Head to head
ContentCal vs SmarterQueue
Last updated 4 June 2026
vs
ContentCal was a well-liked UK content calendar built around planning and approvals. Adobe bought it in December 2021, closed the standalone product on 31 March 2023, and rolled its features into Adobe Express, so it's here for the record rather than as a tool you can buy.
- From
- Custom
- Free plan
SmarterQueue is built around evergreen recycling and content curation: you sort posts into categories, it re-shares the best ones automatically with small variations, and a curation tool helps you find fresh content to fill the gaps. It runs two flat plans with a profiles slider, no free plan, and a trial that starts after your first queued post.
- From
- $21 /mo
- Free plan
Bottom line
ContentCal and SmarterQueue both cover the basics; the right one comes down to how you post.
Features compared
| Feature | ContentCal | SmarterQueue |
|---|---|---|
| AI captions | Not assessed | Yes |
| Basic analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced reports | Not assessed | Yes |
| Bulk upload | Not assessed | Yes |
| Evergreen recycling | Not assessed | Yes |
| Team roles | Yes | Yes |
| Approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio | Not assessed | No |
Platforms compared
| Network | ContentCal | SmarterQueue |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Auto | |
| Auto | Auto | |
| X (Twitter) | Auto | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| TikTok | Reminder | Auto |
| Auto | Auto | |
| YouTube | No | Auto |
| Threads | No | Auto |
| Google Business | Auto | Auto |
Pricing
ContentCal
- ContentCal was acquired by Adobe in December 2021 and the standalone product closed on 31 March 2023. You can no longer buy it.
- Its content calendar and scheduling features were folded into Adobe Express as the Content Scheduler, which is reviewed separately.
- When it ran, ContentCal sold flat monthly plans (a Pro tier and a larger Company tier); those plans no longer exist, so no current pricing applies.
SmarterQueue
Pro
$25 /mo
$21/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 1
- Accounts
- 5
- $25/mo, $21 on annual; base covers 5 social profiles and 1 user
- 1 workspace, 10 content categories, 1 RSS importer
- 100 scheduled posts and 100 published posts per profile a month
- 10,000 AI words a month
Team
Popular$50 /mo
$42/mo billed annually
- Seats
- 3
- Accounts
- 5
- $50/mo, $42 on annual; base covers 5 social profiles and 3 users
- Unlimited workspaces, 20 content categories, 3 RSS importers, advanced importer
- 250 scheduled and 200 published posts per profile a month, advanced analytics
- 25,000 AI words a month
- Two plans, Pro and Team, with a slider: the base price covers 5 social profiles and the bundled users, and you add more profiles and users to scale, so the monthly cost grows with the slider. SmarterQueue recently replaced its older Solo / Business / Agency lineup with this Pro / Team-plus-slider structure.
- There's no free plan, only a free trial whose timer starts after your first queued post rather than at signup.
- Annual billing is 15% cheaper: at the 5-profile base, Pro is $21 a month and Team $42.
- Extra social profiles and extra users are add-ons priced through the slider. AI caption writing is metered (10,000 words a month on Pro, 25,000 on Team), and X posting is capped at 5 tweets a week.
- Nonprofits, charities, schools, and full-time students get 50% off.
- Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page with the currency switched to USD and the billing toggled; the GBP figures (about £17 and £34 a month on annual) cross-check to the same numbers.
Pros and cons
ContentCal
- Clean, approachable content calendar and content hub
- Strong, simple approval workflows
- Good team and client collaboration
- Discontinued on 31 March 2023; no longer sold
- Folded into Adobe Express, with a different shape and focus
- Existing comparisons that still list it are out of date
SmarterQueue
- Strong category-based evergreen recycling with text and media variations
- Built-in content curation and importer to keep the queue full
- Fairly priced, with competitor analysis and a social inbox included
- Publishes to nine networks with an AI caption writer
- No free plan, and the trial timer starts after your first queued post
- AI words are metered and X posting is capped at five a week
- No visual feed planner or link-in-bio
- Profiles and users scale the price through the slider
ContentCal vs SmarterQueue: FAQ
- Is ContentCal or SmarterQueue cheaper?
- SmarterQueue starts at $21 per month, while ContentCal is quoted custom, so SmarterQueue is the one with a public entry price.
- Does ContentCal or SmarterQueue have a free plan?
- Neither has a free plan. You get a free trial to test things, then you pay.
- Which is better, ContentCal or SmarterQueue?
- ContentCal is the stronger pick for most people, while SmarterQueue is the better fit for creators and small businesses who want evergreen recycling and curation. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.