Merlin Project Express

Project Planning, Made as Simple as It Gets

For occasional projects. Plan what needs planning. On the Mac App Store or via Setapp.

Project planning that feels familiar from day one

A Mac app for the home project, the tour plan or the thesis. No multi-team, multi-quarter tracking nobody maintains.

Gantt Chart

Break your project down into tasks, milestones and dependencies on a clear timeline. Drag and drop elements into the right structure. Merlin Project Express recalculates start and end dates automatically.

Resources & costs

Drag people straight from your Mac Contacts into a project. Merlin Project Express calculates costs from hourly rates and budgets automatically: per task, per resource or for the whole project.

Attachments

Attach every piece of information directly to a task: files, checklists, events, information items, issues and risks. Drag and drop them in, with version history for changing documents.

What our customers say

Real voices from the App Store, Capterra and direct customer references.

Capterra ★★★★★

Project planning with no alternative for Mac OS

Generally speaking, since I've been using this application for 6 years, I won't be changing applications because it meets 95% of my needs. The exported planning documents are easy to edit and easy to understand for everyone. Pros: As a long-term user of Merlin Project Management, I'm really pleased with the functions offered. The management of ...

— Olivier G.
Appstore ★★★★

great.

Easy and self-explanatory to use. I love the design. Minimalist and modern

— 19sergej85
Reference ★★★★★

Artwork | Rudat

Merlin Project is my choice, because success and a well work-life-balance is important to me.

— Tatjana Rudat Artwork | Rudat · Freiburg, Germany
Appstore ★★★★★

Projektplanung und KI

I have downloaded the new Version 9 with integrated AI, and I must say I am flashed. The AI generated plans make total sense and this is a perfect vehicle to generate initial project plans. Dependencies detected, roles detected parallel vs. sequential execution perfectly detected and so much extra information you might forget when doing the plan...

— sebgraf
Capterra ★★★★★

Best Mac alternative for real project managers

It has taken me literally 2 weeks to find a viable alternative to MS Project for a Mac. After extensively researching the more visible search results (OmniPlan, Wrike, AtTask, L...

— Julie B.
Reference ★★★★★

Strawberryfrog

We chose Merlin Project because it helps us stay integrated, be accountable, and stay organized!

— Byrne Scordato Strawberryfrog · New York, NY
+

★★★★★

Pricing overview

Download the trial and try Merlin Project Express free for 14 days, then purchase once on the Mac App Store.

Merlin Project for iPad

Merlin Project for iPad

You travel a lot and plan on the iPad?

For the mobile project manager on iPad, Apple Vision Pro or iPhone.

US$9.99 / month
Merlin Project Express

Merlin Project Express

You plan personal or small projects?

The small version for the private project manager on the Mac.

US$6.99 / month
month year
2 months free

Feature comparison

Frequently asked questions

The most common questions about switching, data privacy, and purchasing, answered briefly.

Can I import existing Microsoft Project files?

Yes. Merlin Project imports and exports Microsoft Project via MS Project XML. Additionally, MPX and formats like MindManager, FreeMind, OmniPlan, OPML, CSV, iCalendar are supported.

See all supported import and export formats →

Do I need a server or cloud platform?

No. Merlin Project runs entirely locally on your Mac or iPad. For team collaboration the app syncs via iCloud Drive, Dropbox or, on the Mac, practically any common cloud service. You don't need your own server.

At its heart is MagicSync, our patented sync technology. It reconciles changes from multiple users and devices without losing data or producing annoying conflict files, even when several people edit simultaneously.

Learn more about our patented sync →

Does Merlin Project work without an internet connection?

Yes, completely. All features are available offline. As soon as you're back online, Merlin Project syncs your changes automatically, guaranteed without conflict files. Ideal for construction sites, on-site meetings or travel.

Where is my project data stored?

Exclusively on your own devices and, if you enable it, in your personal cloud storage. Merlin Project is not a cloud application and not a SaaS. There is no ProjectWizards server that processes your project data. You alone decide where your data lives.

This makes the app fully GDPR-compliant, a key difference compared to purely cloud-based PM tools. You don't need a data processing agreement (DPA).

Privacy details → · Privacy policy

What happens after the 14-day trial?

You can try Merlin Project Express for 14 days without any restrictions. Once the trial ends, you keep read access to all project files you created; edits, export and printing are not available in this mode.

To keep working, choose a monthly or annual subscription as an in-app purchase from the Mac App Store. Setapp subscribers can use Merlin Project Express directly through their Setapp plan.

View on the Mac App Store →

What about my old lifetime license?

Your lifetime license remains valid. You can continue to use Merlin Project with the feature set your license covered at purchase. New features and current versions are part of the subscription model.

Run projects that actually ship.

One app for your project plan, native on every Apple device.