Enthusiasts know that Apple products are slick, quick, and easy-to-use machines. Apple device users–be it an iPhone, iPad, or iMac–have been described as cool and creative trendsetters.

Businesses aren’t any different. Many high-profile companies, like Facebook, Google, Cisco, and almost half of U.S. enterprise-level corporations have bought into Macs for their business.
So it makes sense that when companies are shopping for project management software, they’re specifically looking for project management software for Mac.

The Best Project Management Software for Mac

Googling Mac-specific project management software largely leads to lots of cloud-based options. While programs like Wrike, LiquidPlanner, and Teamwork are fantastic tools for Mac, many companies are looking for a locally installed option.

Microsoft Project is a project & Portfolio management solution that is available both as an on-premise option for Windows and Mac and as cloud-based software. MS Project offers integrated project planning tools that help users get an overview and keep their projects organized and on the planned track. Project management for Mac: the best on the market The real value and convenience start to materialize with the help of desktop apps explicitly tailored for MacOS. These enabling web designers, creative teams, developers and other teams to reap all the benefits of project management.

If you're looking for something Mac specific, look no further than OmniFocus. It has GTD (Getting Things Done - David Allen, Getting Things Done® and GTD®) principles and workflows built right in. Aug 24, 2020 Best Project Management Software for Mac. A quick search on Google will lead to an overwhelming amount of options and information on the best project management tools today. So you don’t have to test every single one of them, we’ve made a list of our top six favorites, specifically for Mac devices. The software can use MS Outlook Connect to fit in with Microsoft Office or Outlook, enabling users to upload tasks, emails, and documents straight into the solution, making it one of the best project management software for mac 2018.

With that in mind, I dove into the top five project management software for Mac to help buyers figure out what options are available.

While evaluating these tools, I looked for traits that Mac users tend to look for–intuitive design, mid-end pricing, and the “coolness” factor found in Mac’s brand in the form of easy functionality.

These Mac project management software options are arranged alphabetically.

Daylite

If your small business is looking to find an all-in-one customer relationship management software and project management tool that’s designed for Apple products, check out Daylite. The software has almost 50 reviews on Capterra with a solid 4.5/5 rating, and users praising its “tight integration with Apple hardware and software.”

The UI should feel familiar to anyone who’s worked within Apple’s ecosystem—Daylite’s look and feel is similar to tools like iCal and Keynote and is similarly intuitive to use. Project managers can use Daylite to link all of their important project pieces together—from notes to tasks to emails to contacts. The result is a light project management software (or heavy task manager) ideal for client-focused small businesses.

Notable features

• All related activities can be grouped together into projects, which Daylite automatically tracks and logs.
• Customizable enough to create your own pipelines and approval processes for new projects.
• Works on iOS, so you’re not tethered to your MacBook or iMac to use the tool effectively.

Price: $29/user/month

(Used Daylite? Share your thoughts with a review!)

FastTrack Schedule 10.2

FastTrack Schedule 10.2 knows its user base. Its whole interface is intuitive–one reviewer from Macworld said it best:

[FastTrack Schedule 10] sports the familiar Mac look and feel with easy-to-identify icons for layouts, filters, sorting, and more— all with a text label that matches what you see in iPhoto, et al.

In other words, if you’re used to working with Mac software like Keynote or Safari, FastTrack Schedule 10 will be easy to pick up.

Notable features:

• New project managers can jump right in with the program’s 30+ templates, which rely on a simple drag-and-drop UI.
• Project managers can see who on their team is working on what part of the project and when they’re doing so. Project managers can use these features to make sure they don’t overload their team members.
• Want to see the big picture? FastTrack Schedule 10 has a “master schedule” where users can see how all projects line up. This feature is great for bigger companies who want to invest in enterprise project management software.

Price: $349

(Used FastTrack Schedule? Share your thoughts with a review!)

iTaskX3

One reviewer notes that iTaskX is ridiculously simple to use, saying that the software is, “easy to learn, has an intuitive interface, and it’s easy to work [sic] even when you have never touched itaskX before.”

iTaskX’s program is nicely laid out and simple to use. Its biggest claim to notoriety is that it fully integrates with Microsoft Project, the most popular project management software by a landslide. iTaskX lets users open Microsoft Project files and easily exchange information using XML and MPX files.
iTask is based around Waterfall project management–it runs off Gantt charts, tasks, and resources, and organizes all of these bits of information into simple graphics.

Notable features:

• iTaskX is robust enough to manage enterprise-level project management as it stays updated with everyone on the system.
• The project management software offers over 60 different calculators based off task fields, including slack time, cost accruals, and effort-driven scheduling.
• iTaskX also offers full customizability for layout and design. Project managers can adjust the aesthetics on all their projects, from custom fonts to custom layouts. And for those of us who are a little less creative, iTask comes with plenty of templates as well.

Price: $140

(Used iTaskX? Share your thoughts with a review!)

Merlin Project 4

I couldn’t write this review without taking note of one of the most popular project management software options for Mac: Merlin Project.

The first thing that jumps out about Merlin is how intuitive it is. Don’t get me wrong, Merlin may have the most features available on this list, but the developers are careful to present the system’s options in an intuitive layout.

Instead of a jumble of menus and folders, Merlin takes all of its features and displays them simply. TechRadar explains,

Everything happens in one big window that’s divided up into a main panel plus one or more smaller ones that change according to the aspect you’re currently working on.

There are four principal views for the main panel…. Gantt chart with critical paths displayed as bold lines, a network diagram using the Activity on Node format, a list of resources involved in the project, and a time-based display of resource utilisation[.]

The smaller panels are where you’d enter detailed information on selected tasks, resources and so on.

All of that is to say that Merlin makes project planning simple, even when the project manager is relying on a ton of tools to do so.

Notable features:

• Merlin can double as a document management system, as users can upload files straight to tasks.
• The system offers instant reporting, including the ability to create entirely custom reports.
• Gorgeous Gantt charts and simple-to-use interface.

Price: $349

(Used Merlin Project? Share your thoughts with a review!)

OmniPlan 3

Now this is a gorgeous project management software option for Mac.

OmniPlan is one of the most visually appealing project management applications out there, regardless of platform.

Simply drag and drop team members into tasks, set the task’s estimated time for completion, and voila! OmniPlan pumps out a beautiful Gantt chart.

Need to adjust a task because you have team members who have limited availability or because one task took longer than expected? No problem. Again, just drag and drop, and the program will fix estimates for you.

Notable features:

• OmniPlan has incredible filtering options. Project managers can narrow down their task lists by date, resource, effort, priority, dependency claims, and more, so they don’t get overwhelmed by all the information presented in the master Gantt chart.
• OmniPlan also offers Violation Resolution, which means that if something doesn’t look right to the program’s estimates, the software flag the task for the project manager’s review.
• The system is entirely compatible with Microsoft Project.

Price: $149.99

(Used OmniPlan 3? Share your thoughts with a review!)

More?

There are lots of other great project management systems for Mac out there, including xPlan and AltiProject. My bet is that more will emerge as Apple takes over the market for business computers.

I’m interested in your thoughts on these project management software selections. Have you used any of them? Was there a software worth reviewing that I missed (review it on the main Capterra site too!)? Please jot down your thoughts in the comments below–I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Want more software recommendations? You may be interested in these articles:

Looking for Project Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Project Management software solutions.

Explore popular project management software that makes tracking project statuses, collaboration, and task management easier.

Microsoft Projects is a popular project management platform. In Capterra’s 2018 Top 20 Most Popular Project Management Software list, it scored 75 out of 100, placing it at the top of the list.

But a high score doesn’t necessarily mean Microsoft Projects is the right choice for every user. Reviewers on Capterra mention that it can have a steep learning curve. You may want to look at simpler alternatives if getting started quickly is a priority.

Selection criteria

We’ve analyzed data on more than 600 project management tools on Capterra and used the below criteria to identify the Microsoft Project alternatives we’re featuring here.

• Core project management features: The product must offer the core project management features: task management, collaboration, and project tracking.
• At least 20 user reviews published on Capterra in the past two years: This helps ensure there are enough reviews to analyze the pros and cons.
• Likelihood to recommend: Theproduct should have a minimum average recommendation rating of 8 out of 10 on Capterra.
• Features and functionality rating: The product should have an average functionality rating of at least 4 out of 5 on Capterra.

5 Best Microsoft Project Alternatives for Project Management

1. Asana: Work management platform for teams of all sizes

Asana allows you to create multiple tasks and subtasks within different projects and monitor their progress. Users can comment on the tasks, share documents, assign tasks to team members, and track deadlines.

The tool’s dashboard provides an overview of different project statuses and lets you create project plans that can be viewed as flowcharts, timelines, and graphs. Asana offers integrations with more than 100 other tools, such as Dropbox, Zapier, and Microsoft Office 365.

Product development roadmap in Asana (Source)

2. Basecamp: Project management tool with to-do lists to manage tasks

Basecamp offers features such as message boards, to-do lists, chat tools, and shared calendars. It allows you to embed files or images into your messages and track project conversations on a single page.

Basecamp also integrates with third-party apps such as G-Suite, iCal, and Outlook.

“Hill chart” feature in Basecamp helps track project progress (Source)

3. Monday.com: Team management software that helps improve collaboration

Formerly dapulse, monday.com is a tool that helps manage teams and tasks. It provides visual charts to track project statuses, sales pipelines, HR tasks, etc. Monday.com also offers predefined project dashboards and workflow templates. You can invite new members, tag them, and track all your project conversations.

The tool integrates with other systems such as MS Excel, Trello, Asana, and Basecamp, which facilitates importing project data onto it.

Task management in monday.com (Source)

4. Trello: Project management tool with Kanban-style boards

Trello is known for its Kanban-style message boards that let you organize and group tasks, add people, and manage project or task statuses. You can tag team members to assign them tasks or to draw their attention to specific comments on a project.

Trello captures each task as a card. You create cards directly on the app or convert email requests to cards using Trello’s email integration capabilities. Trello’s “Power-Up” feature helps it connect with a number of other applications including Slack, Todoist, and Evernote.

Kanban boards in Trello (Source)

5. Wrike: Online project management software with Gantt charts

Wrike allows you to set project goals, assign resources, and track project progress. It offers interactive Gantt charts to track and optimize project planning.

Wrike’s drag-and-drop interface lets you quickly reprioritize projects and manage resources. You can create customized templates for different workflows and build iteration processes to plan sprints and manage backlogs. Wrike also integrates with third-party tools such as Tableau, Box, and Salesforce.

Gantt charts in Wrike (Source)

How to choose the right Microsoft Project alternative

Best Project Management Software For Mac

How do you go about choosing the right project management software for your business? Here’re some tips:

• Shortlist products based on their features and pricing: Eliminate solutions that fall outside your budget range and don’t offer features that your business needs.
• Demo the products: Explore the free versions or check out free trials to get firsthand experience with how the software works and its limitations.
• Read Capterra reviews: Capterra lists software reviews written by real users. Read the reviews to understand what your peers have to say about using the software.

To expand your search scope beyond these five alternatives, visit our comprehensive project management software directory.

In the comments section below, let us and other readers know which project management tools you’re using (if any), what’s working well for you, and what’s not.

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Looking for Project Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Project Management software solutions.