ProjectLibre alternative
A ProjectLibre alternative that opens your .pod files
Onplana Schedule is a free app for Windows and Mac that opens ProjectLibre .pod files, lets you edit the plan, and saves it as Project XML. When the plan needs a team, Onplana imports the same file into a shared project in the browser.
- Free
- Opens .pod and .mpp
- Saves Project XML
- The original file is never changed
Where a ProjectLibre plan can go
Keep working on your desktop
Onplana Schedule
A free app for Windows and Mac that opens your .pod files, and the .mpp and .xer files other people send you. Edit the plan with all four dependency types and the eight Microsoft Project constraint types, and save it as Project XML, which Microsoft Project opens.
See Onplana ScheduleShare the plan with a team
Onplana in the browser
Import the .pod into an Onplana project and your team works on one plan in the browser, with the Gantt, the critical path and comments, and baselines you capture in Onplana. The import also takes .mpp, Project XML, .mpx, .xer, GanttProject .gan and Excel or CSV files. There is a free plan.
See the plansWhere ProjectLibre still wins
ProjectLibre is open source and runs on Linux as well as Windows and Mac. It reads .mpp files on your own computer, where Onplana Schedule converts a binary .mpp on Onplana's servers. And it is the closest free match to the Microsoft Project desktop, listing a network diagram, resource levelling and earned value among its features.
If one of those is the reason you use it, stay with it. The case for moving is working with other people: their Microsoft Project files, and a plan the whole team can open without installing anything.
ProjectLibre and Onplana Schedule, side by side
| ProjectLibre | Onplana Schedule | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Paid cloud edition from $9.99 per user a month, billed annually | Free. Optional Onplana workspace, free plan available |
| Open source | Yes (CPAL) | No |
| Runs on | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Opens Microsoft Project files | .mpp | .mpp, .mpt, .mpx, Project XML |
| Opens Primavera P6 .xer | Yes | Yes |
| Where an .mpp file is read | On your computer | Converted on Onplana’s servers, deleted within 24 hours. Project XML is read on your computer. |
| Saves as | Its own .pod format | Project XML, which Microsoft Project opens |
| Dependency types | Dependencies and constraints | All four with lag, and all eight Microsoft Project constraint types |
| Share with a team | Paid cloud edition | Publish a copy to a free Onplana workspace, or a read-only link |
| Opens ProjectLibre .pod files | Yes, its own format | Yes. One that is Project XML inside is read on your computer. |
ProjectLibre checked on 29 September 2026 against projectlibre.com, ProjectLibre Desktop. "Not listed" means the vendor's site does not say, not that the feature is missing. GanttProject is in the three-way comparison.
Move a .pod in three steps
1. Open the .pod
Install Onplana Schedule and open the file. A .pod that is Project XML inside, as most are, is read on your computer. Any other file is converted on Onplana’s servers, and the uploaded copy is deleted within 24 hours. The app says which before anything leaves your computer.
2. Check and edit it
The grid beside a Gantt chart, with the critical path in red and float on every other bar. Change durations, dates and links, and the plan reschedules as you go.
3. Save it, or share it
Save writes Project XML beside the .pod, so the original is never changed. Or publish a copy to a free Onplana workspace and send your team a link.
Questions
Leaving ProjectLibre
What is a good ProjectLibre alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. If you work with Microsoft Project files from other people on Windows or Mac, Onplana Schedule opens .mpp, .xer and ProjectLibre .pod files free and saves Project XML that Microsoft Project opens. If your team needs one shared plan, Onplana in the browser imports the same files. If you need open source or Linux, GanttProject is the other free desktop option.
Can Onplana open ProjectLibre .pod files?
Yes, in both places. Onplana Schedule opens a .pod file, and reads one that is Project XML inside on your computer. Onplana’s import takes a .pod into a project in the browser.
Does Onplana Schedule save .pod files?
No. It saves Project XML, written beside the .pod it opened, so the original file is never changed. Microsoft Project opens Project XML, and so does Onplana’s import.
Is Onplana open source, and does it run on Linux?
No to both for Onplana Schedule: it is free but not open source, and it runs on Windows and Mac. Onplana itself runs in a browser. If open source or a Linux desktop app is the requirement, ProjectLibre and GanttProject both meet it.
Is ProjectLibre free?
The desktop app is free and open source. ProjectLibre also sells a cloud edition, listed from $9.99 per user a month, billed annually, when we checked on 29 September 2026.
Choosing between free desktop schedulers? See ProjectLibre vs GanttProject vs Onplana Schedule. New to the Microsoft Project format? Read what an MPP file is.