How to choose
- Starting from scratch, many platforms: Buffer or Metricool.
- Instagram look first: Later or Planoly.
- A team with sign-offs: Planable.
- Already planning in Notion or Airtable: Ninecast, so the calendar you have is the one that posts.
The best planning app is the one you do not have to copy out of.
Compared in depth: Instagram schedulers that work with Notion.
Building one yourself? See how to create a social media content calendar.
Questions that follow
What's the best app to plan social media content?
If you are starting from nothing, Buffer is the simplest all-rounder, Later is the most visual for Instagram, Metricool has the strongest free analytics and Planable is built for approvals. If your plan already lives in Notion or Airtable, Ninecast: it adds an Instagram grid preview and automatic posting to every platform you connect, from that same calendar.
Is there a free app to plan social media content?
Yes. Buffer and Metricool have free plans, Notion and Airtable have free tiers for the calendar, and Ninecast’s grid preview is free with no card.
Should I plan and schedule in the same app?
Ideally, yes. Every copy of a post is a chance for the version that goes out to differ from the one you approved.
What should a planning app do?
Show the month, show the feed, post on schedule, and tell you how each post did. Many do the first three; fewer bring the results back next to the plan.
How much does Ninecast cost?
The grid preview is free, forever. Publishing is on Creator, $15 a month or $12 a month billed yearly, for 3 planners — and the free plan includes 2 posts so you can see it work first.
Try it on your own calendar
30 days free. No card, no password, no account. The guide walks through setup in ten minutes.
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