The Story Behind GanttPad

The backstory

GanttPad started out of frustration. As a freelancer juggling multiple client projects, I needed a way to estimate projects, visualize timelines, track dependencies, and keep budgets in check — without paying enterprise prices or spending hours learning bloated software.

Every tool I tried was either too simple (sticky notes don't scale) or way too old (the project haven't been updated since the dinasour period) and ugly-looking. So I built what I actually wanted: a fast, drag-and-drop keyboard-first timeline tool that feels like it was made for people who work alone or in small teams.

What we believe

• Simplicity is a feature. If it takes more than a minute to create your first project, something is wrong.
• Small teams deserve great tools. You shouldn't need a 50-seat license to get dependency tracking and budget views.
• Speed matters. GanttPad is keyboard-first, instantly responsive, and stays out of your way so you can focus on the work.

Built with care

GanttPad is independently built and self-funded. There are no venture capital investors pushing for complexity, no growth-at-all-costs pressure. Just a focused product that does one thing well: helping you plan and ship your projects on time.

How we're different

Most project management tools start simple and inevitably bloat into platforms with dozens of features fighting for your attention. We're deliberately going the other way.

• Keyboard-first design. Every interaction is optimized for speed. Tab to indent, Enter to add, arrow keys to navigate. Your hands stay on the keyboard, and your flow stays unbroken.
• No feature creep. We say no to most feature requests. Not because we don't care, but because every new feature adds complexity for everyone. We'd rather do five things exceptionally well than fifty things poorly.
• Honest pricing. A generous free tier that's actually useful, and paid plans priced for freelancers and small teams — not enterprise budgets. We only charge for the people who actually build the schedule; everyone you just want to keep in the loop watches for free.
• Privacy by default. Your project data is yours. We don't sell it, we don't mine it for insights, and we don't use it to train AI models. We make money from subscriptions, not from your data.

Who GanttPad is for

GanttPad is built for people who need to plan projects without drowning in process. That includes freelance designers and developers managing client work, small agencies coordinating across a handful of team members, startup teams shipping product on tight timelines, and anyone who thinks project management shouldn't require a certification to get started.

If your project has tasks, deadlines, and dependencies — and you want to see all of that on one screen — GanttPad is for you.

Get in touch

Have questions, feedback, or just want to say hello? Reach out at [email protected] or visit our contact page.