Comparison · as of October 2026
Free construction scheduling software: what you actually get
You can schedule a construction job for free. The question is what each free option leaves out: dependencies, crews, mobile access, or the number of projects and users. We checked the free plans and entry prices of the usual options on their own websites in October 2026, and say where each one fits a small contractor.
Updated October 4, 2026 · for small contractors and subcontractors
What a small contractor needs from scheduling software
Before comparing tools, it helps to know which features matter on a small job. Most "best construction scheduling software" lists are written for general contractors running large projects. For a remodeler, a small builder or a specialty trade, five things decide whether a tool helps or sits unused:
- Dependencies: when the inspection slips, does everything after it move, or do you move each task by hand?
- A Gantt or timeline view: seeing the job over weeks is how you spot the conflicts.
- Crews and subs in the loop: can the people doing the work see their dates, ideally on a phone, without buying a seat each?
- More than one job at a time: free plans are often limited to one or a few projects.
- Price as you grow: per-user pricing is cheap for one person and expensive for a crew.
Free and low-cost construction scheduling options compared
Every line below comes from the vendor's own pricing or product page, checked on October 4, 2026. Prices are in US dollars as displayed; click a tool to check the current offer.
| Tool | Free option | Cheapest paid plan | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel or Google Sheets | Google Sheets is free with a Google account; Excel comes with Microsoft 365 | - | One job at a time, with our free construction schedule template |
| GanttProject | Free desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, works offline | Optional cloud service, pay as you go (no amount shown) | An office-based planner who wants a real Gantt chart for free |
| ProjectLibre | Free desktop app, presented as a replacement for Microsoft Project, with Gantt and dependencies | Cloud: $9.99/user/month billed annually | Planners used to Microsoft Project |
| TeamGantt | Free forever: 1 user, 1 project, 40 tasks, basic Gantt with dependencies | Base: $59/month, 5 projects, 1 manager and 10 collaborators | Trying an online Gantt on a single job |
| ClickUp | Free Forever: unlimited tasks and members, 60 MB storage, Gantt as a trial only | Unlimited: $7/user/month billed yearly, unlimited Gantt charts | Teams that want one general task tool for office and field |
| monday.com | Free: up to 2 seats and 3 boards | Gantt view from the Standard plan, task dependencies from the Pro plan | Office teams already using it for other work |
| Fieldwire | Basic $0: 5 users, 3 projects, 100 sheets, task management | Pro: $39/user/month billed annually | Field task and plan management on a few projects |
| Connecteam | Small Business plan free for up to 10 users | Operations hub (job scheduling): from $29/month for the first 30 users | Scheduling employees on jobs, with GPS clock-in |
| Sling | Free shift scheduling for up to 30 users | Premium: $1.70/user/month billed annually | Shift-based crews; it does not handle task dependencies |
| Microsoft Planner | No free plan | Plan 1: $10/user/month paid yearly, with task dependencies and a timeline (Gantt) view | Companies already on Microsoft 365 |
| Smartsheet | Free trial only | Pro: $9/member/month billed annually, 1 to 10 members, Gantt and dependencies (new customers only) | Spreadsheet users who want Gantt and dependencies |
| Procore | None listed | Not published: annual fee based on construction volume, unlimited users | General contractors and owners on larger projects |
| Jobsite Scheduler (planned) | Free early access list | $29/month for the whole company, $14.50 for founding members | Small contractors and subs: schedule from the estimate, rain-day rescheduling, crew links without accounts |
Prices and limits taken from each vendor's public website on October 4, 2026, and may have changed since. Product names belong to their owners and are used for identification only. Jobsite Scheduler is not available yet: its row describes what we are building.
The four kinds of free options, and their limits
Spreadsheets: free, flexible, and manual
A spreadsheet with a task list, durations and predecessors is how most small contractors start, and it works for a job at a time. The limit is maintenance: when a task moves, you recalculate every task behind it yourself, and every sub needs to be sent the new version. Our free template gives you the structure and the formulas to start right.
Free Gantt software: real dependencies, office-only
GanttProject and ProjectLibre give you a true Gantt chart with dependencies at no cost. They are desktop programs: great for the person who plans, not built to send dates to crews in the field. Online Gantt tools such as TeamGantt add sharing, but their free plans are limited to a single user and project.
Free plans of general work tools
ClickUp and monday.com have generous free plans for task lists, but on the free tier the Gantt view is a trial (ClickUp) or starts on a paid plan (monday.com), and dependencies may need a higher plan still. They fit companies already using them for the office.
Free plans of construction and workforce apps
Fieldwire's free plan covers field tasks and plans for up to 5 users and 3 projects. Connecteam and Sling schedule people for free up to 10 and 30 users respectively. These tools know your crew, but shift schedulers do not know that drywall waits for the inspection.
How to choose the best construction scheduling software for your company
Count your jobs and your people
One job at a time and a crew of three? A spreadsheet or a free Gantt is enough. Several jobs sharing crews and subs? You need a tool that sees across jobs.
Check who must see the schedule
If crews and subs need their dates, look at how they get them: an account per person, a shared link or a text message. Per-user pricing changes fast when subs need seats.
Test a rain day
During the trial, delay one early task by two days and see what happens to the rest. If you have to move each task by hand, the tool will not save you time when it matters.
Price the plan you will need in a year
Look past the free tier: count the users, projects and features you will need when the company grows, and price that plan.
What Jobsite Scheduler will do differently
We are building Jobsite Scheduler for the gap in that table: small contractors who have outgrown the spreadsheet but do not need, or want to pay for, a full construction suite.
- From estimate to schedule: upload your estimate or describe the job; the AI drafts the tasks, durations, dependencies and crews, and you adjust.
- Rain days and delays in one step: flag a weather day or a late task, and every dependent task moves. You review the changes before anyone is notified.
- Crews and subs without accounts: each one gets their dates by text or email, with a private link, and confirms in one tap.
- One flat price: $29/month for the whole company, crews and subs included. Founding members keep 50 % off for life.
It is in development, and nothing on this page is available yet. If it sounds like what you need, join the early access list: you will help decide what we build first. Want the details on crews and subs? Read our guide to construction crew scheduling.
Questions, answered
Is there truly free construction scheduling software?
Yes. Spreadsheets, GanttProject and the ProjectLibre desktop app cost nothing, and several online tools have free plans (TeamGantt, ClickUp, monday.com, Fieldwire, Connecteam, Sling). Each free plan has limits on users, projects or features: check them against the number of jobs and people you schedule.
What is the best free construction planning software for a small contractor?
For one job at a time, a spreadsheet template or a free desktop Gantt such as GanttProject is hard to beat. If you need several people to see the schedule on their phones, look at the free tiers of field and workforce apps, keeping in mind their user and project limits.
Is there a free contractor scheduling app for crews?
Connecteam's Small Business plan is free for up to 10 users and Sling's free plan covers up to 30 users for shift scheduling, according to their pricing pages in October 2026. They schedule people well, but they do not move tasks when a predecessor slips.
Will Jobsite Scheduler have a free plan?
The planned price is $29 per month for the whole company, with 50 % off for life for founding members ($14.50). Joining the early access list is free and commits you to nothing.
Keep reading
More free resources
Construction schedule template
A free Excel and Google Sheets template with the phases, durations, predecessors and trades of a new home and a kitchen remodel. No email required.
Download the free templateConstruction crew scheduling
How to schedule your own crews, employees and subcontractors, and how to tell them when the job moves, with a checklist of good practices.
Read the guideOutgrown the spreadsheet, but not ready for a suite?
Join the Jobsite Scheduler early access list: AI scheduling from your estimate, rain-day rescheduling and crew links, for one flat price.