# Merlin Project — Project Management & Collaboration Merlin Project by ProjectWizards GmbH holds a panel rating of 2.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 3/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: provenance unknown; sovereignty: not determined. - Vendor: ProjectWizards GmbH (https://www.projectwizards.net) - Category: [Project Management & Collaboration](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management.md) - Provenance (editorial classification): provenance unknown - Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/merlin-project - Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/merlin-project/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/merlin-project/alternatives.md)) - Data as of: 2026-10-21 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-13 **AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology ## At a glance - Vendor: ProjectWizards GmbH - Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026 - Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026 - Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026 ## The panel's verdict Merlin Project, from ProjectWizards GmbH, is a native Apple planner combining Gantt, Kanban, mind-map and workload views on one data source. Its strongest scores come on onboarding effort and integrations: templates surface in the start dialog, importers pull in Microsoft Project mpp, mpx and xml files, and Things, FreeMind and MindManager exchange two-way. The integrations spread is a genuine split — the integrator judge scores 4 where others sit at 5-6, on a catalogue running on AppleScript and JavaScript, and we found no public information on a web API, webhooks, Slack or Teams. Reporting scores 5-6 for built-in status updates, planned-versus-actual comparisons and cost overviews exportable from any view. Scores sit lowest on pricing transparency (0-1; only a 30-day trial is published) and sovereignty: the vendor is ProjectWizards GmbH, but we found no public information on jurisdiction, ownership, data residency, a data-processing agreement or subprocessors, and files sync through third-party services such as Dropbox. Collaboration depth spans 4-6, with simultaneous editing riding on third-party file sync and team tasks routed to the separate Daylite product. **Speaks for it:** - Imports Microsoft Project mpp, mpx and xml files with xml export, and exchanges two-way with Things, FreeMind and MindManager. - Built-in status updates, planned-versus-actual comparisons and cost overviews can be taken from any view into a report, with export to PDF, HTML, images or CSV. - Templates sit in the start dialog and importers pull existing Microsoft Project and mind-map work in, easing the first project. - Projects live in local files with automatic synchronization through user-chosen services such as iCloud Drive, Dropbox or Box.com, including merging of simultaneous changes. - AppleScript and JavaScript automation is offered for automating workflows and connecting other programs. **Held against it:** - Sovereignty scores sit at 1-2; we found no public information on jurisdiction, ownership, data residency, a data-processing agreement or subprocessors. - Collaboration rides on third-party file sync rather than a native layer, and team task allocation is routed through the separate Daylite product. - The only permissions model shown is the split between private and public work areas; we found no public information on comments or guest and client access. - We found no public information on cross-project aggregation, dashboards or scheduled report delivery. - The main manual is dated May 2021 and the tutorial June 2020, and we found no public information on chat support or response-time commitments. **Best for:** - You run an all-Apple shop and want native Gantt, Kanban, mind-map and workload views on one data source. - You are a single project manager who needs status updates, planned-versus-actual comparisons and cost overviews generated by switching views. - You are migrating existing work from Microsoft Project or mind-map tools and want templates in the start dialog from day one. - You want an offline-first tool that stores projects locally and syncs through a cloud service you choose. **Avoid if:** - Your procurement requires documented jurisdiction, ownership, data residency, a data-processing agreement and a subprocessor list. - You need portfolio oversight with cross-project aggregation, dashboards or scheduled report delivery. - Your team extends beyond Apple hardware, or your stack needs a documented web API, webhooks or Slack and Teams connectors rather than AppleScript and JavaScript automation. - You are provisioning large seat counts and need a permissions model beyond the private and public work areas. ## Scores by judge and criterion Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price. | Criterion | The Data Protection Officer | The Bootstrapper | The Enterprise Architect | The UX Purist | The Integrator | The Skeptic | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Collaboration depth | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | | Reporting | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | | Integrations | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | | Onboarding effort | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | | European sovereignty | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | | Support & documentation | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | | Pricing transparency | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | | **Weighted verdict** | **2/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | ### The judges - **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Reads the DPA before the feature list. Optimizes for GDPR posture: EU hosting, subprocessor exposure, deletion guarantees. Rejects anything that cannot answer where the data lives. - **The Bootstrapper** (v1.2): Pays with their own card. Optimizes for price/value at 3 seats and at 30, a usable free tier, and a price page that answers instead of qualifying. Rejects hidden seat minimums and "contact sales". - **The Enterprise Architect** (v1.0): Buys for two hundred seats and answers for it later. Optimizes for SSO/SCIM, permissions, audit trails, certifications and a clean exit. Rejects anything that cannot survive procurement. - **The UX Purist** (v1.0): Measures time-to-first-value with a stopwatch. Optimizes for clarity, density and software that teaches itself. Rejects fourteen-step setups and empty screens that offer no way forward. - **The Integrator** (v1.0): Lives in the API docs before the product tour. Optimizes for webhooks, import/export and a tool that plays well in a stack. Rejects closed ecosystems and CSV-only exits. - **The Skeptic** (v1.2): Assumes the marketing is lying until the evidence says otherwise. Hunts lock-in, dark patterns, hidden cost and dead changelogs. Exists to keep the rest of the panel honest. ## European sovereignty — proven facts Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined. | Dimension | Finding | Points | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Legal entity | Not determined | — | — | | Ownership | Not determined | — | — | | Data residency | Not determined | — | — | | Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — | ## Key facts Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources). **Compliance** - GDPR: yes · yes · no [S1] - GDPR scope: GDPR · German BDSG [S2] - Privacy policy: Data processing per privacy policy [S1] **Integrations** - Applescript: AppleScript · JavaScript [S3] - Asciidoc export: .adoc · Asciidoctor · Asciidoctor PDF [S3] - Caldav publish: one-time export · project calendar · per resource · yes [S3] - CSV txt exchange: .csv · .txt · Microsoft Excel · Apple Numbers · OpenOffice [S3] - Daylite connection: Daylite · task handoff to teams [S3] - Evernote linking: Evernote [S3] - Freemind mindmanager import: FreeMind · Mindmanager · yes [S3] - Grandtotal invoicing: GrandTotal · invoices and quotations [S3] - Hook noteplan timeline3d: Hook · Noteplan · Timeline 3D [S3] - Html export: Most views exportable as HTML for display in browsers such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox [S3] - Image export formats: JPG · PNG · TIFF · BMP · GIF · PDF [S3] - Microsoft project formats: Microsoft Project xml · mpp · mpx · xml [S3] - Opml export: yes [S3] - Pdf export: edit/share/sign via Adobe Acrobat · yes [S3] - Reminders sync: yes [S3] - Task apps: OmniFocus Pro · TaskPaper · Things · yes [S3] - Templates: yes [S1] **Legal** - Address: Melle · Lichtenrader Strasse 11 · Germany · 49324 [S2] - Company: 2004 · ProjectWizards GmbH [S3] - Company: 2004 · ProjectWizards GmbH · Germany [S4] - Company: ProjectWizards GmbH · 2004 · Germany [S9] - Company: German family business · Germany · 2004 [S10] - Company: German family business · Germany · 2004 [S8] - Company: German family business [S5] - Company since: 2004 · ProjectWizards GmbH [S7] - Copyright holder: ProjectWizards GmbH [S8] - Court registration: HRB200709 · Osnabrück [S2] - Documents available: EULA · Training Terms · Privacy · VPAT Accessibility Conformance Report [S2] - Entity: ProjectWizards · owner-led family business · 2004 · Melle, Lower Saxony [S1] - Entity: ProjectWizards GmbH [S10] - Entity: ProjectWizards GmbH [S5] - Entity name: ProjectWizards GmbH [S2] - Executives: Frank Blome · Marvin Blome · yes [S2] - Family business: yes [S2] - Founded: Germany · 2004 [S2] - Founded: 2004 · Germany [S5] - Gmbh: ProjectWizards GmbH [S1] - Origin: Germany [S3] - VAT id: DE252302482 [S2] **Pricing** - Money back guarantee: 30 · money_back [S2] - Trial: 30 · free trial [S8] - Trial: yes · 30 [S5] - Trial 30 day: 30 [S4] - Trial days: yes · 30 [S3] **Product** - Adoc studio: adoc Studio: structured docs in AsciiDoc on Mac, iPad and iPhone [S1] - App store rating: 4.5 · App Store · 1606 [S1] - App store rating: 4.5 · App Store · 1606 [S2] - App store rating: 4.5 · App Store · 1606 [S8] - App store rating: 1606 · 4.5 [S5] - Apple exclusivity: Apple · yes [S2] - Built in reports: switching views · yes [S5] - Capterra rating: 4.7 · Capterra [S1] - Capterra rating: 4.7 · Capterra [S2] - Capterra rating: 4.7 · Capterra [S8] - Capterra rating: 4.7 [S5] - Cloud sync: iCloud Drive · any cloud service · yes [S3] - Compliance privacy: Newsletter data processing per privacy policy [S10] - Cross device: Sync across desktop, laptop, and tablet [S4] - Custom templates: yes · yes [S8] - Dropbox box sync: Dropbox · Box.com · yes [S3] - Express description: Merlin Project Express: lightweight Mac version with Gantt and resources [S1] - Express integrated templates: Big birthday · Online advertising campaign · Road trip · Simple activity plan · Start of self employment · Wedding [S7] - Express variant: Merlin Project Express [S5] - Import export claim: yes · yes [S3] - Included templates: yes · Merlin Project · Merlin Project Express [S8] - Merlin server: Merlin Server product exists [S2] - Modular reports: yes [S5] - Offline: yes · no [S1] - Partner templates: partners and users · download or purchase [S8] - Platform: Native app on Apple devices [S9] - Platform: Native app on every Apple device [S10] - Platform: native on every Apple device [S5] - Platform apple: Native on every Apple device [S4] - Platforms: Native on every Apple device [S3] - Platforms: native on every Apple device [S8] - Private work area: no [S4] - Product line: Merlin Project · Merlin Project Express · adoc Studio [S2] - Public work area: yes [S4] - Rating app store: 1606 · 4.5 [S3] - Rating capterra: 4.7 [S3] - Ratings: 4.7 · 4.5 · 1606 [S10] - Report charts: yes · data lists · texts [S5] - Reports export: Generate status updates, planned-vs-actual comparisons and cost overviews, export to PDF or print directly [S5] - Shared folder editing: yes [S3] - Since: 2004 · 150000 · 160 [S1] - Sync automatic: save · changes · yes [S4] - Sync cloud services: iCloud Drive · Dropbox [S4] - Sync requires accounts: yes [S4] - Templates location: Templates are in the start dialog, openable at any time via File > New; more templates available online [S7] - Trademark: Merlin Project is a registered trademark of ProjectWizards GmbH [S10] - Trial: 30 [S1] - Trial: 30 · yes [S2] - Trial: 30 · yes [S10] - Trial length: 30 [S7] - Views: Gantt, Kanban and Mind Map in one app with one data source [S1] - Views in reports: yes [S5] - Work areas: private · public [S4] - Workload: Merlin Project includes workload view [S1] **Support** - App store rating: 1606 · 4.5 [S9] - Capterra rating: 4.7 [S9] - Express handbook: HTML · PDF · Merlin Project Express · May 2021 · EN · DE [S9] - Faq: yes [S9] - Live trainings: yes [S1] - Live trainings: yes [S9] - Merlin project handbook: HTML · PDF · EBOOK · May 2021 · EN · DE [S9] - Newsletter: Newsletter with tips on Gantt, Kanban and project controlling [S10] - Newsletter: Gantt · Kanban · project controlling · yes [S8] - Release notes: yes [S9] - Resources: FAQ · Live trainings · Contact · Release notes · System requirements [S1] - System requirements: yes [S9] - Trainings page: FAQ, live trainings, contact, release notes, system requirements [S10] - Trial: 30 [S9] - Tutorial updated: June 2020 [S9] ## Questions ### Is Merlin Project European? Not determined: the vendor’s pages as captured do not say where Merlin Project is based. ### Where does Merlin Project store data? Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026. ### Does Merlin Project have a free plan? Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026. ### What are the best alternatives to Merlin Project? As of 21 Oct 2026, the panel rates [awork (4/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/awork), [Kantree (4/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/kantree) and [Teamwork.com (4/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/teamwork) highest among the other 60 Project Management & Collaboration products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [awork](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/awork) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Merlin Project alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/merlin-project/alternatives). ## What this page leaves out - 3 support facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. - 2 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. - 1 data fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. - 1 pricing fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. - 3 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown. - 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement. ## Sources - [S1] Vendor page: https://www.projectwizards.net (checked 2026-10-13) - [S2] Imprint — found from the homepage: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/about/legal (checked 2026-10-13) - [S3] Collaboration depth — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/merlin-project/collaboration (checked 2026-10-13) - [S4] Collaboration depth — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/learn/collaboration/syncing-and-work-areas (checked 2026-10-13) - [S5] Reporting — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/merlin-project/reports (checked 2026-10-13) - [S6] Reporting — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/learn/project-reporting/export (checked 2026-10-13) - [S7] Onboarding effort — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/support/faq/usage/templates-express (checked 2026-10-13) - [S8] Onboarding effort — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/support/templates (checked 2026-10-13) - [S9] Support & documentation — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/support/documentation (checked 2026-10-13) - [S10] Support & documentation — found from sitemap: https://www.projectwizards.net/en/support/trainings/free (checked 2026-10-13) --- Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Merlin Project — Project Management & Collaboration", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-21. https://whats-best.ai/software/project-management/merlin-project Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/489?target=page