No matter what kind of project you want to tackle, you must have a plan first. Planning is the cornerstone of project management, but if you’re a Mac user, then you’re going to find that a lot of the big players in the field don’t want you on their team.

There is no Microsoft planner for Mac, or Microsoft Project for Mac, for that matter. Why they would ignore such a large potential client base is not for us to ask, but managers using Apple products are still in need of a good planning app.

Despite there not being a Microsoft planner for Mac, there are plenty of other companies that offer great planning software with Mac compatibility. We’ve tested out a bunch and came back with these reviews of the best planner apps for Mac.

2024 Best Planning Apps for Mac Rankings

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager is an award-winning planning software that works on Mac or PC. It’s a cloud-based app, which means that users can access the software anywhere there’s an internet connection. That means you can create a plan in the office or on the go.

This planner app for Mac lets you organize your project by collecting tasks, setting due dates, prioritizing them, tagging them for easier searching, linking dependencies to avoid bottlenecks and setting milestones to break up the project into more manageable pieces. Plus there’s a free 30-day trial so you can try this planning app for Mac yourself before you buy.

Gantt Charts for Planning

Not everyone plans the same way, which is why the tool has multiple project views. Get the flexibility you need to better plan your project with online Gantt charts that provide managers with more control over their scheduling by showing all the tasks on a timeline. The Gantt helps you manage tasks and all the associated resources and costs. Plus, you can compare planned vs actuals and track progress in real time.

Kanban Boards for Work Flows

If you’re a more visual worker, there are kanban boards that show the workflow by breaking up the production cycle into columns under which are stack cards that represent each task. This gives managers visibility into the process to reallocate resources to match their team’s capacity, and teams are able to build a backlog and manage their work together.

Collaborative Task Management

There are also calendar views and a task list. All the data is the same no matter what view you choose. Each task can have a detailed description to help teams execute it. Files can be attached directly to the tasks, too. The software acts as the central hub for all your project documentation, saving you time when you need to look at any important paperwork.

Keeping everyone in the project updated when you plan or change something is the plan is key to staying productive and on schedule. The plan can be monitored and tracked as it is being executed. Email notifications and in-app alerts will inform the project team of any changes to tasks when due dates are approaching and more. It keeps everyone in the loop.

Dashboards for Tracking

The planning app for Mac also has features that give you a high-level view of the project as it’s happening with a real-time dashboard. The dashboard collects project data and automatically calculates it to display in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Users get instant status reports on progress, cost, resource availability and more.

Plus, if your organization is married to Microsoft Project but you’re working on a Mac, ProjectManagerlets you import and export MPP files. Ready to get started? Click here for a free 30-day trial with full access to all their features.

Pricing

• Team plan: $13 user/month
• Business plan: $24 user/month

Q&A

• Does ProjectManager offer a free trial? Yes, ProjectManager has a 30-day free trial
• Does ProjectManager have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

2. Project Planning Pro

Project Planning Pro is a mobile app developed specifically for project managers that need a tool that allows them to make plans while out in the field (or just on the go). You can create a project plan quickly—just enter the tasks, start and end dates. There’s an interactive Gantt chart that allows you to edit and update the tasks quickly and simply.

It’s easy to manage tasks and collaborate with teams to increase productivity, especially when you’re not in the office. The tool was designed for project managers that are traveling a lot and need to stay connected to their projects.

For example, if you’re working on an iPad you can use simple gestures to update your Gantt or see the critical path. It links all four task dependencies and can import and export Microsoft Project if your company uses this tool.

Pricing

• Project Planning Pro for Mac is $34.99

Q&A

• Does Project Planning Pro offer a free trial? No, there isn’t a free trial
• Does Project Planning Pro offer a free version? No, there isn’t a free version

3. Project Plan 365

Project Plan 365 is another planner app for Mac that’s easy to use for project managers and small teams, especially if they’re working in a fast-paced office or in distributed teams. Like other apps highlighted here, it’s also used as an extension for Microsoft Project, which is unavailable for Mac. It supports all MS Project views, such as Gantt charts, task sheets, network diagram, project calendar, task and resource usage, team planning and more.

The software is flexible enough to work in a variety of industries including construction, engineering, software development, marketing and sales, banking and finance and much more. Since it has both a Mac desktop application and a cloud interface, you can work online or offline.

While it’s built to act as a MS Project alternative or extension, it’s also compatible with Windows and Android phones. You can back up your work to its cloud server or use Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and OneDrive.

Pricing

• Standard plan is $9.99/month
• Business plan is $16.19/month

Q&A

• Does Project Plan 365 offer a free trial? Yes, there’s a 30-day free trial
• Does Project Plan 365 offer a free version? No, there isn’t a free version

4. GanttPRO

GanttPRO is an online planning app that uses Gantt charts to support planning and scheduling projects. It’s a great solution for small teams, though it doesn’t have the customizable reports and dashboards that you’ll find in more powerful planning apps for Mac. However, it’s got a low price point of entry and a great design.

If you love managing projects on Gantts, then this is the tool for you. It has custom fields for tasks, kanban board views and calculates the critical path.

The app is made for smaller organizations that don’t need the bells and whistles of reporting features and invoicing tools. The web-based software has a very intuitive interface and it’s simple to start a project. Drag-and-drop features add to the ease of adding tasks, linking dependencies, assigning resources, tracking progress and editing. Teams can comment and collaborate, get real-time notifications and managers can track their team’s performance and workload.

Pricing

• Individual plan is $15 per user/month
• Team plan is $8.90 per user/month

Q&A

• Does GanttPRO offer a free trial? Yes, there’s a 15-day free trial
• Does GanttPRO have a mobile app? Yes, it’s available on iOS and Android

5. Hive

Hive refers to itself as a “productivity platform,” and this cloud-based planner app for Mac lives up to its motto. It is ideal for big and small teams, with many features to help with planning and executing projects. It has file sharing, task management, automation and chat.

Users can set up tasks and their duration, add tags and attach files. Then track the status of the task. It uses a kanban-like interface, but also has a Gantt view.

A big selling point is its three dashboards that track project metrics and provide insights into performance. Using this monitoring feature helps managers identify inefficiencies and resolve these issues to boost productivity, and it keeps managers and teams updated with alerts. Another pro is that much of what you will need to know is displayed on one page, which adds to its ease of use. However, while Hive is a useful project planner for Mac, it might not be the best project management software. First, Hive’s status, list and team project views are simply variations of a kanban board. Also, Hive’s Gantt chart lacks advanced project management features such as identifying the critical path or showing a work breakdown structure.

Pricing

• Hive Solo is $0 per user/month
• Hive Teams is $12 per user/month

Q&A

• Does Hive offer a free trial? Yes, there’s a 14-day free trial
• Does Hive have a mobile app? Yes, it’s available in the App Store

ProjectManager is award-winning software that is the best planner app for Mac. It saves you money and increases your productivity. Making plans on Gantts or Kanban boards controls every aspect of your plan, and multiple project views allow you to work how you want. Resource management, timesheets and other planning-related features all combine to make this the one project management tool you’ll need to deliver successful projects. See what it can do for your next project plan by taking this free 30-day trial.