Productivity · Review · Updated 17 October 2026
Office Timeline reviewBuild Gantt charts and project timelines directly inside PowerPoint
Excellent
Brent score, out of 5
Office Timeline, now sold as Lucen Timeline, turns project data into clean Gantt charts and timelines inside PowerPoint, so status slides take minutes instead of hours. The free plan suits simple timelines, while Plus at $17 per user a month unlocks unlimited swimlanes, dependencies and Excel import. All paid plans are annual licenses, and the add-in is Windows PowerPoint software, so Mac users need the separate browser-based Timeline Online.
Price
Free plan; paid from $9/user/month (billed annually)
Free option
Free plan
Best for
Project and program managers who report status in PowerPoint
Opens Lucen Software (formerly Office Timeline, Inc.) in a new tab · No card needed to look around · We may earn a commission
Disclosure: we may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our ratings. How we make money
Best for
- Project and program managers who report status in PowerPoint
- Consultants and PMOs building client-ready roadmaps
- Teams that keep plans in Excel, MS Project, Smartsheet or Jira but present in slides
- Executives who want one-slide visual timelines
Skip it if
- Teams that need a full project management tool with tasks and resourcing
- Mac PowerPoint users who want the add-in (they need Timeline Online)
- Anyone who wants month-to-month billing on the add-in
It is Thursday night and the steering committee meets tomorrow. Your plan lives in Excel or MS Project, but leadership wants one clean slide that shows milestones, phases and what is late, and building it by hand with shapes and text boxes takes hours.
Office Timeline, now called Lucen Timeline, is a PowerPoint add-in that builds Gantt charts and timelines from your data and keeps them as native, editable slides. The company was founded in 2012 in Austin, Texas, and says the majority of the Fortune 500 use its software.
Below we compare the four add-in plans, because the limits on swimlanes and integrations decide which one you need.
What is Office Timeline?
Office Timeline is a timeline and Gantt chart maker that runs as an add-in in PowerPoint for Windows, plus a browser version called Timeline Online. You enter milestones and tasks, paste or import them from Excel, MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira or Wrike, and the add-in draws a styled timeline slide with swimlanes, dependencies and timescales. When the plan changes, you refresh the import instead of redrawing. The company now operates as Lucen Software, which also offers time tracking (Lucen Track) and flowcharts.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Works inside PowerPoint, so timelines are native, editable slides
- Free plan for simple timelines, with up to 10 milestones or tasks per slide
- Plus adds unlimited swimlanes, dependencies, Excel import and three timescales
- Import and refresh from MS Project, Smartsheet and Jira on higher tiers
- 30-day money-back guarantee on paid purchases
- Upgrade mid-subscription and pay only the price difference
What could be better
- Paid add-in plans are 1-year licenses billed annually and auto-renew by default
- Lite allows only two swimlanes and one timescale
- Planned vs. actual tracking and advanced integrations require Expert at $21/user/month
- The rebrand to Lucen can confuse buyers searching for Office Timeline
Overall
Excellent
- Features4.4
- Ease of use4.6
- Value4.2
- Support4.1
Key features of Office Timeline
Timeline and Gantt wizard
Create a timeline or Gantt chart from templates and themes in a few steps. The result is a regular PowerPoint slide you can edit and share without the add-in.
Swimlanes and dependencies
Group tasks into swimlanes by team or workstream and link them with dependencies. Free and Lite limit these, while Plus and Expert offer unlimited swimlanes.
Data import and refresh
Import plans from Excel, MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira and Wrike, then refresh the slide when the source changes. Excel import starts on Plus; the free plan allows limited copy and paste.
Multiple timescales
Show up to three timescales on Plus and Expert, such as years, quarters and months together. Free and Lite allow one.
Planned vs. actual tracking
Expert adds planned vs. actual tracking and advanced reporting for organizations that need to show slippage clearly.
Timeline Online
A browser-based version needs no install and works on Mac and other devices, for people who do not use PowerPoint for Windows.
Office Timeline pricing
Checked 2026-10. Prices can change; confirm on Lucen Software (formerly Office Timeline, Inc.)’s site.
Free
$0
1-year free license, renewable annually
- Simple timelines and themes
- Up to 10 milestones or tasks per slide for swimlanes and dependencies
- One timescale
Lite
$9/user/month
1-year license billed annually
- More templates and styling control
- Two swimlanes
- One timescale
Plus
$17/user/month
1-year license billed annually
- Unlimited swimlanes and dependencies
- Excel import
- Three timescales
Expert
$21/user/month
1-year license billed annually
- Unlimited swimlanes and sub-swimlanes
- Advanced integrations
- Planned vs. actual tracking
Watch out: Prices are per user in US dollars and billed as an annual license that auto-renews unless you switch it off; Timeline Online is priced separately.
See current Office Timeline pricing →What people use Office Timeline for
Monthly steering committee report
A program manager imports the schedule from MS Project and refreshes the timeline slide each month. The deck is ready in minutes, and changes show up without redrawing.
Client roadmap for a proposal
A consultant uses Plus to build a phased roadmap with swimlanes per workstream and dependencies. The slide drops straight into the proposal deck.
Jira release overview for executives
A product lead imports Jira epics into a one-page timeline for leadership. Executives see the release plan without opening Jira.
How to get started with Office Timeline
- 1
Download the free add-in and open PowerPoint
- 2
Create a timeline from a template and add milestones
- 3
Paste or import tasks from Excel or your project tool
- 4
Style the slide and share it as a normal PowerPoint file
- 5
Upgrade to Plus when you need unlimited swimlanes or Excel import
Office Timeline alternatives
| Product | Choose it when |
|---|---|
| Office Timeline 4.4 | Project and program managers who report status in PowerPoint |
| MindManager4.2 | Choose it if you want mind maps, Gantt views and project planning in one visual tool. |
| Monday.com4.4 | Choose it if you need a full work management platform with tasks, owners and timelines. |
| Microsoft Project | Choose it for detailed scheduling and resource planning rather than presentation slides. |
Office Timeline: frequently asked questions
Is Office Timeline free?+
Yes. There is a free plan with a one-year license you can renew each year. It covers simple timelines, with swimlanes and dependencies limited to 10 milestones or tasks per slide.
How much does Office Timeline cost?+
Paid add-in plans are Lite at $9, Plus at $17 and Expert at $21 per user per month, each billed annually as a one-year license. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies.
Is Office Timeline now Lucen?+
Yes. The company's site describes Lucen Software as formerly Office Timeline, and the product is now called Lucen Timeline.
Does Office Timeline work on Mac?+
The PowerPoint add-in is listed for Windows. Mac users can use Timeline Online, which runs in any browser with no install.
Can Office Timeline import from MS Project or Excel?+
Yes. Plus adds Excel import, and the plans list import and refresh from MS Project, Smartsheet and Jira, plus Wrike import, on higher tiers.
Can I cancel auto-renewal?+
Yes. Annual subscriptions renew automatically by default, but you can turn auto-renewal off at purchase or later from your Subscriptions page.
Final verdict
Is Office Timeline worth it?
If you spend hours turning project plans into PowerPoint slides, Office Timeline pays for itself quickly. Download the free add-in, build your next status timeline from a template, and upgrade only when you hit the swimlane or import limits.
Get Office TimelineAffiliate link · we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Reviewed by
Amjid Ali, Founder and editor
Amjid Ali is a Melbourne-based AI and automation lead, author of five books on infrastructure, automation and digital transformation, and a corporate trainer whose courses on n8n, Proxmox, firewalls and ERP have taught thousands of IT professionals.
Last updated 17 October 2026 · How we review
You might also like
Productivity
ClickUp review
Tasks, docs, chat and AI in one workspace, with a generous free plan
Productivity
monday.com review
Visual work management for teams, with CRM, dev and AI agents on one platform
Productivity
Fathom review
AI meeting notes with unlimited free recordings for Zoom, Meet and Teams
Office Timeline 4.4
Free plan; paid from $9/user/month (billed annually)