7 Best Social Media Content Planning Tools

Discover the best tools to help you plan and schedule social media content.

Headshot of Postpone's founder, Grant McConnaughey.

Grant McConnaughey
Founder of Postpone

Table of Contents

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Looking for a better way to plan social media content? 

It’s not easy being a solo content creator — especially if you still rely on a haphazard Excel content calendar or Post-it notes scribbled with content ideas. Without a systematic approach, creating, planning, and executing good content can feel impossible. 

Yet, there's a silver lining: there are plenty of social media content planning tools out there that can tame the chaos. Here are 7 best ones to check out. 

What Is Content Planning Software?

Social media content planning tools take the grunt work out of content creation: they help you organize content, streamline the posting process across platforms, and optimize engagement —— all from one convenient platform.

Some common features in content planning software include:

  • Content calendars: Visualize your entire posting schedule across different platforms at a glance. 
  • Scheduling automation: Set your posts to go live at the most effective times without manually managing each upload. 
  • Content libraries: Keep all your visuals, videos, and written content in one organized place, so you can easily find, update, and repurpose it as needed. 
  • Analytics dashboards: Quickly see what’s working and what’s not, whether it’s content types or posting times. 
Analytics dashboard in a social media planning tool.

The best part? No two social media content organization tools are exactly alike; there’s something for everyone. Whether you prioritize analytics, user-friendliness, or budget-friendly options, there's a content planning tool out there tailored just for you.

Why Do Content Creators Need Social Media Content Planning Tools?

Build brand consistency

As a content creator, you’re not just posting random updates — you’re building a brand. Every visual asset you share should echo your unique style, every word should reflect your personality, and every theme should align with your niche. 

Because it offers a birds-eye view of all your content, social media content planning tools serve as your personal brand manager. You can quickly ensure that every post, no matter what platform or format, reinforces your unique voice and visual style. This consistency helps prime your audience to know what to expect when your content pops up. 

Spot content gaps

Social media planning calendar example.

Ever worried you might be missing out on key opportunities to connect with your audience? This is a real risk if you're just posting whenever inspiration hits

Luckily, social media content planning  tools allow you to view your content calendar at a glance — days, weeks, and even months ahead — helping you identify topics that you haven’t covered. For instance, you may notice that your tutorials are a hit, but you haven’t posted quick tips or behind-the-scenes content in a while. 

By filling these gaps, you keep your feed fresh and relevant. 

Keep followers engaged 

Automated reply to followers.

Keeping followers engaged is the number one priority for any content creator — after all, why go through all the trouble if you’re just shouting into the void? 

Social media content planning tools help you schedule not just when posts go live but also organize follow-up activities, like responding to comments or posting related content. In other words, with these tools, you’re not just posting blindly but forming a relationship that keeps your followers coming back for more.

7 Best Social Media Content Planning Tools

1. Postpone

Postpone, the best social media content planning tool.

Imagine this: It's late at night, and you're still toggling between various tabs and apps, trying to schedule next week's social media posts. Sound familiar? 

Meet Postpone: the world’s only social media scheduler built specifically for content creators. With Postpone (disclaimer: this is my platform), you’re not just filling slots in a calendar; you’re crafting a deliberate plan to engage with your followers. 

Beyond scheduling, the tool supports you every step of the way: you can organize and edit your images, respond to messages and comments, and, finally, track your results with advanced analytics. Useful, right? 

Top features

  • Bulk scheduling: In just a few clicks, you can schedule posts across various platforms — complete with recommendations on when to post to align with your audience’s most active hours. 
  • Support for niche platforms: Finding it difficult to attract followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook? Postpone also works for Tumblr, Bluesky, X (formerly Reddit), Mastodon, and more. 
  • Powerful analytics: Unlock valuable data on how your content is performing, so you can clearly understand what resonates with your audience and why.
  • Content library: Effortlessly manage your images, videos, and GIFs. You can also track where you’ve shared your content, whether it’s social media platforms or specific subreddits. 
  • AI assistant: Say goodbye to writer’s block. Whether you're creating titles, captions, or entire posts, Postpone’s AI tool can generate this content — complete with emojis and hashtags. 
  • Unified social inbox: Use Postpone to easily respond to comments and messages across platforms, or set up automated replies to keep engagement high even when you're away. 

Pros

  • Save time: Spend less time on the nitty-gritty scheduling process, and more time on what really matters — the ideas and execution of your content.
  • Increase consistency: Consistency is the key to building and maintaining audience engagement, and Postpone’s automated scheduling helps keep your content flow steady. 
  • Versatile: Because Postpone supports so many different social media platforms, you can use it to turbocharge your content strategy, no matter where your audience spends their time. 
  • User-friendly interface: Worried about having to learn a new tool? Don’t be! Getting started with Postpone is extremely easy, thanks to its intuitive design and straightforward navigation. 

Cons

  • Limited integrations: Postpone has fewer integrations compared to other tools designed for larger agencies or brands. However, it does integrate with Zapier — which, honestly, is the only one you need, since it connects to 5,000+ apps, including Google Drive, Sheets, and more. 

Best for

Postpone is perfect for savvy solo content creators who want to ditch the tech-stack Frankenstein. This social media content planning tool consolidates everything — scheduling, engagement, analytics — under one roof. 

Given its support for 10+ platforms, Postpone is also a winning choice for those who understand the benefits of not putting all their eggs in one channel — and need a powerful content planning tool to help them do just that. 

Try Postpone for free!

2. Asana

Asana for content planning.

If you're someone who loves color-coding your tasks and visualizing project timelines, Asana is right up your alley. It’s a project management platform that helps you track each of your content brainstorming, creation, and distribution tasks. 

While Asana isn’t specifically built for solo content creators, its visual views are useful for those who need to quickly see the status and timeline of every post — so that nothing slips through the cracks. 

Top features

  • Comprehensive task management: Easily break down tasks, assign deadlines, and track progress. 
  • Project timelines: Use timelines and content calendars to plan and visualize the flow of your content pieces. 

Pros

  • Intuitive design: You know the old adage: an organized desk is an organized mind? Asana is the epitome of that — its clean and straightforward interface never feels too overwhelming. 
  • Efficient planning: Plan and schedule your content in advance. If you’re struggling to manage your schedule and priorities, this is incredibly helpful. 

Cons

  • Pricing: While Asana’s basic free tier will meet the requirements of most solo content creators, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan for advanced tools like timeline view or automations. 
  • Complexity for simple content: For those who need straightforward calendars and less complex planning, Asana's extensive features may be more than necessary.

Best for

Choose Asana if all you need is a project manager to track the status of your content projects, whether that’s video production or blog writing. However, if you’re looking for a social media content planning tool that does it all (aka has features like scheduling or analytics), Asana may not be the best choice, given that it isn’t explicitly designed with content creators in mind. 

3. Later

Another example of a social media content planning tool.

If you’re a visual storyteller who mostly posts on Instagram, it might be time to check out Later. Later is a social media scheduling tool with a drag-and-drop calendar interface, so you can easily see and plan what your feeds look like. 

Top features

  • Media library: Organize all your images in one library to easily access them for upcoming posts. 
  • Cross-platform scheduling: Though the app was initially designed with Instagram in mind, Later now supports scheduling across other major platforms including Facebook, Pinterest, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and LinkedIn. 

Pros

  • User-friendly interface: Later is super easy to use thanks to its intuitive drag-and-drop feature. 
  • Instagram-focused tools: Support your Instagram strategy with Later’s hashtag suggestions and best-time-to-post recommendations. 

Cons

  • Platform limitations: Other than scheduling, Later’s tools are only limited to Instagram. So, if you want help with generating captions or hashtags for other channels, you’re out of luck. 
  • Lack of support for follower engagement: As your reputation as a content creator grows, so will the messages and comments you receive. Later does not have a feature that helps you manage these real-time engagements, meaning you’ll need to handle them manually. 

Best for

Later is best suited for new content creators focused only on Instagram — think: photographers, designers, and lifestyle influencers. As you add new social media platforms to your list, you might need to complement Later with other content planners that offer more comprehensive features. 

4. Trello

Trello.

Do you love jotting down ideas on post-its and shuffling them around as you work through them? Think of Trello as a virtual version of this. Like Asana, Trello is a project management platform — what makes it unique is that it’s card-based, meaning each task, idea, or project becomes a moveable card that visually represents your workflow.

Top features

  • Card-based system: Organize different tasks, notes, projects, shared files, or deadlines into cards that you can easily move and manage.
  • Customizable boards: Create different boards for different projects, such as editorial calendars, video production schedules, or promotional campaign tracking. 
  • Automation with Butler: Work smarter, not harder, with Trello's built-in automation tool, Butler. Butler automates common tasks, like setting reminders for deadlines, updating task statuses, or syncing calendars, so you can spend less time managing repetitive administrative chores.

Pros

  • Digital organization: Eliminate physical clutter by keeping all your content planning neatly organized in one place. If used correctly, Trello minimizes the likelihood that you feel swamped by overlapping tasks and deadlines.
  • Support for different devices: Trello works seamlessly across mobile, desktop, and tablet, so you can easily manage your content calendar whether you're at your desk or on the move.

Cons

  • Not designed for content creators: Like the other project management solutions in this list, Trello isn’t built with the unique needs of content creators in mind. In other words, there are a ton of features (e.g., related to collaboration, approvals, or automation) that aren’t necessarily relevant. 
  • Risk of information overload: Trello’s cards can contain a lot of detail, which can quickly cause a cluttered interface if you’re not careful. 

Best for

Trello is ideal for solo content creators who prefer a visually-oriented project management tool and are working on relatively straightforward projects. However, if you’re looking for an all-in-one content planning solution that handles everything from scheduling to analytics, consider exploring the other options in this list. 

5. Canva Content Planner

Canva content planner.

Canva is an amazing tool for creating all types of visuals — from social media images to infographics, presentations to flyers. But did you know that Canva offers a content planning tool? Yup, you can now merge your creative and scheduling needs into one seamless workflow. 

How it works is simple: create a social media post on Canva as usual, then hit the “share on social” button. From there, you can choose to post to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, X, or Tumblr immediately, or schedule it for a later time.  

Top features

  • Integrated creation and scheduling: No more toggling between different software. 
  • Engagement tracking: Easily see the number of impressions, clicks, likes, and comments with social media performance analytics. 

Pros

  • Cost-efficient: If you're already using Canva Pro, using Canva Content Planner can cut down on additional subscription costs. 
  • Save time: No more downloading from one platform and uploading to another. 

Cons

  • Scheduling limitations: You can only schedule a maximum of 25 posts at a time. 
  • Desktop restrictions: Want to schedule or post Stories and Reels? You’ll need to download the Canva mobile app. 
  • Cluttered workspaces: Not only must you create a separate file for each scheduled post, but you also can’t edit a post once it’s scheduled. This can make your Canva library a bit chaotic, to say the least.

Best for

Unsurprisingly, Canva Content Planner is great for content creators who are already using Canva for design work. That said, it’s a pretty rudimentary content planner and lacks more robust scheduling and planning features necessary for transforming lackluster content into viral posts. 

6. Notion

Notion for planning social media content.

Notion has taken the tech world by storm in recent years thanks to its all-in-one interface that combines note-taking, data management, and project tracking. For those unfamiliar with this project management platform, think of it as a digital Swiss army knife: you can create notes, build databases, organize documents, manage tasks, track deadlines — you name it. 

Again, while Notion is not explicitly built for social media content creators, it offers templates and workflows that you can easily adapt for content planning purposes. 

Top features

  • Customizable templates: Need a calendar? Want to create a content tracker? Trying to create a space to jot down all your ideas? Notion has a ton of templates you can modify to create a content planning system for your strategy. 
  • Extensive integrations: While Notion is designed to replace all your disparate tools, you can still integrate it with software like Google Docs, Trello, or Asana. 

Pros

  • Organization: Notion is more than just a note-taking app; it’s an all-in-one workspace where content creators can manage projects, notes, and more. 
  • Customization: With Notion, your workspace is exactly what you make it. Tailor everything from scratch or start with templates to manage everything from daily tasks to comprehensive project timelines.

Cons

  • Steep learning curve: Notion offers so many powerful features and customization options that the onboarding process can be somewhat overwhelming. 
  • Not specific to content planning: Notion lacks specialized tools that dedicated content planning solutions offer, like content scheduling and analytics. 

Best for

Notion is great for tech-savvy content creators who are comfortable with setting up their own systems from scratch. While it might be overkill for most social media content creators with simple workflows, it’s a dream for those who thrive on customization. 

7. Buffer

Buffer.

Juggling multiple social accounts is time-consuming and complicated. Buffer offers a straightforward solution by packing planning, scheduling, and analytics into one content organization tool, making it a breeze to keep your social media strategy on point.

Top features

  • Social calendar: Organize and schedule your posts efficiently from a user-friendly dashboard that keeps everything in view.
  • Seamless integrations: Buffer integrates with essential tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, and Canva. 
  • AI assistant: Use Buffer's AI to generate fresh post ideas. 
  • Analytics: Gain valuable insights into post performance and audience engagement. 

Pros

  • User-friendliness: Buffer’s clean and intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to jump in and start managing their social media content like a pro.
  • Comprehensive management: From scheduling to analytics, Buffer covers all the bases. 

Cons

  • Platform coverage: Buffer’s support for social media platforms is mostly limited to the bigger players, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 
  • Pricing: Buffer’s free plan is limited to three channels. Want more? Be prepared to shell out a monthly fee for each. You’ll also need to upgrade to a paid plan if you want to access analytics and engagement tools, which are the lifeblood of any successful content creation process. (In other words, costs can quickly add up!) 

Best for

While Buffer works for individual content creators, its features (and pricing) are more suited for small to medium-sized businesses and agencies. 

Ready to Get Started? 

When you’re working alone, it can be tempting to plan your social media strategy on a spreadsheet and call it a day. But here's the truth: haphazard planning can lead to missed opportunities and inconsistent engagement. 

While many of the social media content planning tools here offer complex and robust features, nothing beats Postpone. Designed specifically with the needs of solo social media content creators in mind, Postpone streamlines your entire content planning process. 

The result? You're always on top of your game without feeling overwhelmed. Try Postpone for free today.

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