Head to head

Ordinal vs Planoly

vs

Ordinal (formerly Assembly) is built for one specific job: running social for a group of executives or employees. It drafts, schedules, routes for approval, and automates engagement across many personal accounts, and it's priced for companies, not individuals, from $95 a month.

From
$95 /mo
Free plan

Planoly grew up as an Instagram feed planner and still leads with the visual side: drag posts around a grid preview until the profile looks right, then schedule them, with a link-in-bio page that can sell digital products. It publishes to eight networks and prices in flat plans from a free mobile tier to $47 a month.

From
$14 /mo
Free plan

Bottom line

Planoly is the pick for Instagram-led creators who plan their grid visually, and it's the only one of the two with a free plan. Ordinal fits companies running executive or founder social programs better.

Planoly starts cheaper, $14 a month against $95 a month for Ordinal. Planoly adds social inbox that Ordinal leaves out.

Key differences

Where the two actually diverge, before the full tables.

  • Planoly has a free plan; Ordinal doesn't, though it offers a 14-day trial.
  • Planoly starts at $14 a month, Ordinal at $95 a month.
  • Ordinal posts to 6 networks, Planoly to 8.
  • Only Planoly reaches Pinterest and YouTube.
  • Planoly has social inbox; Ordinal doesn't.

Features compared

FeatureOrdinalPlanoly
AI captionsYesYes
Basic analyticsYesYes
Advanced reportsNot assessedNo
Bulk uploadNot assessedNot assessed
Evergreen recyclingNoNo
Team rolesYesYes
ApprovalsYesNot assessed
Link in bioNot assessedYes

Platforms compared

NetworkOrdinalPlanoly
InstagramAutoAuto
FacebookAutoAuto
X (Twitter)AutoAuto
LinkedInAutoAuto
TikTokAutoAuto
PinterestNoAuto
YouTubeNoAuto
ThreadsAutoAuto

Pricing

Headline prices are for a single unit. Here is the real monthly cost as each tool scales, costed on its own unit so the two stay honest.

Ordinalflat pricing

No free plan; 14-day trial.

Cheapest paid plan
$95/mo

Whole-plan price; it doesn't scale per unit.

Planolyflat pricing

Free plan available.

Cheapest paid plan
$14/mo

Whole-plan price; it doesn't scale per unit.

Ordinal

Starter

$95 /mo
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $95/mo
  • Drafting, scheduling, content calendar, approval workflows
  • For teams managing multiple executive accounts

Pro

Popular
$215 /mo
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $215/mo (about $265 with Ordinal MCP)
  • Everything in Starter, plus unlimited seats
  • Account analytics, automated engagement (likes, comments, reposts), unlimited scheduled posts

Enterprise

Custom
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • Custom pricing
  • LinkedIn leads data, API access, custom permissions
  • SAML/SSO and prioritised support
  • Flat plans aimed at executive and team social programs, not individual scheduling, which is why the entry is $95 a month. Pro at $215 includes unlimited seats; a Pro plan with Ordinal MCP runs around $265.
  • There's no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
  • Ordinal (formerly Assembly) is built for running many personal/executive accounts together, used by companies like Zapier, Mercury, Clay, and Beehiiv to power their executive social presence.
  • Prices are USD from current listings.

Planoly

Free

Free
Seats
1
Accounts
1
Scheduled posts
10
  • 1 social set, 1 user (mobile app)
  • 10 uploads a month
  • Visual planner and link-in-bio

Starter

$16 /mo

$14/mo billed annually

Seats
1
Accounts
1
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $16/mo, $14 on annual
  • 1 social set, 1 user, unlimited uploads
  • Free link in bio; upgrade to Growth to add sets or users

Growth

Popular
$28 /mo

$24/mo billed annually

Seats
2
Accounts
2
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $28/mo, $24 on annual
  • 2 social sets, 2 users, unlimited uploads
  • Extra social set $10/mo, extra user $5/mo

Pro

$55 /mo

$47/mo billed annually

Seats
6
Accounts
6
Scheduled posts
Unlimited
  • $55/mo, $47 on annual
  • 6 social sets, 6 users, unlimited uploads
  • Extra social set $8/mo, extra user $3/mo
  • Flat, quota-bundled plans: each tier bundles a number of social sets and users. A social set is one account per network (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and so on), so one set covers your presence across the networks you connect.
  • Starter has no add-ons (you upgrade to grow). Growth and Pro let you buy extra sets ($10 then $8 a month) and extra users ($5 then $3 a month).
  • There's a free mobile plan (1 social set, 10 uploads a month).
  • Annual billing is up to 15% cheaper. Annual rates were read off the live pricing page; the Pro monthly figure is derived from the page's stated annual discount.
  • Prices are USD, read off the live pricing page.

Pros and cons

Ordinal

  • Purpose-built for executive and employee social programs
  • Drafting, approvals, and analytics across many personal accounts
  • Automated engagement to grow those accounts
  • Unlimited seats on Pro; SSO and API on Enterprise
  • Expensive, and priced for companies not individuals
  • Network focus is LinkedIn and X, not visual platforms
  • No free plan, recycling, or full engagement inbox
  • Young product, lightly documented company

Planoly

  • Best-known Instagram feed/grid visual planner
  • Link-in-bio page that can sell digital products
  • Schedules to eight networks with AI captions and auto-responses
  • Free mobile plan and clear, cheap add-ons
  • Analytics are moderate, with no custom reports
  • No evergreen recycling or broad listening
  • No Bluesky or Google Business
  • Starter can't add sets or users without upgrading

Ordinal vs Planoly: FAQ

Is Ordinal or Planoly cheaper?
Planoly is cheaper to start, from $14 against $95 for Ordinal. The unit each one charges by differs, so the real bill depends on how many channels or seats you run.
Does Ordinal or Planoly have a free plan?
Planoly has a free plan; Ordinal does not, though it offers a 14-day trial.
Which is better, Ordinal or Planoly?
Ordinal is the stronger pick for companies running executive or founder social programs, while Planoly is the better fit for Instagram-led creators who plan their grid visually. We don't score them; the right call comes down to how you post.

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