Hopper HQ vs Planoly (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hopper HQ and Planoly share a 2.4 GPA, and only Planoly has a free plan.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hopper HQ
Social media scheduler priced per connected account
Planoly
Visual social planner with link in bio and Instagram DM automation
Which one is for you
Pick Hopper HQ if
- Fits if you manage one to three accounts yourself and want the cost to follow the count
- Works for creators who plan an Instagram grid in advance
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there's only a 14-day trial
- Pricey if you have many accounts: ten on Scale are $100 a month
- Too light for teams on Grow, which is one user
- Watch out: approvals and team permissions need Scale at double the price
Pick Planoly if
- Fits if you plan an Instagram feed from your phone
- Makes sense if you want planning, link in bio and DM replies in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 10 uploads a month, on the mobile app
- Not for you if you need teams on Starter, which allows 1 set and 1 user
- Watch out: where a platform bars auto-posting, you get a reminder to post it yourself
- Watch out: the page shows annual billing by default, with savings up to 15%
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHopper HQFair | 2.4GPAPlanolyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$5 per connected account a month on yearly billing, so three accounts are $15, near the edge of the $14 cheaper quarter. Scale is $10 per account, and the bill grows with every account. | B$14 a month on the default annual billing, inside the category's $17.99 cheaper quarter; the monthly price wasn't read. Growth is $24. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. A 14-day trial on every plan; the listing doesn't say a card is asked for. | CFree plan: mobile app only, 10 uploads a month. 14-day trial of paid plans. |
| Features | CCalendar, bulk upload, Instagram grid planner, AI captions, analytics and link in bio. Grow is one user only, with team permissions and approvals left to Scale. | CGrid preview, auto-posting, AI captions, link in bio and automated replies. Some platforms can't auto-post, so you get reminders. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Each account needs connecting, and the grid planner and calendar need setting up. | CNo store rating on record. Social sets and the grid layout to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with the networks it posts to the only connections listed. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and X. |
| Best for | scheduling priced per connected account | mobile Instagram planning with link in bio |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hopper HQ and Planoly. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hopper HQ starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Planoly starts at $14 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Hopper HQ starts $9 a month lower. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, 1 scores higher than Hopper HQ for less, and 5 score higher than Planoly for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Hopper HQ also covers reports.
- Planoly also covers online store.
At a glance
| Hopper HQ | Planoly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per connected account / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | $14 per month (page defaults to annual billing; monthly-billing price not read) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan on the mobile app with 10 uploads per month. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on every plan | 14-day free trial on paid plans |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hopper HQ Ltd | Planoly |
| Price read from | hopperhq.com | planoly.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hopper HQ
- Price scales with each connected social account: three accounts on Grow cost $15 a month billed annually.
- Grow allows one user; team permissions and approvals need Scale.
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Planoly
- The free plan is limited to 10 uploads a month and lives on the mobile app.
- Starter allows 1 social set and 1 user; extra sets and users start on Growth.
- Some platforms do not allow auto-posting, so those posts arrive as reminders instead.
- The pricing page shows annual billing by default and gives a saving of up to 15%, not the monthly prices.
Key features
Hopper HQ
- Visual calendar and auto-publishing
- Plan posts, stories, reels and carousels on one calendar; the page says they publish on schedule without phone reminders.
- Bulk upload
- Schedule hundreds of posts in one go, including through a CSV importer.
- Instagram grid planner
- Drag upcoming posts around a grid preview until the Instagram layout looks the way you want.
- AI caption and hashtag tools
- Generates captions and hashtag suggestions per post, and can add a first comment when a post goes live.
- Analytics and reports
- Shows which posts performed and when the audience is active, so later posts can be timed around it.
- Link in bio pages
- Builds a link-in-bio page that points followers to what you sell; it is included on both plans.
Planoly
- Visual planning and grid preview
- Plan the whole calendar in one view and preview how an Instagram feed will look, rearranging posts before they go out.
- Auto-posting and reminders
- Posts publish automatically where the platform allows it. Otherwise a push notification reminds you to post natively.
- AI ideas and captions
- Suggests post ideas, keywords and captions tailored to a brand, plus a calendar of holidays and trending formats.
- Link in bio and store
- A link-in-bio page can sell digital products, services, bookings and merch. The vendor says it charges no transaction fees.
- Automated replies and DMs
- Set auto-responses for Instagram comments and direct messages. The feature is listed on every paid plan.
- Media library
- A built-in library stores photos, videos and graphics, with unlimited uploads on the paid plans.
Plans
Hopper HQ
Grow$5
per connected account / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
One user. Post planner, calendar, unlimited posts and AI assistant, analytics, link in bio and mobile apps.
Scale$10
per connected account / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Everything in Grow, plus unlimited users, team permissions and content approvals.
Planoly
Free$0
Available on the Planoly mobile app, limited to 10 uploads per month.
Starter$14
per month; page defaults to annual billing
1 social set, 1 user and unlimited uploads. Adding sets or users needs Growth.
Growth$24
per month; page defaults to annual billing
2 social sets and 2 users. Extra sets $10 a month, extra users $5 a month.
Pro$47
per month; page defaults to annual billing
6 social sets and 6 users. Extra sets $8 a month, extra users $3 a month.
Ways to pay less
Hopper HQ
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the per-account price
Grow is $5 per account per month billed annually against $6 billed monthly; Scale is $10 against $12.
Planoly
- Annual discount
Save up to 15% on annual plans
The pricing page says annual plans are billed upfront at a discount of up to 15%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hopper HQ or Planoly?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hopper HQ is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $14 a month for Planoly. Hopper HQ starts at $5 per connected account / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly), and Planoly starts at $14 per month (page defaults to annual billing; monthly-billing price not read).
Which has a free plan, Hopper HQ or Planoly?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Planoly has a free plan. Hopper HQ does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.