5 Planoly Alternatives for Social Media Management

For many social media managers, agencies, creators, and entrepreneurs, the visual appeal of an Instagram feed is paramount. Planoly has long been a go-to tool for its intuitive drag-and-drop visual planner, helping users craft beautiful, cohesive feeds. However, the demands of social media management in 2025 extend far beyond just visual planning for one platform.

If you find yourself managing multiple social networks, needing deeper analytics, or looking for more comprehensive features to streamline your entire social strategy, you might be searching for a Planoly alternative. We present five compelling Planoly app alternatives and point out the best one for your diverse social media management needs (spoiler: it’s Metricool).

What is Planoly?

Planoly is a social media management platform typically favored by aesthetically driven brands and creators who prioritize their Instagram grid. The platform is known for its visual planning functionality, but the multi-faceted nature of social media management has led many to look for more complete alternative apps.

Source: https://www.planoly.com/blog/analyze-web-dashboard

Here are some of the reasons why social media professionals are exploring alternatives to Planoly in 2025:

• Instagram-Centric Focus: While Planoly excels at visual Instagram planning, its support for other platforms like Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, or even X (formerly Twitter) can feel less robust or limited compared to all-in-one tools. For those managing a holistic cross-platform strategy, this can be a significant drawback.
• Basic Analytics: Planoly offers basic analytics, primarily focused on Instagram metrics. For a full understanding of content performance, audience demographics across various platforms, or tracking ad campaign ROI, more in-depth and centralized analytics are often required.
• Incomplete Management Features: Beyond scheduling, many social media managers need features like social listening, a unified inbox for comments and DMs, integrated ad campaign management, or advanced team collaboration tools. These are often absent or less developed within Planoly.
• Pricing for Expanded Features: While Planoly offers a free plan and various paid tiers, scaling up to manage multiple social sets or access more advanced features can quickly become expensive. As of July 2025, Planoly’s “Starter” plan for new creators is $16/month (or $14/month annually) for 1 profile per platform and up to 60 uploads per month. Their “Growth” plan is $28/month (or $24/month annually) for unlimited uploads for 1 profile per platform and 3 users. For more social sets and users, costs increase.
• Lack of Ad Management Integration: For those running paid social campaigns, managing and analyzing ad performance within the same platform as organic content is a major efficiency gain. Planoly does not offer this integration.
• Basic Team Collaboration: While Planoly has collaboration features, they may not be as comprehensive for agencies or larger teams needing complex approval workflows or granular user permissions across multiple client accounts.

Top 5 Planoly Alternatives for Social Media Managers

Let’s explore some of the best Planoly app alternatives available today.

1. Metricool: The All-in-One Growth Engine (Our Top Recommendation!)

Metricool is a comprehensive social media and digital marketing management platform designed to provide solo managers, agencies, creators, and entrepreneurs with everything they need in one easy-to-use dashboard. We offer in-depth analytics, integrated ad campaign management, cross-platform planning, and a unified inbox for all interactions, with price plans starting from free. 

Why choose Metricool?

• In-Depth Multi-Platform Analytics: While Planoly excels at Instagram, Metricool provides deep, detailed analytics across all major social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Business Profile) and even for your website/blog. You get insights into audience demographics, content performance, optimal posting times for each platform, and competitor analysis. Planoly’s analytics are significantly less comprehensive and primarily Instagram-focused.
• Unified Inbox for Community Management: Metricool features a powerful inbox where you can manage comments and direct messages from multiple social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile) in one centralized location. This streamlines community engagement and ensures no interaction is missed, a significant upgrade from Planoly’s more limited engagement tools.
• Optimized Scheduling with “Best Times”: Metricool doesn’t just let you schedule; it analyzes your audience activity data to recommend the best times to publish content for maximum reach and engagement on each platform.
• Cost-Effective & Generous Free Plan: Our pricing model offers exceptional value. It includes a free Planoly alternative plan that allows connecting up to 11 social media channels (excluding LinkedIn and X in the free plan), planning up to 50 posts per month, and providing 3 months of historical data. Paid plans start from $18/month (billed annually) for up to 5 brands, unlimited content, LinkedIn connection, and full analytics. This is a highly attractive proposition if you are managing multiple clients or brands, offering more flexibility than Planoly’s per-social-set pricing.

• Advanced Planning Features: Metricool offers a clear content planner and calendar with features like auto-lists for evergreen content, direct integration with Canva and Google Drive for content creation, and a user-friendly visual layout that caters to both visual and text-based planning.
• Integrated Ad Campaign Management: With Metricool, you can connect, monitor, and analyze your Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and TikTok Ads campaigns directly within the platform. You can even create new ad campaigns from within Metricool, providing a seamless solution for both organic and paid social strategies. Planoly does not offer this integrated ad management capability.
• Additional Tools: Metricool goes further with a flexible link-in-bio tool (SmartLinks), a hashtag tracker, hashtag generator, competitor analysis, and an AI Social Media Assistant to aid in content generation.

Ideal for: Solo social media managers, agencies, creators, and entrepreneurs who need a truly all-in-one tool for planning, scheduling, in-depth analytics (including ad performance), community management, and content creation across all their social media channels, looking for maximum efficiency and value.

Seen enough already? If so, sign for Metricool with the button below:

2. Later: The Visual-First Planoly Alternative

Later evolved from an Instagram-first scheduler, much like Planoly, and has grown into a strong Planoly alternative with a continuing emphasis on visual content planning and scheduling, especially for Instagram and TikTok.

Strengths:

• Visual Planner: Later boasts an intuitive drag-and-drop visual content calendar, making it incredibly easy to plan and preview Instagram grids and TikTok feeds. This is often cited as a key reason for choosing Later.
• Link-in-Bio Tool: Later’s Linkin.bio feature is highly developed, allowing users to create shoppable landing pages and drive traffic effectively from Instagram and TikTok.
• Direct Publishing: Supports direct publishing for Instagram Reels, Carousels, and TikTok videos.
• Hashtag Suggestions & Analytics: Provides helpful tools for finding relevant hashtags and some analytics on hashtag performance.
• User-Friendly Interface: Clean and straightforward, particularly for visually-oriented users.

Considerations:

• Platform Focus: While it has expanded, Later’s core strength remains Instagram and TikTok. Its features for platforms like LinkedIn or X might be less complete compared to Metricool.
• Analytics Depth: Analytics are good for visual platforms, but may not offer the same cross-platform depth or ad performance insights as Metricool.
• Pricing: Later offers a free Planoly alternative plan (1 social set, 10 posts/month). Paid plans start around $16.67/month (billed annually) but scale up when adding more social sets or advanced analytics. This can quickly match or exceed Planoly’s pricing.

Ideal for: Brands, creators, and small businesses that heavily rely on Instagram and TikTok for their visual content strategy and prioritize a visual planning interface and a strong link-in-bio tool.

3. Plann: The Aesthetic Organizer

Plann is another visual-first social media management tool that positions itself as a direct Planoly app alternative, particularly for those focused on Instagram. It combines scheduling with some basic analytics and content creation features.

Strengths:

• Visual Grid Planner: Offers a similar drag-and-drop visual planner to Planoly, allowing users to arrange and preview their Instagram feed.
• Basic Analytics: Provides insights into Instagram performance, including follower growth and post engagement.
• Content Collections & Stock Libraries: Helps with content organization and provides access to stock images and videos.
• Link-in-Bio Feature: Includes a simple link-in-bio tool.
• Companion App: Offers a strong mobile app experience for on-the-go planning.

Considerations:

• Limited Platform Support: While it supports Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn, its features for broader multi-platform management are not as comprehensive as an all-in-one tool.
• Analytics Depth: Analytics are relatively basic compared to more robust platforms.
• Team Collaboration: Team features may be less developed for larger agencies with complex workflows.
• Pricing: Plann offers a free plan (1 brand, 120 media items, 30 posts/month). Paid plans start from $19/month (billed annually) for 2 brands and unlimited posts, with costs increasing for more team members and brands.

Ideal for: Individual creators and small businesses whose primary focus is on visually planning and scheduling content for Instagram, and who appreciate an intuitive mobile experience.

4. Planable: The Collaboration Hub

Planable is a Planoly social media alternative that shines brightest in its collaboration features, making it an excellent choice for agencies and teams that require extensive content review and approval workflows.

Strengths:

• Exceptional Collaboration & Approval Workflows: Planable’s core strength lies in its real-time collaboration features, allowing team members and clients to comment directly on posts, provide feedback, and manage approval processes seamlessly. This minimizes endless email chains.
• Visual Planner & Previews: Offers a clean visual calendar and excellent post previews for various platforms, ensuring content looks perfect before publishing.
• Multi-Platform Support: Supports a wide range of platforms including Facebook, Instagram (Reels & Stories direct publishing), LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, and TikTok.
• Media Library: A centralized place to store and manage media assets.
• Version History: Tracks every change to a post, allowing easy reverts.

Considerations:

• Analytics Focus: While it provides essential analytics, Planable’s primary focus is on collaboration and publishing, so its analytics might not be as deep or comprehensive as Metricool’s.
• No Integrated Ad Management: Does not offer integrated management for social ad campaigns.
• Pricing: Planable offers a free trial, but no permanent free Planoly alternative plan. Paid plans start from $39/month (billed annually) for 5 users and 5 social profiles, scaling up quickly with more users and profiles. This can be a higher entry point for solo managers or very small teams.

Ideal for: Marketing agencies, larger teams, and businesses with complex content approval processes and a strong need for seamless internal and external collaboration on social media content.

5. NapoleonCat: The Engagement Specialist

NapoleonCat is a Planoly alternative that excels in social media customer service and automated moderation, making it a strong choice for brands with high volumes of incoming messages and comments.

Strengths:

• Social Inbox & Moderation: Its strongest feature is a powerful Social Inbox that aggregates all comments, messages, and mentions from multiple platforms. It also offers automated moderation rules to handle spam, frequently asked questions, or sensitive content.
• Social CRM: Tools to manage customer interactions and build social customer profiles.
• Publishing & Scheduling: Includes standard publishing and scheduling features across various platforms.
• Analytics & Reporting: Offers solid analytics, particularly useful for tracking engagement and customer service metrics.

Considerations:

• Less Focus on Visual Planning: While it has scheduling, its visual planning capabilities are not as sophisticated or intuitive as Planoly or Later.
• Pricing: NapoleonCat does not offer a permanent free Planoly alternative plan, only a 14-day free trial. Plans start at $26/month (billed annually) for 10 profiles and 1 user, scaling up significantly for more profiles and users, especially for its advanced features like automated moderation.
• Complexity: The depth of its moderation and inbox features can lead to a slightly steeper learning curve for users whose primary need is simple scheduling.

Ideal for: Brands and businesses with a high volume of social media interactions, requiring robust tools for customer service, community management, and automated content moderation.

How to Choose Your Ideal Planoly Alternative

When deciding on the best Planoly alternative for your needs, consider these crucial factors:

• Your Primary Goals: Is visual planning paramount, or do you need comprehensive analytics, ad management, or advanced collaboration?
• Number of Social Channels: How many social media profiles do you manage across different platforms? Check how each tool’s pricing scales with additional accounts.
• Team Size & Collaboration: Are you a solo manager, or do you need features for team members, client approvals, and role permissions?
• Budget: Determine what you’re willing to invest. Are you looking for a free Planoly alternative to start, or are you ready for a paid subscription that offers more robust features?
• Required Features: Make a list of essential features you need (e.g., visual calendar, direct publishing, unified inbox, ad analytics, social listening).
• Ease of Use & Interface: The tool should simplify your workflow, not complicate it. Look for an intuitive and clean interface that you enjoy using daily.
• Customer Support: Reliable and responsive support is invaluable when you encounter issues or have questions.

Why Metricool is Your Ultimate Planoly Alternative

For solo social media managers, agencies, creators, and entrepreneurs navigating the complex world of multi-platform social media, Metricool stands out as the ultimate Planoly alternative. While Planoly excels at Instagram aesthetics, Metricool offers a holistic, data-driven approach to social media management that saves time, provides deeper insights, and drives tangible results.

Choosing Metricool means investing in a tool that not only simplifies your daily tasks but also empowers you with the insights and capabilities needed to truly grow your presence, engage your audience, and achieve your marketing objectives across all your social channels.

Kalum , 17 July 2025