Free Gantt chart online
Onplana project management is a free Gantt chart online and a project planner online in one: the full Gantt with the critical path computed, four dependency types with lag, saved baselines and native .mpp import, on every plan, including Free, with no paywall on the scheduling engine, no time limit and no credit card. Most "free Gantt" tools cap the critical path and baselines at the paid tier; this one does not.
Make a Gantt chart now, no sign-up
Paste task rows from Excel, Google Sheets or anywhere else and get a Gantt chart with dependencies and the critical path through them. No dates? A bare list of task names works too.
Read in your browser: nothing you paste is sent to Onplana or anyone else, and there is no sign-up.
No plan to paste yet? Start from a free project template for Excel or Google Sheets, then paste its rows in here.
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What is a Gantt chart?
A Gantt chart is a horizontal-bar visualisation of a project schedule. Each task is a bar; the bar's left edge sits at the task's start date and the right edge at the finish date. Dependencies between tasks are drawn as arrows, and the chart's two structural advantages over a plain timeline are that (a) those dependencies are tracked as relationships in the data model, not just visual lines, and (b) the critical path, the longest chain of dependent tasks that determines project duration, is computed and highlighted automatically.
Modern Gantt tools support four dependency types: Finish-to-Start (FS) is the default ("Task B starts when Task A finishes"); Start-to-Start (SS) ("B starts when A starts"); Finish-to-Finish (FF) ("B finishes when A finishes"); Start-to-Finish (SF) ("B finishes when A starts", rare but useful for handoffs). Each dependency can carry a lag, a positive offset ("two days after A finishes") or a negative lead ("B can start one day before A finishes"). Without those four types and lag support, a Gantt tool can't model real project relationships accurately.
The other primitive that defines a real Gantt is the baseline. A baseline is a saved snapshot of the plan at a moment in time, usually right after approval , that the live plan can be compared against. As work progresses and dates shift, the baseline overlays under each task on the chart, making schedule slip immediately visible at a glance. Without baselines, "we're behind" is a feeling; with baselines it's a measurable variance.
What's actually free
Most "free Gantt" tools have a long list of "Pro features" that turn out to be the things you actually need. Onplana's free plan is honest.
- Interactive Gantt chart with drag-and-drop scheduling
- Automatic critical path computation and highlighting
- All four dependency types: Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Finish
- Lag and lead in days, hours or weeks, scheduled to the nearest whole working day
- Saved baselines with shadow overlay on the Gantt
- Native .mpp import (no XML conversion intermediate, no Project Desktop license needed)
- Microsoft Project XML (MSPDI) import
- Real-time collaboration on the same plan
- Up to 5 members per workspace
- No time limit, no credit card, no trial expiry
How to make a free Gantt chart in 4 steps
Sign up, add tasks, link dependencies, save a baseline. Under five minutes end to end on a typical 20-task plan.
- 1
Sign up for the free plan
Create a free Onplana workspace with your email. No credit card, no trial expiry. Social sign-in via Google or Microsoft is supported. You land directly in the app with an empty workspace ready for your first project.
- 2
Create a project and add tasks
Open a new project. Type task names directly into the task list, start and finish dates default to today and tomorrow, easy to drag on the Gantt or edit inline. Indent a row with the Indent button on the Gantt toolbar to make it a subtask of the row above, which becomes its summary row. The Gantt updates as you type.
- 3
Link dependencies and let critical path compute
Drag from one task bar to the next on the Gantt to create a dependency. The default is Finish-to-Start; set the type and lag in the task's Dependencies section. As soon as the first dependency lands, Onplana runs CPM forward + backward passes and the critical path highlights in red. Tasks not on the critical path show their slack inline.
- 4
Save a baseline and share
Click Save baseline to snapshot the approved plan. The baseline overlays as a shadow row under each task on the Gantt; future date drift is immediately visible. Invite up to 4 teammates by email (real-time multi-user editing is on the free plan). Share a public read-only report link for stakeholder review, or export the plan as Project XML for round-tripping with Microsoft Project users. To open a .mpp file on your own machine instead, Onplana Schedule is a free Windows and Mac app.
Is a free Gantt chart enough to be a project planner online?
Only when it has a scheduling engine under the bars. A project planner online has to model the four dependency types with lag, compute the critical path and keep a baseline; a timeline with Gantt branding does none of those, and "free Gantt chart" search results return plenty of both. Three diagnostic questions tell you which category a candidate sits in:
Can it model all four dependency types with lag?
If the candidate only supports Finish-to-Start with no lag, it's modelling roughly 60% of real project relationships. Manufacturing and construction in particular rely on FF and SS dependencies; software projects use SS for parallel tracks and FF for paired finishes. A free Gantt missing dependency types isn't a free Gantt, it's a timeline that happens to allow chaining.
Does it compute the critical path automatically?
A real Gantt runs the Critical Path Method (CPM), forward and backward passes over the dependency graph, to identify which tasks have zero slack and are therefore critical. Tools that let you manually "mark a task as critical" or that highlight a colour without computation are not running CPM. Ask the candidate to show you which tasks are critical AND how much slack the non-critical tasks have. If the second answer is "none", it isn't running CPM.
Does it support saved baselines?
A baseline is a snapshot of the approved plan that the live plan is compared against. Without baselines, you can't measure schedule variance over time , "are we on track?" becomes a judgment call rather than a data point. Many "free Gantt" tools advertise baselines but gate them behind a paid tier. Onplana's free plan includes them.
For the full technical breakdown of how Onplana implements each, including the specific CPM algorithm and the baseline-comparison UI, see the full Gantt feature page.
Who uses the free Gantt
Four scenarios where the free plan is enough as a project planner online: small teams that need real scheduling depth without a per-seat budget.
Software teams of up to 5 people
Sprint planning, release timelines, dependency tracking across squads. The free Gantt + Kanban board combo covers what most small engineering teams need without Jira-tier complexity. Linked dependencies make "is the migration blocked on the new auth service" answerable on the Gantt rather than in a status meeting.
Marketing campaigns
Product launches, conference cycles, content calendars. Marketing campaigns lean heavily on FF and SS dependencies, design and copy run parallel, both must finish before review. The free Gantt models that naturally; spreadsheet-based marketing calendars don't.
Construction / trades small projects
Renovations, build-outs, multi-trade coordination on a single site. Construction is the original Gantt-chart use case, sequential trades with strict dependencies and weather-driven slip. The free plan handles single-site projects with multiple trades comfortably; commercial portfolios with 50+ projects move to paid tiers for resource leveling.
Event production
Conferences, weddings, festivals, product launches. Events are deadline-driven with a hard finish date, exactly the case where backward-pass critical path analysis ("what's the latest each task can start") matters most. Onplana's free Gantt computes this automatically.
When you'll outgrow the free plan
More than 5 members? You'll move to Professional ($12/seat/mo) or Business ($20/seat/mo). AI plan generation is on every plan, including Free; AI risk detection is on the Professional plan and up. Need formal stage-gate governance or audit-grade compliance? Enterprise. The Gantt itself stays the same on every plan: you upgrade for capacity and capabilities, not for a basic Gantt feature you should never have been gated out of.
Frequently asked questions
The questions the SERP keeps surfacing for "free Gantt chart" queries, answered honestly. The full FAQPage schema is embedded in this page's structured data so these surface in Google's "People Also Ask" panel.
Is Onplana's free Gantt chart really free?
Yes, no credit card, no trial expiry, no time limit. The Free plan supports up to 5 members and 2 projects. Critical path, four dependency types with lag, saved baselines, and native .mpp import are all on every plan, including Free. You only upgrade when you outgrow the free caps or need the AI features that sit on paid plans (risk detection is on the Professional plan and up), portfolio rollups, or enterprise governance, never to unlock a basic Gantt feature.
What's the difference between a Gantt chart and a project timeline?
A timeline shows dates on a horizontal axis; a Gantt chart adds two things a timeline doesn't have: dependencies between tasks (which task must finish before the next can start) and a critical path computed from those dependencies. Tools that draw bars on a date axis but lack dependency relationships and critical-path math are timelines marketed as Gantt charts. Onplana's free Gantt is a real Gantt, Critical Path Method (CPM) forward and backward passes, four dependency types (FS/SS/FF/SF) with lag, and live recalculation when you drag tasks.
Can I import a Microsoft Project (.mpp) file?
Yes. Onplana's free plan accepts native .mpp files directly, no XML conversion step, no Project Desktop license needed. Microsoft Project XML (MSPDI) imports the same way, and .mpx, Primavera XER, Excel and CSV plans import too. From .mpp and XML, tasks, dependencies (all four types), resources, milestones, Enterprise Custom Fields and costs carry across, and imported into a new project, the file's baseline becomes a baseline in Onplana. The migration wizard previews the import before committing so you can spot-check the field mapping.
How many users can collaborate on the free plan?
Up to 5 members can work in the same workspace on the free plan, with real-time updates on the Gantt chart, task list, and Kanban board. The 5-member cap is a hard ceiling; past that, the Professional plan ($12/seat/month) lifts it to 100 members and 200 projects. Adding a member past the cap triggers a plan upgrade prompt rather than silently downgrading the experience.
Can I share or print the Gantt chart?
Yes. Export the Gantt as a vector PDF or a single PNG image from the chart toolbar or the project actions menu: pick a page size from A4 up to A0, days, weeks or months, fit the whole timeline to one page width or tile it across pages, and add a saved baseline as grey ghost bars. The print carries WBS numbers, status-coloured bars with progress, milestones, dependency arrows, weekend shading from your working calendar and the critical path in red. The Excel export of the same project adds a working-day duration, total float and a critical flag per task. You can also export the plan as MS Project XML for round-tripping with Microsoft Project users, or share a public read-only link from any cross-project report (no login required for stakeholders).
Does the free Gantt include the critical path?
Yes, and the calculation is real CPM, not a coloured highlight. Onplana runs forward + backward passes against your dependency graph to identify which tasks have zero slack and are therefore critical. As you drag tasks or change estimates, the critical path recomputes live. This is one of the most-gated features in the broader "free Gantt" market; many tools tease critical path in their feature lists then lock it behind a paid tier.
Can I save and compare baselines?
Yes. The free plan supports saved baselines, a snapshot of your plan at a moment in time that overlays on the Gantt as a shadow row beneath each current task. Compare current dates to baseline dates to see slip, ahead, or on-track per task. Microsoft Project users will recognise this as the same Baseline feature, and the plan exports as Project XML if you need to round-trip.
What happens to my free workspace if I stop using it?
A free workspace that is in use stays free with no "convert to paid in 30 days" countdown. The plan is a long-term home for small teams and personal projects, not a trial. A free workspace nobody signs in to or changes for 45 days gets a warning email to its owners, and one left inactive for 90 days can be deleted under the free-tier policy; signing in once resets the clock, and you can export your data at any time. The full timeline is on onplana.com/free-tier. If you upgrade later, your existing projects, history, and team carry forward unchanged.
Have a Microsoft Project file?
Try the free Schedule Health Check first, an 8-point audit of critical-path bottlenecks, resource overallocation, and dependency cycles without signup. Or import the file directly into the free plan to see it on the Gantt. Replacing Microsoft Project rather than drawing one chart? See which MS Project alternatives stay free, and what each one leaves out.