The Best Time-Saving Editorial Calendar Tools of 2026
Content gets messy fast.
One idea turns into five drafts, three deadlines, and — somehow — no actual plan.
I learned that the hard way on a day I was bouncing between edits for a functional beverage company, a dental blog, and a TikTok video for my “The Pack and a Cat” pet account… and realized I’d forgotten what was due today. Not a great feeling.
Editorial calendar tools fix that.
They turn chaos into something you can actually see, track, and breathe through.
If you want content to feel less like juggling knives and more like a real system, here are the best editorial calendar tools to use in 2026.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks (If You’re in a Hurry)
- Best Overall Editorial Calendar: Airtable
- Best Free Option: Google Calendar
- Best for Teams: Asana
- Best Visual Kanban Workflow: Trello
- Best Social Scheduling: Buffer
- Best for Large Content Operations: Monday.com
- Best for Social Media Ideas & Inspiration: Loomly
| Tool | Best For | Calendar Views | Integrations | Free Plan | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtable | Most flexible all-around calendar | Grid, Calendar, Kanban, Gallery | 50+ (Slack, WordPress, GitHub) | Yes | $10/mo |
| Google Calendar | Simple, free planning | Calendar | Google ecosystem | Yes | Free with Gmail |
| Asana | Team workloads & collaboration | Calendar, List, Timeline, Kanban | 100+ | Yes | $13.49/mo |
| Trello | Visual Kanban boards | Kanban + Calendar | Google Drive, Slack, more | Yes | $6/mo |
| Buffer | Social scheduling | Social calendar | Major social platforms | Yes | Free |
| Monday.com | Content operations | Calendar, Timeline, Kanban | 200+ | Yes | $8/user |
| Loomly | Social ideas + inspiration | Social calendar | All major social platforms | No | $35/mo |
1. Airtable (Best Overall Editorial Calendar Tool)
Source: Airtable
Airtable is my top pick because it combines spreadsheets, databases, and content planning into one flexible system. You can use it as lightly or as heavily as you want — from simple content tracking to advanced workflows.
Why It’s Great
- Multiple views: grid, calendar, kanban, gallery, form
- Easy collaboration and permission controls
- Works for blogs, social media, content pipelines, campaigns
- Attachments, tags, checkboxes, due dates
- Dozens of free templates
- Integrates with Slack, WordPress, Stripe, GitHub, and more
- Stores files directly inside each record
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by scattered content drafts — the loose Google Docs, half-written notes, random ideas buried in your phone — this editorial calendar tool pulls all of that chaos into one clean, visual space you can actually make sense of. It’s the kind of tool that turns “Where did I put that?” into “Oh, there it is,” and once you see all your content mapped out in front of you, it’s hard to imagine ever planning without it.
Pricing
- Free plan: Yes
- Plus: $10/month (annual)
- Pro: $20/month (annual)
2. Google Calendar (Best Free Editorial Calendar)
Source: Google
If you want something simple and powerful that works everywhere, Google Calendar is an unbeatable editorial calendar tool. It’s also great for solo creators or small teams.
Why It’s Great
- Create events, reminders, and shared calendars
- Add descriptions, attachments, and guests
- Syncs across all devices
- Integrates with Google Sheets, Docs, Tasks, Drive
- Easy color-coding for content types or campaigns
- Great for deadline visibility and planning
It’s not as advanced of an editorial calendar tool as Airtable or Asana, but for quick content scheduling, it’s perfect.
Pricing
- Free: With any Gmail account
- Google Workspace Start: $6/user/month
- Standard: $12/user/month
- Plus: $18/user/month
3. Asana (Best for Teams & Workload Management)
Asana is ideal if you work with multiple writers, designers, editors, or stakeholders. Its strength is in showing who is doing what, when, and how much is on their plate.
Why It’s Great
- Multiple views: calendar, list, kanban, timeline
- Clear workload charts
- Tagging, assignment, subtasks, and dependencies
- 100+ integrations (Google, Dropbox, Slack)
- Great for multi-step content workflows
- Perfect for agencies or in-house teams
When you’re managing a lot of moving parts, Asana keeps everyone aligned.
Pricing
- Free plan: Yes
- Premium: $13.49/month
- Business: $30.49/user/month
4. Trello (Best Visual Kanban Calendar)
Source: Trello
Trello is simple, intuitive, and perfect for creators who think visually. It uses a kanban board to organize ideas, drafts, revisions, and published content.
Why It’s Great
- Drag-and-drop card system
- Switch between kanban and calendar views
- Add due dates, attachments, checklists, comments
- Great for brainstorming and idea pipelines
- Integrates with Google Drive, Slack, and more
- Easy for freelancers or small teams
It’s one of the easiest calendar tools to learn.
Pricing
- Free plan: Yes
- Standard: $6/month
- Premium: $12.50/month
- Enterprise: $17.50/month
5. Buffer (Best Social Media Scheduling Calendar)
Source: Buffer
If you want an editorial calendar specifically for social media, Buffer is the easiest way to plan, publish, and analyze your content across platforms.
Why It’s Great
- Schedule posts across all major social platforms
- Drag-and-drop visual social calendar
- See engagement, reach, and top-performing posts
- Respond to comments faster with hotkeys
- Great analytics for improving content
- Perfect for creators, small teams, and agencies
I’ve used this editorial calendar tool off and on for years — when you want simple, reliable scheduling, it just works.
Pricing
- Free: Yes
- Essentials: Paid (analytics + engagement tools)
- Team: Adds unlimited users
6. Loomly
Loomly isn’t just a social scheduler — it helps you come up with fresh ideas when you’re stuck (which happens to all of us).
Why It’s Great
- Built-in post ideas based on trends & holidays
- Visual social media calendar
- Stores creative assets
- Collaborate easily with designers & writers
- Track post performance
- Integrates with Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more
- Great for brands or creators posting often
If you want an editorial calendar tool that helps you brainstorm and publish consistently, Loomly shines.
Pricing
- Base: $35/month
- Standard: $79/month
- Advanced: $172/month
- Premium: $359/month
- Enterprise: Custom
7. Monday (Best for Large Content Operations)
Monday is an extremely powerful editorial calendar tool If you’re running campaigns, teams, or complex workflows, this platform can handle almost anything.
Why It’s Great
- Calendar, timeline, kanban, and dashboard views
- Workdocs for real-time content creation
- Monday Marketer for campaigns and requests
- Tons of templates
- Handles big teams and big workloads
- Highly customizable with automations
If you need an editorial calendar that can scale with your business, Monday is the powerhouse choice.
Pricing
- Individual: Free
- Basic: $8/user/month
- Standard: $10/user/month
- Pro: $16/user/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Final Thoughts on Editorial Calendar Tools
The best editorial calendar tool doesn’t just help you stay organized — it helps you publish more consistently, collaborate more smoothly, and keep your content pipeline running without stress.
Whether you need something flexible like Airtable, simple like Google Calendar, or powerful like Monday, the tools above make content planning a whole lot easier.
If you want more guides to level up your content strategy, check out more tutorials and marketing resources on ContentMarketingLife.com.
Alex Eagleton is a copywriter and digital marketer with a decade of experience helping companies connect with their audiences. He’s written for brands such as Microsoft, Roku, and Ramsey Solutions, and specializes in creating content that not only informs but drives measurable results. Known for his versatility, Alex adapts seamlessly to different voices and tones, making him a trusted partner for businesses looking to grow through content.
When he’s not writing, he enjoys spending time with his dogs, reading, and playing guitar.
You can reach him by emailing alex@contentmarketinglife.com.
