Project Management with a Bit of Magic
Plan, manage, and deliver projects efficiently. Merlin Project for macOS and iOS
Merlin Project vs. Monday Work Management
Looking for a Monday.com alternative on Mac with pro-grade scheduling? Let's compare Monday Work Management with Merlin Project, a profesional project management tool on macOS and iOS.
Merlin Project
Project management software on Apple Devices
Monday Work Management
Web-based project management
Quick Comparison Chart
| Capability | Merlin Project (macOS/iOS) | Monday Work Management (web) |
|---|---|---|
| Project planning & Gantt | Advanced Gantt with critical path, dynamic baselines, constraints | Good, but setup-driven; dependencies/baselines require configuration or apps |
| Resource management | Robust: people/equipment/materials, utilization, multi-project leveling | Basic to moderate: assignments & workload views; org-wide leveling is limited |
| Budget & cost tracking | Built-in costs, rates, planned vs. actual reports | Manual/Apps: columns, formulas, or apps; less native than desktop PM |
| Collaboration | File-based sharing; comments, attachments; works offline and online | Real-time web collaboration, tagging, guests, automations, integrations |
| Multi-Project Management | Advanced: master/subprojects, shared resource pools, portfolio reports | Limited: dashboards, Connect boards/Mirrors, cross-board Workload; limited native resource pooling/leveling |
| Portfolio/large projects | Handles thousands of activities locally; fast on device | Scales for teams, but very large/automated boards can feel slower |
| Platform | native Mac, iPad, iPhone, Vision Pro | Any device with a browser |
| Pricing | See pricing | See pricing |
| Trial | 30-Days Free Trial | 14-Days Free Trial |
| Best for | PMOs/pro PMs on Apple who need advanced scheduling, resource management & costs tracking functionality | Cross-functional teams prioritizing collaboration & visibility in the browser |
A faster, Mac-native Monday.com alternative: Merlin Project
Planning & Scheduling
Merlin Project: For the Professional Project Manager
Start with mind maps, move to WBS/Gantt, and execute via Kanban. Track the critical path, keep dynamic baselines, and compare revisions without losing structure. Views stay in sync.
Monday.com: Boards with Gantt Views
Monday’s tables, timelines, and Gantt views are approachable and great for simple to mid-complex projects. Advanced concepts—dependencies, baselines, constraints—typically need column configuration, formulas, automations, or marketplace apps and may feel more manual than in desktop PM tools.
Managing Your Team
Merlin Project: Resources Beyond “Assignees”
Assign resources such as people, equipment, companies, and materials. Balance workloads across multiple projects, and calculate costs from rates automatically. Works even if collaborators don’t use Merlin.
Merlin Project lets you add anyone to your project - even people who don't use the software or things like equipment.
Monday.com: Basic Team Assignment
Assign tasks, view workloads, and spot overloads on a board. Organization-wide leveling across many boards is less native and often requires structure, automation, or add-ons.
However, adding other users requires to invite them via email.
Tracking Money
Merlin Project: Built-in Money Tracking
Set a budget for the whole project or individual phases/activities. Then, set costs for activities and hourly rates for people.
With Merlin Project you always keep track of expenses and budget. Compare the planned versus actual costs and always know which parts were more or less expensive than expected. You are always prepared for tough financial discussions with your stakeholders.
Monday.com: Manual Money Tracking
Monday.com doesn't have built-in money tracking. Budgeting typically relies on number columns, formulas, and dashboards. There's no automatic budget tracking. Teams that need to track money have to build complex workarounds.
Multi-Project Management
Merlin Project: Master/Subprojects & Resource Pools
Merlin Project links multiple projects into a master document with live subprojects, so updates roll up bidirectionally. Shared resource pools provide portfolio-level workload and cost control, with consolidated Gantt and reporting across projects.
Monday.com: Boards, Portfolios & Cross-Board Rollups
Monday.com manages multi-project work via separate boards rolled up into portfolio dashboards. Connect boards and Mirror columns aggregate status/dates/numbers and Workload visualizes capacity across boards, while cross-board dependencies/baselines are configuration-heavy and less native than desktop resource pooling.
Working Together
Merlin Project works by sharing files. Team members save the same project file on cloud services like iCloud or Dropbox. The program prevents problems when multiple people edit at once. You can add comments and attach files to activities. People who don't use Merlin can view projects through web pages.
Monday.com was made for teams to work together online. When someone changes something, everyone sees it right away. People can chat about tasks and tag each other. You can invite people from outside your company to help.
Trade-offs of web vs desktop
Web tools centralize access and automate workflows but require connectivity and vendor infrastructure. Desktop keeps data local and performs consistently offline, but requires a sharing strategy. Choose based on compliance, uptime needs, and team composition.
Desktop programs like Merlin Project work even without internet. Your project files stay on your computer. You control when to share them. This is safer and more reliable for many teams.
Performance & Scale
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Merlin Project: Local files handle thousands of activities smoothly; no round-trips to a server.
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Monday.com: Designed for team collaboration at scale. Very large boards/heavy automations can feel slower than a local file; careful structure helps.
Understanding Platform Choices
Merlin Project: Mac Ecosystem by Design
Merlin Project works exclusively on Apple devices: Mac, iPad, iPhone and Vision Pro. This is an intentional design choice that allows deep integration into a system that simply works. Teams already using Mac computers get software that feels natural and works seamlessly with their existing workflow.
Best for: Teams already committed to Apple's ecosystem who value performance, offline capability, and data control.
Monday.com: Universal Web Access
Monday.com runs in any web browser on any device with internet access. This makes it easy for teams using different operating systems to collaborate. However, it requires constant internet connectivity, depends on external servers for all functionality and may be off-putting for high-security companies.
Best for: Mixed-platform teams who prioritize universal access and don't mind cloud dependency.
