25 per month for 5, $59 for 10, $125 for 20 | EU (Germany) |
| #6 | Ganttic | Tartu, Estonia | Free for up to 10 resources with unlimited free users; paid PRO plans priced by resource count, no published rate card; custom packages for 1,500+ resources | EU (Estonia) |
| #7 | Stackfield | Munich, Germany | From €4.99 per user per month | EU (Germany) |
| #8 | awork | Hamburg, Germany | From €5/user/month billed annually (€8 monthly), Standard €12, Professional €22 | EU (Germany) |
| #9 | MeisterTask | Munich area, Germany | Free tier / from about €6.50/user/month | EU (Germany) |
| #10 | Teamwork.com | Cork, Ireland | Free up to 5 users / $9.99/user/month (Basics) / $24.99 (Accelerate), billed yearly | EU (Ireland) |
| #11 | Wimi | Paris, France | Wimi Communauté €3/user/month, Drive €9, Projets €12, Suite €15 (SME tiers); Enterprise tiers from 50 users; 14-day free trial | EU (France) |
How each alternative compares to Microsoft Project
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany (EU) or self-hosted.
- Source code. Open source, where Microsoft Project is not: you can read what it does rather than take the description on trust.
Best for: Teams that want Gantt, work packages and agile boards, with the option to run it themselves
OpenProject is provided by OpenProject GmbH in Berlin (Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, HRB 117935 B). Its terms of service are under German law with Berlin as the exclusive venue, though OpenProject may also sue at the customer's own place of jurisdiction.
Its pricing page lists a free Community edition and Enterprise plans at €5.95 (Basic), €10.95 (Professional) and €15.95 (Premium) per user per month, with minimums of 25, 25 and 100 users. All editions include Gantt charts, work packages, dashboards and agile boards, and the Enterprise tiers add portfolio management, resource planning and single sign-on. It offers a 14-day trial.
It can run as a cloud service or be installed on your own infrastructure. The pricing page did not state data centre locations.
What OpenProject does better than Microsoft Project
- Free open-source edition with Gantt, where Microsoft Project is a paid subscription
- Can be installed on your own servers
- Prices published for every Enterprise plan
- German company under German law with a Berlin venue
Where OpenProject is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Enterprise plans carry a 25-user minimum, which suits small teams less well
- No Microsoft 365 integration as tight as Project's
- Resource planning and portfolios sit in paid tiers
- Data centre location is not stated on the pricing page
Standout against Microsoft Project. It is the only tool here you can run yourself under an open-source licence and still get Gantt charts.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Czech Republic). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Cloud hosted on Easy8 servers across 20+ locations with a choice of region; separate EU Sovereign Cloud offering on EU data centres (partners named include OVHcloud and Hetzner) run by EU legal entities; on-premises and private cloud available.
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. Describes its EU Sovereign Cloud infrastructure as ISO 27001-compliant.
Best for: Teams that want Gantt, WBS and cost tracking in one product, in the cloud or on-premises
Easy8 is the new name of Easy Redmine and Easy Project. Its terms say the "Provider" is one of three companies: Easy8 s.r.o. in Prague (company number 26426269), Easy8 Software Ltd in London or Easy8 US LLC in Brooklyn. Which one signs depends on your agreement, so check before you buy.
Its pricing page lists Essentials at €6.90, Business at €13.90 and Platform at €25.90 per user per month on annual billing, with Enterprise on request. Each lists waterfall project management with Gantt and WBS, agile boards, resource management and project cost management, plus Easy8 AI.
It can run in the cloud or on-premises. The governing law could not be confirmed beyond a mention of Czech law in the force majeure clause.
What Easy8 does better than Microsoft Project
- Gantt, WBS, resource and cost management listed on every plan
- Prices published per user
- Cloud and on-premises options
- Names Microsoft Project among the alternatives it positions against
Where Easy8 is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Contracting entity can be Czech, British or American, which is less clear-cut
- Governing law not confirmed
- Built on Redmine, so the interface is less familiar to Office users
- Add-ons beyond the plan price are listed on the page
Standout against Microsoft Project. Waterfall planning with Gantt and cost management is on every plan, from €6.90 a user.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27018:2019, TISAX, Software Made in Germany.
Best for: PMOs that plan many projects against limited resources
Meisterplan is a product of itdesign GmbH in Tübingen (Amtsgericht Stuttgart, HRB 382021), which also has a US company, Meisterplan USA Inc., in Seattle. Its trust centre says it was certified as "Software Made in Germany" in January 2024.
The site is about project portfolio management, resource capacity planning, goals and prioritisation, what-if scenario planning and reporting, and it has a page for teams replacing MS Project Online. Users are free and unlimited, and the price depends on the number of resources.
The pricing page showed no amounts and we did not read its terms, so no price and no governing law is given. Check which of its two companies contracts with you.
What Meisterplan does better than Microsoft Project
- Built for portfolio and capacity planning across many projects
- What-if scenario planning for resource decisions
- Dedicated material for teams leaving Project Online
- Unlimited free users, priced by resource
Where Meisterplan is a step down from Microsoft Project
- No prices published on the pricing page
- Governing law and contracting entity not verified
- Less suited to detailed task scheduling for one project
- A US company also exists in the group
Standout against Microsoft Project. It treats portfolio and resource capacity as the main job, which is where Project Online customers feel the gap most.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany (EU).
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: Small and mid-sized teams that want Gantt, Kanban and a calendar over the same data
Zenkit belongs to Axonic GmbH, Kaiserstraße 241 in Karlsruhe (Amtsgericht Mannheim, HRB 110424). Its legal notice sends disputes to the courts of Baden-Württemberg, and its terms say its servers are in Germany. We did not confirm the governing law in the terms.
The pricing page lists Plus at €8, Team at €12 and Business at €21 per seat per month on annual billing. Gantt chart is listed from Plus, with an advanced Gantt on Business, and Business adds API access, SSO, SCIM and an activity audit.
Plus is limited to 10 users. It is a general work platform, not a scheduling specialist, so resource levelling is thinner than in Project.
What Zenkit does better than Microsoft Project
- Gantt from the €8 plan
- Servers in Germany per its terms
- Kanban, calendar and Gantt over one data set
- Advanced Gantt, SSO and SCIM on Business at €21
Where Zenkit is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Plus is capped at 10 users
- Less depth in resource levelling than Project
- Governing law not confirmed
- A general platform, so project-specific features are lighter
Standout against Microsoft Project. Gantt is on every paid plan, starting at €8 a seat.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany, in an ISO 27001 data centre in the Vogtland region with backups in Frankfurt.
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. ISO/IEC 27001:2013 data centre.
Best for: Small teams that want issue tracking and Gantt without running Redmine themselves
Planio is provided by Planio GmbH, Lenbachstraße 7 in Berlin (Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, HRB 130617 B). Its terms apply German law with Berlin as the place of jurisdiction.
It hosts Redmine and adds a help desk, file storage and team chat. Its homepage says you can use milestones or the Gantt chart for classic project management. The pricing page lists Silver at €19, Gold at €49, Diamond at €95 and Platinum at €199 a month, with VAT possibly applying, and a free trial of 30 days with no credit card.
Plans are limited by active projects and users rather than priced per user: Silver gives 3 projects and 5 users, Platinum 40 and 45. We did not find a hosting location on the pages we read.
What Planio does better than Microsoft Project
- 30-day trial without a credit card
- Published monthly plan prices
- Gantt and milestones on top of issue tracking
- German company under German law
Where Planio is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Plans cap active projects and users
- Redmine interface looks dated next to Microsoft Project
- Resource management is not a headline feature
- Hosting location not confirmed
Standout against Microsoft Project. It is a plain, flat-priced Redmine host with a Gantt chart and a 30-day trial.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Estonia). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. AWS, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. GDPR compliant; hosted on AWS (ISO/IEC 27001:2013, ISO 9001:2015).
Best for: Small teams that mostly need to schedule people, equipment or rooms on a timeline
Ganttic is provided by GANTTIC OÜ, Vallikraavi 2, Tartu, Estonia. Its terms say use of the site and any dispute are subject to the laws of Estonia. We did not look up the Estonian registry code.
Its pricing page offers a 14-day trial with unlimited resources and users and a permanent free plan for up to 10 resources with all features except API access. Pricing is by the number of resources you plan, and unlimited users can be invited. The price table is rendered in the browser, so no amount is given here.
It is a resource and schedule planner rather than a full project suite. It plans people, equipment, vehicles and rooms, not task-level work breakdown.
What Ganttic does better than Microsoft Project
- Permanent free plan for up to 10 resources
- Unlimited users on every plan
- Estonian company under Estonian law
- Plans equipment and rooms as well as people
Where Ganttic is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Prices could not be read from the page
- Not a task and dependency scheduler like Project
- Free plan has no API access
- Fewer project management features overall
Standout against Microsoft Project. A free resource planner for up to 10 resources, with unlimited users.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany (EU).
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. GDPR, end-to-end encryption.
Best for: Organisations with sensitive data that want Gantt and tasks in one secure tool
Stackfield GmbH is at Maximiliansplatz 17 in Munich (Amtsgericht München, HRB 199536). Its terms apply German law unless mandatory national law says otherwise, and name Munich as the venue for merchants.
The pricing page lists Starter at €9, Business at €14, Premium at €18 and Enterprise at €28 per user per month on annual billing, with lists, Kanban and Gantt on every plan. Starter is limited to 3 rooms and 10 users, and Premium adds project portfolios, PERT charts and whiteboards. Its homepage says servers are in Germany with end-to-end encryption and ISO 27001.
It is a team collaboration suite first, so scheduling depth is below a dedicated planner.
What Stackfield does better than Microsoft Project
- End-to-end encryption, with servers in Germany
- Gantt on every plan, from €9
- Project portfolios and PERT charts on Premium
- German law with a Munich venue
Where Stackfield is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Starter is limited to 3 rooms and 10 users
- Less resource planning than Project or Meisterplan
- Chat and rooms add noise if you only want a schedule
- Fewer integrations than Microsoft 365
Standout against Microsoft Project. Gantt, tasks and chat are encrypted in the browser and stored in Germany.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany, on Microsoft infrastructure.
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. ISO 27001.
Best for: Agencies and service teams that plan capacity and track time in one tool
awork GmbH is at Großer Burstah 36/38 in Hamburg (registry court Hamburg, number 172 488). Its homepage says all data is hosted on ISO 27001-certified Microsoft servers in Germany. We did not open its terms, so no governing law is given.
The pricing page lists Basic at €5, Standard at €9 and Professional at €15 per user per month on annual billing, excluding VAT, with a free trial. Capacity planning starts at Standard, and time tracking settings and reports come on Professional.
It is designed for agencies, as its homepage says, so it centres on projects, tasks, time and capacity rather than long Gantt schedules.
What awork does better than Microsoft Project
- Data hosted in Germany by its own statement
- Time tracking and capacity planning in one tool
- Low entry price at €5
- German company with a public register entry
Where awork is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Not a classic Gantt-and-dependencies scheduler
- Built for agencies, less for engineering or construction projects
- Governing law not checked
- Capacity planning needs the Standard plan
Standout against Microsoft Project. Capacity planning and time tracking sit together at a low per-user price.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany (Frankfurt).
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA.
Best for: Teams that already work in Kanban and occasionally need a timeline
MeisterTask is provided by MeisterLabs GmbH in Vaterstetten (Amtsgericht München, HRB 161267). Its terms apply German law and name Munich as the venue for merchants.
The pricing page lists a Free plan with unlimited tasks and up to 3 projects, Pro at €12.50 and Business at €24 per user per month. Timeline views, which visualise tasks and projects as Gantt charts, and team overview come with Business.
It is a task board first. It does not offer baselines or resource levelling in the way Project does.
What MeisterTask does better than Microsoft Project
- Free plan with unlimited tasks
- Easy for non-specialists to pick up
- German company under German law
- Gantt-style timelines without a heavy tool
Where MeisterTask is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Gantt only from the €24 Business plan
- No baselines or resource levelling
- Free plan has 3 projects
- Better for flow than for formal scheduling
Standout against Microsoft Project. A familiar Kanban board that grows a Gantt timeline on the top plan.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Ireland). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. AWS, in both US and EU regions.
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type 2.
Best for: Agencies and professional services firms that plan projects and billable resources together
Teamwork.com's terms name an address at Campus 1 Park House, Blackpool, Cork, Ireland, and apply Irish law. Ireland is inside the EU.
Its pricing page lists plans and a free trial, but the amounts did not appear in the page text we read, so no price is given. The site presents the product as project and resource planning for client work, with a comparison section against other tools.
It is aimed at agencies and service firms. We did not verify its Gantt features on a page we opened.
What Teamwork.com does better than Microsoft Project
- Irish company under Irish law, inside the EU
- Focus on client work and resource planning
- Free trial offered
- Mature product with a long track record
Where Teamwork.com is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Prices not readable on the page
- Aimed at agencies, not engineering schedules
- Gantt depth not verified
- A smaller fit for formal portfolio governance
Standout against Microsoft Project. It frames project planning around client work and the resources behind it.
- Which law reaches it. EU (France). Microsoft Project is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. France, on Wimi-owned data centres (SecNumCloud-certified).
- Source code. Closed source, as Microsoft Project is.
- Independently checked. SecNumCloud SaaS 3.2, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, HDS, NIS2, eIDAS.
Best for: French and francophone teams that want workspaces, files and a Gantt in one suite
Wimi's website is published by Cloud Solutions SAS, 23 rue d'Anjou in Paris (RCS Paris 528 893 522). We could not read its terms of use, so no governing law is given.
The pricing page lists Community at €3, Drive at €9 and Projects at €12 per user per month, plus a Suite tier. Its feature list includes workspaces, tasks and Gantt, chat, video calls, a calendar and a drive with co-editing, and it offers optional sovereign mailboxes.
It is a collaboration suite, so Gantt is one feature among many rather than a specialist scheduler.
What Wimi does better than Microsoft Project
- Workspaces, files, chat and Gantt in one suite
- French company with a public RCS entry
- Prices published per user
- Optional sovereign mailboxes
Where Wimi is a step down from Microsoft Project
- Gantt is one feature among many
- No resource levelling or baselines listed
- Governing law could not be checked
- A French-first product, with English as a second language
Standout against Microsoft Project. A sovereign-minded French suite where Gantt is one tool beside files and chat.
What actually breaks when you switch
Schedules do not transfer cleanly. Dependencies, calendars, baselines and resource assignments are the first things to break in an export, so migrate one live project and compare its dates before you move the rest.
Microsoft Project users often rely on Excel and Teams around the plan. Several tools here have no equivalent of that link, so decide which integrations you cannot do without before you pick one.
Price pages differ in what they show. Meisterplan, Ganttic and Teamwork.com showed no amounts to us, OpenProject has user minimums on Enterprise plans, and Easy8 can contract through a Czech, British or American company, so ask before you sign.
Which of these is closest to Microsoft Project?
For formal scheduling, OpenProject and Easy8 come closest: both offer Gantt charts with task dependencies, work breakdown structures and resource planning, and both can run in the cloud or on your own server. For portfolio and capacity planning across many projects, Meisterplan is the specialist.
None reads Microsoft Project files natively, so plan to export and re-import your schedules rather than open them directly.
Which have a free plan or a free edition?
OpenProject has a free open-source Community edition, Ganttic has a permanent free plan for up to 10 resources, and MeisterTask has a Free plan with up to three projects but no Gantt. Planio has a 30-day trial without a credit card, and OpenProject and Ganttic offer 14-day trials of their paid editions.
Free tiers rarely include the planning features you would replace Project for. Check which edition unlocks the Gantt and resource views before you commit.
Which are suitable for portfolio and resource planning, not only a single project?
Meisterplan is built around portfolio and capacity planning, with what-if scenarios. Ganttic is a resource planner for people, equipment and rooms. OpenProject lists portfolio management and resource planning in its Enterprise tiers, and Easy8 lists resource management and project cost management. Stackfield offers project portfolios on Premium.
Teamwork.com and awork lean towards agency and client work with time tracking and capacity views rather than long-range portfolios.
Where is my data kept?
Stackfield says its servers are in Germany, awork says all data is hosted on ISO 27001-certified Microsoft servers in Germany, and Zenkit's terms say its servers are in Germany. OpenProject can be installed on your own infrastructure, which gives you full control. For the rest we did not verify a hosting location, so ask before you sign.
Which one to pick
If you want a Gantt-capable tool you can try free and even host yourself, OpenProject is the strongest starting point. If waterfall planning with cost and resource management is the job, look at Easy8, and if you plan a whole portfolio against limited people, Meisterplan is built for it.
For small teams, Ganttic gives a free resource planner, Planio gives a hosted Redmine with a trial, and Zenkit, Stackfield and MeisterTask add Gantt at modest prices inside wider task and collaboration tools. awork, Teamwork.com and Wimi fit agencies and service teams better than engineering schedules.
Be realistic. Microsoft Project is deeper in baselines, resource levelling and Office integration than most of these, and none of the eleven opens its files directly. If those depth features are essential, keep it for those schedules. If Project Online is being retired under you, this is a good time to look at what else fits.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the job. OpenProject suits a team that wants a Gantt-capable, open-source tool with the option to self-host. Meisterplan suits a PMO that manages many projects against limited resources. Easy8 suits teams that want waterfall planning with resource and cost management in one product. There is no single best choice without knowing your size and needs.
Yes. Microsoft's service description for Project Online states that it will be retired in September 2026. Project desktop and Planner are separate products, and Microsoft points customers to Planner and Project Plans.
We could not read Microsoft's current Project price list from its own pages, so no figure is given here. Microsoft sells Project Plan 1, Plan 3 and Plan 5, and the desktop app is part of Plans 3 and 5. Check the vendor's pricing page for current per-user amounts, which vary by region and billing terms.
OpenProject Community is free. Enterprise lists Basic at €5.95, Professional at €10.95 and Premium at €15.95 per user per month, with minimums of 25, 25 and 100 users, and Corporate on request. Easy8 lists Essentials at €6.90, Business at €13.90 and Platform at €25.90 per user per month on annual billing, with Enterprise on request.
Zenkit lists Plus at €8, Team at €12 and Business at €21 per seat per month on annual billing, and Gantt starts at Plus. Stackfield lists Starter at €9, Business at €14, Premium at €18 and Enterprise at €28 per user per month on annual billing. MeisterTask lists Free, Pro at €12.50 and Business at €24 per user per month, with Gantt views on Business.
Planio lists Silver at €19, Gold at €49, Diamond at €95 and Platinum at €199 a month, with the plans limited by active projects and users, and a 30-day trial with no credit card. awork lists Basic at €5, Standard at €9 and Professional at €15 per user per month on annual billing, excluding VAT.
Not directly as a rule. Plan on exporting your schedule to Excel or CSV and importing it, then rebuilding dependencies, calendars and baselines where the tool does not carry them over. Test with one real project before you migrate the rest.
Yes. Easy8's own website says Easy Redmine and Easy Project are now Easy8, with the same platform, data and team. It also lists "MS Project" under alternatives it positions itself against.
OpenProject GmbH is in Berlin, Planio GmbH in Berlin, Meisterplan is a product of itdesign GmbH in Tübingen, Zenkit belongs to Axonic GmbH in Karlsruhe, Stackfield GmbH is in Munich, awork GmbH in Hamburg, MeisterLabs GmbH (MeisterTask) in Vaterstetten, Ganttic OÜ in Tartu, Estonia, Teamwork.com in Cork, Ireland, and Wimi's publisher Cloud Solutions SAS in Paris. Easy8 s.r.o. in Prague is one of three Easy8 companies, so check which one signs your contract.
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