7 Best Loomly Alternatives in 2026 (From a Third of the Price)
Loomly now starts at $65 a month with no free plan, and its yearly discount locks you in for 12 months. Seven alternatives priced from the vendors' own pages, most from a third of the price.
Loomly built its name on being the friendly calendar: post ideas, tidy approval flows, a collaboration-first design agencies could hand to clients. The price of friendly has crept, though. Its pricing page now starts at $65 a month ($49 billed annually) for 12 accounts and 3 users, the bigger Beyond tier runs $332 a month ($249 annually), there is no free plan, and the yearly discount comes with a 12-month commitment the page says cannot be terminated early.
Why people leave Loomly
- The entry price doubled its class. $65 a month ($49 annual) is Hootsuite territory for a calendar-and-approvals tool; most alternatives here start between $10 and $29.
- The annual lock. The 25% yearly saving binds you for 12 months, and Loomly’s page states early termination is not possible.
- No free plan. A trial, then $65 — there is no landing spot for a small account to keep using between campaigns.
The seven at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Magnum | $24 /mo flat · 10 accounts, 2 people | 2 accounts, 15 posts /mo | Approvals and inbox without the Loomly price |
| SocialPilot | $20 /mo ($17 yearly) · 5 accounts | Trial only | Budget agencies |
| Buffer | $5 /channel /mo billed yearly | 3 channels | Simple queues, widest networks |
| SocialBee | $29 /mo ($24.20 yearly) · 5 profiles | Trial only | Evergreen recycling |
| Metricool | $20 to $36 /mo (by brands) | 1 brand, 20 posts /mo | Analytics-first marketers |
| Publer | $5 /account /mo ($4 yearly) | 3 accounts, no X | Cheapest per account |
| Zoho Social | $10 /mo billed annually | 1 brand, limited | Zoho-centric companies |
1 · Social Magnum, approvals without the invoice (ours)
The Loomly features people actually stay for — a clean calendar, post approvals, working with a client without chaos — are all in Social Magnum’s first paid tier, plus the parts Loomly charges upward for or lacks: a unified inbox with comment and DM auto-replies, CSV bulk scheduling, RSS auto-posting, and AI captions and images. $24 a month covers 10 accounts and 2 people; $59 covers 30 and 6; $119 covers 70 and 10 (yearly $19, $47, $95 — with no termination lock). The free plan is 2 accounts and 15 posts a month, forever; paid plans carry a 14-day money-back guarantee. AI agents connect over an MCP server with 26 documented tools.
Skip it if: you need X, LinkedIn or Google Business publishing — Social Magnum covers Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Bluesky and Mastodon, and not those three — or Loomly’s post-idea prompts are genuinely your team’s engine.
2 · SocialPilot, the straight price cut
SocialPilot does the agency job at a third of Loomly’s entry price: $20 a month ($17 yearly) for 5 accounts, $40 for 10 with 3 users, up to $200 for 40 accounts with unlimited users and white-label reports at Premium.
Skip it if: you need a free plan or Loomly-style idea prompts.
3 · Buffer, the minimal queue
Buffer is free for 3 channels and then $5 per channel per month billed yearly, across eleven channels including X, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile. As a Loomly replacement it strips collaboration down to a queue — which for solo operators is the point.
Skip it if: approvals were why you had Loomly; Buffer keeps them on its Team tier at $10 per channel.
4 · SocialBee, the evergreen engine
SocialBee refills your queue from content categories, which quietly replaces the content-ideas half of Loomly. $29 a month ($24.20 yearly) for 5 profiles, 14-day trial, 30-day money-back guarantee, no free plan.
Skip it if: your content is timely rather than evergreen.
5 · Metricool, the analytics upgrade
Metricool runs free for 1 brand and 20 posts a month, then $20 to $36 by brand count, with the strongest reporting in this price band. X needs a paid add-on and unlimited publishing sits under fair use.
Skip it if: collaboration and approvals are the job; reporting is its centre.
6 · Publer, the per-account bargain
Publer starts free for 3 accounts and runs from $5 per account a month ($4 yearly), with recycling, RSS and an API on Business. X connections are paid-only.
Skip it if: a long account roster makes per-account pricing its own Loomly.
7 · Zoho Social, the ecosystem answer
Zoho Social is $10 a month billed annually (Professional $30, Premium $40) with a limited free plan and native wiring into Zoho CRM and Desk.
Skip it if: you are not otherwise in Zoho.
How to choose
The short version
- 1
Leaving over the $65 entry: Social Magnum ($24 flat with approvals) or SocialPilot ($20) are the direct downshifts.
- 2
Leaving over the 12-month lock: every tool here sells monthly without a termination clause; Social Magnum's yearly discount has no lock either.
- 3
Free plan needed: Social Magnum, Metricool, Publer or Zoho Social; Loomly has none.
- 4
Loved the post-idea prompts: SocialBee's category engine is the closest workflow cousin.
- 5
Need X, LinkedIn or Google Business: Buffer, SocialPilot, Metricool (X add-on), Publer (paid X) or Zoho — Social Magnum does not publish to them.
- 6
AI agents in your workflow: Social Magnum's MCP server is the only documented agent connection on this list.
Related reading: the best social media schedulers in 2026, the best Hootsuite alternatives and the cheapest schedulers worth using.