The list of established free open-source JavaScript Gantt charts licensed under MIT in June 2026 has expanded and now looks like this: the new DHTMLX Gantt Community Edition, SVAR React Gantt, Frappe Gantt, gantt-task-react, and ngx-gantt.
Note: This article is based on research originally conducted for a Webix comparison of JavaScript Gantt chart libraries.
Open-source JavaScript Gantt charts remain one of the most searched categories in project management and scheduling software. For teams building internal tools, SaaS products, ERP systems, or workflow applications, a Gantt chart often becomes a core part of the product rather than a replaceable UI component.
That makes licensing an important consideration. Unlike commercial libraries with subscription fees or usage restrictions, MIT-licensed Gantt components can be embedded into commercial products without licensing costs, copyleft requirements, or deployment limitations.
We selected the libraries that:
- are licensed under MIT;
- are available through public GitHub or npm;
- have practical documentation;
- are suitable for modern web applications.
We also reviewed framework support, maintenance activity, scalability, feature depth, and upgrade options where applicable.
Table of Contents
- DHTMLX Gantt Community Edition
- SVAR React Gantt
- Frappe Gantt - gantt-task-react
- ngx-gantt
- MIT Gantt Libraries: Comparison Overview
- Conclusion
1. DHTMLX Gantt Community Edition
DHTMLX Gantt Community Edition is the new open-source version of one of the most mature Gantt libraries available today. The Community Edition is distributed under the MIT license and allows use, modification, and distribution in commercial and open-source projects with attribution.
The combination of maturity and scalability is what sets DHTMLX Gantt apart from most MIT alternatives. It includes a broader feature set than most free alternatives and offers milestones, project summary tasks, multiple dependency types, drag-and-drop scheduling, smart rendering, and plugin support.
License: MIT
Framework support: Vanilla JavaScript with official React, Angular, and Vue integrations
Key strengths
- Mature codebase with years of production usage
- Handles datasets exceeding 30,000 tasks efficiently
- Broad feature coverage compared to most MIT alternatives
- Clear upgrade path to PRO when advanced scheduling becomes necessary
- Extensive documentation and demo collection
Limitations
- Resource management, auto-scheduling, and critical path analysis require PRO
- Larger API surface than lightweight timeline-focused libraries
Best for: Teams looking for a production-ready Gantt component that can support both early-stage development and future enterprise requirements.
DHTMLX requires more careful configuration and provides a more extensive API, which may initially seem like a drawback but, as the project grows, becomes an advantage over simpler solutions like Frappe Gantt or gantt-task-react.
2. SVAR React Gantt
SVAR React Gantt takes a different approach. Instead of wrapping a standalone JavaScript engine, it is built as a native React component designed around React's rendering model and TypeScript workflows.
The library includes task editing, filtering, dependencies, virtualization, and drag-and-drop interactions while maintaining a relatively lightweight architecture.
License: MIT
Framework support: React (native)
Key strengths
- Native React architecture
- TypeScript support
- Virtualized rendering for larger datasets
- Active development
- Upgrade path to advanced scheduling features
Limitations
- Advanced scheduling logic is reserved for the PRO edition
- Smaller ecosystem than long-established Gantt engines
Best for: React-first products that want a framework-native implementation without relying on wrapper components.
For teams already committed to React, the native architecture can simplify integration and maintenance compared to framework wrappers built around standalone JavaScript engines.
3. Frappe Gantt
Frappe Gantt is one of the simplest open-source JavaScript Gantt libraries in the comparison. This is a good choice if you need a basic timeline view rather than a full project scheduling engine.
The library uses SVG rendering and provides a minimal API focused on tasks, dates, dependencies, and basic drag-and-drop interactions. It avoids complex abstractions, which makes it easy to read, modify, and integrate into existing projects.
In most cases, a working Gantt view can be added with minimal configuration and a simple JSON dataset very quickly.
License: MIT
Framework support: Vanilla JavaScript
Key strengths
- Very small and lightweight codebase
- Simple SVG-based rendering approach
- Easy integration with plain JavaScript projects
- Fast setup with minimal configuration
- Easy to modify due to limited abstraction layer
Limitations
- No advanced scheduling features (no auto-scheduling, baselines, or resource management)
- Not designed for large datasets or complex project structures
- No official framework wrappers for React, Angular, or Vue
Best for: Basic project management visualization without advanced functionality, for example: lightweight timeline views, internal dashboards, and products where Gantt charts are used as a secondary visualization rather than a core system component.
4. gantt-task-react
gantt-task-react is a React-specific Gantt component designed for simplicity and quick integration. It focuses on a minimal set of features while following a clean, declarative React API.
Unlike heavier task scheduling libraries, it focuses on core timeline functionality: tasks, dependencies, progress tracking, and basic editing. This makes it suitable for dashboards, internal tools, and early-stage product interfaces.
The integration inside React applications feels predictable, so there is no need for external wrappers or complex state synchronization patterns.
License: MIT
Framework support: React
Key strengths
- Native React component design
- Simple declarative API
- Built-in support for dependencies and progress tracking
- Easy styling using standard React approaches
- Lightweight and fast for small to medium datasets
Limitations
- Minimal scheduling logic
- No advanced planning features (auto-scheduling, critical path, resource allocation)
- Limited ecosystem and community size
- Not suitable for large-scale enterprise scheduling needs
Best for: React applications that need a lightweight, embedded Gantt view without introducing a full scheduling engine.
Compared to SVAR React Gantt, it prioritizes simplicity over extensibility.
5. ngx-gantt
ngx-gantt is a Gantt library designed to integrate into Angular-based applications. To provide a consistent developer experience, it uses TypeScript, templating, and reactive patterns.
The library supports tasks, dependencies, baselines, progress indicators, and virtual scrolling. One of its key advantages in Angular-based UI systems is template customization.
The main advantage is how naturally it fits into Angular architecture and feels like a native module within the framework.
License: MIT
Framework support: Angular
Key strengths
- Angular architecture with strong TypeScript support
- Template-driven customization
- Virtual scrolling for improved performance
- Broad set of core Gantt features
- Active maintenance and documentation
Limitations
- No advanced scheduling engine (no auto-scheduling or resource planning)
- Angular-only (no React or Vue support)
- Performance depends on dataset size and implementation patterns
Best for: Angular applications where Gantt charts need to be fully integrated into existing UI patterns and component structures.
Compared to framework-agnostic libraries, ngx-gantt trades portability for deep framework alignment.
MIT Gantt Libraries: Comparison Overview
Choosing between MIT-licensed Gantt libraries usually comes down to three factors: framework alignment, feature depth, and long-term scalability.
| Library | Framework | Strength | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHTMLX Gantt Community Edition | Vanilla + React/Angular/Vue | Most mature feature set | Production-ready systems with growth potential |
| SVAR React Gantt | React | Native React architecture | React-first applications with scaling needs |
| Frappe Gantt | Vanilla JS | Minimal and lightweight | Simple timelines and dashboards |
| gantt-task-react | React | Simplicity in React apps | Lightweight embedded Gantt views |
| ngx-gantt | Angular | Framework-native design | Angular enterprise applications |
The comparison shows that there is no universal "best" option. Instead, each library optimizes for a different trade-off between complexity and control.
Conclusion
Even in 2026, building a reliable Gantt chart from scratch is still more complex than it may seem. MIT-licensed JavaScript Gantt libraries remain a practical foundation for modern web applications while reducing licensing friction and giving teams a faster starting point.
Lightweight options like Frappe Gantt and gantt-task-react are best suited for simple timelines and early-stage interfaces. Framework-native solutions such as SVAR React Gantt and ngx-gantt provide deeper integration for React and Angular ecosystems. DHTMLX Gantt Community Edition occupies a different category, offering a more mature feature set with a clear upgrade path for teams that expect scheduling complexity to grow over time.
In practice, the right choice is less about which Gantt chart library is objectively stronger and more about how much scheduling logic your product actually needs today and how much it is likely to need in the future. The MIT ecosystem now offers viable options for both lightweight timelines and large-scale project planning applications.
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