Best for
Best for solo creators and small teams who plan an Instagram feed visually and sell through a link-in-bio store.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
Social Media Management Comparison
Planoly vs. Zoho Social
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for small and medium businesses already using Zoho products that want scheduling, monitoring and reporting that ties into Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Planoly | Zoho Social |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $14 / month Annual billing; paid monthly the same plans are $16, $28 and $55. Starter covers 1 social set and 1 user, Growth 2 and 2, Pro 6 and 6, with extra social sets and users as paid add-ons on Growth and Pro. | Free plan for 1 brand with 6 channels and 1 team member Paid plans are flat per plan rather than per seat, with every team member in the plan's allowance included, billed monthly or yearly; Zoho puts the yearly saving at 33 percent. Amounts are shown in the visitor's regional currency. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on all paid plans, plus a free plan in the mobile app with 10 uploads per month | Free plan for 1 brand (6 channels) and 1 team member, plus a 15-day trial of the premium features, no credit card required |
| Users | 1 user on Starter, 2 on Growth and 6 on Pro, with additional users as paid add-ons on Growth and Pro | Not stated |
| API | MCP server for AI clients such as Claude and ChatGPT, covering creating and scheduling posts, the media library, account and per-post analytics and shareable reports | Integrations with Zoho CRM (lead generation, contact enrichment) and Zoho Desk (turn messages into tickets) on Premium and higher, plus Canva |
| Hosting | Cloud (SaaS), with iOS and Android apps | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Networks covered | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Amazon | Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, Google Business Profile, WhatsApp Business and Telegram |
| Scheduling and calendar | Yes, auto-posting where the platform allows it and push-notification reminders for native posting where it does not, with calendar, list, grid and gallery views, an Instagram grid preview, placeholders for unwritten posts, per-channel content previews and Instagram best-time slots | Yes, a publishing calendar and content queues with SmartQ, which suggests the times a brand's audience is most active; the number of channels scales with the plan |
| Engagement inbox | Instagram comment and DM automation set up in the Creator Store: keyword triggers on comments, direct messages or both send automatic replies and DMs carrying links and customisable button text, with performance tracked in real time | Yes, a monitoring dashboard with a live stream of engagement, @mentions and direct messaging on Facebook and X |
| Analytics and reporting | Yes, account analytics over any date range, per-post performance and shareable report links, all on paid plans; a dedicated analytics section is listed as coming soon | Yes, performance metrics, custom reports with graphs and scheduled report delivery |
| Approval and collaboration | Seats are included per plan, 1 on Starter, 2 on Growth and 6 on Pro, with additional users at $5 and $3 per month respectively | Yes, roles with granular permissions, approval workflows and team discussions with audio and video calls; team member limits scale with the plan |
| Social listening | Not a listening suite. The calendar surfaces weekly trends, holidays and trending video formats, and trending TikTok sounds and any public Instagram account can be browsed for inspiration | Yes, a listening dashboard tracks brand @mentions and reviews |
| Integrations and API | MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT covering channels, drafts, scheduling, the media library, analytics and shareable reports; Dupe stock imagery and Canva sit alongside it in the workflow | Integrations with Zoho CRM (lead generation, contact enrichment) and Zoho Desk (turn messages into tickets) on Premium and higher, plus Canva |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| MCP-ready | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Not stated | Email helpdesk, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials, Live online demos and webinars |
| Company size | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized |
| Integrations | Dupe, Canva | more entries Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Canva |
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Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Planoly From $14 / month Zoho Social Free plan for 1 brand with 6 channels and 1 team member
- Free trial Planoly 14-day free trial on all paid plans, plus a free plan in the mobile app with 10 uploads per month Zoho Social Free plan for 1 brand (6 channels) and 1 team member, plus a 15-day trial of the premium features, no credit card required
- Hosting Planoly Cloud (SaaS), with iOS and Android apps Zoho Social Cloud (SaaS)
- MCP-ready Planoly Yes Zoho Social No
- API Planoly MCP server for AI clients such as Claude and ChatGPT, covering creating and scheduling posts, the media library, account and per-post analytics and shareable reports Zoho Social Integrations with Zoho CRM (lead generation, contact enrichment) and Zoho Desk (turn messages into tickets) on Premium and higher, plus Canva
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Planoly
Strengths
- Instagram grid preview and drag-and-drop feed planning
- Auto-posting to nine platforms, with reminder posting where a platform does not allow automatic publishing
- Link-in-bio storefront sells digital products, bookings and merch with no transaction fees
- MCP server drives drafting, scheduling and reporting from Claude or ChatGPT
- Entry plan is $14 a month on annual billing, with a 14-day trial and no card required for the app's free tier
Limitations
- Published plans stop at six users and six social sets; beyond that each is charged monthly
- A dedicated analytics section is listed as coming soon
- Starter carries a single user and a single social set, and neither can be added without upgrading
- Comment and DM automation covers Instagram only
- The free plan is limited to the mobile app and ten uploads a month
Zoho Social
Strengths
- Part of the Zoho suite: connects to Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk on Premium and higher plans
- SmartQ suggests the best times to post based on audience activity
- Covers a wide set of networks, including WhatsApp Business and Telegram
- A free plan and a 15-day trial of the premium features
Limitations
- The lower plans include only one brand and one team member; more cost extra
- The deepest value comes from pairing it with other Zoho products
Plans
Pricing
Planoly
- Starter $14 Per month billed annually, or $16 billed monthly. Best for solo creators: 1 social set, 1 user, unlimited uploads, free link in bio, selling digital products and merch, and Instagram DM automation.
- Growth $24 Per month billed annually, or $28 billed monthly. Best for small teams: 2 social sets and 2 users, with additional social sets at $10 and additional users at $5 per month.
- Pro $47 Per month billed annually, or $55 billed monthly. Best for agencies: 6 social sets and 6 users, with additional social sets at $8 and additional users at $3 per month.
Zoho Social
- Free Free 1 brand (6 channels), 1 team member and 5 AI credits.
- Standard Not stated 1 brand (12 channels), 1 team member and 40 AI credits.
- Professional Not stated 1 brand (12 channels), 1 team member, 40 AI credits; up to 5 brands as add-ons.
- Premium Not stated 1 brand (14 channels), 3 team members, 80 AI credits; Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk integrations.
- Agency Not stated 10 brands and 5 team members. Agency Plus covers 20 brands.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Planoly
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
Zoho Social
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Reviews are not published yet. The form on a tool's page works and reaches us, but nothing from it appears on this site, so no score here is based on a review. The rules below are the ones that will apply once reviews go live.
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What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on what they tell us, plus the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot have a review removed, cannot buy one, and cannot have one changed. Paid placement and a paid listing have no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Planoly https://www.planoly.com · checked against the official source on 2026-09-14
Zoho Social https://www.zoho.com/social/ · checked against the official source on 2026-09-17
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.