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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    iContact

    Score6.8 out of 10
    N/AiContact is an email marketing solution that was acquired by Vocus in 2012. The product is integrated with Facebook and Twitter and is aimed at SMBs with unlimited sending as a key feature.

    $14

    per month

    Planable

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/APlanable is a social media management tool built around content collaboration and approvals. It covers planning, creation, feedback, approval, scheduling, publishing, community management, analytics, competitor benchmarking, and social listening in one workspace. Drafts render as exact previews of the finished post, feedback is left on the content itself rather than in a separate thread, and approval requirements are set per workspace. Planable was founded in 2016 and is used…

    $39

    per month per workspace

    Pricing
    iContactPlanable
    Editions & Modules
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Basic
    $39
    per month per workspace
    Pro
    $59
    per month per workspace
    Enterprise
    Custom
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    iContactPlanable
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Planable is priced per workspace, not per seat. Each workspace holds one brand or client, and every plan includes unlimited users: collaborators, reviewers, and clients can be added without increasing cost. Organizations scale by adding workspaces rather than licenses. Annual billing includes two months free on all plans and add-ons. Free trial 50 posts, with no time limit and no credit card required. The allowance is a total, not a monthly reset, so the trial ends when the 50th post is created rather than on a fixed date. X (Twitter) publishing is not available during the trial. The Analytics, Social Inbox, and Social Listening add-ons carry separate 30-day free trials on paid plans. Basic — $39 per workspace per month Entry plan for small teams with straightforward review needs. 60 posts per workspace per month 4 social pages per workspace Unlimited users 2 approval types: none and optional Feed and Calendar views 3 campaigns per workspace 10GB media storage 13 months of published post storage MCP connector included Optional approval means a post can be approved but does not have to be before it publishes. Teams that need publishing blocked until sign-off require Pro. Pro — $59 per workspace per month Most common plan for agencies and in-house teams running client or stakeholder approval. Everything in Basic, plus: 150 posts per workspace per month 10 social pages per workspace Required approval, in addition to none and optional — content cannot be scheduled or published until at least one approver signs off Grid view, in addition to Feed and Calendar 10 campaigns per workspace 50GB media storage Public API access Chat support Enterprise — custom pricing For organizations with formal review chains, multiple brands, or procurement and security requirements. Everything in Pro, plus: Unlimited posts Multi-level approvals: sequential stages with designated approvers at each one List view, in addition to Feed, Calendar, and Grid Unlimited campaigns 100GB media storage 24 months of published post storage SSO Dedicated account manager and priority support Payment by bank or wire transfer Add-Ons Add-ons are priced per workspace and available on any plan, including Basic. They are enabled per workspace rather than account-wide, so an agency can run Analytics on client workspaces that pay for reporting without buying it across the board. Analytics — $14 per workspace per month, or $140 per year. Cross-channel performance data, audience insights, custom reports, and Competitor Analytics. 30-day free trial. Social Inbox — $9 per workspace per month, or $90 per year. Comments and direct messages from connected channels in one inbox, with AI reply drafting. 30-day free trial. Social Listening — $99 per workspace per month, or $990 per year. Brand, competitor, and topic monitoring across eight sources with sentiment analysis and alerts. Includes 1 brand keyword, 3 topic keywords, and 3 competitor keywords per workspace. 30-day free trial. What drives cost Three variables determine spend: the number of workspaces, the monthly post volume per workspace, and which add-ons are enabled per workspace. Team size does not affect price on any plan. Planable also offers bundled discounts with SE Ranking for SEO and SE Visible for AI search visibility.
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    iContactPlanable
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of iContact and Planable
    Feature
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Planable
    -
    Ratings
    WYSIWYG email editor7.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dynamic content7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content5.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Landing pages7.014 Ratings00 Ratings
    A/B testing5.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile optimization7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting7.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    List management8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences6.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of iContact and Planable
    Feature
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Planable
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports8.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of iContact and Planable
    Feature
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Planable
    -
    Ratings
    URL Validation7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Link Tracking7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Image Validation7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inbox Display7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spam Testing7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Previews7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publishing
    Comparison of Publishing features of iContact and Planable
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Planable
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Content planning and scheduling00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Content optimization00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Workflow management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Channel coverage/integration
    Comparison of Channel coverage/integration features of iContact and Planable
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Planable
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Twitter00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Facebook00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    LinkedIn00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Google+00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Instagram00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Pinterest00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Account management
    Comparison of Account management features of iContact and Planable
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Planable
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    23% above category average
    Mobile access00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    iContactPlanable
    Small Businesses
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Sendible
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    Emplifi
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Studio (discontinued)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    iContactPlanable
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    iContactPlanable
    Likelihood to Recommend
    iContact
    I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Planable
    It needs the ability to save hashtags. Some of the other tools offer this, so I emailed Planable and asked them to consider adding it.
    Read full review
    Pros
    iContact
    • Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
    • Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
    • Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Planable
    • Plan posts on multiple platforms at once
    • Approval workflow
    Read full review
    Cons
    iContact
    • We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
    • The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
    • Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Planable
    • Add hashtags in the tool so you can save them for future use
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    iContact
    iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.
    Read full review
    Planable
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    iContact
    I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Planable
    It does what you need, but could have a bit more features for the price. $30 a month just to post things on Facebook or Instagram is a bit steep, given that that's all you can do.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    iContact
    iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.
    Read full review
    Planable
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    iContact
    They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Planable
    Emailed them a month ago to add hashtags, but they didn't add the functionality yet. Given that the product has stayed exactly the same since, I'm guessing the developers don't want to add this feature so I give the support a rating of 1.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Planable
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    iContact
    i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
    Read full review
    Planable
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    iContact
    I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.
    Read full review
    Planable
    Cheaper, however, Kontentino does have the ability to save hashtags.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    iContact
    iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.
    Read full review
    Planable
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    iContact
    • We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
    • We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
    • iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Planable
    • Ability to post on any social media platform with 1 click. It adjusts the layout for you, pictures, adding action buttons, etc.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Planable Screenshots

    Screenshot of Planable weekly content calendar in grid view showing scheduled posts with images, times, and platforms.Screenshot of Facebook analytics dashboard in Planable with follower growth, post count, impressions, and engagement trends.Screenshot of Planable interface showing comment thread with suggestions on a social media post draft for team collaboration.Screenshot of Approval settings panel in Planable showing user roles, toggle switches, and auto-scheduling option.Screenshot of Planable workspace permissions view showing team and client roles with customizable access for content collaboration.Screenshot of Track brand mentions and sentiment in one social listening dashboard.