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
- Interactive Gantt charts allow teams to map out project timelines, assign tasks, set all four types of task dependencies and adjust schedules in real time with simple drag-and-drop functionality
- Resource planning, scheduling and tracking tools manage team workloads, assign resources based on availability and track how work is distributed across your team to avoid burnout and bottlenecks
- Critical path analysis identifies the most time-sensitive tasks in the schedule, helping managers focus on what’s essential to meet deadlines and avoid delays
- Built-in timesheets allow users to log hours directly in the software, making it easier to track billable time, monitor project progress, and stay within budget
- Runs smoothly on macOS with no need for downloads or installations, making it accessible for Apple users
- Free trial offers a risk-free opportunity to explore full features before committing, helping teams evaluate if it meets their project management needs
- Mobile app for Android and iOS connects projects from anywhere with a responsive mobile app that lets you update tasks, check schedules and manage team communications on the go
ProjectManager Cons & Limitations
- Limited customization features for dashboards and reports can be restrictive without advanced technical knowledge
- No free plan to use the software with limited features makes it less attractive to students and individuals looking to manage personal work
- As a cloud-based solution, the platform requires an internet connection for most tasks, which can be a limitation for teams working in remote or low-connectivity environments
ProjectManager Pricing
- Team: $14/user/month
- Business: $26/user/month
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote
ProjectManager Reviews
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
- “It’s a solid platform and has very good customer service. you can send collaboration invitations to your customers or partners, without the need for a setup or anything extra. What I like is that the website is always online, does not fall and is easy and intuitive to manage.” Aleksei V – from GetApp
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
- Seamlessly with the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Teams, Excel and SharePoint, making it a natural fit for organizations already using Microsoft tools
- Gantt chart features allow users to visualize project timelines, assign task dependencies and identify the critical path, ensuring managers can prioritize the tasks that most directly impact the project’s completion
- Offers a free trial to help users explore its capabilities before subscribing, plus for organizations with Microsoft 365 licenses, basic project features may be accessible through other Microsoft apps, offering limited free functionality
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS enable task updates, schedule adjustments and collaboration from smartphones or tablets—ideal for teams with remote or field-based members
Microsoft Project Cons & Limitations
- Steep learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with advanced project management methodologies can make the software intimidating and time-consuming to master without formal training or experience
- Lacks built-in real-time collaboration tools and to enable full team collaboration, organizations often need to integrate with Microsoft Teams or SharePoint—both of which may require additional configuration and licensing
- The per-user subscription pricing can become costly for medium to large teams, organizations often need to purchase different tiers or add-ons for full functionality, leading to a significant total cost of ownership
- The mobile version is limited primarily to task updates and status views, with key features like detailed Gantt charts, resource management and financial tracking not fully available, reducing the usefulness of the app for managers on the move
- Unlike more modern, cloud-based tools, Microsoft Project does not support simultaneous editing or live collaboration natively, which can lead to delays and version control issues when multiple users are managing a single project
- Organizations that rely on a mixed software environment (e.g., Google Workspace, Mac OS or Linux) may face compatibility issues or reduced functionality, as Microsoft Project is optimized primarily for Windows and Microsoft infrastructure
Microsoft Project Pricing
- Planner Plan 1 (formerly Project Plan 1): $10 per user/month, billed annually
- Planner & Project Plan 3 (formerly Project Plan 3): $30 per user/month, billed annually
- Planner & Project Plan 5 (formerly Project Plan 5): $55 per user/month, billed annually
Microsoft Project Reviews
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
- “It has an easy learning curve as it brings a similar interface to other Microsoft software such as Excel.” Favio R – from GetApp
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:
- Intuitive tools like task lists, status updates and file attachments that help teams manage straightforward project workflows
- Automation tools that reduce manual effort by triggering actions such as notifications, status changes or task assignments based on customizable rules
- Offers a free trial that allows users to explore its core features and interface before committing to a paid plan, making it easier to assess fit for team needs
- Fully featured mobile app lets users manage tasks, update projects and collaborate with team members from anywhere, keeping productivity on track while on the go
Monday.com Cons & Limitations:
- Steep learning curve makes mastering its full functionality—especially automations and integrations—time-consuming for new users
- The pricing tiers can quickly become costly for small teams, as plans are billed per seat with a three-user minimum on paid plans
- Lacks advanced project reporting features, Monday.com doesn’t provide in-depth reporting or forecasting tools for complex project analytics
- Free version lacks advanced project management features and omits key features like timeline views, automation, integrations and Gantt charts
- Limited resource management tools such as robust tools for tracking resource availability, workload balancing or capacity planning
- Manual setup for complex workflows, like cross-board dependencies or time tracking, require manual configuration or third-party integrations, increasing setup time and complexity
Monday.com Pricing
- Free: $0/user/month
- Basic: $9/user/month
- Standard: $12/user/month
- Pro: $19/user/month
Monday.com Reviews
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
- “It has a user-friendly interface. And it’s also great for collaboration, like assigning tasks and file sharing. And it’s pretty easy to use.” Andreas C – from GetApp
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 offer a clean, intuitive design that makes it easy for teams to onboard quickly and manage tasks with minimal training
- Timeline with milestones and dependencies allows users to visually map out project plans, define task dependencies and set key milestones to keep projects on track and avoid bottlenecks
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS are feature-rich and responsive, enabling users to assign tasks, communicate with team members and monitor progress from anywhere
- The free trial provides full access to premium features for a limited time, allowing users to explore advanced tools like timeline, reporting, and workload management before committing to a subscription
Asana Cons & Limitations
- Timeline doesn’t support essential project controls like critical path analysis, cost tracking or comprehensive resource allocation, which limits its suitability for complex projects
- The free plan is limited to basic task management and lacks premium tools like timelines, workload views, advanced integrations and admin controls, making it less effective for larger teams or detailed project planning
- Does not include native time tracking functionality, requiring third-party integrations for teams that need to monitor time spent on tasks or projects
- While Asana offers basic dashboard views, it lacks in-depth analytics and customizable reports, which can hinder performance tracking across larger or multi-phase projects
- Interface, though intuitive, can become visually overwhelming and hard to navigate as project complexity grows and task volume increases
- Permission settings are relatively rigid, making it difficult to tailor access levels for different roles or stakeholders within large teams or client-facing projects
Asana Pricing
- Starter: $10.99 user/month billed annually
- Advanced: $24.99 user/month billed annually
- Enterprise and Enterprise +: contact sales
Asana Reviews
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
- “I love how easy it is to share projects there, and one of my favorite features is having a template which can be applied to any project.” Yolandi E – from GetApp
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
- Users can export Gantt charts and project data in popular formats like PDF, PNG, XLSX and XML, making it simple to share with stakeholders who may not use GanttPRO
- Offers tools to plan, assign and manage tasks with start and end dates, dependencies and clearly defined milestones to keep projects on schedule
- The platform allows you to monitor task completion percentages and overall project progress, offering visual indicators and dashboards that make it easy to spot delays and adjust plans
- Free 14-day trial for hands-on evaluation to explore the full functionality of GanttPRO without commitment, giving teams time to assess its usability and compatibility with their workflows
GanttPRO Cons & Limitations
- Limited team collaboration features compared to other project management platforms, lacks advanced real-time collaboration tools like in-app chat or shared whiteboards, which can hinder dynamic team communication
- No built-in time tracking or timesheets makes users rely on third-party integrations or external tools to track hours worked, which adds friction to managing team productivity and project costs
- Resource management is basic and lacks depth, it doesn’t provide robust capacity planning or workload balancing tools for large or complex teams
- Mobile app support is underdeveloped and lacks a full-featured mobile app that limits on-the-go access to key project planning and management tools, making it less flexible for remote or field teams
- Can become expensive for growing teams as GanttPRO charges per user and tiered pricing can add up quickly, especially for organizations that need premium features like roles and rights management or advanced exporting
- Not ideal for agile or non-Gantt-based workflows as the platform is heavily centered around Gantt charts and doesn’t offer native support for agile methodologies such as scrum or kanban, which may limit its appeal for software or tech teams
GanttPRO Pricing
- Core: $7 user/month billed annually
- Advanced: $10 user/month billed annually
- Business: $17 user/month billed annually
- Enterprise: contact sales
GanttPRO Reviews
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
- “Extremely detailed and helpful for the project management of our college FSAE team. Could create a 14 month timeline with ease thanks to the great user interface. Helps assign and track tasks as well.” Kritik M – from GetApp
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
- Comprehensive task management allows users to create, assign and organize tasks with customizable views—such as kanban boards, calendars and timelines—making it easy to manage both individual responsibilities and complex project workflows
- Powerful notetaking capabilities support rich-text formatting, embeds and media integration, allowing users to take detailed, structured notes that can be linked across workspaces for improved context and documentation
- Customizable database creation allows users to build highly flexible databases with filters, relations, rollups and formulas—ideal for creating anything from CRM systems and content calendars to project trackers and inventory logs
- Real-time collaboration and syncing lets teams collaborate live on pages, leave comments, mention teammates and track changes instantly, which enhances transparency and alignment, especially for remote or asynchronous teams
Notion Cons & Limitations
- Limited advanced project management features, lacks out-of-the-box tools like task dependencies, workload management and project health dashboards that are essential for managing large, complex projects
- No built-in time tracking makes users rely on third-party integrations or manual workarounds to track time spent on tasks, which adds friction for teams that need time-based billing or performance insights
- Notion’s native automation options are limited, meaning users must turn to external tools like Zapier or Make.com to automate repetitive workflows, increasing setup complexity and potential costs
- Users looking for visual project timelines with dependencies and drag-and-drop scheduling will need to use templates or integrations, as Notion doesn’t include built-in Gantt chart functionality
- While the mobile app is polished for note-taking and basic task updates, power features like database customization or complex workspace edits are harder to manage on smaller screens
- Notion’s flexibility can be a double-edged sword—users often need to invest significant time upfront to build effective systems from scratch or learn how to use advanced features efficiently
Notion Pricing
- Free Plan: $0/user/month
- Plus: $10 user/month, billed annually
- Business: $20 user/month, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact sales
Notion Reviews
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
- “Love the easy to use interface, flexibility to create whatever tools you want, unlimited data and file uploads, Notion charts and automations.” Arjan S – from GetApp
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 built-in whiteboards include collaborative docs and visual whiteboards, making it ideal for brainstorming, planning and creating shareable documentation without needing external apps
- Multiple project scheduling views, including timeline offers a flexible range of visual layouts to match different project management styles and workflows
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS allows teams to manage tasks, communicate and track progress on the go, ensuring productivity even when away from the desktop
- Free plan supports unlimited users and tasks with core features, while its free trial lets users explore premium tools like advanced automation, integrations and time tracking
ClickUp Cons & Limitations:
- While ClickUp offers many project management tools, it was originally designed as a productivity platform, which means it can lack the deep functionality and focus found in dedicated project management solutions
- The platform has many features and customization options, which can be overwhelming for new users and may require significant onboarding to navigate efficiently
- Users managing large or complex projects often report slow load times and lag, particularly when many tasks or automations are active
- Essential views like the timeline or Gantt charts are not available on the free or lower-cost plans, limiting strategic planning capabilities for budget-conscious teams
- The abundance of features and nested menus can result in a cluttered experience, making it difficult to quickly find or configure what’s needed
- Although ClickUp offers basic reports, more advanced analytics require third-party integrations or premium plans, which adds cost and setup time
ClickUp Pricing
- Free: $0 user/month
- Unlimited: $7/user/month, billed monthly
- Business: $12/user/month, billed monthly
- Enterprise: Contact sales
ClickUp Reviews
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
- “ClickUp enables teams to stay in sync by facilitating collaboration on a single activity where all participants can see each other’s contributions, comments, and status updates.” Kelly M B – from GetApp
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
- Comprehensive task and timeline mapping with Gantt charts that map out tasks, milestones and deadlines, helping teams visualize workflows and stay on track throughout the project lifecycle
- Users can easily set up task dependencies to identify bottlenecks, automatically adjust timelines and ensure that work progresses in the proper sequence without manual oversight
- The platform offers a risk-free 14-day trial that gives users access to a broad range of project management features, allowing teams to evaluate the software’s value before committing
- Mobile app available for both Android and iOS enables real-time task updates, project tracking and communication, making it ideal for teams that need to stay productive while away from their desks
Wrike Cons & Limitations
- While Wrike offers some lower-tier plans, accessing its most powerful features—like advanced reporting, resource management and automations—requires investing in high-cost premium plans, which can be prohibitive for small businesses
- The free plan is extremely limited in features and user capacity, making it unsuitable for anything beyond basic personal task tracking or small teams with very simple workflows
- Wrike’s interface can feel dense and unintuitive, especially for new users, with many features nested in hard-to-find menus that increase the learning curve and slow down adoption
- Unlike some competitors, Wrike lacks native chat or video conferencing capabilities, requiring users to rely on third-party integrations (e.g., Slack or Zoom) to facilitate internal communication
- Doesn’t support comprehensive offline access, which makes it difficult for users to update or review projects in areas with unreliable internet connectivity
- For enterprise-level operations managing complex or massive projects, Wrike may experience slower load times and lag when rendering large timelines or datasets
Wrike Pricing
- Free: $0 user/month
- Professional plan: $10.00/user/month
- Business plan: $25.00/user/month
Wrike Reviews
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
- “It’s a much simpler system compared to the likes of JIRA. It’s great for smaller teams and it’s much quicker and faster to load.” Mohammed M – from GetApp
9. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is a project timeline software due to its Gantt chart capabilities, which provide clear visualizations of tasks, dependencies and project progress. It supports critical path analysis, task automation and real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to plan, execute and adjust timelines effectively. Integration with other Zoho apps and third-party tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 enhances productivity, while time tracking and resource management features help ensure projects stay on schedule and within budget. Its affordability and scalability make it especially appealing to small and mid-sized teams looking for powerful functionality at a lower cost.
Despite its strengths, Zoho Projects can be less intuitive than competitors, especially for new users unfamiliar with the Zoho ecosystem. The user interface can feel cluttered and dated and certain features—such as advanced reporting or customizations—may require manual setup or technical knowledge. While the Gantt chart is a highlight, resource management tools are relatively basic, limiting visibility into team workloads and capacity planning. Integration with non-Zoho apps can sometimes be unreliable or require third-party connectors. These shortcomings can hinder the project timeline software’s effectiveness for larger or more complex projects that demand deep customization or enterprise-grade performance.
Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Task Dependency Management
Zoho Projects Pros & Key Features
- Drag-and-drop Gantt charts with task dependencies, milestones and critical path analysis for effective timeline planning
- Built-in time sheets and timers help track billable and non-billable hours across tasks and projects
- Automates recurring tasks, reminders and workflows to streamline project execution and reduce manual work
- Connects with Zoho ecosystem (like Zoho CRM, Zoho Books) and third-party tools such as Slack, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace
Zoho Projects Cons & Limitations
- Interface can be overwhelming for new users, especially those unfamiliar with Zoho’s ecosystem
- Custom reporting options are not as robust or user-friendly as those in more advanced project management tools
- Lacks detailed workload balancing or capacity planning tools for larger teams or complex projects
- The user experience can feel outdated, with some menus and features requiring too many clicks to access
- Integrations with non-Zoho apps can be unreliable or require extra configuration with third-party connectors
- While functional, the mobile app lacks some desktop features and can be slow or buggy on certain devices
Zoho Projects Pricing
- Premium: $4 user/month billed annually
- Enterprise: $9 user/month billed annually
- Project Plus: contact sales
Zoho Projects Reviews
Highlighted User Reviews
- “It is the best platform for people with varying needs in their projects that want to tie in with a CRM for a low, affordable price, and has been a deciding factor in looking into Zoho further vs other crm products on the market.” – Peter S from G2
- “A highly capable project management tool, especially strong when used within the Zoho ecosystem.” – Avinash B from Capterra
- “Small businesses need to keep track of each project individually at a micro level and Zoho Projects provide a pocket friendly way to do just that.” – Shria G from Getapp
10. Kantata
Kantata (formerly Mavenlink) stands out as project timeline software for service-oriented businesses due to its Gantt chart tools, resource planning and real-time collaboration features. Its timeline view not only shows task dependencies and milestones but also integrates resource availability and financial data, giving project managers a comprehensive picture of both schedule and cost in one platform. Built for scalability, Kantata supports complex workflows, time tracking and advanced forecasting, making it ideal for professional services firms managing multiple, simultaneous client projects.
Despite its strengths, Kantata can be overly complex and expensive for small teams or those seeking a simpler timeline management solution. The software has a steep learning curve, with a user interface that some users find unintuitive and difficult to navigate without formal training. Customizing reports or workflows often requires administrative expertise, and advanced features are typically locked behind higher pricing tiers. This makes it less accessible to startups or small businesses that need basic timeline tracking without the overhead of enterprise-level functionality.
Verdict: Best Project Timeline Software for Service-Oriented Business
Kantata Pros & Key Features
- Gantt charts visualize task dependencies, milestones and project timelines with real-time updates
- Integrated resource management aligns project schedules with team capacity and availability
- Financial tracking combines budgeting, time tracking and expense management in one platform
- Strong collaboration tools support file sharing, threaded conversations and real-time updates for distributed teams
Kantata Cons & Limitations
- Steep learning curve for new users requires training, making onboarding time-consuming for teams unfamiliar with complex project management software
- User interface can feel complex and cluttered with many layers of data and configuration options, which can overwhelm users and slow down productivity during the learning phase
- High cost compared to simpler timeline tools making it less affordable for small teams or startups with limited budgets
- Setting up advanced workflows, custom fields or reports may demand technical knowledge or support from Kantata’s team, reducing flexibility for non-admin users
- Limited functionality in mobile app, which lacks the full range of tools available on the desktop platform, reducing project control on the go
- Users managing complex projects with heavy data loads may experience slow load times or lag when updating Gantt charts or generating reports
Kantata Pricing
- Contact sales to request a quote
Kantata Reviews
Highlighted User Reviews
- “The best thing about Kantata is that I can see budgets and time entries in real-time.” – Rachel S from G2
- “The time tracking and resource allocation features are very well integrated into the system.” – Hussain A from Capterra
- “It’s great because with this platform, I have the ability to efficiently manage my inventory, work orders, scheduling and tracking, very good all in one place.” – Marina C., from Getapp
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.
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.
