ProjectLibre Software : Overview – Features – Pricing

Overview Presentation

ProjectLibre is the leading open source alternative to MS Project. It is a free downloadable project management software that is compatible with several versions of Project. Users can open the software on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux platforms. As of August 2018, it has passed 3.5 million downloads, and has been adopted in over 200 countries. An enterprise cloud version coming soon will be offered on a simple monthly subscription. The cloud version is best for teams and for multiple project management.

Features, Benefits, Strengths

• MS Project Compatibility – ProjectLibre is compatible with Microsoft Project 2003, 2007, and 2010, so it will open these files. It also has import/export capabilities. A similar ribbon UI allows users familiar with MS Project to easily transition to ProjectLibre. In creating a project plan, they can use a similar approach, such as listing and indenting a task list or work breakdown structure. They can set durations, links, predecessors, and resources in a similar manner. They can also create budgets and manage expenses with the software. The latest version is 1.8.0 modified in May 2018.
• Core PM Functionality ‚Äì This open source alternative software includes features such as Gantt charts, network diagrams, work breakdown structure charts, resource breakdown structure charts, earned value costing, and resource histograms. These are also comparable to features in Microsoft Project. Users can set dependencies, create a project baseline, and use multiple calendar to define working and non-working days for different resources. It also has reporting functionality, such as for displaying project details, resource information, task information, and others.
• Enterprise Cloud ‚Äì ProjectLibre is busy finalizing a cloud version. It will extend the open source desktop software to a cloud version that can be accessed anytime and anywhere. Unlike the single-user desktop version, the cloud version will be capable of handling multiple projects by multiple users. Thus, simple project portfolio management features will also be available. A team dashboard will allow project collaboration from members in different locations. Pricing will be offered on a simple monthly subscription.

Pricing

ProjectLibre is released under the Common Public Attribution License and qualifies as free software. The developers accept donations for development efforts.

Social Network Presence

• Facebook
• Twitter

Target Market

ProjectLibre is for small to mid-sized businesses that have single project requirements.

Supported Language

Aside from English, ProjectLibre has been translated to Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Dutch, French, Finnish, Galician, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, and Ukranian.

Some of their Clients

Clients include The Clinton Foundation, Giorgio Armani, McKesson, Abbot, IBM, Turner, ST Microelectronics, Flextronics, Kiewit, Accenture, EADS, Cisco, AMD, Caterpillar, Medtronic, Boeing, and Husqvarna.

Testimonials

Russann J. stated that he likes the layout of ProjectLibre, because it is intuitive and getting better all the time. Contacting the developers and sending feedback is easy, with a quick turnaroud, which is typical in an open source community. He stated, though, that he is finding it difficult to use with a team that does not work regular hour shifts.

User g2crowd described it as easy to use, with a friendly interface. She hopes the zoom in – zoom out with a mouse drag feature will be included, as well as adding comment, and alert or task reminder links to a mobile app.

Why ProjectLibre

Users who are looking for a free open source alternative to MS Project but do not want a to learn how to use a new application can check ProjectLibre. An affordable cloud version that handles multi-project for multi-users will be available soon. Requests to be included in the beta of the cloud version can now be sent. A 5-part tutorial is also available here.

Company Info

ProjectLibre is developed by Marc O’Brien and Laurent Chretienneau, who were also the creators of another open source PM software called OpenProj in 2007 under the company Projity. After months of releasing the first version of OpenProj in 2008, Projity was acquired by another software company. After development was suspended on the PM software for several years, the founders started independent development (fork) in 2012 from the base source code and worked on a new PM software they named ProjectLibre. In 2013, it received awards such as InfoWorld’s Best of Open Source Software, and has been included in Opensource.com’s Top 10 open source projects for that year. Future development is planned for a cloud and enterprise PPM versions.

Explore Additional Project Management Resources

Learn more about project management by exploring the following project management software reviews & project management software comparisons including Monday.com vs Jira, Monday.com software review, Aha! Software or Agile vs Waterfall.

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