Scheduling tasks to meet deadlines, assign resources and estimate costs are fundamental to the planning phase in project management. One of the most important tools for project managers to accomplish this is project timeline software.

We review the best project timeline software, listing pros, cons, pricing and more to help customers make an informed decision. Use this guide to help find the right project timeline software for your projects.

What Is Project Timeline Software?

Project timeline software is designed to help project managers, teams and stakeholders visually plan, track and manage the project schedule. It provides a timeline view of tasks, milestones, deadlines, dependencies and progress to ensure projects stay on track and meet its objectives within the allotted time.

This type of software has many benefits. It visually displays project tasks over time, offering a clear view of the entire project. This allows stakeholders to easily track progress and for project managers to identify potential delays or issues before they become critical. It also improves team communication.

The software helps allocate resources, whether human or nonhuman, by allowing project managers to see who’s working on what, ensuring that no one is overburdened or underutilized. This also helps avoid resource bottlenecks. It can also help with risk management by identifying risks early. There’s also the benefit of using the tool to monitor progress.

What Features Make the Best Project Timeline Software?

Before reviewing project timeline software products, it makes sense to understand the key features they should have to be effective. The following is a list of those features that customers need to be aware of when looking for the right software.

• Project Scheduling: Allows users to define tasks, assign them to team members and set up deadlines when managing projects.
• Dependencies: Visualizes the relationship between tasks, showing which tasks must be completed before others can start.
• Gantt Charts: Most project timeline software includes Gantt charts, visually representing the project timeline with tasks displayed as bars along a horizontal time scale.
• Milestone: Marks key points or events in the project timeline to indicate significant achievements or deadlines.
• Resource Allocation: Helps manage human and nonhuman resources and their availability over time.
• Critical Path Analysis: Helps to determine the critical path of a project timeline to help estimate the project’s duration and shows which tasks have slack and which don’t.
• Time Tracking: Provides features for tracking the completion of status of tasks, such as timesheets, helping to monitor progress against deadlines.
• Collaboration: Many tools allow team members to collaborate in real-time, making updates, commenting and sharing documents.
• Customizable Views: Depending on the software, users can customize the timeline view to focus on specific details like tasks, deadlines, resources or milestones.

2025 Best Project Timeline Software Rankings

There are a lot of project timeline software products on the market. The tyranny of choice could almost make a customer throw their hands up and just randomly pick one. That would be a mistake. There are good, bad and ugly tools out there. We’ve done the dirty work and below are the best of the best in descending order.

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager is award-winning project timeline software and much more, which places it atop our best-of list. It’s collaborative, with real-time email and in-app notifications, document management, global search and version control, plus unlimited file storage. That should be a given in any software like this, but we’ve hardly started to heap our praises on this product.

The software has multiple project views, which means that when projects are scheduled on timelines the team can execute them across kanban boards to visualize workload or task lists that can have attachments, prioritize, tag and more. There’s also a calendar view for stakeholders to get a monthly overview of progress. Plus, there’s a free 30-day trial to try it out.

Schedule With Gantt Charts

Now, let’s get to the meat of this product. Unlike many other project timeline software products, this one has one of the best Gantt charts we’ve ever used. It does everything a timeline can do, from organizing tasks, adding milestones, assigning resources and cost tracking, but has more advanced features.

For example, this Gantt chart can link all four types of task dependencies. Many other timelines have dependencies, but only one or two. ProjectManager has them all to help avoid delays and cost overruns. There’s also a filter that shows the critical path without having to go through the lengthy and complicated calculations by hand. On top of that, once the schedule is done, users can set a baseline to track the plan against actual progress in real time.

Monitor and Balance Resources

The Gantt chart schedules human and nonhuman resources. Other tools track those resources to keep them productive. First, during the onboarding process, project managers can set the team’s availability, including PTO, vacation and global holidays, as well as skill sets, which helps when making assignments. Once that’s done, there’s a color-coded workload chart showing who is overallocated or underutilized. Workload can be balanced from this page to keep everyone working at capacity and avoiding burnout.

There’s also a team page, which collects all the team members and their assignments, progress on tasks and more, across one or multiple projects. The team page can show a daily view or a weekly view. It can be further filtered to highlight progress, priority and more, which provides valuable insights into resource allocation and utilization.

Track Progress, Performance and Costs in Real Time

This Gantt chart tracks progress by shading in the task bar as the task is being completed. However, other tools provide more detailed information. For a high-level overview, real-time project and portfolio dashboards collect live data and display key performance indicators (KPIs) on easy-to-read graphs and charts showing time, cost, workload and more.

When project managers want more data, they can use customizable reports. There are status and portfolio status reports, plus, reports on variance, workload, timesheets and more. These reports can be quickly created and filtered to show only the data users want to view and can be shared with stakeholders to keep them updated. Then there are the secure timesheets that streamline payroll, but also give project managers a window into labor costs to help keep projects from going over budget. They also track the time team members are spending on their work.

Other features that moved ProjectManager to the top of our list include risk management tools to identify risks, including a risk matrix to measure impact and likelihood, which also tracks issues until they’re resolved. There are custom and automated workflows to reduce repetitive tasks so teams can focus on more important work. Task approval settings ensure those deliverables maintain quality standards. There’s even a mobile app for Android and iOS that allows users to log hours anywhere and at any time. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software

ProjectManager Pros & Key Features

• Online Gantt charts
• Resource planning, scheduling and tracking tools
• Dependencies management
• Critical path analysis
• Time tracking
• Mac-friendly
• Free trial
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

ProjectManager Cons & Limitations

• Limited customization features
• No free plan

ProjectManager Pricing

• Team: $13/user/month
• Business: $24/user/month
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote

ProjectManager Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.1/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “ProjectManager works very well with both large and small-scale projects. Being able to use this with anything from a project involving only two members of staff, to hundreds, has been invaluable.” Peter W – from Capterra
• “We used to manage our projects, resources, and reporting in different systems. Enter ProjectManager. We have consolidated systems and work more efficiently.” Jeffrey M – from Capterra
• “Having the full scope of activities and who is responsible to do it, plus the time tracking is excellent.” Flavio M – from G2
• “It has an excellent accounting system capable of calculating the time that a person has used to develop a task that was assigned to him. I like being able to collaborate with all my colleagues in the Finance sector through ProjectManager.” Jesus C – from G2
• “The UI of the application is user-friendly, and it helps to identify what we are looking for with minimal effort.” Pavan H – from G2

2. Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is project timeline software. It has Gantt charts that visualize tasks over time, with task dependencies, critical path analysis and resource management features. It’s a popular tool with larger organizations and a good fit for those who want software that seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products. There is also detailed reporting that allows users to generate reports on project progress, resource utilization and timeline performance.

Related: Best Microsoft Project Alternatives: Free & Paid Options Ranked

Using Microsoft Project means carrying some uncomfortable baggage. It’s notoriously complex and the interface can feel overwhelming, especially for those unfamiliar with the tool. Then there’s the high cost of using the tool. It’s prohibitively expensive for smaller businesses and larger ones have to deal with the mounting licensing fees as they add users to the software. For collaboration, users have to purchase Project for the Web or Project Online, adding to the expense.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Integration With MS Tools

Microsoft Project Key Features & Benefits

• Ideal for those familiar with Microsoft solutions
• Gantt charts with task dependencies, critical path analysis
• Free plan and free trial
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

Microsoft Project Cons & Limitations

• Complicated to learn and overwhelming interface
• Depends on integrations and paid add-ons, for collaboration
• Expensive, especially adding more licenses
• Mobile app has only basic functionality

Microsoft Project Pricing

• Standard: $5/user/month (billed annually)
• Premium: $10/user/month (billed annually)
• Enterprise: $17.50/user/month (billed annually)

Microsoft Project Reviews

• G2 review: 4/5
• Capterra review: 4.4/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “It’s a powerful tool for managing complex projects, offering detailed features like task scheduling, resource allocation, and progress tracking.” Mazhar A – from Capterra
• “I love the automatically generated gantt charts and the timeline feature.” Eric B – from G2

3. Monday.com

Monday.com is a popular project timeline software due to its user-friendly interface. Users can create Gantt chart-like view to track project progress. The timeline view specifically gives a clear visual representation of tasks, deadlines and milestones. This is also a highly collaborative tool where teams can share real-time updates, comment on tasks and discuss project details. There are also automation features to simplify repetitive tasks and resource management tools.

Related: Best Monday.com Alternatives: Free & Paid Options Ranked

Monday.com might look nice, but users will pay for that pleasant design. It can prove an expensive choice, especially for smaller teams or startups. There is a free version, but advanced features, such as the timeline, are locked behind premium pricing plans. A pretty interface doesn’t mean ease of use. There’s a learning curve to learn the various features and customization options. There’s also limited advanced reporting beyond basic project tracking.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for User-Friendly Interface

Monday.com Key Features & Benefits:

• User-friendly interface
• Gantt chart-like tool
• Free trial and free plan
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

Monday.com Cons & Limitations:

• Steep learning curve
• Expensive, especially for small teams and startups
• Lacks advanced project reporting features
• Free version lacks advanced project management features

Monday.com Pricing

• Free: $0/user/month (maximum of 2 users)
• Basic: $12/user/month, billed monthly
• Standard: $14/user/month, billed monthly
• Pro: $24/user/month, billed monthly

Monday.com Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I truly recommend using Monday to small to medium scale enterprises because of its ease of use.” Vikas G – from G2
• “I really like the monday work management interface.” Luiz Fernando J – from G2

4. Asana

Asana is another popular project timeline software with a timeline feature. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate. The timeline is basically a Gantt chart, though without advanced features. It can, however, track task dependencies. This is a collaborative platform, as with most of the tools reviewed on this list, and offers real-time updates. But the tool is mostly a task management software, with task prioritization and milestone tracking.

Related: Best Asana Alternatives: Free & Paid Options Ranked

The issue with its Gantt chart is that there is no critical path analysis, cost management and resource tracking features, which will be a hard pass for some customers. While having a free version is a plus, the lack of advanced features makes it less attractive. Like other tools lower on this list, it has limited reporting capabilities, such as custom dashboards. More troublesome is that there is no time tracking built in. That will require third-party apps, which add costs and might put this out of reach for many customers.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Task Management

Asana Pros & Key Features

• Friendly user interface and easy-to-use tools
• Timeline with milestones and dependencies
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS
• Free trial

Asana Cons & Limitations

• Timeline lacks critical path, cost management and resource tracking features
• Free version lacks advanced features
• No built-in time tracking
• Limited reporting capabilities

Asana Pricing

• Premium plan: $13.49/user/month, billed monthly
• Business plan: $30.49/user/month, billed monthly

Asana Reviews

• G2 review: 4.3/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “I can create tasks, set their dates, routines, collaborate with my teammates, see their tasks, private my tasks, and so much more.” Shivam K – from G2
• “The dashboard view is the main benefit; it helped me organize the work into stages and gave me a clear picture of how far along the team was.” Carrie C – from G2

5. GanttPRO

GanttPRO is project timeline software with an intuitive Gantt chart interface to easily visualize and track project timelines, tasks and milestones. It creates task dependencies and features a critical path view. The tool is also collaborative. Users can add comments, attach files and tag team members. It provides progress tracking, which helps monitor the project’s overall health. There are also robust export options so users can turn Gantt charts into PDFs, Excel files and PNG files.

Users have complained about the cost of this project timeline software. There is a free trial, but the paid plans are expensive compared to others on this list. There’s also a free plan but with limited features. Another problem is the lack of integrations. It works with Google Drive and Dropbox, but not nearly as many others as customers would expect. Then there’s the steep learning curve that might not be worth considering these limitations. More troublesome is the lack of task prioritization and the absence of time management features.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Small Teams

GanttPRO Pros & Key Features

• Download files in a variety of formats
• Tracks timelines, tasks and milestones
• Progress tracking
• Has a free 14-day free trial

GanttPRO Cons & Limitations

• Free plan is limited
• Lack of integrations
• No task prioritization
• No time management features

GanttPRO Pricing

• Basic: $9.99/user/month, billed monthly
• Pro: $15.99/user/month, billed monthly
• Business: $24.99/user/month, billed monthly
• Enterprise: Contact sales

GanttPRO Reviews

• G2 review: 4.8/5
• Capterra review: 4.8/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “The ease of moving your projects along the timeline to accommodate changes in priorities as time passes is the most invaluable feature in my opinion.” Andree C. – from Capterra
• “Milestones, timelines etc are relatively straightforward to set up, and it looks good.” Josephine L. – from Capterra

6. Notion

Notion is used for note-taking, documentation and task management, but it can also be a project timeline software. It is customizable and allows users to build workflows and create custom templates, databases and layouts. It calls itself an all-in-one workspace, combining notes, tasks, calendars and project timelines. It enables real-time collaboration, adding comments, mentions and sharing content.

It is not, however, a dedicated project management tool. It can handle project timelines but lacks Gantt charts, detailed reporting or deep task dependency management. The timeline feature isn’t advanced. It’s based on databases, so it can create simple timelines, but doesn’t feature advanced capabilities. There’s no built-in time tracking, which will require the purchase of third-party tools. There are some automations, but they also require third-party integrations.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Notetaking

Notion Pros & Key Features

• Task management
• Notetaking
• Database creation
• Real-time collaboration

Notion Cons & Limitations

• Limited advanced project management features
• No built-in time tracking
• Automation requires third-party software
• No Gantt charts

Notion Pricing

• Free Plan: $0/user/month
• Plus: $12/user/month, billed monthly
• Business: $18/user/month, billed monthly
• Enterprise: Contact sales

Notion Reviews

• G2 reviews: 4.7/5
• Capterra reviews: 4.7/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “It is versatile and user-friendly. I like it as a note-taking and planning tool.” Haocheng L. – from Capterra
• “Ease of use and cross-compatibility with other software like Asana, etc.” Laura S. – from Capterra

7. ClickUp

ClickUp is versatile project timeline software that helps with task management, collaboration and tracking projects. Its timeline view helps visualize tasks and deadliness across a project. It’s not an exclusively timeline-focused software, it does have multiple project views, task dependencies and is highly customizable. Built-in time tracking allows users to log time spent on tasks while automation helps streamline workflow.

Related: Best ClickUp Alternatives: Free & Paid Options Ranked

Due to its range of features, this software can be difficult for new users to get a handle on, with a steep learning curve that might require training and time to master. It’s not great with larger projects as users have complained of performance issues, especially when working with many dependencies. The timeline is also limited and unavailable to users of lower tiers. The free version has limited functionality.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Team Collaboration

ClickUp Key Features & Benefits:

• Document editing and whiteboards for brainstorming with teams
• Multiple project scheduling views, including timeline
• Mobile app for Android and iOS
• Free plan and free trial

ClickUp Cons & Limitations:

• Not project management software
• Steep learning curve
• Performance issues with larger projects
• Timeline not available in lower tiers

ClickUp Pricing

• Free: $0 user/month
• Unlimited: $10/user/month, billed monthly
• Business: $19/user/month, billed monthly
• Enterprise: Contact sales

ClickUp Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.7/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Good for operational tasks and customer support.” Hovhannes G – from G2
• “Overall, my experience with ClickUp has been highly positive. It has streamlined project management tasks and improved team collaboration significantly.” Paula L – from Capterra

8. Wrike

Wrike is another popular project timeline software. It has Gantt charts that allow users to map out tasks, milestones and deadlines. The software links task dependencies, shows the critical path and tracks progress, which makes it useful for complex projects. Real-time collaboration lets teams comment, share files and more. Customizable dashboards and reports track key metrics. There are also task and resource management capabilities.

Related: Best Wrike Alternatives: Free & Paid Options Ranked

Wrike’s price might scare off customers. It can be expensive, especially for teams that need advanced features like Gantt charts, reporting and time tracking. The free version, as one might expect, is limited. The interface looks cluttered, which might turn some customers off. There’s also a steep learning curve for the advanced features. The permissions systems can be complex and difficult to manage. Plus, it lacks built-in communication tools.

Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Complex Projects

Wrike Pros & Key Features

• Maps out tasks, milestones and deadlines
• Has task dependency features
• 14-day free trial
• Mobile app available for Android and iOS

Wrike Cons & Limitations

• Expensive
• Limited free version
• Cluttered interface
• Lacks built-in communication tools

Wrike Pricing

• Professional plan: $10.00/user/month
• Business plan: $24.80/user/month

Wrike Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.1/5

Highlighted User Reviews

• “Wrike has become essential in my day and keeps me organized and on top of my tasks.” Paige T – from G2
• “Productivity has been enhanced by removing essential but repetitive chores.” Denise S – from G2

Related Project Timeline Content

Project timeline software is only part of the larger topic of project timeline management. For those interested in learning more about timelines, such as how to create one in a variety of formats, check out the handful of links below.

• Project Timeline Maker: How to Make a Project Timeline Online
• 10 Must-Have Timeline Templates
• How to Create a Timeline in Excel (Free Templates Included)
• How to Make a Timeline in PowerPoint (Template Included)
• Free Google Sheets Timeline Template: Create Plans Online

ProjectManager is online project timeline software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, out in the field or on the job site. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.