Project managers and teachers can both agree that making timelines with pen and paper is a thing of the past. Finding the right digital solution is key to making timeline management a painless process. Here are some of the best free timeline software solutions.
As a manager, have you ever felt like your employees’ milestones appear out of nowhere?
Is it a logistical nightmare trying to keep track of all of your team’s tasks and projects?
Or maybe you’re a teacher who is sick of writing out elaborate history timelines on your blackboard, only to have to wipe them out after one lesson.
Whatever the case may be, the right free timeline software solution is going to make each of these processes much easier to monitor – both for you and your team.
Whether you need to put events, tasks, or facts in chronological order, we know that one of the following solutions is going to meet your specific needs.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one free online timeline software for businesses
Learn more -
Best for setting deadlines and ETAs
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Best for sharing timelines on social media
What to Look For in a Free Timeline Software Solution
A great free online timeline maker should include the following features and capabilities:
- Ease of Use: Any free timeline software should be simple to use, attractive on the eye and intuitive.
- Affordability: The closer the gap is between quality and cost, the better a software solution is.
- Compatibility: Ideally, free timeline software should be supported on desktop, iOS, and Android.
- Customizability: Should include options to make the timeline your own, where admins can set milestones, add events and edit specific entries.
- Collaboration: Teams should be able to work together on the same timeline.
- Cloud Storage: You should be able to access all data from any place, without worrying about draining your device’s battery.
The 9 Best Free Timeline Software Solutions of 2023
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Connecteam — The best all-in-one free online timeline software for businesses
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Connecteam is an award-winning, free online timeline software solution designed especially for deskless workers and remote teams.
With Connecteam’s employee timeline, HR managers always have a clear overview of every milestone in each employee’s journey – from the day they started onboarding to their five-year anniversary at the company, and beyond.
Managers can clearly see their employees’ progression within the company, such as:
- Salary changes
- Department changes
- Team changes
- Position changes
- Milestones & anniversaries
- Annual reviews
This easy-to-read roadmap of each employee improves decision-making and easily determines who to give raises to and who to keep in the company. And employees get peace of mind knowing that every crucial detail of their employment is on record.
While other solutions on this list provide timelines for different purposes such as project planning and brainstorming, users can also perform these valuable activities via other features that Connecteam provides.
For example, you can conduct all employee training via the app, building courses on any topic or skill, that employees can follow one step at a time, in chronological order.
With Connecteam’s wide range of HR-related features, managers can:
- Praise employees for their achievements through digital recognition and rewards
- Easily store and manage all employee documents in one place
- Test their knowledge with customizable quizzes and provide instant feedback
Also, employees and managers can build ideas together via employee team chat, ensuring all work-related discussions stay on the app and are easily searchable.
As an all-in-one solution, Connecteam allows managers to track employee work hours, make employee scheduling easy, and maintain compliance through digital checklists and forms.
Key Features
Customized milestones
File attachments
Pros
Extremely easy to use
The ability to access features via shortcuts
Superb value for money
Excellent customer support
Cons
Large number of features can be overwhelming
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
Monday.com — Good for: Setting deadlines and ETAs
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
One of the best free timeline software solutions for businesses on this list is Monday.com. This work management software allows managers to create, allocate and oversee multiple projects, and supports timelines with task management. This means that deadlines can be easily set and met, ensuring team members are always completing tasks on time.
Monday.com guarantees that every task can include descriptions, file attachments, comments, progress indicators, and more. Truth be told, the timeline is one of many view types that admins can add to specific work boards. With Monday, admins can see who is working on each project, track its progress, and the client each project is supporting. Its timeline allows admins to set the start and estimated completion dates of each project, giving the assignee an idea of how long the project should take.
Monday’s timeline view also gives admins an overview of each project, its timeframe, and the ability to change the order of how tasks are viewed (categorized by groups, status or assignee). It’s also possible to expand or condense the timeline view by the day, week, month, or year.
It’s a completely different kind of timeline compared to Connecteam’s, a feature that helps HR managers keep track of employees’ milestones.
Learn more about Monday.comKey Features
- Timeline view
- Shift project in bulk
- Export timelines to Excel
- Project customization
Pros
- Dashboards are very customizable
- Ideal for task management
Cons
- Price rises drastically between plans
- Poor customer support
Pricing
Starts at $8/user/month Trial: Yes — For the Pro plan Free Plan: Yes
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Preceden — Good for: Sharing timelines on social media
Available on
- Web
Preceden is a free online timeline maker, allowing users to build and add multiple events and add various details such as the title, description and date. Hover over an event and these details will appear highlighted for easy viewing. Prices vary depending on how many events you need to add to a timeline, as well as how many timelines you need to create.
One of the huge benefits of Preceden is that users can create different kinds of timelines, whether they need to plan projects or present events that have already happened (like an employee’s history).
Other selling points include its user interface, which is clean and to the point. It’s easy to reschedule events on the timeline by dragging and dropping them. Many businesses will benefit from the ability to share timelines on social media and embed them into their own website.
While Preceden is an excellent option as a free timeline software, it doesn’t possess all-in-one capabilities. Although Connecteam’s timeline has a different purpose to Preceden’s, as purely to help HR managers track employee milestones, Connecteam boasts a much wider range of features to help business owners manage employees more effectively. It includes an employee time clock, a shift scheduler, internal communication and employee training.
Learn more about PrecedenKey Features
- Sort functions through digital layers
- Quick online sharing and embedding
- Enlarge and minimize selected events
- Drap and drop tasks
Pros
- Easy to customize the user interface
- Possible to make timelines private
Cons
- Can only make 1 timeline with up to 10 events with the free version
- There are many chart functions in the free version that are locked
Pricing
Starts at $149/year Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: Yes
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Office Timeline — Good for: Creating straightforward timelines and solo projects
Available on
- Web
- Windows
With Office Timeline, it’s easy to add tasks and coordinate them by color, dates and descriptions. Rescheduling tasks and events is easy with its drag and drop capabilities.
Project managers can customize designs to localize them to specific audiences. This includes the ability to set start and end dates, as well as events and milestones. If project managers aren’t interested in creating their own timelines, they can also select templates instead.
It’s also possible to create project roadmaps and incorporate them from Office Timeline directly into Microsoft Powerpoint. However, the free version of Office Timeline is fairly limited in functionality and doesn’t include any collaborative features, which is where an employee communication app like Connecteam truly shines.
Learn more about Office TimelineKey Features
- Drag and drop rescheduling
- Task color coordination
- Set deadlines and add milestones
- Share and embed timelines online
Pros
- Can export timelines to Microsoft Powerpoint
- Can build original timelines or select templates
Cons
- Free version has limited functionality
- Lacks collaboration features
Pricing
Starts at $59/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Sutori — Good for: Delivering presentations
Available on
- Web
- Windows
One of the most effective free online timeline makers for schools, Sutori helps teachers and students alike build interactive timelines for all kinds of digital assignments. With Sutori, classes can tell stories, solve mathematical equations and deliver powerful presentations by adding bullet points, pictures, audio clips and videos to their timelines.
Admins can customize the software’s features depending on the class’s educational needs. Beyond class presentations and projects, users can also share timelines directly to social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.
It’s clear though that Sutori differs heavily from an employee management software solution like Connecteam – and therefore, it’s difficult to compare the two solutions as they cater to completely different audiences. With that said, a department of teachers can still benefit from Connecteam’s wide range of features.
Learn more about SutoriKey Features
- Social media sharing
- Audio and video embedding
- Customization features
- Lesson plan builder
Pros
- Can download timelines in PDF
- Can embed timelines onto websites and social media
Cons
- Not a good solution for professional or personal use - purely educational
- Each event is a web page, which diminishes the timeline's simplicity
Pricing
Starts at $120/educator/year Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Tiki-Toki
Tiki-Toki — Good for: History lessons
Available on
- Web
- Windows
- Mac
As educational free online timeline makers go, users can’t go too wrong with Tiki Toki. This free online timeline software is designed to make history lessons as engaging as possible with timelines being displayed in 3D. The end result looks very professional, with quality graphics and the ability to categorize events via color codes.
Tiki-Toki’s key strength is its customization features. Users can change titles, dates, timeline duration, text, and add a variety of media such as images and videos. Zoom settings mean that users can adjust how big or small users can enlarge a specific event during a presentation. Also, in the free version, you can save each timeline as a PDF, print it, or export as a CSV file.
There are some downsides – like the fact that you can’t allow others to edit a timeline and you can only add up to 200 events. While Connecteam is aimed at a completely different audience, it’s worth mentioning that there is no limit to how many events one can add to a user’s timeline.
Learn more about Tiki-TokiKey Features
- 3D timelines
- Event categorization
- Background picture selection
- Event customization
Pros
- Interface is easy to use and attractive
- Can quickly share online and with the class
Cons
- Text-heavy interface can be overwhelming for users
- Can only create one timeline at a time in the free version
Pricing
Starts at $9.50/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Toggl Plan — Good for: mobile
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Toggl Plan is a useful project planning tool and is good for managing team tasks. Admins can organize all projects from beginning to end and assign specific tasks to each team member with its drag and drop tool. It’s also easy to make sure that projects are always on schedule by monitoring progress via the visual roadmap.
With Toggl Plan’s free online timeline maker, it’s possible to color-code tasks to identify them based on project, team, or individual. Admins can also add milestones and deadlines to tasks, depending on priority. Crucially, the timeline interface translates seamlessly onto the mobile application, meaning users have a clear view of their tasks and can engage regardless of location.
Again, Toggl Plan and Connecteam’s timeline features differ in purpose and execution – with the former being more focused on task management, and the latter helping to provide an overview of a worker’s employment history in the company they work in.
Learn more about Toggl PlanKey Features
- Project planning schedule
- Task management
- Team and work timelines
- Alerts and notifications to mobile
Pros
- Able to share project progress with clients
- Attractive and easy user interface on desktop and mobile
Cons
- A lack of automated task creation options
- Syncing with other Toggl products could be better
Pricing
Starts at $8/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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SimpleMind — Good for: Brainstorming and generating new ideas
Available on
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
While it’s not a free online timeline maker in the strictest sense, SimpleMind allows users to access a variety of templates to design various kinds of roadmaps. 15 style sheets are available in its free version, allowing for plenty of customization for brainstorming projects.
What makes SimpleMind a unique addition to this list is its emphasis on creating brainstorming diagrams. Users can place topics in a free-form layout, and easily add images, photos, notes, and links. It’s an ideal solution for team projects and generating ideas.
One of SimpleMind’s core strengths is that it is compatible across multiple devices, including Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows. Of course, Connecteam can also be used on all of these platforms. Importantly, SimpleMind’s “mind mapping” and Connecteam’s employee timeline are completely different features, aimed at very different audiences.
Learn more about SimpleMindKey Features
- Mindmapping templates
- Free-form or auto layouts
- Customization features
- PDF export
Pros
- Great for developing and presenting ideas
- Easy to use and simple interface
Cons
- Limited to just brainstorming projects
- Can’t have multiple users working on same mindmap
Pricing
Starts at €24.99 /month, for a single user Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Lucidchart — Good for: Visualizing data
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Lucidchart is a free online timeline software designed for teams to visualize data through diagrams, mind maps, timelines, and more. With its drag and drop capability, building timelines specifically is an intuitive experience. Users can put shapes in desired orders and add information and images to each one, and connect them with digital lines to produce roadmaps that are easy to follow.
When you compare it to Connecteam, Lucidchart’s main downside is the fact that data visualization is pretty much its sole purpose. Although it benefits a wide range of audiences, from remote teams, and engineering businesses to educational institutes, Lucidchart doesn’t provide businesses with the wide range of features that Connecteam does, including time tracking, employee scheduling and internal communication.
Lucidchart integrates seamlessly with tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack and can be used on Desktop, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android – meaning that users can easily switch from one device to another.
Learn more about LucidchartKey Features
- Diagram creation
- Real-time team editing
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Data visualization tools
Pros
- Integrates with multiple project management and business communication tools
- Can collaborate with co-workers in real-time
Cons
- No ability to export PDFs
- Not a sufficient amount of pre-made templates
Pricing
Starts at $7.95/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
Compare the Best Free Timeline Software Solutions
Topic |
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Tiki-Toki |
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Reviews |
4.8
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4.6
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N/A
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4.6
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N/A
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N/A
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4.5
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5
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4.5
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Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $8/user/month
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Starts at $149/year
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Starts at $59/month
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Starts at $120/educator/year
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Starts at $9.50/month
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Starts at $8/user/month
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Starts at €24.99 /month, for a single user
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Starts at $7.95/user/month
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Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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yes
For the Pro plan
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yes
30-day
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no
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes
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yes
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Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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What Is Free Timeline Software?
The term “free timeline software” is very broad, but in a general sense, it is a digital, linear organizer that visualize stages or events for the benefit of its users. They take a wide variety of forms and look different depending on what they are intended for.
The most common types of timelines are:
- Horizontal timelines
- Vertical timelines
- Roadmaps
- Historical (chronological) timelines
- Gantt charts
Timelines are used for all kinds of reasons. They can be used to provide overviews of an employee’s journey at their company, or for businesses to build projects and generate ideas. In education, timelines can be used to teach classes and break down topics in a more visually-engaging way.
How Does Free Timeline Software Work?
Free online timeline software provides a visual representation of a project (or many projects), with milestones and tasks laid out in chronological order. Admins can edit these tasks, change the start and end dates, drag and drop them across the timeline as they see fit, and add duration bars that indicate how long each task should take to be completed.
When it comes to project management, a timeline is designed to:
- Organize tasks
- Show when projects start and end
- Display task deadlines
- Break down projects into stages
- Allow managers to assign tasks to specific users
Why Should I Use Free Timeline Software?
In the past – timelines, regardless of whether they were in a professional, educational, or personal setting, were created on paper, or boards. While it served its purpose, they were time-consuming and were easy to forget or lose. They were also extremely difficult to edit.
Now that there are free online timeline software solutions – managers, employees, teachers, students and anyone else who requires a timeline have easy access to their respective timelines from the convenience of their mobile devices. No matter where they are, if they are working from home, on the go or even in different timezones – users can easily collaborate on the same project.
If the timeline is dedicated to an employee’s journey, managers no longer have the issue of having to remember their employees’ milestones, salary changes, positional changes and every other crucial aspect of their employment. It’s all stored digitally on their personal timeline.
How Much Does Free Online Timeline Software Cost?
Free timeline software can vary heavily in price, depending on its purpose and capabilities. Some solutions such as Lucidchart and Toggl Plan start at $7.95 and $8 per user/month, respectively. More expensive options such as OfficeTimeline cost $59 per month.
With that said, it’s worth noting that most of the aforementioned solutions include a free trial that users can benefit from before deciding whether to upgrade or not. At the very least, they include a free version.
In Connecteam’s free version, your first 10 employees can accept, reject and claim shifts, clock in and out, fill in and sign checklists and forms, and complete tasks, all from their mobile phones.
If you decide to upgrade to the Basic plan ($29/month for the first 30 users), you can benefit from all of the above features, as well as Connecteam’s employee timeline feature. If not, then you can keep the free plan.
FAQs
What is the best free online timeline software?
This question solely depends on what kind of timeline you want to create. If you want to create an educational timeline (potentially to teach a class), then software solutions like Preceden, Sutori and Tiki-Toki are the way to go. If you’re looking for something to improve project management, then Connecteam is the ideal choice.
What are the most common users of free timeline software?
This question solely depends on what kind of timeline you want to create. If you want to create an educational timeline (potentially to teach a class), then software solutions like Preceden, Sutori and Tiki-Toki are the way to go. If you’re looking for something to improve project management, then Connecteam is the ideal choice.
What are the most common users of free timeline software?
The most common users of timelines are:
- Teachers and students: Free timeline software makes it easier for students to remember important details and events, especially in history lessons.
- Project managers: Used to help teams track progress, Gantt charts make it easy to plan tasks, and make previously complex projects more simple to follow.
- Business analysts: With so much complex data to cover, analysts benefit heavily from timelines. It helps them identify trends and patterns quicker.
How do I make an online timeline?
While there are many different online timelines, there are some common steps in how to make them. Consider its title, and the start and end dates. Once all of the relevant information is collated, you can organize it chronologically. The final step is actually building the timeline, which should be relatively easy with the right free timeline software.
The Bottom Line On Free Timeline Software Solution
As you can see, finding the right free online timeline maker can be very difficult, especially because there are so many different kinds for different purposes. Hence why we broke down the options into three straightforward categories.
We are sure that one of the aforementioned solutions is going to tick the boxes of what you’re looking for. Whatever industry you work in, a free online timeline maker is going to save you time looking through tons of data.
We recommend picking a solution that doesn’t just include timeline-making capabilities. The more features your chosen solution has, the more prepared you will be to manage your team, teach your class, or simply handle your personal matters.
With its HR and people management, operational and communicational features, we firmly believe that Connecteam is, pound-for-pound, the solution that’s going to get you the most bang for your buck.