The best Planoly alternatives in 2026, by what you need
Planoly starts at $16 a month for one workspace, with X reminder-only and no approvals. Seven alternatives compared on price, free plans, grid and networks.
Short answer
For Planoly's grid and link in bio elsewhere, look at Later, from $25 a month. To publish to X, Bluesky and Mastodon, Publer or Buffer, both with free plans. For several brands, Metricool. For Pinterest, Tailwind. Planoly starts at $16 a month ($14 yearly) for one workspace, sends only a reminder for X, and has no approval step.
People leave Planoly for one of four reasons. X is reminder-only: Planoly notifies you at the scheduled time and you post it yourself. Bluesky and Mastodon aren't among its networks. There's no approval step, because a client only sees a read-only Plan Report. And Starter can't add a second brand or a teammate, so either one means Growth. The right alternative depends on which one it is. Every price below comes from each vendor's own pricing page and help centre, read on 11 and 12 November 2026 (Planoly's re-read on 13 November), in US dollars. To see every tool priced at the same size, read the cheapest social media schedulers.
The seven at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Priced by | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Later | $25 a month ($18.75 yearly) | Social set | Help centre only | The closest like-for-like: grid and link in bio |
| Publer | $5 a month for one account, $4 each from 3 | Account and member | 3 accounts (not X) | The most networks for the money |
| Buffer | $6 per channel a month | Channel | 3 channels | A queue for many networks |
| Metricool | $25 a month for 5 brands | Bundle of brands | 1 brand, 20 posts a month | Several brands, deep analytics |
| Tailwind | $29.99 per Pinterest account a month ($17.99 yearly) | Pinterest account | No; 10 scheduled Pins, once | Pinterest-first businesses |
| Meta Business Suite | Free | - | Free | Instagram and Facebook only |
| PostDaily | See the pricing page | Plan | 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month | Client approval, X, Bluesky and Mastodon |
If you want Planoly's grid and link in bio somewhere else
Later
Later is the other grid planner, and the closest like-for-like. Its Visual Planner lets you arrange posts on a preview of your grid, and every plan includes a link-in-bio page. Starter is $25 a month ($18.75 billed yearly) for one social set (one profile on each of 8 networks, Snapchat included) and one user. That is more than Planoly's $16 Starter, and it caps posts at 30 per profile a month, where Planoly's paid plans have no cap. What Later adds is teamwork: approvals and an inbox start on Growth, $50 a month ($37.50) for 2 sets, 2 users and 180 posts per profile, though a client needs a seat to approve. The catches: no X at all (Later ended X support in August 2025), no Bluesky or Mastodon, a 14-day trial that needs a card, and a free plan that appears only in its help centre. Later pricing, worked out, the best Later alternatives, and PostDaily vs Later.
If you post to X, Bluesky or Mastodon
Publer
Publer charges per account and publishes to 13 networks, including X, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram and WordPress. Professional is $4 a month per account from three accounts ($3.20 yearly; one account alone is $5), every tenth account is free, and each extra member is $2 a month, so 3 accounts cost $12 a month ($9.60 yearly). The free plan covers 3 accounts (not X), with 10 scheduled posts per account at a time and a link-in-bio page. The catches: each profile has a daily posting cap (20 Instagram posts a day on Professional), Publer's plans page and help centre disagree on whether approvals start on Professional or Business, and a client approves as a member of your workspace. Publer pricing, worked out, and PostDaily vs Publer.
Buffer
Buffer charges per channel and publishes to 12 networks, including X, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack, and it shows a grid preview for Instagram. Essentials is $6 per channel a month ($5 yearly) for one user, with no monthly post cap beyond a fair-use limit of 5,000 per channel. Team is $12 ($10) with unlimited users and approvals. The free plan covers 3 channels with 10 posts queued on each. The catches: one person on 5 networks pays $30 a month, against $16 for Planoly's Starter; its Start Page link in bio closed to new pages on 4 November 2026; and approvers need a Buffer login. Buffer pricing, worked out, Buffer vs Later side by side, and PostDaily vs Buffer.
PostDaily
PostDaily is our product, so weigh this accordingly. It is a queue for many networks, not a grid planner. It has no grid preview, no link-in-bio page and no store, so a creator who plans Instagram from the grid or sells from their bio should stay with Planoly. It publishes to Bluesky, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube and Pinterest, with X on paid plans within a monthly X budget, where Planoly only reminds you to post to X. A client approves from a review link with no account on the Pro plan, and a post waiting for review is held instead of published; Planoly's Plan Report is read-only. Plans include seats, and the free plan covers 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month. PostDaily vs Planoly says where Planoly is still the better choice.
If you run several brands
Metricool
Metricool sells bundles of brands, where a brand is one profile on each network. Starter is $25 a month ($20 billed annually) for up to 5 brands, with unlimited posts under a fair-use policy. On Planoly, 5 workspaces on Growth cost $58 a month: $28 plus three extra workspaces at $10. Metricool's analytics go further too, with up to 100 competitors and unlimited history. The free plan covers one brand and 20 posts a month, without LinkedIn or X. The catches: Starter has a single login, so a team means Advanced, from $67 a month, which adds approval by someone without an account; X costs $10 a month per account; and Metricool doesn't publish to Mastodon. Metricool pricing, worked out, and PostDaily vs Metricool.
If Pinterest is the main job
Tailwind
Planoly schedules Pins, but if Pinterest is most of what you do, Tailwind is the specialist. It designs Pins with SmartPin, writes their titles and descriptions with Ghostwriter, and spaces out Pins that link to the same page. Pin Scheduling & Creation is $29.99 a month ($17.99 billed yearly) per Pinterest account, with 300 credits, and each scheduled Pin uses one. Collaborators are free and unlimited. The catch: the plans Tailwind sells now publish to Pinterest only, because Instagram and Facebook scheduling stays on legacy plans, so it replaces Planoly for one network, not all of them. There's no free plan, only a one-time 10 scheduled Pins per account. Tailwind pricing, worked out, and PostDaily vs Tailwind.
If you only post to Instagram and Facebook
Meta Business Suite
If Meta's apps are all you post to, Business Suite is free. It schedules Instagram posts, Reels and Stories from a computer for a business or creator account, and the Instagram app itself schedules posts and Reels, up to 25 a day and 30 days ahead. It has no approval step and doesn't reach networks outside Meta. How to schedule Instagram posts has the steps, and PostDaily vs Meta Business Suite says when a scheduler earns its place.
When to stay with Planoly
Stay if you plan Instagram visually from the grid, sell from your link in bio through the Creator Store, or do most of your planning on your phone. Starter is $16 a month ($14 billed yearly) for one workspace and one user, with unlimited posts, and Planoly takes no cut of what you sell, though Stripe or PayPal still charge their fees. Later comes closest, and costs more with a post cap. Planoly pricing, worked out shows what 1, 3 and 10 brands cost.
Planoly alternative questions
What is the best free alternative to Planoly?
Publer is free for 3 accounts (not X) and includes a link-in-bio page. Buffer is free for 3 channels, and Metricool for 1 brand and 20 posts a month. PostDaily's free plan covers 1 channel (not X) and 5 scheduled posts a month. Meta Business Suite is free for Instagram and Facebook. Planoly itself gives an account with no plan 10 posts a month.
What app is most like Planoly?
Later. It has a visual grid planner and a link-in-bio page on every plan, from $25 a month ($18.75 yearly) for one social set, but Starter caps posts at 30 per profile a month and Later doesn't publish to X, Bluesky or Mastodon.
What is cheaper than Planoly?
Publer: 3 accounts cost $12 a month on Professional ($9.60 yearly), against Planoly's $16 ($14). Buffer is $12 a month for 2 channels. For several brands, Metricool's $25 covers up to 5, where 5 workspaces on Planoly's Growth cost $58 a month.
Which Planoly alternatives post to X automatically?
Buffer includes X, and Publer and PostDaily include it on paid plans. Metricool charges $10 a month per X account. Later and Tailwind don't publish to X, and Planoly only sends a reminder.
Which Planoly alternatives publish to Bluesky and Mastodon?
Buffer, Publer and PostDaily publish to both. Metricool publishes to Bluesky but not Mastodon. Later and Tailwind publish to neither.
Which alternative lets a client approve posts?
Metricool (Advanced) and PostDaily let a client approve without an account. Later (Growth) and Buffer (Team) have approvals, but the approver needs an account, and in Publer a client approves as a workspace member. Planoly has no approval step.
Last checked against each vendor's own pricing page and help centre.
