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Planoly alternatives: Magic Marketer vs Planoly, and five others worth a look
Planoly plans the grid from photos you already have. Magic Marketer makes the posts from what you know, then publishes them.
“Without Magic Marketer, I probably wouldn’t be posting to social media at all.”
“It’s impressive how easy it is to post to social media.”
“It’s easy, simple and I have social content going out everywhere.”
Planoly is the Instagram planner for people who care how the grid looks. Drag photos into the preview, plan the feed, schedule, sell through the link in bio, automate DMs. It is cheap, it is pretty, and for a product brand with a camera it does the job.
The Planoly alternative search starts when the camera is not the business. A consultant, an accountant, a clinic: their content is what they know, not what they can photograph, and a grid preview does not help with the part that is hard. (The grid is very good at showing you the gap.)
Choose Planoly if
You shoot your own product photography, the Instagram grid is the point, and you want the cheapest visual planner that does it.
Choose Magic Marketer if
Your content is what you say to clients rather than what you photograph, and the hard part is making the posts, not arranging them.
Planoly vs Magic Marketer, feature by feature
What Planoly does well
Visual planning at a low price. Starter is $14 a month billed annually for one social set, with unlimited uploads, a free link-in-bio page, digital product sales and Instagram DM automation included. It schedules to Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Threads and Pinterest. The 14-day trial is real, and there is a free mobile plan with ten uploads a month.
Where it stops
Planoly plans posts you have already made. The AI feature suggests content ideas; it does not produce a carousel from a client call or a short video from a workshop recording. Social sets and users are add-ons on Growth and Pro, so a second brand or a second person moves the price quickly. And there is no X or Google Business, which matters for local service businesses more than it does for brands.
How Magic Marketer is different
Magic Marketer starts from a source, not a photo. A recording, a voice note, a transcript, a link - and out comes a batch of finished posts in eight formats in your voice, including the visual ones sized for Instagram, checked against your guardrails and compliance presets before you see them. Then it publishes to nine channels at the best time for each. Weekly on Autopilot.
You still get a calendar. You do not get the grid-preview style of planning, and it costs more than Planoly, because it is doing the part Planoly leaves to you.
If you shoot your own products and the feed is the point, Planoly is a good, cheap choice and you should keep it. If you know what to say and never sit down to make it, this is the one.
Planoly pricing vs Magic Marketer pricing
| Tool | Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planoly | Starter | $14/mo billed annually | $16/mo monthly. 1 social set, 1 user, unlimited uploads. |
| Planoly | Growth | $24/mo billed annually | $28/mo monthly. 2 social sets, 2 users. Extra set $10/mo, extra user $5/mo. |
| Planoly | Pro | $47/mo billed annually | $55/mo monthly. 6 social sets, 6 users. Extra set $8/mo, extra user $3/mo. |
| Magic Marketer | Free trial | A$0 for 14 days | Unlimited creations and exports, no card. Publishing needs a paid plan. |
| Magic Marketer | Autopilot | A$149/mo | The one paid plan. A fresh batch of posts every week, publishing to every connected channel. Team members and brands included - no extra charge for admin or another brand. No generation limits. A$99/mo for the first 100 customers, or A$990/yr (2 months free). |
Planoly prices are USD list prices as published on planoly.com, checked September 2026. 14-day trial on paid plans; free mobile plan with 10 uploads a month. Magic Marketer prices are in AUD.
Other Planoly alternatives worth considering
Magic Marketer is not the right fit for everyone. These are the tools we would point you to instead, and why.
The other Instagram-first planner. More polished, more expensive, no free plan.
Free for 3 channels, then $5/mo. No grid preview, but adds X and Google Business.
Grid planner plus ten channels including Google Business on a $25/mo social set, with a free plan.
If you want to know what is working as well as plan it: analytics for up to 10 brands at $25/mo.
For visuals without a scheduler: design in Canva Pro, schedule natively in Instagram.
See the full list on the alternatives hub.
Planoly alternative FAQs
Does Planoly have a free plan?
A free mobile plan with ten uploads a month, and a 14-day trial on paid plans. Buffer and Pallyy have more usable free tiers if that is the deciding factor.
Is Magic Marketer good for Instagram?
Yes - carousels, stories, quote cards, feed graphics and short-form video sized for Instagram, published at the best time for your account. It plans by week and channel rather than by grid preview.
What is the best Planoly alternative for a service business?
Magic Marketer, if your content comes from conversations rather than photos - it turns recordings, transcripts and links into finished posts. Buffer, if you already have posts and just want a cheaper queue.
Can Magic Marketer schedule to Google Business Profile?
Yes. Google Business, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest and YouTube are all supported. Planoly does not currently publish to X or Google Business.
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