Merlin Project

Merlin Project Solves your Issues

Merlin Project helps thousands of users every day with organizational challenges in the project business. You will find Merlin Project in many professions, for example architects, media designers, event managers, IT administrators, programmers, logisticians, teachers, professors and many more.

Read their comments on our software. Also in the App Store customers left a review for Merlin Project on Mac, Merlin Project on iPad and Merlin Project Express.

Would you like to say something nice about Merlin Project, or do you even have a great project template you would like to share with others? Drop us a note!


I've been using this for many years. My main use is in project estimation, where I can break tasks into subtasks, put in our rate cards, and costings drop out.

- Dermdaly

I'm a construction manager for a $5 billion a year company (...) Through the years, my Merlin Project schedules have knocked the upper management and company schedulers off their feet, earning me a schedulers standing at the top. The trades have voiced that their understanding of the path through the project is clearer than ever, without that glazed-over look in their eyes. Not having to struggle with such a ridged and sterile schedule has brought life into the construction team. The schedule has now become a thriving, living part of the team and not a bland and ignored chart on the wall. Mac software has always been designed with the user in mind, Merlin Project is no different. Solid, mature, professional. The question isn't where do I start, but where do I end? A Fantastic Piece Of Software And the iPad app is 1st class (...)

- JustClearThinking

In use, the it to help project managers build procedural structures that reveal the dependencies between all the activities within a project. That’s very useful as it empowers management to make more effective estimates around project duration, key targets, and strategic project deliverables. Schedules, budgets, costs, progress, and change management can all be implemented within these plans, which can output project detail in a variety of reporting and workflow charts and templates. The ability to implement changes in the project plan is invaluable, given that almost every project slips.

- Computerworld

Merlin is indeed magical. The ProjectWizards have been supporting and improving Merlin for years. This is not a side project or one of many focuses; this is their main focus. The addition of integrated of Kanban boards is just one example of their commitment to adapting and improving. And while they've moved to a subscription model, the pricing is very reasonable from the start, less than what one mght expect for upgrade pricing. I like the fact that I can host data (my data, not theirs) locally on my computer, in my cloud space, and/or on my local server (using thier server software). Their is a ton of new cloud-based subscription competition called "project management", which is really a jumbled overpriced mess where your data is held on someone elses server, with limited portabilty, and no access if you lose or simply are not connected to the internet. That's a disaster waiting to happen if you really need project management software and use it continuously. The abiltiy to move projects to your own cloud service and later to a local server is a big reason the reason to start your projects using Merlin. Looking forward to updated mnaulas and tutorials,

- Dancingbrook

Merlin Project is one of the most feature-rich desktop apps of this nature I’ve come across. It’s also one of the most complicated. But if you’re looking for serious Gantt chart power, you’d be hard-pressed to find a worthier contender for your needs. If the price isn’t too steep for you and you already know your way around Gantt charts and kanban boards, I highly recommend you take Merlin Project out for the 30-day trial and see if it doesn’t meet (and, most likely, exceed) your needs.

- TechRepublic

This app (and its macOS counterpart) leave all other project management software standing. The wealth of functionality and views that are packed into a tiny app by today’s bloatware standards is just a master class in how software should - and CAN - be produced. I particularly love the ability to attach risks, issues, files, check lists, events & more to individual activities and then to track all these directly within the app itself. Add to this the Kanban view which allows a combined waterfall + agile approach to managing your projects, and Merlin Project really does pretty much do it all, and in such a simple, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing manner. I have been a long-time user of Merlin Project since its early days, and it just keeps getting better and better. Highly recommended for anyone involved in project management and able to work on Mac / iPad less.

- BubbyT

Merlin allows me to manage tasks semantically in a mind map, then filter only the ones I need to consider at a given moment and manage them in a kanban board. That’s the first and so far only time I’ve come across this integration. Until recently I’ve had to manually sync (copy and paste-a-lot) stuff between a proper mind map (which is great for creative and problem solving) and a dedicated kanban tool, which didn’t always deliver the smoothest and most productive results imaginable.

- Kai

As the world of work becomes increasingly asynchronous, remote project management tools must reflect that. One way in which Merlin Project supports this is with the provision of multi-user support. This is smartly done, so that collaborators can continue working in the project file even while offline, with changes synced next time they get online.

- Computerworld

Easy to use, great reporting options. I’m running a multi-faceted program with over 20 sub-projects and it’s keeping everything on track and easy to report weekly. I’ve had need to contact the developers for assistance, they’ve come back to me very quickly and offered suggestions.

- Erik Jonah

Not only does Merlin Project deliver the goods functionally - their support staff is prompt and efficient to resolve any query or issue. They attend diligently and with true customer focus - a genuine delight to know you are dealing with support staff who care about your concern and do everything possible to get you going in a very friendly and easy way.

- Sergio Tarzia, CEO & MD, FORLOOP

(...) Merlin Project is a project management software designed for Mac and iOS devices. It enables users to create project plans, track activities and milestones, manage budget and schedules, among others. .(...)

- fitsmallbusiness.com

(...) Merlin Project lets you share your projects to your mobile devices. As a fun feature, It turns project lists into a Gantt chart responsively by using your device’s accelerometer.(...)

- technologyadvice.com

(...) Merlin Project is definitely on of the best looking desktop project management tools for Mac users and uses an innovative "hybrid" approach to project planning. Merlin Project does both traditional and agile project management (Gantt meets Kanban) and has a slick interface that looks great on macOS. You can use Merlin Project with Gantt chart layout which is excellent at showing the dependencies between multiple project and potential problems. You can also use Kanban Boards as used by popular web-based collaboration tools like Trello. Just move work from your backlog to in progress, verifying and completed when done. Other useful tools include resource pools, groupings and a mind manager tool to help you brainstorm ideas which it can then automatically breakdown into a project Gantt chart (...)

- MacHow2

After all, nowadays successful project management demands software that offers you freedeom to design projects that suit your expectations. This is precisely what Merlin project does. It puts this power in your hands.

- Alternativeto

This really is the best project planning application ever, I am so glad my friend referred me to use this for my project.

- Dobrila May B.

Merlin has been tested in the Softpedia labs using several industry-leading security solutions and found to be completely clean of adware/spyware components. We are impressed with the quality of your product and encourage you to keep these high standards in the future.

- Softpedia.com

I am using Merlin to help keep a major residential remodeling project on track. I couldn’t do it without some heavy-duty project software. Yours is easy to use and highly functional — fun to use, even. Thanks so much for the work you do — you’ve made my work much easier!

- Ann Hempelmann

Mixing, planning, time and cost tracking were scheduled and monitored with the magic tool!!

I keep checking every task, step, and change in Merlin Project, which stops me from losing the plot and lets me see my progress – which is truly satisfying. Read more…

- Chris Heil

ProjectWizards Merlin is one of the best, if not the best, for project management. ... When working on a shared, long-term project, planning is a necessity, especially for PMs. The use of Gantt is a fundamental aspect for the correct scheduling, as well as the assignment of activities, the counting of costs and work units. Merlin allows us to do all this.(...)

- Marco de Santis, www.applemobile.it (translated from Italian)

Merlin Project is the Project Management Software on Mac by which all others are judged. With the Dropbox sync it rocks my business!

- Steven M.
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The crowd rates us 4.2 out of 5.0

Read all 11 Reviews / Write A Review

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

StrawberryFrog is a creative design agency based in New York City offering advertisement solutions to consumer packaged good clients. Their client list is one that any agency would be proud to service. Read more…

- StrawberryFrog

Merlin Project 4 has the design, interface and functions for almost every kind of scenario in project management. The icing of the cake are the support team who have amazing response time and know exactly what you want (Sorcerers, indeed!)

- TM

(…) I found your Merlin Project by using BusyContacts & BusyCalendar. A reference to your program is in their help manual. I have begun using Merlin with the 30 day trial and recognize its power. It is very evident that you have done a fantastic job designing this program and can help us to better manage multiple projects. (…) It is impressive how you have made integration so useful in Merlin. WOW nice work!

- Allen Licari

(…) Merlin Project has a super clean and slick Gantt chart interface and is excellent at showing the dependencies between multiple projects and therefore potential problems or issues. Merlin allows you a very high degree of control over complex procedural structures and costing. Merlin Project is also very useful for those that run multiple projects with similar characteristics as it allows you to create templates when creating new projects. It even includes it’s own mind mapping tool to help you brainstorm ideas which it can then automatically breakdown into a project Gantt chart.(…)

- MacHow2

I’ve been working with Merlin 2 for three years and am just in love with Merlin Project. I want to congratulate all of the staff for the excellent work. Earned Value Analysis was a long standing wish and now it is present in a very extensive form. The interface, views and all the new functionalities are awesome.

- Jasmine Moreira

I have downloaded the Beta version of Merlin Project, and I love it. I have been looking for a project management software to plan my doctoral thesis, and this has all the functionalities I wanted, especially the mind mapping and other views. I am very excited as I have evaluated at about 25 PM and task management software, and none have all the functionalities and usability that I want. So, I really want to get started on planning my thesis with Merlin Project.

- Louise Courtemanche

Merlin is a fully-featured project manager designed to streamline your workflow and help you handle large and complex projects with ease.

- George Popescu, Softpedia

After extensively researching (…) I finally found Merlin-exactly the same logic as MS Project, but with a new looking UI and powerful tracking capabilities for high-level task tracking with just the right details for time variance, budget vs. actual reporting, and resource capacity planning. I'm really looking forward to continuing to use this tool--especially since I just downloaded Merlin Project (beta version). Really awesome!

- Julie Baron via Capterra.com

As an active user of Merlin 2, you will be impressed by Merlin Project’s many new features. After all, nowadays successful project management demands software that offers you the freedom to design projects that suit your expectations. This is precisely what Merlin Project does; It puts this power in your hands.

- Alternative to

I am such a project management junky. Merlin Project looks like a great product. I especially love the reporting feature. So many people get this wrong.

- J. A.

After a few days with Merlin Project beta, I can say that the new interface and the views are great (especially the mindmap).

- C. G.

(…) The look is great. The integrated one-window interface is great. The handling of the working hours. The handling of the exception days is great [...] wow, easy to learn but powerful too!

- Alex Foerster

I have purchased many apps for the Mac and iPhone and I would have to say Merlin is one of the most used apps I use for project management on the go and in the office. The support is great and they continually listen to feedback. Thank you Merlin!

- J. S.

Mac users are familiar with the ease and comfort of using Merlin. Of course, the noted project management software has now made its way to iOS, and it’s just as handy as its computer counterpart, if not more so! Giving you both online and offline access to all of your tasks saved on your Merlin account, you can even view the progress of the project via customized chart.

- apppicker

Thus Merlin contains a complete risk management, a file management with version control and also an issue tracking. Even a specialized CRM is firmly integrated in Merlin

- TechSpot

Merlin 2 is a best-of-breed project management application that is capable, versatile, and powerful. It offers a compelling set of project management tools that give project managers who want to use a Mac an excellent reason to forgo Windows virtualization, drop MS Project, and manage everything they do using a Mac.

- Jeffery Battersby, Macworld.com

Brainstorm with your colleagues and capture information as a Mindmap. Whether you are using Novamind or MindManager, you can quickly and easily take the results of your brainstorming sessions and open it in Merlin as the basis for creating the initial structure of your project.

- NovaMind at CNET Download.com

After reviewing iTask and Omni, I've stopped on Merlin in the case of easy interfaces (4 main windows), by which these good guys covered all main steps on preparing projects plan. I used it instead of MS Project with a lot of advantages in speed and friendly and beauty interfaces. I fall in love in screen with utilization, haven't meet with this cool view in another programs.

- FindTheBest

Great user support and resource work-hour management make this software a winner.

- TopTenREVIEWS

(…) The biggest advantage Merlin has above the competition is its sharing capabilities; if sharing project management files is a requirement, Merlin may be the only real solution currently available.

- TechRepublic

(…) new workflows are introduced in the latest version 2.7.9 enabling it to connect to the personal task management Mac software, Things by Cultured Code. Further enhancements are also implemented for the collaboration with the project management software for Windows MS Project. Finally, there are several improvements under the hood.

- MacTech

(…) I took a risk and tried Merlin on a large project. (…) The ease of use and transparency it provides into the project were a fantastic and I finally felt I had a tool to support me. I purchased the iPhone license for my iPad today and in the last couple of hours, I can already say that this is a fantastic add on. More PM’s need to move to a Mac just to use this tool

- Joe Power - MouseWorks

(…) Its major advantages are the wide use of visualization and mapping. Other than that, it fulfills all the functions that an average server program should. That, and a very modest price for a program of its kind, makes Merlin a very nice application to have.

- Gustav O., Mac Informer

Now I think I have found the solution to the Project Management problem. Merlin by ProjectWizards. Compatible with Microsoft Project files? Check! LAN based collaboration? Check! Ability to centralize projects? Check! iPhone/iPad (iOS) compatible? Check!

- Lance Haynie

(…) Merlin scores big points with me because it enables you to import mindmaps from Novamind and MindJet from MindManager to kick start your project schedule. I use mindmaps rather frequently for brainstorming and visualizing project information with my writing and consulting work and see them as project management tools in their own right. Like it or not, the Gantt chart isn’t for everybody and building out the structure of your project schedule visually in a mindmap can open a helpful view into project scheduling and planning for stakeholders and team members who may not find the Gantt chart so friendly. (…)

- Projects At Work

Merlin Server for Mac maximizes project management across a network. Merlin Server delivers the ultimate network landscape for enabling professional project management. Merlin Server redefines true ease of use by delivering no less than three built-in network services in the form of a System Preference. Not only can all projects be published for Merlin on Mac OS X, including access for web browsers and iPhones, but these services are always accessible and built right into Mac OS X.

- Best Shareware

Merlin 2 is a project manager for Mac OS X that is as powerful as Microsoft Project, and a lot easier to use. It includes high-end features such as net plan charts, resource leveling, and utilization graphs. Merlin 2 can be used to plan anything, including creative projects. (…)

- IT.Enquirer

You can access your Merlin projects via the iPhone's data connection of Wi-Fi. Once connected you have access to all activities, resources and elements. You can also update assignments directly from the iPhone interface.

- Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

(…) Merlin offers you all the features you would expect from a project management application. Moreover, if you ever needed a simple tool for your own needs but you haven't managed to find a good one up to now, you might discover that this is just the one for you, especially if you work with small projects. (…)

- Softpedia

(…) At this year’s Expo, the company debuted an iPhone piece to that puzzle that let you edit projects from your phone—updating completion status, editing other details, viewing attached documents, and so forth. (Imagine a contractor using the software to track a remodel; he could attach photos of the house in various stages of rebuilding.) (…)

- Macworld

Video giving instructions on how to create a project plan with Merlin for Mac OS X

- Jonathan Duxbury on YouTube

Video describing how to use Merlin Project Management software to forecast delay in a project.

- Jonathan Duxbury on YouTube

We have taken the decision to use Merlin as our project management tool. I was previously recommended this by the Technical Director at Evolving, a very experienced project manager. There are a few really cool things about Merlin. It comes with project templates such as web build with the key stages setup. It allows for easy scheduling of staff. It has a cool iPhone app to monitor remotely.

- McCormack & Morrison

Building a project with Merlin is a breeze. You can start from a blank canvas or simply choose from one of the excellent in-built templates

- LgoConsulting

We have been so impressed with its performance that not only do we use it, but we also offer Merlin training and consulting in North America

- John Shoemaker via Capterra.com

(…) Merlin is a very visual yet very powerful program that rivals Project in many ways. (…) Merlin easily allows you to create dependencies, allot resources across multiple projects, and monitor who is overextended and who has too little on their plate. It also allow you to export CSV files of your data so you can do statistical analysis on your team’s productivity in a sister program like Excel. Also, Merlin is unique in that it allows you to update from the web so that you can add a task in a pinch, even if you don’t have your computer or software in front of you.

- Myzips.com Software Blog

This gives you access to the power of Merlin for professional project management to manage and plan a project, whilst sharing the outcome with Daylite’s team and business management tools. If you use Daylite Touch, you can then use this data on your iPhone.

- Marketcircle Blog

Merlin is a commercial project management software application for Mac OS X, developed by ProjectWizards GmbH in Germany. It focusses on project plans creation, tracking the status of activities, assignment of resources, and managing budgets. Merlin contains a reporting system that includes visualization of activity timelines (Gantt)

- Wikipedia

(…) Merlin is less a 'challenger brand' and now a better, more comprehensive tool that too few people have yet discovered.

- Pharkie's Blog

Here’s how Merlin is Awesome — especially in comparison to MS Project. You can zoom in to days and zoom out to weeks/months quite easily. Scaling seems like a really awesome feature that Project is just way behind in presentation-wise. (…) If you’re looking for a Gantt Charting tool for the Mac or for Project Management Software for the Mac — Merlin is a serious contender.

- Gantt Charts For Everyone

German Project management consultants ProjectWizards have announced that their project management application Merlin has won Macworld’s 2007 Editor’s Choice award (Third-Party Software of the Year category) and a Golden Cube award from IT Enquirer (Software category)

- PMFORUM Breaking News

The input of tasks and resources can easily be done using either the mouse or shortcuts. Entering larger amount of data can be done fast and efficiently in Merlin

- Thomas Klambauer

With this release, Merlin 2 integrates a very special function to its intuitive set of features. Now you can track your activity time, manage your expenses and send out invoices with the seamless integration to the Marketcircle time tracking and invoicing application, Billings 2.5 (www.billings2.com)

- MacMegasite

(…) Merlin v1 was a promising if slighly unpolished effort from German development house ProjectWizards. With version 2, they've added more view options, enhanced import/export, built bridges to mind-map applications like NovaMind and MindManager, and thrown in resource integration with Address Book and Entourage.

- Tuaw - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

The updated version of the project management application is now a Universal Binary application, allowing it to run natively on PowerPC and Intel-based Macs

- the Mac Observer

Merlin Project on the Mac and iPad

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