PublishPress Planner

Overview

PublishPress Planner is a WordPress content-planning plugin for teams managing a publishing schedule. It suits editorial teams that want several ways to organize WordPress work, though its paid plans bundle Planner with every PublishPress Pro plugin rather than selling Planner Pro alone.

Key features

The Content Calendar shows planned and published posts, and lets editors create items or move them to another publication date by dragging. That makes it useful for coordinating a schedule at a glance; exporting that schedule to Google Calendar or other iCal-compatible software is also possible, but edits made in the external calendar do not return to WordPress.

For a different view, the Content Overview groups work by status, category, or user and can produce a printable overview. The Content Board puts each status in its own column and lets users move posts between them. These complementary views suit teams that need to track both the calendar and the stage of each piece.

Editorial notifications can be tailored by timing, recipients, and included details. Planner Pro adds reminders, post meta in notifications, Slack channel alerts with replies that do not require a WordPress login, removal of PublishPress branding, and priority personal support. PublishPress advises against sending Planner email notifications to large groups, so it is a weaker fit when broad email distribution is central to the workflow.

Planner supports proofing comments. Its changelog records a September 28, 2026 update addressing Dependabot dependency alerts, part of its security and dependency maintenance.

Pricing

The free plan covers the core planning views and notifications, but does not include Planner Pro’s added reminder and Slack features, branding removal, or priority support. Business is the entry point for a single site; Agency raises the site and support-user limits, while Unlimited removes the site cap. Each paid tier includes all PublishPress Pro plugins, which makes the bundle most relevant to buyers who want that wider set rather than Planner Pro alone. PublishPress says member tickets are aimed to receive a response within 24 hours Monday to Friday; non-member questions may take several days.

Platforms

Planner is for self-hosted WordPress and runs on the web. It is not presented as a standalone planning app for other publishing platforms.

Who it's for

PublishPress describes Planner as ideal for WordPress sites publishing high-quality content and teams collaborating on that work. It is a natural fit when editors need shared schedule and status views alongside configurable notifications. A solo publisher or a team working outside self-hosted WordPress has less reason to choose it.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Calendar, status-based overview, and board views give editorial teams distinct ways to coordinate the same WordPress content.
• Pros: The free plan includes all three planning views, notifications, and Google Calendar export.
• Cons: Calendar export is one-way, so changes in an external calendar will not update WordPress.
• Cons: Email notifications are not recommended for large groups, limiting their usefulness for broad announcements.
• Cons: Planner Pro comes within an all-plugins bundle, so paid buyers also pay for the wider PublishPress suite.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Content Calendar Software. Choose CoSchedule instead if Android or iOS access matters, or if you want a free plan and a free trial; its Starter plan is $29 a month billed annually, with a monthly option at $39/month and one user seat. StoryChief Broadcasts is another option for readers prioritizing mobile access and social media or website and SEO analytics; it has a free trial but no free plan.

Narranta is an alternative for a solo creator who can work within its free plan’s cap of three articles and one publication. Nelio Content is another self-hosted, web-based alternative with a free plan. Sheetlane may suit teams seeking a free spreadsheet workspace with up to three users and 1,000 AI credits per month, plus a free trial.

Strive Content Calendar is a web alternative with a free calendar, pipeline board, editorial statuses, checklists, and notes. Storyflow is a web-based paid product with no free plan. Uix Page Builder is a free self-hosted WordPress page builder rather than an editorial planning tool.

Verdict

PublishPress Planner is a strong choice for teams coordinating WordPress publishing who want calendar, overview, and status-board views in one plugin, including at no cost. Look elsewhere if you need two-way calendar sync, large-group email notifications, or a paid Planner Pro plan without the full PublishPress Pro bundle.