OpenProj – Free Alternative To Microsoft Project 2010

[DaveP]

I am always on the lookout for alternatives to software we are already using.

MS Project has been a tough one to crack and apparently it should not have been so:

... OpenProj has a long history and is a complete replacement to the Microsoft Office Project application. It is surprising that not many people know about it...

I came across this this afternoon and I will test it as soon as I can [away from school today: Snow closure]

Link: OpenProj – Free Alternative To Microsoft Project 2010

Works on: Windows and Linux.

[_Bob_]

I heard a great tip for finding software alternatives the other day. Just go to google and type the product name then ' vs' and autocomplete will bring up a list of alternative products. EG:

'ms project vs'

Quite neat i thought.

[john]

Ive used Ganttproject for about 2 years now and its fine, we have it on all our PCs at the College and its used with good success (fine I have Project on mine but I'm special but I do still have Ganntproject as well) GanttProject Home

[AngryTechnician]

Had a quick look at OpenProj and here's a quick, non-exhaustive summary:

Pros:

• Lightweight. Runs quickly.
• Windows version has a nice clean MSI installer.
• Good feature set. Nice simple interface.

Cons:

• Requires Java, along with all the constant patching headache that entails.
• Stores some persistent settings in an unusual place (uninstalling and reinstalling did not prompt me to register the second time, but can't find any settings stored in Program Files, AppData, or the Registry).
• Calls home to vps598.sgvps.net via HTTP without consent. This isn't mentioned in the readme, or in any of the fifteen(!) different licences the various components are released under.
• Occasionally displays ads for the company's paid products at launch.

[Ric_]

OpenWorkbench is another one - Open Workbench - Home

[john]

OpenWorkbench is another one - Open Workbench - Home

Thats evil, I spent many many hours trying to get it to work for limited users (AKA Students and Staff) with no success, thus the move onto Gantt Project. Have you got it working for limited users Ric?

[Ric_]

@john: OpenWorkbench works fine for me... just install it via an MSI and that's it... although tbh I don't know if anyone uses it. I did test it though!

[john]

@john: OpenWorkbench works fine for me... just install it via an MSI and that's it... although tbh I don't know if anyone uses it. I did test it though!

Tried that no joy, it won't open any templates and if you do get a blank gantt chart it then soon crashes and locks up for us. TBH i don't mind as Gantt project is waaay simpler

[IoanLucian]

You can allways try for free RationalPlan - Project Management Software - great alternative to Microsoft Project with some extra-features like multiproject management.

[Quixx]

Rational Plan is indeed one of the potential alternatives. But there are much more like Gantt Project, OpenProj, Open workbench and Planner. Some reviews and more can be found on pm-software.org.

[Whoops]

Well it seems like OpenProj is really the best open source project management software alternative to MS Project. It has features like MS Project and you can even use project files from this tool. Has anyone tried Redmine and Activecollab? I've heard that activecollab becomes a payware software now. Anyway, I've also come across this blog which lists a number of project management software alternatives: http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2011/...e-alternatives I think it's also a good list comparing all the different features of the different tools.

[Armando3]

Another alternative to MS Project which is also a good project management software package would be Latitude. It has a CRM feature to keep track of clients info, manage projects and documents, and can create invoices of job costs through its simple cash accounting system. User timesheets can be exported to QuickBooks and other accounting software packages for payrolls. It can also generate reports of timesheets, projects, employees, etc., through its reports generation feature.