Zoho Social is one of the cheapest credible schedulers on the market: a free forever plan with 6 channels, and paid tiers that undercut most of the field. Zoho prices per brand and adjusts by region, so its own pricing page shows no single published USD rate, which makes it awkward to compare. Most people who leave it do so for one of two reasons. Either the per-tier channel cap (6 on Free, 12 to 14 on the paid business plans) becomes the constraint, or they realise the integrations they were paying for assume they also run Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk, which they do not.
Here are seven alternatives worth comparing, and what each one is actually better at.
Note: Pricing and features mentioned in this post were verified against Zoho’s official site as of September 2026. Plans and pricing may have changed since publication.
What Zoho Social gives you
Zoho Social publishes to Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, WhatsApp Business and Telegram. That is a genuinely wide list, wider than most tools at the price. The trial is 15 days, and there is a forever-free tier afterwards.
The limits are channel counts and ecosystem gravity, not networks.
1. SocialBu, similar breadth with automation rules
SocialBu covers X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest, Mastodon, Threads, TikTok and Bluesky, and adds automation rules and auto-responses that Zoho does not match. Reddit publishing is rare in this price band. Starter is $29/mo, or $22/mo billed annually, with a 7-day trial and a free plan capped at 10 lifetime posts.
- Best for: Teams that want Reddit and rule-based automation
- Limitation: The free plan is a trial in disguise, and Starter caps at 8 accounts
Note: Pricing and features mentioned in this post were verified against SocialBu’s official site as of September 2026. Plans and pricing may have changed since publication.
2. Onlypult, if you publish to blogs too
Onlypult reaches Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Telegram, Tumblr, Threads and Bluesky, and it also posts to WordPress and Medium, which is unusual. Its Start plan lists at $25/mo, or $12.50/mo billed annually, with a 7-day trial and no card required. Start covers 5 social profiles.
- Best for: Publishers who treat a blog as another channel
- Limitation: No free plan, and a dense interface
Note: Pricing and features mentioned in this post were verified against Onlypult’s official site as of September 2026. Plans and pricing may have changed since publication.
3. Postly, if seats are your problem
Zoho’s per-tier structure gets expensive once several people need access. Postly’s Pro plan is $16/mo billed yearly for 5 channels, an effective $3.20 per channel per month, and it includes unlimited team members and unlimited workspaces. It covers Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, Telegram and WhatsApp.
- Best for: Small agencies where the seat count, not the channel count, is the constraint
- Limitation: No free plan, and API access is a $12/mo add-on
Note: Pricing and features mentioned in this post were verified against Postly’s official site as of September 2026. Plans and pricing may have changed since publication.
4. Publer, for bulk work
If your workflow is “write forty posts on Monday”, Publer’s bulk scheduling and RSS handling are stronger than Zoho’s, and it has a real free plan. It covers Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile. Our guide to bulk scheduling social media posts covers the general approach.
- Best for: People who batch a month of content in one sitting
- Limitation: Team features are thin
5. Metricool, if you want the reporting
Zoho’s analytics are adequate rather than good. Metricool is built analytics-first, with competitor tracking, and has a free tier for a single brand. If you left Zoho because the reports were not answering your questions, this is the direct swap.
- Best for: Marketers who need the numbers more than the calendar
- Limitation: Free plan is one brand only
6. HeyOrca, if clients are involved
Zoho’s agency plans exist, but the approval workflow is not its strength. HeyOrca prices per client calendar at $59/mo for Basic, includes unlimited users and 10 social accounts per calendar, and has a free tier you land on after the 14-day Pro trial. Extra accounts are $10/mo each, and reporting, listening and inbox are paid add-ons on Basic.
- Best for: Agencies that bill per client and want approvals without counting seats
- Limitation: Cost grows one calendar at a time
Note: Pricing and features mentioned in this post were verified against HeyOrca’s official site as of September 2026. Plans and pricing may have changed since publication.
7. Meta Business Suite, if you overbought
Worth saying plainly: if the only channels you actually use are a Facebook Page and an Instagram account, Meta Business Suite is free and native. Zoho Social’s breadth is only worth paying for if you use the breadth.
- Best for: Businesses whose presence is Facebook and Instagram
- Limitation: Covers only Meta properties
How the alternatives compare
| Tool | Entry price | Free plan | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Social | Region-adjusted, per brand | Yes, 6 channels | 13 networks, Zoho CRM sync |
| SocialBu | $29/mo ($22 annual) | Yes, 10 lifetime posts | Reddit, automation rules |
| Onlypult | $25/mo ($12.50 annual) | No | WordPress and Medium publishing |
| Postly | $16/mo yearly | No | Unlimited seats and workspaces |
| HeyOrca | $59/mo per calendar | Yes | Per-client pricing, unlimited users |
| Meta Business Suite | Free | Yes | Facebook and Instagram only |
Prices in this table were read from each vendor’s own pricing page in September 2026. Publer and Metricool appear above without prices because we did not verify theirs in this pass.
Flat pricing instead of tiered channel caps
BulkPublish takes the other approach to Zoho’s per-tier channel ceiling: channels come with the plan rather than being metered separately, across 15 platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Bluesky, Threads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, Discord, Telegram, Tumblr and Snapchat).
Channels: Free: 3 (1 per platform). Pro: 30 (2 per platform). Business: 75 (5 per platform). Posts: Free: 3/day. Pro: 30/day. Business: unlimited. Storage: Free: 100 MB. Pro: 2 GB. Business: 10 GB.
If you want to check posting times before rebuilding a calendar somewhere else, the free best time to post on LinkedIn tool and the engagement rate calculator are both worth five minutes.
The short version
Stay on Zoho Social if you run other Zoho products and 12 to 14 channels is enough. Move to SocialBu or Onlypult for wider network coverage at a similar level of ambition, to Postly if seats are the cost driver, to HeyOrca if clients need approvals, and to Meta Business Suite if you were never really using the breadth you were paying for.
