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A Gantt chart is a useful project management tool that offers users a visual overview of tasks, deadlines and assignees in a timeline format. While some platforms specialize in Gantt charts as the main part of their project management suite, other software providers offer a wider range of views and formats you may find beneficial.

Finding the best software will mean considering the price you’re willing to pay, the number of users you have and the complexity of the projects you’re managing. We’ve tried and tested the biggest Gantt chart software platforms available to give you an idea of which one might be best for you and your team.

Best Gantt chart software

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Best Gantt chart comparison

 DependenciesMultiple viewsTime tracking24/7 customer service
ClickUp
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Trello
No
Yes
Yes
No
Teamwork
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Zoho Projects
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
GanttPRO
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Jira
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Notion
Yes
Yes
No
No
Instagantt
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Smartsheet
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Monday
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Methodology

We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.

We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the best Gantt chart software of 2024.

When choosing the best Gantt chart software, there are a few features you will want to focus on, including DYNAMIC Gantt charts, role assignment tools, timelines, roadmapping and dependencies. You will also want to consider the software’s ability to track milestones and expenses, use billing and invoicing tools, create client access and support software integrations.

Budgeting is also important, especially for small businesses. When choosing a Gantt chart software, you will want to make sure a company offers plans within your budget that also offer the features you will need.

What is Gantt chart software and how does it work?

Gantt chart software is a project management tool used by individuals and businesses to track and organize tasks. Users can view projects in a visual timeline format, with horizontal bars indicating task progress, start dates and due dates. Many also let you see assigned team members, sub-tasks and dependencies. 

Depending on the software you use, it may even update automatically if synced with a third-party integration like Jira.

Benefits of Gantt chart software

Gantt charts are a useful part of any project manager’s toolkit, as they offer a number of benefits:

  • Visualization: Gantt charts let you easily visualize your entire project, from tasks and assignees to deadlines and objectives. However, the horizontal scroll aspect isn’t always ideal for projects extending over long periods of time — and it can mean producing paper copies is difficult. This is why it’s important to look for software that offers other view options, such as Kanban boards and calendars.
  • Efficiency: A centralized hub with clearly outlined deadlines and dependencies can help boost efficiency as less time is spent organizing and adjusting. Keep in mind that these features can quickly become complicated for more complex projects with a high number of dependencies or agile work methods.
  • Real-time progress tracking: Gantt charts also allow team members, project managers and stakeholders to view real-time progress against objectives and take action when necessary to prevent or solve bottlenecks.
  • Flexibility: Good Gantt chart software makes it easy to adjust project workflows when necessary without major upheaval in organization and tracking.
  • Automation: Some Gantt chart software even allows you to integrate third-party apps that can sync and automate updates, improving efficiency even more.

Who uses Gantt chart software?

Gantt chart software can benefit anyone with multiple tasks to complete. This ranges from individuals with a lengthy to-do list to teams and businesses of any industry working on projects with several sub-tasks and assignees. However, the real plus is that Gantt charts can be used in different ways depending on what you need to see:

  • Project managers, in particular, can plan and track tasks and assign them to team members.
  • Team members can view their own tasks and stay on top of deadlines. 
  • Stakeholders can get a broad view on progress against overall objectives.
  • Freelancers can organize their own projects and view their deadlines at a glance.

How to choose the best Gantt chart software

Choosing the best Gantt chart software will mean considering your own specific requirements, from the features you might need to the cost you’re willing to pay. Remember, it’s also important to consider how easy the software is to use and the level of customer support available should things go wrong.

It’s worth considering that many project management platforms offer Gantt charts as part of a variety of views and formats, while others may specialize in the Gantt format only. If you might benefit from Gantt charts as well as things like Kanban boards and calendar views, you should look for a more well-rounded project management tool.

Key features to look for

Gantt chart software can vary in terms of the features on offer, as more basic options might not offer the same functionality as more advanced platforms. Bearing in mind how you’ll be using the software, try to look for a Gantt chart platform with the following features:

  • Task assignment: You should be able to assign tasks and sub-tasks to one or multiple team members and, if possible, get a view on resource allocation.
  • Progress tracking: The software should allow you to view task progress, often in a progress bar as a percentage, against overall objectives and deadlines.
  • Dependencies: For complex projects, you should be able to set dependencies so it’s clear how different tasks relate to each other. Dependencies work in four ways — start-to-start, start-to-finish, finish-to-start and finish-to-finish.
  • Multiple views: While Gantt charts are useful in a number of scenarios, they do have weak points. So, having the option of other views like Kanban boards, calendars, lists, galleries or tables can be an extra advantage.
  • Integrations: If you have other software that is important or critical to your work, it can be worth looking for a platform that integrates seamlessly to keep everything aligned. Gantt chart software and other project management tools often integrate with apps for functionalities like development, design and accounting. 
  • Notifications: You should be able to receive alerts and notifications for approaching or past deadlines, project completions, comments and other updates.
  • Export: Finally, it can be useful to export the contents of your Gantt chart in a digestible and compressed format so you can share it with colleagues or people outside of your network.

UX and ease of use

Gantt chart software can be fairly basic with limited functionality, enough for an individual or small team to monitor the progress of simple projects. But it can also be fairly advanced, with features designed to manage and organize complex projects with dependencies and critical paths. If you only have basic needs, you’re unlikely to benefit from advanced Gantt chart software, so keep this in mind when exploring your options. 

In addition to this, generally speaking you should look for software with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, color coding, field customization and automation capabilities to make it easier to get to know the program. 

Customer service

Project management tools like Gantt charts are often crucial to a team’s productivity, so when something goes wrong, it’s vital to have good support on hand. Consider how you will be able to contact the customer service team — ideally, there will be at least one of either a live chat option or a phone option for quick access to help. Opening hours are another key factor — you should look for 24/7 availability where possible.

How much does Gantt Chart software cost?

 Free planLowest monthly planHighest monthly planCustom pricing
ClickUp
Yes
$10.00 per user
$19.00 per user
Yes
Trello
Yes
$6.00 per user
$10.00 per user
Yes
Teamwork
Yes
$8.99 per user
$25.99 per user
Yes
Zoho Projects
Yes
$5.00 per user
$10.00 per user
Yes
GanttPRO
No
$9.99 per user
$24.99 per user
Yes
Jira
Yes
$8.15 per user
$16.00 per user
Yes
Notion
Yes
$10.00 per user
$18.00 per user
Yes
Instagantt
No
$14
$30
No
Smartsheet
Yes
$9.00 per user
$32.00 per user
Yes
Monday
Yes
$12.00 per user
$24.00 per user
Yes

Gantt chart software comes at a range of price points, from free or freemium to paid plans and custom enterprise pricing. Often, Gantt Charts come as part of a set of project management tools — for example, platforms like Notion and Monday both offer a number of other ways to view and manage projects. Others might come as purely Gantt chart software with little other functionality.

If you’re an individual using the software for personal projects, then you’ll likely be fine with a free version or possibly a low price point option for freelancers and solo entrepreneurs. However, teams and businesses are likely to need more advanced collaboration features, which might only be available on upper-tier plans.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Gantt charts are used as a project management tool to visualize and plan projects, tasks and timelines in a digestible format.

You read a Gantt chart as a horizontal bar chart. The X-axis shows time, usually in days, weeks or months, and the Y-axis shows tasks and subtasks in each project. You’ll be able to see the start and end date for each task, as well as owners, workers, descriptions, milestones and overall progress. 

While Microsoft Excel doesn’t have a predefined Gantt chart functionality, you can manually create one through a table and a stacked bar chart to represent the data. You can also download free Gantt chart templates with a Microsoft 365 subscription. 

Asana doesn’t have a Gantt chart in its free plan, but it does have the view option in premium plans. You can also make your own Gantt chart through Asana’s Timeline View.

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Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Mehdi is a writer and editor with many years of personal finance expertise under his belt. He's a spirited money-saver, with a passion for making personal finance accessible and manageable. When he isn't writing, Mehdi likes to read about history and travel, hike along coastlines and in forests, and watch his beloved team Manchester United underperform.

Sierra Campbell is a small business editor for USA Today Blueprint. She specializes in writing, editing and fact-checking content centered around helping businesses. She has worked as a digital content and show producer for several local TV stations, an editor for U.S. News & World Report and a freelance writer and editor for many companies. Sierra prides herself in delivering accurate and up-to-date information to readers. Her expertise includes credit card processing companies, e-commerce platforms, payroll software, accounting software and virtual private networks (VPNs). She also owns Editing by Sierra, where she offers editing services to writers of all backgrounds, including self-published and traditionally published authors.