The 6 Best Content Planning Software — Experts Explain Their Top Choice
I’ve been in content marketing since early 2015. With almost a decade of experience, I’ve tested dozens of content planning software, spreadsheets, and calendars over the years.
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I’ve been in content marketing since early 2015. With almost a decade of experience, I’ve tested dozens of content planning software, spreadsheets, and calendars over the years. Collaborations with leading companies like HubSpot, Cognism, Userpilot, and small startups gave me the chance to work with tons of workflows and features. Some were love at first click, and some were meh. This article is a rundown of my six favorite content planning tools out there, complemented with insights from other content experts. Table of Contents Content planning software is a tool that helps you organize, schedule, track progress and post-dues, and manage your content creation process with teammates in one place. It keeps your ideas, deadlines, briefs, publishing, and content distribution tasks on track, whether you’re working solo or as part of a team. A content marketing manager easily spots gaps in content planning one month's time ahead and gets their team to address the issues collaboratively. Content planning software is so versatile that its benefits become a long list. Yet I’d group them together into four categories: Remember the days when your content ideas were scattered across random docs and notes? OK, I’m still guilty of it. But now I move everything written to software and set deadlines, add attachments, draft the concept into a task’s description, etc. Plus, it became a priority for our team’s weekly planning meetings — every idea goes to a backlog where a manager or responsible person picks tasks to work on a given week. At HubSpot, we also use Asana to organize content marketing, media, and SEO, work with contractors and freelancers to keep them on track, and govern the whole process of content creation. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing tasks move from “in progress” to “done.” I love the visual progress bars and calendars — they keep me motivated and show me exactly where things stand. Speaking of that, Scan2CAD demonstrated how Trello streamlined its workflows. With over 90,000 customers and fewer than 25 employees, they needed a simple way to track progress. Before Trello, juggling multiple systems made tracking a headache for the entire time. Now, Trello takes care of everything and gives a clear view of where each task stands — from content creation to sales to development. Its straightforward setup made it easy to manage workflows and hit deadlines. As CEO Luke Kennedy, says, “We’ve saved hours of time and pain, plus a lot of money.” Instead of endless email threads, everyone in the team updates the same tool. Comments, changes, and approvals happen all in one place, saving us tons of back-and-forth. Mangopay’s experience with Notion is a perfect example of this. They streamlined their knowledge-sharing by replacing multiple tools with a single workspace. This added to collaboration and engagement — 64% of their 500 employees contribute as editors and 91% are active monthly. By tearing down silos, Mangopay saw impressive results — like eliminating an HR Slack channel because answers were all in Wikis. Having a clear plan means fewer last-minute scrambles, which leads to better ideas and execution. I can now schedule brainstorming sessions and still have time to refine everything before it goes live. A perfect example of this is ON24 and their experience with CoSchedule. Before they started using it, their marketing team struggled with organizing their social media and blog content. Deadlines were missed, and opportunities to grow their online presence were often overlooked. But once they centralized their content planning, they quadrupled their blog output from 24 to 112 blogs a year🔥. This boost in content production drove a 98% increase in blog traffic and a massive 1,412% growth in organic traffic. A content planning tool is a must. But how should you select which one to use from so many options? When I was looking for a perfect content planning tool, here’s what I focused on: Alright, let's now see which tools cover all (or at least most) of these nine points mentioned. Each one has its strengths, and in the end, I’ll leave the final decision up to you. My first time using Asana wasn’t exactly a great experience — but I didn’t really give it a fair shot. Plus, to be honest, it wasn’t as awesome back then as it is now. Now, 90% of my past and current clients use Asana for all their content management. From the very first stage of ideation to the final publishing, we handle everything through Asana’s boards — and I absolutely love this tool. It’s a complete system for organizing your content calendar, streamlining workflows, and keeping everything centralized — whether we need to schedule a blog post or map out a campaign timeline. What I like: Asana has a great editorial calendar template, and I also like the ability to assign subtasks for each stage of content creation. For example, under one blog post task, I can create subtasks for writing, editing, designing visuals, and scheduling. Everyone knows their role, and the work stays connected to the big picture. Best for: Teams looking to automate and streamline their content workflows with a highly visual, centralized planning tool. Most experts I’ve spoken with agree that one of Asana’s best features is definitely its automation and super intuitive dashboard. “The way I use the dashboard is pretty straightforward. I create a project for each campaign, and within that, tasks for content creation, approvals, and publishing. Every task has a due date, assigned team member, and clear instructions, which keeps everything organized… My team didn’t need much training to get started; the layout is intuitive enough that we just dove in and figured it out as we went,” shares Brenda Beltran, SEO content manager at Holafly. When it comes to the downsides, Beltran pointed out that it doesn’t always integrate smoothly with every platform they use, like specific analytics tools. To work around this, they rely on Zapier to connect Asana with Google Sheets, creating custom reports to track campaign performance. The real pain isn’t the writing and creating itself — but everything else that goes into making sure content flows smoothly. That’s why I love HubSpot's content marketing planning templates. They are fantastic for anyone in the world of brainstorming, scheduling, and optimizing blog posts. A set of free templates makes content planning so enjoyable, whether you're using Excel, Google Sheets, or Google Calendar. Organize and prioritize content by breaking it down into key elements like topic, goal, content type, target persona, and responsible individual. Each idea is scored based on its benefit and cost, helping teams focus on high-impact strategies. You can also track the status of each idea, ensuring alignment with business goals and efficient use of resources. You’ll also love HubSpot editorial templates if you need something simple and cost-effective for your blog management. They make data aggregation and organization simpler, and they’re easy to customize. The learning curve is quick, and they integrate well with calendar apps and content management tools. However, they’re not ideal if you need to track multiple channels, and collaboration options are quite limited. What I like: The content calendar is my favorite template cause it’s simple and to the point. Super clear, with no unnecessary clutter, making it really easy to find what I need. Best for: Content marketers looking for an organized, simple, and free way to plan and schedule blog posts and social media content. Pro tip: Test out HubSpot Content Hub — a suite of tools with content planning templates, AI-powered content generation, lead capture tools, a scalable CMS, video and podcast hosting, A/B testing, SEO recommendations, and advanced analytics. Use it as a standalone tool or integrate it with a project management tool like we do with Asana to facilitate content production across different teams. Notion’s versatility shines through with its content calendar templates made by different creators (both free and paid), which let you plan, track, and manage content seamlessly. But if you prefer to start from scratch instead of using pre-made templates, you can totally do so. Personally, I use Notion for a slightly different purpose than Asana. I don’t use it as a calendar or schedule but mainly for planning and progress tracking. Here’s how. I’ve set up a few key documents where I add tasks and track the entire process. For instance, I have a “Content Strategy” section where I map out detailed strategies for each client/website. I also created a “Content Backlog” to keep track of all topics we've covered so I can see where each one stands — whether it’s a sprint candidate, has been published, is still in progress, or is in the distribution/promotion phase. I put all my topics into one Notion sheet and track their status using colorful tags that help me clearly see what's happening with each content piece at any given moment. Of course, Notion also lets you use a Kanban board if you need a calendar-like view of tasks. What I like: The ability to break down every piece of content and clearly track which stage of the funnel it’s in. I can leave notes within the document to note the resources I used, the questions I asked experts, how my whole process went, when I plan to publish, and more. It’s all organized in a clean, structured way for each topic, so everything’s super easy to follow. Best for: Teams that want a highly customizable content management tool with a collaborative workspace and deep integration with other apps (Mailchimp, Asana, Calendly, etc.) Pro tip: Notion is used as a tool to document content marketing processes and share across teams, stakeholders, and remote employees or freelancers. Userpilot and Lemlist use Notion to write and store standard operating procedures (SOPs). I had a chance to talk to Jake Ward, the founder of Kleo, a browser extension that helps you discover and create content on LinkedIn. When I asked him about the tools he’s used for content planning, he said he’d tried a lot over the years — Asana, Trello, Monday.com — but Notion was the one that stuck. Unlike other tools that lock people into rigid templates, Notion lets him set up custom databases, see a calendar view, and track progress exactly how he needs, Ward said. “My dashboard in Notion has three main parts: Campaign Calendar, Content Hub, and Analytics. It’s color-coded, which helps me navigate faster. It’s easy to use, too — any new team member can pick it up without much trouble,” Ward adds. “The workflows are customizable, so I can make templates that fit exactly how I like to work. Every stage of content, from planning to review, has its space.” Ward also shared that Notion doesn’t have the same built-in automation features as Trello or Monday.com, so he uses Zapier to get the job done. It’s an extra step, but it works. “Paired with Kleo, it helps me create and grow my audience without spending hours managing stuff that doesn’t matter. It’s a simple setup, but it’s effective, and it’s helped me build an audience of over 150,000 followers in two years,” Ward says. I used Trello for 8 months within my client’s workspace, and I enjoyed its simplicity. The Kanban view of the Content Calendar had the team stay on track and assign extra tasks like reading a memo, a new guideline, etc. Trello uses boards, lists, and cards to break down tasks and track progress. Offers you a feature to label your tasks with priority, topic, etc. Core features come free of charge, making Trello a starting point for blogging. If you’re looking for something super intuitive and extremely easy to use, you’ll definitely like it. For grown-up teams, IMO, the tool is too simple. What I like: Drag-and-drop feature. You can move things around in the cards in seconds, which is a lifesaver when you’re juggling a ton of media stuff at once. Best for: Teams that need a simple but effective tool for managing content workflows and projects, with flexible views and plenty of integrations. I caught up with Tiago Pita, brand and ecommerce director at Whole Food Earth, to ask more about his content workflow. His Trello has three main boards: Ideas, In Progress, and Published. Plus, there is a separate board for seasonal campaigns with specific deadlines and subtasks. “It takes about 15 minutes to get a new team member up to speed. Its simplicity allows us to onboard quickly, which is great for a fast-paced environment like ours. Our on-time publishing rate improved by 30% after implementing Trello. It has helped us maintain a consistent content cadence, which has positively impacted our engagement rates across platforms,” says Pita. When I asked if he’d tried anything else, he said they’d used Asana before, but it felt too feature-heavy for their needs at the time. Trello’s simplicity won out. On the other hand, Trello lacks advanced analytics. To work around this, Pita’s team paired Trello with Google Sheets for metrics tracking. It’s not ideal, but it bridges the gap effectively. The tool is famous for its social media and content planning features with UNICEF, Yamaha, and P&G among their customers. That made me study the tool’s overviews and schedule a demo with their sales team to get an inside look. From everything I’ve researched, CoShedule lives up to the hype. What stood out to me is how it simplifies managing multiple projects or campaigns with color coding, labels, complex cross-team workflows, subtasks, integrations, APIs, etc. What I like: You can add stakeholders as guest contributors to assign tasks, tag them in discussions, and let them review work. The read-only calendar links are a bonus, keeping clients updated on project progress in real time without letting them modify anything. Best for: Teams that need an all-in-one content management solution with campaign-level organization and collaborative features. I got some great insights about CoSchedule from Aaron Whittaker, vice president of demand generation and marketing at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency. His team turned to CoSchedule's Marketing Suite after evaluating several tools, including Monday.com, which lacked the specialized content marketing capabilities they needed. (I tried working in Monday, too, and it’s a nightmare with missing features for content collaboration.) The standout CoSchedule’s features for him were Content Organizer, ReQueue + an integrated AI assistant that predicts content performance based on historical data. “We can now visualize how a single topic branches into multiple content formats across different channels, with each piece automatically inheriting relevant campaign tags and deadlines,” Whittaker says. “The ReQueue feature alone saved us around 10 hours weekly on social media scheduling.” Moreover, customizable workflows and content pillars helped them manage complex approval processes, although Whittaker noted limitations in the number of custom statuses allowed. My first run-in with Basecamp? Not great. The client who gave me access basically just threw me into the deep end, and I had to figure it out myself. I wasn't too impressed, and a lot of it was honestly confusing. Back then, the original version of Basecamp was more complicated, and a great deal of marketers would agree. But when they updated to the latest version, Basecamp went literally on fire. Basecamp pulls everything into one simple dashboard: you’ve got to-do lists, shared calendars, and file storage to track every part of the content process. Unusual for content planning software and takes time to get used to but effective for small content teams to keep all content docs in one place. Plus, team members can comment right on tasks or files, and there’s also a Campfire chat, so communication stays tight and organized. What I like: The Mission Control feature, where the needle moves depending on the progress of a task. It’s a cool way to visually track how things are going. Best For: Teams looking for an all-in-one, user-friendly tool that simplifies communication, task tracking, and scheduling in a single platform. “Each content manager in charge of a specific country’s content needs to be kept up-to-date, and everyone needs to work together on things like planning blog topics, localizing content, and handling distribution,” says Mia Jozipović, content manager at Siterice.hr (part of the FamilyCare Group). “Basecamp helps us stay more connected — not just between content managers, but also with social media managers and the rest of the team. We can see each other's tasks, but if we need a clearer view, we can filter to just our own,” Jozipović says, “And when we need to share something, we have a separate Campfire chat for that.” As a small downside, Jozipović mentioned that Basecamp can be a bit more complicated to get the hang of compared to tools like Trello, which is extremely intuitive. Less stress, fewer worries, and finally, no more waking up in a panic about what I need to tackle today. That's what life feels like after adding content planning tools and editorial templates to my routine. My final advice for the tools:
What is content planning software?
4 Benefits of Using Content Planning Software
1. Keeps everything organized and saves time.
2. Helps track progress.
3. Encourages collaboration.
4. Improves efficiency.
What to Look for in Content Planning Software
The 6 Best Content Planning Software
1. Asana
Top Features for Content Planning
Content calendar: See all content in one interactive calendar, including launch dates and channels.
Automation: Automatically assign tasks, set custom rules, and use templates for a faster workflow.
Integrations: Sync with tools like Google Workspace, SharePoint, and Dropbox to centralize content reviews and storage.
Custom dashboards: Track pieces by channel, audience, or status.
Real-time feedback: Share feedback directly within calendar tasks and send notifications to your team.
Flexible deadlines: Quickly adjust due dates and deadlines to accommodate changing priorities.
Attachment integration: Attach relevant files directly to tasks, keeping all your content assets easily accessible in one place.
Pricing
Personal (Free): Great for individuals; includes basic project views (list, board, calendar), integrations, and reporting.
Starter (€13.49/user/month): Adds timeline and Gantt views, automations, and dashboards — ideal for growing teams.
Advanced (€30.49/user/month billed annually): Includes portfolio management, advanced reporting, and resource management for larger companies.
What do experts say about Asana?
2. Content Marketing Planning Templates by HubSpot
Top Features for Content Planning
Content calendar: Plan publishing schedules to ensure content is published on time.
Topic brainstorming: Jot down ideas and align them with the target audience's needs.
Keyword optimization: Link keywords to specific content pieces to keep SEO a top priority.
Easy customization: Tailor your calendar to fit your team’s unique workflow and needs.
Integrations: Sync with your existing tools like Google Calendar or CMS for better coordination.
Tracking progress: Track the status of content from idea to final post so no piece is overlooked.
Pricing
HubSpot offers free editorial, blog, and social media calendar templates.
3. Notion
Top Features for Content Planning
Content calendar: Organize your entire content strategy in one place with customizable views for every type of content.
Template variety: Many free and paid content calendar templates, including blog editorial, social media, and YouTube planners.
Notion AI Integration: AI-powered features help generate ideas and suggestions based on your goals.
Database flexibility: Create custom databases for different types of content and link them to keep everything connected.
Customizable workflows: Use tags, checklists, and task assignments to design workflows that suit any project, ensuring clarity and accountability.
Progress tracking: Track the status of your tasks and content pieces using visual progress bars and kanban-style boards.
Pricing
Free: Great for personal use and smaller teams with basic content management needs.
Plus (€11.50/seat/month): Perfect for small teams, offering unlimited blocks, file uploads, and integrations with third-party apps like Slack and GitHub.
Business (€17/seat/month): Designed for growing businesses, with advanced analytics, database automations, and more.
Enterprise: Contact sales for large-scale teams needing advanced security, custom integrations, and extensive control features.
What do experts say about Notion?
4. Trello
Top Features for Content Planning
Boards & lists: Visualize your workflow with customizable boards and lists and track content production stages or campaign progress.
Cards: Every task has its own card, with details like descriptions, attachments, due dates, and checklists.
Butler automation: Set automated rules for almost everything (e.g., due dates, task assignments) so your team doesn’t waste time on repetitive work.
Integrations: Connect apps you already use, like Slack or Google Drive, to streamline your processes. Hundreds of power-ups add extra functionality to suit any project need.
Progress views: Switch between Calendar, Timeline, and Board views to stay on top of your deadlines. Each gives you a different perspective on your content calendar and task management.
Pricing overview:
Free: For individuals or small teams. Unlimited cards, Power-Ups, and boards (up to 10 per Workspace), plus 250 Workspace command runs per month.
Standard ($5/user/month): Unlimited boards, advanced checklists, and 1,000 command runs per month.
Premium (contact for pricing): Includes advanced features like a timeline view, additional automation options, and priority support for growing teams.
What do experts say about Trello?
5. CoSchedule
Top Features for Content Planning
Unified marketing calendar: Centralize your marketing strategy with a single calendar where you can organize projects, schedule posts, and visualize deadlines.
Campaign management: Combine tasks into campaigns, giving you a holistic view of timelines and deliverables.
AI-powered assistant: Save time with tools to draft content, generate ideas, or even create images with minimal effort.
Social media management: Plan, publish, and track posts across platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, all from one dashboard.
Integrations: Connect with apps like HubSpot, Slack, and Google Analytics to streamline workflows and consolidate reporting.
ReQueue feature: It automatically reshares your best-performing social media messages, saving time and driving more traffic to your top content with minimal effort.
Pricing
Free: Best for individuals managing basic social publishing. Includes 2 social profiles, 15 scheduled posts, and basic support.
Social Calendar ($19/user/month): For small teams focused on social media strategies. Offers unlimited posts, five social profiles, and advanced analytics.
Agency Calendar ($49/user/month): Tailored for agencies managing multiple clients. Includes client brand profiles, white-label reports, and more.
Content Calendar (custom pricing): Combines all content and social plans. Ideal for mid-sized teams needing robust tools like Kanban views and advanced reporting.
Marketing Suite (custom pricing): For large-scale teams handling complex campaigns, with features like asset management and enhanced permissions.
What do experts say about CoSchedule?
6. Basecamp
Top Features for Content Planning
Messages under the cards: A centralized space to discuss specific topics, replacing endless project emails.
To-dos: Track work, deadlines, responsibilities, and project details all in one place.
File storage and sharing: Organize and share files, docs, and images with your team, keeping everything in one accessible spot.
Chat around the Campfire: Basecamp’s group chat feature lets you ask quick questions and get answers in real time.
Schedule: Visualize your project deadlines, milestones, and events on a single timeline to keep everything on track.
Timesheet add-on: Track your time directly in Basecamp — no spreadsheets necessary.
Pricing
Basecamp ($15/user/month): Ideal for freelancers, startups, and small teams. Includes 500GB of file storage, and you only pay for employees, with guests being free.
Basecamp Pro Unlimited ($299/month, billed annually): For growing teams or larger organizations. Includes everything in Basecamp, plus 10x the file storage (5TB), 1:1 onboarding, priority support, and advanced admin features.
What do experts say about Basecamp?
From Scattered to Sorted Under One Roof
