Microsoft Project is hired to do one job: schedule work, with dependencies and dates, and show it as a Gantt chart. Open-source tools cover much of that, but the habits and files around a long-running plan are the real cost of moving. Below: how to decide what scheduling the company really does, the one open-source option we verified with its published prices, and how to move without losing history.
One project manager built a plan, then it became the plan. The people it concerns look at its dates, and the baseline from three phases ago is still the record of what was promised.
A seat bought for one person's plan can also be forgotten at renewal. Counting who edits and who views is usually the first saving, before any replacement.
Only alternatives we have checked. An open-source project is listed with the license its repository reports, on the date shown; one whose license could not be read as a single standard id is not offered as open source. Read the license guide before running any of them.
| Alternative | Kind | License | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenProject | Open source | GPL-3.0 | OpenProject repositoryChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
Each feature below is what the product's own page or README says, linked to where we read it on the date shown. Pros and cons are limited to what those pages state and to what the path itself changes. We do not rank products on quality.
| Plan | Price as published | Includes | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenProject Community | Free | Community features and community support (tickets, forum, user guides), no minimum users | OpenProject pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| OpenProject Basic | €5.95 per user per month | Adds Basic Enterprise add-ons and email support; 25 minimum users | OpenProject pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| OpenProject Professional | €10.95 per user per month | Adds Professional Enterprise add-ons and phone support; 25 minimum users | OpenProject pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| OpenProject Premium | €15.95 per user per month | Adds Premium Enterprise add-ons, remote hands, and installation and upgrade assistance; 100 minimum users | OpenProject pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
Only OpenProject's prices were read. They are printed in euros, per user per month, with the stated minimum users; the page also lists discounts for longer terms. Microsoft's Project pricing could not be read and is not shown.
Project is hired to schedule work: tasks, dependencies, dates and resources, shown as a Gantt chart. Check whether every seat edits a plan or some only view one.
The first question is how much scheduling the company really does. A team that only needs a timeline and a task list has more options than one that levels resources across many projects. We rate this one moderate because the data moves but the people who plan with it have to trust the new tool.
Samples are made up and are not Microsoft Project's prices. Type in the figures from your own invoice or order form.
The honest yearly cost of running open-source software yourself, set against the bill it replaces, with the seat count where it stops paying.
Paid seats against seats in use: what the idle ones cost a year, and what you save by right-sizing at renewal.
Arithmetic only, not tax, accounting or legal advice. Check the figures against your own order form.
Moving a schedule is mostly checking that dates and dependencies survive. In outline:
List active schedules, who edits and who only views, and what each is used for: delivery plan, resource plan or a record for a customer.
Rebuild one live plan in the candidate tool, including dependencies and dates, and compare the critical dates against the original.
Check what the viewers need. If they only look at dates, a shared view may be enough and the number of editing seats can fall.
Move one team, keep the old license through a full project phase, and export a copy of baselines before they are needed for a dispute.
Export everything, wait a full phase, then end seats inside the contract's notice window.
Run the vendor report for QuickBooks Online or Xero, then open the free audit.
General information, not legal advice. See cancelling without penalties. Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to identify them.
Send us the export and see which lines are worth a second look. A connected version is planned. Microsoft Project is one of the lines worth a look.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
| Self-hosting, per year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hosting, backups, tooling | 720.00 |
| Admin and restore-test time | 2,640.00 |
| Total | 3,360.00 |
| One-off set-up (not in the yearly total) | 1,200.00 |
The saving holds only if the time is real. Price the admin hours at what that person's time costs the company, not at zero.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
“In use” is your call: last sign-in in the past 30 or 90 days from the vendor's admin report. A seat for someone on leave is not idle.