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Most buyers should pick GanttProject.
Choose GanttProject if you need free, offline desktop scheduling and can work without priced-in cloud collaboration: its optional Cloud service has no published price. Choose Smartsheet if your team needs shared project and portfolio visibility, resource planning, intake workflows, and a broader work platform. Smartsheet Pro starts at $9 per member monthly with annual billing, or $12 monthly. In short: GanttProject fits no-cost offline use; Smartsheet fits coordinated teams with budget.
01Side by side
| GanttProject | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free desktop app; Cloud pricing is not published | $9/member/month, billed annually (Pro) |
| Free plan | Yes; desktop app is free | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Small teams needing offline project scheduling | Organizations coordinating projects and portfolios |
| Core strength | Offline Gantt charts, scheduling, resources, and costs | Connected project, portfolio, and resource planning |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Reads MPX, MPP, XML/MSPDI; exports XML/MSPDI | Connects workflows and brings work from other apps |
| Team/seat costs (per member/month) | Desktop has no subscription fee; Cloud price unpublished | Pro: $9 annual, $12 monthly; Business: $19 annual, $24 monthly |
| Support | Support details not published | Premium Support listed; availability and price not published |
GanttProject Choose GanttProject if
- Choose GanttProject if free offline desktop scheduling is your priority.
- Choose GanttProject if you need Gantt charts and resource allocation.
- Choose GanttProject if MPX, MPP, or XML/MSPDI file support matters.
Smartsheet Choose Smartsheet if
- Choose Smartsheet if you need shared project and portfolio visibility.
- Choose Smartsheet if your team needs resource and capacity planning.
- Choose Smartsheet if intake workflows and approvals are priorities.
02Pricing compared
GanttProject’s desktop app is free, with no charge listed for offline scheduling on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Its optional Cloud service is pay-as-you-go, has no monthly subscription, and has no published price. That makes the desktop cost clear, but not the cost of collaboration.
Smartsheet has no free plan. According to its pricing page, Pro costs $9 per member per month with annual billing or $12 with monthly billing. Business costs $19 annually or $24 monthly per member, and requires at least three members. Enterprise and Advanced Work Management have custom pricing. Add-ons can raise the bill: Dynamic View starts at $125 per month and Data Shuttle at $100 per month for Business and Enterprise. Compare the paid Smartsheet plan and any required add-ons against a Cloud quote, not just GanttProject’s free desktop app.
03Features and depth
GanttProject covers core scheduling needs: task planning, Gantt timelines, resource allocation, and cost management. Its desktop app runs offline, and project data stays on your computer. It reads MPX, MPP, and XML/MSPDI files and exports to XML/MSPDI. Teams can use its optional Cloud service to share schedules and co-edit, but the service’s price is not published.
Smartsheet’s feature set reaches beyond schedule planning. Its listed capabilities include project and portfolio visibility, dashboards, resource and capacity planning, workload balancing, milestone and dependency tracking, and intake and approval workflows. It also describes AI work intelligence and client delivery tools. The fit is different: GanttProject centers on schedules and local files; Smartsheet is positioned as a broader work platform for coordinating people, plans, and portfolios. The published details do not establish that every Smartsheet feature is included in its lowest-priced plan, so check plan availability before comparing feature lists.
04Ease of use and learning curve
GanttProject’s offline desktop setup is a narrower starting point: install it on Windows, macOS, or Linux and plan schedules locally. Its feature list focuses on tasks, timelines, resources, and costs. Teams that need shared editing must also consider the separate Cloud service, whose price is not published.
Smartsheet covers more kinds of work, including portfolios, resource planning, intake, and client collaboration. That breadth may mean more decisions about plans and workflows than a team needs for basic scheduling. Its plan limits also matter: Pro allows 1–10 members, while Business requires at least three. The available materials do not provide enough detail to rank either product’s interface or learning curve, so choose by scope and collaboration needs rather than assuming one is easier.
Questions people ask
Is Smartsheet better than MS Project?
The published details do not establish which is better overall. GanttProject, not Smartsheet, is specifically listed as reading MPX, MPP, and XML/MSPDI files. Smartsheet’s listed strengths are project and portfolio visibility, resource planning, and connected workflows. Compare the features and file needs your team relies on.
Is GanttProject trustworthy?
The published product details say the desktop app runs offline and keeps project data on your computer. They do not provide an independent security assessment or enough information to judge the Cloud service’s security. If trust is your concern, review the product’s current security and privacy documentation before moving project data.
Can Smartsheet create a Gantt chart?
The published Smartsheet details list milestone and dependency tracking, but do not specify a Gantt chart view. We can’t confirm that feature from these materials alone. Check Smartsheet’s current product documentation or plan details if a Gantt view is a requirement.
What is a good replacement for Smartsheet?
GanttProject may suit teams replacing Smartsheet for free, offline scheduling on Windows, macOS, or Linux. It is not a like-for-like replacement for Smartsheet’s listed portfolio, resource-planning, and intake capabilities. Its optional Cloud collaboration service has no published price, so confirm that cost before switching.