Gantt Chart Maker vs Excel
A free, no-signup Gantt chart tool compared with Excel — feature by feature, and honestly about who each one fits.
Open the free app →You can absolutely make a Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel — by coaxing a stacked bar chart into hiding its first series, then maintaining start and duration columns by hand. It works, it is familiar, and if your data already lives in a sheet it is close at hand. It is also entirely manual: no dependencies, no arrows, and every date change is your problem to propagate.
Gantt Chart Maker does the drawing for you. Add tasks, drag bars, and dependencies re-route themselves. It stays free and needs no account — and when you are done, you can still export to CSV or Excel.
Excel vs Gantt Chart Maker at a glance
| Feature | Gantt Chart Maker | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — every feature | Paid (Microsoft 365) |
| Account to start | Not required | Not for desktop |
| Runs in the browser | Yes — installable PWA | Web version |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes (desktop) |
| Your data stays on your device | Yes, by default | Local or 365 cloud |
| Gantt view | Yes — purpose-built | Manual (stacked bars) |
| Task dependencies | Yes — live re-routing, lag/lead | No |
| MS Project import / export | Yes (.xml both ways) | No |
| Live collaboration | Yes — free (optional account) | Via 365 |
| Best for | Fast, focused Gantt planning | Spreadsheets & data work |
Comparison reflects publicly documented features as of July 2026. Competitor free tiers, plans, and features may change — check their site for the latest.
Where Excel is strong
- Already installed almost everywhere, and deeply familiar.
- Unmatched for calculations, data, and ad-hoc analysis.
- Fully offline on the desktop, with your file under your control.
- Endlessly flexible if you are willing to build the chart by hand.
Where Gantt Chart Maker is different
Excel treats a Gantt as a chart type to fake; Gantt Chart Maker treats it as the whole job. That means real dependencies (with lag/lead and live re-routing), milestones as diamonds, multi-task drag, and a "today" line — none of which Excel gives you without manual effort. You can read our step-by-step guide to Gantt charts in Excel, then decide which is worth your time.
Which should you choose?
Choose Excel if you want everything in one spreadsheet and are happy to maintain the chart manually. Choose Gantt Chart Maker if you want dependencies and drag-to-reschedule without building a single formula — free, in the browser.
Frequently asked questions
Is it hard to make a Gantt chart in Excel?
It is doable but fiddly — a stacked bar chart with a hidden series and hand-kept date columns. Our Excel guide walks through it, and explains where it breaks down.
Can I export from Gantt Chart Maker into Excel?
Yes — export to CSV or XLSX and open it in Excel, keeping your task list and dates.
Does the Excel method support dependencies?
No. Excel's chart has no concept of task dependencies or automatic re-scheduling; a dedicated Gantt tool does.
Try it — it opens in seconds
Gantt Chart Maker runs entirely in your browser: no signup, no account, nothing to install. Build a plan with dependencies in under a minute.
Open the app →