Deciding which social media calendar planner works for your business can take a lot of time. We have explored multiple options and shortlisted the best 9 planner tools for you.
While some people use the terms calendar and planner interchangeably, you need to know that a planner is an elaborate version of a calendar.
A calendar is a place where one can record to-do lists and tasks (e.g., events or meetings). The planner function lets you organize those events into tasks that can be assigned, tracked, and worked on.
Having worked in social media for the past five years, I can’t think of any business that doesn’t have some version of a calendar to help with social media scheduling. Today, planners are designed so intuitively that even the most planning-averse individual would enjoy using a social media planning calendar for their business.
What is a social media content planner?
A social media content planner is created to help you allocate posts by date and time across a given period (for example, a month or quarter) for specific social platforms (say, Instagram or Facebook).
A content planner is a way to visualize your content strategy, create a tracking system for your creative assets, and ensure consistency in your posting schedule. This step is crucial not just for the campaign planning but also for maintaining a uniform brand image across posts.
Here is an example from SEMRUSH of a planner created in Google Sheets-
The major question while choosing a planner is- what kind is the most relevant for my business? Does maintaining a Google Sheet suffice, or do I need a tool with a broader offering?
The thing with Google Sheets is that you can feel good about making just the right template that makes sense to you.
What matters is if everyone else in your team can keep up with the endless manual entries and stick to the workflow protocol.
In the last few years, we have seen some amazing developments in the use of technology to optimize planning and workflows.
For example, predictive analytics has transformed social media planning. It uses AI to determine optimal posting times.
Having a platform integrated with multiple functionalities makes overall social media management easier.
This article will delve into the various tools that can help you maintain a planner that can transform your content ideas into actionable ones.
9 Best Social Media Calendar Planners in 2025
I have rounded up a list of go-to social media marketing calendars that brands use for their content planning.
Google Sheets
Statusbrew
Google Calendar
Notion
ClickUp
Trello
Asana
Canva
Airtable
I have primarily factored in user-friendliness, customization features, and scheduling capabilities to arrive at these recommendations. Read on to learn more.
Google Sheets
Cost-effective for new businesses, limited capabilities as a social media planner tool.
This spreadsheet tool is a good starter for users who are just starting to organize their social media content. It is cost-effective and enables team collaboration.
Users can create calendars relevant to their content strategy, track progress, and customize access as per needs.
Source: Hubspot
Users can select a pre-existing template or create one that suits their needs.
In the example above, you can see how the user created sheets by organizing the info on a weekly basis. The planner also lets you switch between tabs to work on content for different social media.
The appeal lies in its integration with Google Drive and Calendar which lends efficiency to management.
The shareability of documents is also easier here, which could be a plus or disadvantage, depending on the circumstance.
One drawback would be that it lacks extended capabilities of analytics and scheduling.
This makes sense because Sheets wasn’t exactly developed with the exclusive idea of planning social media content.
Price point: This is a free tool for individuals. Users who have subscribed to Google Workspace are given access to Sheets.
Statusbrew
Statusbrew is a social media management tool that focuses on simplifying the end-to-end process in social media management- right from content planning, ideation, and collaboration to scheduling, publishing, engagement, and reporting.
Here’s some context.
I was getting tired of shuffling between Google Drive, Notion, WhatsApp, and Gmail to stay on top of work updates. Individually, each of these tools listed is excellent.
The issues became more apparent when we bagged a high-value project that needed client approval for content planning at frequent intervals.
We’ve had embarrassing experiences of sharing the wrong content drafts and figuring out document permissions at the last minute.
Statusbrew for social media planning and workflow management.
I knew we needed one platform that could support our workflow from start to finish.
My typical day at work starts with catching up on the content plan using the Statusbrew Calendar.
I can create custom dashboards to help me keep an overview of important items.
On this board, I have quick access to see what my intern (Isabelle) is working on, track progress (Idea, In Progress, or Scheduled), and content on a particular network (Instagram Grid).
a. Create an event
This is where you can throw ideas for a post, assign an event name, and collaborate with team members.
You can set a deadline for the team to work on the given idea (scheduling the post is only the subsequent stage).
The planner makes it easy to communicate requirements and other criteria, which ensures clarity in the workflow.
You can also create your own fields to give more context and track the progress.
b. Making a post
Once the content is ready, the team will edit the event and upload the final caption and media.
My team would then tag me with the final draft so I could approve the post media and caption
From there, I can directly go to the publish section, where all the final content and media are automatically pasted into the publisher.
Statusbrew allows posting to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Google My Business, LinkedIn, YouTube, Bluesky, and Thread. You can explore details about Statusbrew integrations here.
Since I sometimes post the same content on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for a client. Statusbrew allows to create a profile group for the client.
Instead of selecting profiles individually, I select the profile group while scheduling. The best part is there is an option to adjust the media format for each network.
c. Approvals before the post goes live
I can choose the approval workflow and involve other stakeholders to sign off on the post.
The approval workflow will typically involve internal stakeholders.
With my clients, I prefer sharing a link of a custom calendar to share their feedback, where I show them Scheduled content only.
I sometimes lock the date range to present what matters at the moment.
Controlling the calendar view guides your client to have a more intentional approach while working with you on their content.
I couldn’t do this while using Excel and Sheets.
I’d have to create a whole new sheet for external users, maintain it, and pray that I don’t share the wrong sheet with the client.
Why Statusbrew?
This tool has been a lifesaver for my brain fog because of how visual it is.
It lets me see my scheduled posts in List, Weekly or Monthly, and Instagram Portrait grid layouts.
This has encouraged me to examine posts in depth instead of giving in to vague planning.
Everything social is done with one tool, and this saves me time and money.
Price point: Statusbrew’s calendar planner is available in the Essentials plan ($69/month). Other plans are available here.
Google Calendar
A simple starter planner for teams that need a collaborative and visually organized database for scheduling.
Google Calendar is a tool that can be used for social media planning, and it is a cost-effective solution for individuals and beginner teams. While it's not per se a social media tool, its flexibility makes it easy to keep up with content schedules.
The tool allows users to create color-coded events to sort content by type, post-timing, and platform. You can set up recurring events and use notifications to create reminders for posts and deadlines.
You can “Create Event/ Task” to write post ideas and captions and attach media using Google Drive. You can also tag team members for content creation and approval. Event descriptions can include links to content drafts, creative assets, or notes.
The primary drawback is that Google Calendar lacks built-in analytics and publishing capabilities.
Price Point: Google Calendar is free for individuals. Businesses using Google Workspace can access team calendars as part of their subscription plan.
Notion
Notion is a customizable tool for content planning but requires manual setup for team workflows.
Notion is a workspace that can serve as a content planner for social media teams. It allows users to create databases and calendars to draw content workflows.
The tool’s drag-and-drop interface lets you create your planner with pages, subpages, and databases. This makes it possible to keep track of content ideas, post drafts, and publishing schedules.
You can create a content calendar database where posts are categorized by criteria, including status (working, review, published), type, and team members.
Notion also allows for comments and mentions, thereby facilitating collaboration. One of the reasons it is easy to use is the number of pre-built templates available online.
The drawback is that users end up using other integration tools like schedulers because Notion doesn’t have native scheduling and publishing capabilities.
Additionally, since the tool doesn’t come pre-built with social content planning, users have to manually create a structure or go for user-generated templates.
Price Point: Notion offers a free plan for individuals. Team collaboration features start at $10 per user/month. You can check out other plans here.
ClickUp
This is a neat planner with task automation and approval workflows, but it doesn’t have extended capabilities.
ClickUp is a platform that includes a content calendar and task management system. The Calendar View and Kanban Boards allow you to track post status, set deadlines, and automate workflows. With task tracking and automated reminders, users can ensure that content goes through ideation, approval, and posting.
Tasks can be moved through stages like ‘To Do’, ‘In Progress’, ‘For Approval’, and ‘Ready’. Like other platforms, this tool also enables collaborations and approvals.
You can also use the platform to customize workflow dashboards according to your project needs.
The drawback is that ClickUp does not offer direct integrations with all social media platforms, which means that you may require additional tools for scheduling and publishing content.
Price Point: ClickUp offers a free plan with a premium category starting at $7 per user/month. You can check out the other plans here.
Trello
A highly visual tool for organizing social media content, but lacks built-in analytics.
Trello is a visual project management tool that helps social media teams organize content with Kanban boards. Using Trello Cards, teams can attach files, enter due dates, tag team members, and track the status of social media posts.
The drag-and-drop boards help users organize content and collaborate with other users. The posts can be viewed in a calendar format with the ‘Calendar Power-Up’ feature.
Price Point: Trello offers a free plan with limited features. Paid plans start at $5 per user/month. You can check out other plans here.
Asana
Great for task-based planning, but lacks native content publishing.
Asana is a task management platform that helps teams plan and track their social content with project boards, assignments, and calendar views. Users can create projects for campaigns, track post approvals, and set due dates with reminders.
The tool has a drag-and-drop interface so users can rearrange posts and schedules. You can also assign tasks and work on feedback.
The drawback here, as with a few other tools, is the lack of native social media integration, analytics, and scheduling features.
Price Point: Asana has a free plan for individuals. Paid plans start at $10.99 per user/month. You can check out the other plans here.
Canva
Ideal for design-oriented social media teams but limited in analytics and collaboration functions.
Canva is primarily a design tool with a built-in content planner. Users can access social media templates and create visual copies. They can then schedule posts directly to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
You can choose the social media calendar template that is right for you, from the thousands of options available in the library.
You could maintain a separate social media holiday calendar or integrate it into a singular planner. The content planner lets you select social channels, create posts, collaborate, and schedule them for publishing.
The major drawback is that the scheduling option is limited to a few social channels and doesn’t offer platform-specific customizations for the copy.
Price Point: Canva has a free version, while the Pro plan costs $12.99/month. Check out other plans here.
Airtable
Airtable is a planning tool with customization and collaboration features but lacks native scheduling and publishing. Ideal for teams that prioritize a structured database for their workflow.
Airtable is a database and spreadsheet tool that helps you organize and track social media content. The content planner is customizable and lets users build workflows and collaborate with team members in real-time.
Teams can plan content ideas, track progress, and manage approvals seamlessly. The tool offers the ability to link info across different tables, thereby making it easy to track deadlines and performance under one roof.
The major drawback is that Airtable doesn’t have built-in scheduling or publishing features. Users will need third-party integrations to schedule and publish posts.
Price Point: Airtable offers a free plan with limited features. The premium plan starts at $12/month per user. Check out other plans here.
Social media planning in 2025
What you see in this chart, is typical of most organizations.
You will see some coordination between departments and plenty of back-and-forth between the content lead, design team, project manager, and client.
Now introduce a variety of tools- such as illustrators, database tools, calendar apps, and schedulers. What you have done is added more variables in terms of tools and processes to the existing division in functionalities.
In all probability, project managers are making a to-do list to check updates from these tools, when they should be getting tasks done. This, without doubt, needs to change. Your processes would be better if you and your team could operate from one single platform.
Eliminate hopping, and get working. Without further ado, I want to show you my personal checklist for choosing the right tool for content planning.
Checklist 2025 for a social media calendar planner
You are presented with an array of tools and their features. So how do you know what should be the deciding factors? We have listed a couple of aspects you should factor in before zeroing in on a tool.
1. Multi-Platform Support
A good planner must support seamless integration with all major platforms, to justify the cost and effort that goes into using the tool. Centralized management is an aspect that is attractive to most businesses, that are looking to streamline their workflows.
Top Features:
Platform Integration: Supports platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Platform-Specific Optimization: Ability to tailor content formats (e.g., Reels, Stories, Posts) according to each platform’s requirements.
Why It’s Important:
Saves time and effort by managing all socials in one hub.
Ensures consistent branding when developing a content plan.
2. Scheduling and Publishing (best time)
You can get lucky on social media, provided you’re prepared. Automizing the posting schedule ensures returns for the effort you put into content ideation and planning.
Top Features:
Ideal Time to Post: Uses AI and analytics based on audience activity, to recommend optimal posting times.
Bulk Scheduling: Allows scheduling posts in advance.
Time Zone Support: Automatically adjusts posting schedules for global audiences.
Why It’s Important:
Reduces manual labor with automation.
Maintains consistency in posting schedule.
3. Collaboration and Approval Workflows
The tool must facilitate smooth collaboration and approval processes during the planning stage. This is important as it typically involves multiple team members and stakeholders.
Top Features:
Role-Based Access: To Assign roles and permissions (e.g., creator, editor, approver) to team members.
Commenting and Feedback: Allows team members to leave comments or suggestions, thereby enabling a feedback loop
Approval Workflows: Forwarding content to client or manager for approvals before publishing.
Version History: Tracks changes made to content ideas.
Why It’s Important:
Reduces miscommunication.
Keeps stakeholders in the loop without back-and-forth emails.
4. Content tagging & custom calendar boards
Organizing content into categories is essential for efficient planning and data retrieval. A planner must facilitate tags or labeling functions to give structure to content planning.
Top Features:
Categories: Group content by type (e.g., blogs or videos) or campaign.
Search Functionality: Find content using tags or categories.
Custom calendar view: Creating a custom dashboard for your calendar
Content Libraries: Store reusable templates or hashtags.
Why It’s Important:
Helps the brand maintain a consistent theme for posts and campaigns.
Uses analytics to understand what kind of content performs well.
5. Analytics and Insights
Data-driven decisions are essential while formulating a content plan. A calendar must be backed by analytics so that it’s possible to evaluate and review strategies.
Top Features:
Content Tags: Having access to posts categorized by tags and performance serves as a tool to plan your future content.
Custom Reports: You can customize your reporting dashboard by including widgets helpful for content planning. For example, Tags showing recurring questions from the audience so you can pre-emptively address them in your posts for the month.
Why It’s Important:
Identifies what content resonates with your brand’s demographic.
Helps optimize future content plans based on historical data.
Conclusion
Social media teams often find themselves overwhelmed with multiple tools- that are still limited in their capabilities. Managers have to deal with data dumps arising from using multiple platforms. It is also an inefficient use of their time because team member coordination takes a hit when SOPs differ for multiple forums.
Using a social media calendar tool can help both big and small businesses create a system of accountability. It also ensures that every team member is up to speed with feedback and deadlines.
The best way forward would be to shortlist five planner tools that care about social media planning and sign up for a demo to understand the interfaces.