Planable alternative: beyond content approval to a full agency OS

What Planable does well

Planable has developed one feature to perfection: the content approval workflow. Clients see a live mockup of the post as it would appear on Instagram or LinkedIn, can comment on specific elements, and approve or reject with one click.

For agencies that do a lot of iteration with clients on visuals, Planable's preview workflow is market-leading.

Where Planable stops

Planable is a feature, not a platform. If you manage 5+ clients, you'll find that in addition to Planable, you need another 6-8 tools:

• A CRM for client contacts and contracts
• A reporting tool for monthly figures
• An asset library for brand kits per client
• An invoicing tool
• A unified inbox for DMs
• A planning tool for publication times

Monthly costs run up to €300-€500 for the stack, plus 8-12 hours per month of admin to keep everything in sync.

4 alternatives that offer an all-in-one solution

1. Senly — agency-OS that has Planable's flow + the rest

Visual approval workflow on platform mockups, PLUS client CRM, reports, asset library, invoicing, and unified inbox. One tool, one price. Full comparison.

2. Sendible — established all-in-one

Also has an approval flow, but less visual than Planable. Broader in terms of platform coverage.

3. Sprout Social — enterprise version

Approval flow is included, plus all other features. But expensive (~€249/user/month).

4. Loomly — comparable to Planable

Slightly older interface, similar core feature. No significant difference.

When Planable is still OK

If you have 1-3 clients, manage all other admin in your own Notion / Google Drive, and the approval flow is your absolute main pain point — Planable solves that well.

But with 5+ clients, "Planable + 7 other tools" is less efficient than one integrated platform.

The practical test

Add up your current tool subscriptions. If you are above €250/month for separate tools AND you manage 5+ clients — an integrated platform pays for itself within 2 months. The extra time you get back (8-12 hours/month) is a bonus.