What is a social media scheduler?
It’s a scheduling tool that automates your posting across various social networks. It lets you plan, schedule, and manage posts in advance, ensuring a consistent online presence even when you’re busy with other things and optimizing engagement through strategic timing.
Why are social media schedulers essential?
Google updates have led many creators to look for other ways to gain traffic. Social media is an obvious first choice.
Of course, if you’re trying out Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok simultaneously to see what sticks, that’s a huge time commitment. Enter social media posting platforms, which allow you to publish content across multiple social media accounts simultaneously (“cross-posting”). With key features like bulk scheduling and an integrated editor, you can ensure polished content and posts reach your audience at the best time for maximum engagement.
What features should you look for when choosing a scheduling tool?
- Content calendar: A visual overview used to plan, organize, and track your posts. It helps ensure consistent publishing, allowing you to create and schedule posts in advance.
- Collaboration tools: Essential for teams, these tools enable multiple users to work together. Collaboration features streamline the process of planning, editing, and approving posts. This is a plus if you’re working with assistants.
- Cross-platform scheduling: This feature allows you to schedule posts to multiple platforms simultaneously, saving time and ensuring consistency across all your social media accounts.
- Automated content publishing: You can schedule it and forget it, even if you’re offline. This is the best way to keep your presence consistent.
- Feed previews: Particularly important for Instagram, a feed preview lets you see how your posts will look before they go live. This helps ensure a cohesive and visually appealing layout.
- Social listening: This feature lets you monitor conversations and mentions of your brand or specific keywords across social media. This can help you engage with your audience more effectively and stay on top of trends.
- Hashtags and keyword suggestions: Some tools suggest the best options to boost your visibility and help your content reach more people.
Analytics and reporting: Many tools offer easy-to-read reports on what’s working and what’s not. It’s like having your own coach for social media, guiding you to smarter strategies.
Best free scheduling tools
AgoraPulse
AgoraPulse is a social networking and CRM platform for agencies.It works with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn and has tools for collaborating and analyzing your effectiveness.
Positives:
- Published material can be tagged and easily analyzed
- Discover what your audience is saying about your brand and competitors with the Listening feature
Drawbacks:
- Its user interface (UI) can be difficult to navigate
Price:
Standard | Professional | Advanced | |
Monthly | $69 | $99 | $149 |
Annually | $49 per month | $79 per month | $119 per month |
Additionally, you can try out the Pro and Premium plans for free for 30 days.
Buffer
Known for its intuitive interface, Buffer lets you schedule social media posts in a few clicks. It offers numerous analytical features and even strategies for boosting social presence.
Positives:
- Simple and intuitive UI
- Publishing and planning assistance on popular social networks
- Mobile app
Drawbacks:
- No support of paid advertising options
- More advanced features only in paid plans
Price:
Monthly | Annually | |
Free (up to 3 social channels) | $0 | $0 |
Essentials (unlimited) | $6 per channel | $5 per month per channel |
You can try the Essentials package for free for 14 days.
Crowdfire
Crowdfire is a straightforward scheduler with a content discovery feature, which curates relevant articles and posts from across the web tailored to the user’s interests and audience.
Positives:
- Simple scheduling options
- Engagement and follower growth recommendations
Drawbacks:
- Limited options for synchronizing accounts
- Limited features in the basic plan
- Scheduling calendar views are only available in Premium
Price:
Free | Plus | Premium | VIP | |
Monthly | $0 | $9.99 | $49.99 | $99.99 |
Annually | $0 | $7.48 per month | $37.48 per month | $74.98 per month |
Friends+Me
Friends+me is a simple, straightforward scheduler that integrates with Google+ and major social networks.
Positives:
- Free version works with all major social networks minus Pinterest
Drawbacks:
- No customization
Price:
Free | Individual | Small | Medium | Large | |
Monthly | $0 | $9 | $29 | $59 | $259 |
Annually | $0 | $7.50 per month | $24.17 per month | $49.17 per month | $215.84 per month |
You can try any plan for free for 15 days.
Later
Later is convenient for scheduling publications, video clips, and stories on various services like Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Positives:
- Timeline preview on Instagram
Drawbacks:
- Good core product, but no bells and whistles
- Limit of 30 free posts per month
- Analytical instruments are limited
Price:
Free | Starter | Growth | Advanced | |
Monthly | $0 | $25 | $45 | $80 |
Annually | $0 | $16.67 per month | $30 per month | $53.33 per month |
All plans come with a free trial period of 14 days.
Meta Business Suite
This is a powerful, free tool designed to help users seamlessly manage their Facebook and Instagram presence. It provides a centralized platform to schedule content, manage ad campaigns, and analyze performance.
Positives:
- Visual planner for scheduled posts on Facebook and Instagram
- Detailed analytics
- Integrated ad management
Drawbacks:
- Limited to Facebook and Instagram
- Extensive features may be overwhelming for beginners
Monday.com
Monday is a project management service for teams that includes a social media organizer.
Positives:
- Visual boards and color-coded alerts provide great tracking features
- Offers a timeline view, a Kanban board, and a calendar view
- A valuable resource for communicating
Drawbacks:
- The platform can be complex for new users
- Difficult to track project goals
Price:
Individual (up to 2 users) | Basic | Standard | Pro | |
Monthly | €0 | €12 per seat | €14 per seat | €24 per seat |
Annually | €0 | €9 per seat | €12 per seat | €19 per seat |
You can try the Standard and Pro plans for 14 days for free.
Social Champ
Social Champ lets you manage all aspects of social media, from interacting with your followers to planning posts.
Positives:
- Allows connecting many social networking profiles
- Allows reusing published posts
- Provides recommendations on what to write
Drawbacks:
- Some features aren’t supported for all social networks
- Stories and IGTV are unavailable
- No hashtag or advanced timing suggestions
Price:
Champion | Business | Agency | |
Monthly | $29 | $99 | $299 |
Annually | $26 per month | $89 per month | $269 per month |
You can try the paid plans for seven days for free.
Social Oomph
SocialOomph offers special features for Twitter but is also compatible with social networks like Discord, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, etc.
Positives:
- Respond automatically to new followers
- Keyword research for your company, products, and niche
- Identify targeted Twitter users for following
Drawbacks:
- No Instagram support
- No email or phone customer support
Price:
Personal Suite | Advanced Suite | Professional Suite | Business Suite | |
Monthly | Free | $15 | $25 | $55 |
Annually | Free | $162 | $270 | $594 |
You can try the Business Suite for free for 30 days.
TweetDeck
If Twitter is your main hangout, this is the scheduling software for you.
Positives:
- Completely free
- Intuitive interface
- Customization of updates, replies, and interactions
- Extensive search tools, including filters and auto-suggestions
Drawbacks:
- Only for Twitter
- No statistics for marketing campaigns
- 5 MB limit for pictures
- No option for managing ads
Best paid scheduling tools
Coschedule
CoSchedule offers advanced features such as integration with popular CMSes like WordPress, Evernote, and Google Analytics.
Positives:
- Design templates
- Automated processes and engagement features
- Integrations with WordPress and other CMSes
Drawbacks:
- A little pricey
- Website is full of pop-ups
- Scheduler doesn’t support Pinterest
Price:
Free | Social Calendar | Agency Calendar | |
Monthly | $0 | $29 per user per month | $59 per user per month |
Annually | $0 | $19 per user per month | $49 per user per month |
The trial period is 14 days.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite offers post planning, post management, and ROI tracking. It integrates with various external apps, such as Google Translate, Notion, Salesforce, and many more.
Positives:
- Full suite of tools for posting
- Supports most social networks
- Advertisement options and social media optimization
Drawbacks:
- Somewhat complicated interface
- Doesn’t support resharing or retweeting
- Several users have reported difficulty working with stories in Hootsuite
Price:
Professional | Team |
€99 per month | $249 per month |
Both Professional and Team plans include a free trial period of 30 days.
MeetEdgar
MeetEdgar is a fairly bare-bones scheduler, though it includes some AI-driven content features like a variation generator.
Positives:
- Weekly progress reports
- Excellent library of already published content with great categorization
Drawbacks:
- Lack of in-depth analytics
- No YouTube integration, limited Instagram functionality
Price:
Eddie Plan | Edgar Plan | |
Monthly | $29.99 | $49.99 |
Annually | $24.91 per month | $41.58 per month |
The trial period is seven days.
Planable
Planable is a user-friendly social media post tool designed above all for teams working together to manage various social media accounts.
Positives:
- Planner offers calendar, grid, list, and feed views to help visualize, publish, and organize your posts
- Tools for collaboration: in-context comments, multi-level approvals, and customizable permissions
- A built-in media library for easy access to shared assets
Drawbacks:
- Lacks advanced analytics and social listening features
- Bulk scheduling lacks customization for different platforms
- Some users say the calendar view can get cluttered
Price:
Basic | Pro | |
Monthly | $39 | $59 |
Annually | $33 per month | $49 per month |
Post Planner
Post Planner is a social media management and scheduling tool aimed especially at small businesses and marketing agencies.
Positives:
- Supports multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok
- Allows recycling of evergreen content
- User-friendly interface
Drawbacks:
- Limited advanced analytics
- Interface can be difficult to navigate, especially after updates
- Bulk scheduling lacks customization for different platforms
Price:
Starter | Growth | Business | |
Monthly | $12 | $49 | $79 |
Yearly | $7 per month | $37 per month | $57 per month |
Sendible
Sendible was designed to be an all-in-one social media marketing service. In addition to its content calendar and publishing tools, it offers brand monitoring and user engagement features.
Positives:
- Customer engagement
- Brand monitoring
- Stats on social networking sites
Drawbacks:
- Gathering brand mentions via online monitoring is time-consuming
- No options for tagging, and limited analytics capabilities
- Constant reconnection of profiles have been reported by some users
Price:
Creator | Traction | Scale | Advanced | |
Monthly | €24 | €75 | €165 | €220 |
Annually | €21 per month | €64 per month | €141 per month | €187 per month |
A 14-day trial period is available for all plans.
SocialBee
SocialBee is a social media scheduling tool for businesses, agencies, and bloggers.
Positives:
- Supports Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms
- Offers content categorization (organizing posts by type)
- Allows recycling of evergreen content
- Many different integrations and built-in AI tools
Drawbacks:
- Occasional slowdowns with media uploads
- UX for the calendar could be improved
Price:
Bootstrap | Accelerate | Pro | |
Monthly | $29 | $49 | $99 |
Yearly | $24 per month | $40 per month | $82 per month |
A 14-day free trial period is also available for all plans.
Social Pilot
This social media posting service offers a brand-customizable white label product, advanced Facebook features, and tools for collaboration.
Positives:
- Organizing images in bulk
Drawbacks:
- No Instagram analytics
- Interface has been criticized by many users
- Users are not impressed with analytic features
Price:
Professional | Small Team | Agency | Agency+ | |
Monthly | €29 | €48 | €95 | €190 |
Annually | €24.65 per month | €40.8 per month | €80.75 per month | €161.5 per month |
All plans include a free 14-day trial period.
Zoho Social
Zoho Social is a user-friendly service that integrates with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Positives:
- Excellent client assistance
- Easily navigable
- Each package includes a CRM toolkit
Drawbacks:
- IGTV and stories are unavailable
- Analytics aren’t as accurate as competitors
Price:
Standard | Professional | Premium | |
Monthly | €15 | €40 | €65 |
Annually | €10 | €30 | €40 |
All plans include a 15-day trial period.
Comparing the top scheduling tools
Tool | Advantages | Disadvantages | Cost | Supported Networks |
AgoraPulse | Tags and analyzes published materials, CRM integration | Interface can be difficult to navigate | Free, paid plans start at $99 per month | Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn |
Buffer | Simple UI, visual campaign planning, teamwork-friendly | No support for paid ads, advanced features require paid plans | Free, paid plans start at $6/month per social channel | Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest |
Crowdfire | Simple scheduling, engagement options, daily reminders | Limited sync options, calendar view only in premium plans | Free, paid plans start at $7.48 per month | Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube |
Friends+Me | Simple and straightforward | Limited customization means third-party integrations like Zapier required | Free, paid plans start at $9 per month | LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google Business, Pinterest |
Later | Instagram timeline preview, easy to use | Limited free postings, limited analytics | Free, paid plans start at $15 per month | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest |
Meta Business Suite | Free, cross-platform scheduling for Facebook and Instagram, integrated ad management | Limited to Facebook and Instagram, can be overwhelming for beginners | Free | Facebook, Instagram |
Monday.com | Visual boards, timelines and calendar views, excellent for collaboration | Cost increases with participant numbers, limited task dependencies | Free, paid plans start at $10 per month | Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok |
Social Champ | Streamlined workflow, reusable posts, teamwork resource | Limited features on some networks, stories and IGTV are unavailable | Free, paid plans start at $10 per month | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ |
SocialOomph | Keyword research, Twitter auto-follow/unfollow | No Instagram support, no email/phone customer support | Free, paid plans start at $15 per month | Twitter, Discord, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit |
TweetDeck | Free, multi-account management, customizable feeds | No marketing campaign statistics, limited media upload size | Free | |
ContentCal | Built-in analytics, content library | Limited social channels, no direct Instagram publishing | Plans start at $37 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter |
CoSchedule | Excellent scheduling tools, WordPress integration, performance tracking | Expensive, limited mobile functionality | Plans start at $39 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr |
Hootsuite | Full suite of social media tools, supports most major networks | Complicated interface, limited post resharing | Plans start at $19 per month | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube |
MeetEdgar | Easy to set up, automates and optimizes posting, great content categorization | Limited analytics, no YouTube integration | Plans start at $19 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter |
Planable | Flexible planning, collaboration tools, media library | Lacks advanced analytics, cluttered calendar view | Plans start at $33 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok |
Post Planner | Affordable, evergreen content recycling | Limited analytics, can be difficult to navigate | Plans start at $7 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok |
Sendible | Comprehensive content calendar, customer engagement, social monitoring | Time-consuming brand mentions monitoring, limited reporting capabilities | Plans start at $29 per month | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube |
SocialBee | Content categorization, automated content recycling | Media uploads can be slow | Plans start at $29 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest |
SocialPilot | Budget-friendly tools support all major networks | Limited Instagram analytics, interface gets criticized | Plans start at $30 per month | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr |
Zoho Social | CRM integration, easy navigation, excellent client support | No IGTV or stories, less accurate statistics | Plans start at $15 per month | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter |
Whichever service you choose, may it reduce your stress and boost your blog! Any thoughts on a service we feature here, or know of one we skipped? Let us know in the comments.