Microsoft Project is by far the most popular project management software on the market, at least among Windows users. You are a proud Mac or iPad user? No problem. You are in the right place to find all the information you need about MS Project compatibility and project management software alternatives for macOS and iOS.

• Microsoft Project Professional 2010 For Mac Free Download
• Microsoft Project Plan For Mac

Is there a version of Microsoft Project for Mac or iPad?

No, Microsoft Project is not produced for macOS. Microsoft sells versions of their Office applications but no project management equivalent. However, there are alternatives which are just as powerful as MS Project.

How to find the best Microsoft Project alternative for macOS and iOS

There is a wide range of project management applications available. To decide which solution is the best fit for you, you should first get very clear about your requirements. We have put together several questions to get you started on your reflection process:

Project Online Professional or Project Online Premium: If you have a subscription to one of the cloud-based solutions of Project you won't see an option to install it unless you have an assigned license.If you're the Microsoft 365 admin responsible for assigning licenses, see Assign licenses to users. Microsoft Project Professional 2019 All project managers need a solid solution to help manage project progress and completion. Project 2019 Professional is exactly that solution. This software enables high level productivity on all phases of task completion. It’s perfect for businesses and project managers that need to make the most out of time and resources. For professionals that have more. Microsoft Project Professional 2016 crack helps you in managing the strategy of your projects and collaborates with each other at any place. It keeps track of your projects and works efficiently with cloud services for easy access to your work anywhere and anytime using free crack.

Basic questions

• Online/offline functionalities: Do you want to work online only or do you prefer to be able to access and edit your project data online as well as offline?
• Compatibility: Should project documents be readable on operating systems other than macOS?
• Mobility: How important is mobile access to your project data?
• Customization: Which level of customization do you want your software to offer?
• Collaboration: Do you want several users to read and edit documents at the same time? Do you need to depict different levels of authorization?
• Import/export: Which formats do you need to import and export?
• Budget: What is your budget?
• Support: What kind of support is available? How many ressources are offered for free online?
• Testing: Is it possible to download a free trial version?

Of course, you should define your own priorities and add your individual questions, i.e. Do you need milestones? Do you want a budgeting tool as part of your project management software suite? Which functions do you expect from resource planning?

A project mangement software fulfilling all aspects mentioned above is Merlin Project. It combines professional functionalities with intuitive usability and may well be considered the most powerful MS Project alternative for macOS currently available.

Merlin Project: Microsoft Project Professional for Mac and iPad users

Merlin Project can be customized to meet your individual needs. In addition to the full version for Mac and iPad, there is also a Mac version for beginners available with reduced functionality: Merlin Project Express (see feature comparison). Mobile use is supported as well as teamwork via Merlin Server, a secure, locally installed server.

• Online/offline functionalities: You can edit all your project data offline and online.
• Compatibility: You can open and edit Microsoft Project documents with Merlin Project.The application supports import as well as export of MS Project data.
• Mobility: You can plan your project with the additional iOS app for Merlin Project.
• Customization: You have a variety of options to customize the user interface of Merlin Project according to your preferences.
• Collaboration: You can view and edit Merlin Project documents with multiple users at the same time. You can define individual levels of authorization for each user and project document. Also, it is possible to make changes in a private work area and synch those changes later to share them with other team members.
• Import/export: Besides MS Project data all major file formats are supported.
• Budget: Merlin Project and Merlin Project Express are available as annual or monthly subscriptions. For Merlin Server you buy a license according to the number of users / connections in steps of 5. Price overview.
• Support: A free E-Mail support is available to you, which answers inquiries within a few hours on weekdays. In addition, users can find extensive and free learning material on the website: manuals, quick guides, frequently asked questions, videos tutorials.

Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Project?

SaaS applications for project management have attracted more and more attention in the last years. Managing teams without being restricted by limits of operating systems, without worrying about IT infrastructure and file exchange – SaaS applications promised the perfect solution. Lots of producers offer their tools on a subscription basis and almost as many offer free versions for beginners. We strongly advise against using those free project management tools as alternatives for MS Project.

Some of the SaaS applications may be a good fit for private use. They are nice task management tools but they do not allow a comprehensive project planning as they lack important elements like budget planning, resource management or a variety of different views i.e. gantt charts, mind maps or organization charts. Professional project management for free? Too good to be true. Better invest in a slick project management solution and be sure to benefit from all necessary features and an intuitive usability.

Why you do not need Microsoft Project Viewer for Mac and iPad

You are already working with lots of different tools. Keep your set of tools small to not loose time and nerves searching for information. If you are using Merlin Project or Merlin Project Express, you don't need additional project management tools. Therefore, you also do not need Microsoft Project viewer. As mentioned, MS Project documents can be opened and edited with Merlin Project just fine.

Free demo version of Microsoft Project alternatives for Mac and iPad

Every professional project management application should allow full version testing before buying. If you are looking for an alternative to MS Project your practical experience with other tools is an important part of your decision making.

You can test Merlin Project 30 days free of charge.

If you are a project manager using Apple devices, then you know that a PC-bias still exists in the software industry, especially when it comes to anything Microsoft Project. But in 2019, we have options.

While most all software manufactures provide versions of their apps and services that work on both Macs and PCs, Microsoft does not have a macOS version of Project, making your team project work awkward, indeed. To restore harmony in this fractured computer-verse (Mac vs. PC, Apple vs. Google, iOS vs. Android, Siri vs. Alexa, etc.), there are a number of ways for you and your project team to get to Microsoft Project plans:

1. The long road, where you use an app to create a “virtual” second computer onboard the hard drive of your MacBook, iMac or MacPro (called a virtual machine), and then you install Microsoft Project within a virtual Windows.
2. The winding road, where you meander from Safari to the Project Online website (through an Office 365 subscription), or you are directed to some other project website running SharePoint with a Project Server, and that’s where you do all of your project work - from within a web browser.
3. The short cut…

This article discusses the long and winding road (and reveals the shortcut) in terms of pros and cons, as well as providing estimated “travel” costs for your journey…

1) The Long Road: Virtualizing your Mac to run Microsoft Windows + MS Project

What may sound like a quick jog (just run windows on your Mac) this is actually the road less traveled, and for good reason. This slog involves subscribing to one of many providers of a virtualization layer (Parallels Desktop, VMware, etc.) used before you install any flavor of Microsoft Windows that you may have on hand - and finally, once that’s all up and running, then can you install Microsoft Project and get to your work on an Apple device.

PROS

• In addition to running Microsoft Project, you can install and run any Windows app that you want.
• If something goes wrong with Windows or Project (as things sometimes do), you can just “blow away” that virtual machine and use your automatically created backup copy.

CONS

• Requires one more subscription to a software service (for example, Parallels or VMWare).
• Adds another layer to your Mac that needs a bit of worrying about (in addition to everything else that worries you).
• Creates files so large (after all, there’s an entire computer stuffed inside) you may have to upgrade your Mac’s internal hard drive to something gigabytes bigger.

2) The Winding Road: Using Project Online and all the restto get there....

There are many reasons that you might want to take the meandering path of using your Mac’s web browser to access Microsoft Project data, but simplicity would not be one of them. If all you want to do is to open, edit or create new Microsoft Project files, then don’t install SharePoint Server or any other servers just to do that – that would be silly and overly complex in this age of cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS). Just jump to #3 for a much shorter path.

PROS

• This setup may be essential to your large enterprise (in other words, you have no choice but to follow this path).

CONS

• If you work anywhere that the internet doesn’t, you are out of luck.
• If you are a small-to-mid sized business, the expense of it all may bust your bottom line.
• If you are the Project Manager for your team without dedicated IT support, this could be trouble.
  (It’s easier to raise children then to manage all of these systems.)

3) The Shortest Distance Between Two Points: Project Plan 365

If all you want to do is to collaborate with other folks sharing or creating Microsoft project data, then just download the free 30-day trial of either Project Plan 365 for Mac or Project Plan 365 for iOS. This gives you the flexibility to work on any Microsoft Project-created data file, regardless of your hardware or internet connection. Both apps allow you to do exactly the same thing: open, edit or create any Microsoft Project file (.MPP) with no conversions or imports from other odd formats, like .XML or .XLSX - or any other type of file where things can go wrong and mess with your precious project data. This is by far the “shortest distance between two points” for any Project Manager wanting to work on a Mac.

Current users of Microsoft Project will instinctively know how to use Project Plan 365, as the interface is virtually the same – no learning curve here to slow you down.

In addition, by subscribing to the Business (PMO) plan, project managers (especially those working in small-to-medium sized businesses) can augment their Microsoft Project experience as well, by using such Project Plan 365 features as real-time collaboration, portfolio and resource management and more. In short, a Project Management Office (PMO) can be set up on the cheap and within a few hours after your team subscribes to this plan.

PROS

• The simplest solution for the stated problem.
• The cheapest solution for the stated problem.
• Adds even more to the experience of being a Microsoft Project user, and gives your team more capabilities as you roll out your projects.

CONS

• None to speak of 🙂

The Bottom Line...

The bottom line depends on how far you are willing to go, just to get to a Microsoft Project file, or to collaborate with your team who are all using the same set of Microsoft Project data. Must your team use Project Online / SharePoint / Project Server because your management team has made that edict? Well, we feel for you… perhaps a new Microsoft laptop is in your future, leaving your shiny new Mac in the dust. But if not, taking the shortcut (#3 above) is going to save you time and money:

Road Taken...

1. The long road:

2. The winding road:

3. The shortcut:

Cost per user, per year (in USD)

Approximately $1000

Mega-bucks in Enterprise dollars!

$200

Which solves the problem? #1 yes, #2 not really and #3, sure thing!

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 For Mac Free Download

In addition to user cost savings per year, other intangibles are gained, such as the convenience of working on your project plans (or having someone else updating your plan) no matter where in the world you or anyone on your team is working (say on the plains of the Sudan, the beaches of Fiji or atop Mt. Everest) – you will always have a way to edit your Microsoft Project plans on your favorite Apple device.

Microsoft Project Plan For Mac

Project Plan 365 also allows you to take Microsoft Project files and go well beyond what you can do within the Microsoft app; for example, with Project Plan 365 you can build a PMO on the cheap, manage and report on your entire portfolio of projects, and store your files in a private and secure cloud - without having to purchase expensive software servers or buy any more new hardware.