Jared JamesHeyOrca is built around client review and approval of scheduled social posts.
Clients can approve or request changes through a shareable link without creating an account. Every paid plan includes unlimited users, posts, approvals, and media storage. Pricing runs per client workspace, and teams with five or more workspaces can request a custom rate.
The reasons to compare alternatives are specific. HeyOrca removed direct X publishing and analytics in April 2026, does not directly publish to Bluesky, and includes 10 connected profiles per paid workspace. Reports, the social inbox, and listening are add-ons on Basic. Adding all three to the $59 Basic plan produces a $196 monthly total, $47 more than the $149 Pro plan that includes them. AI tools are included on Basic and Pro, custom branding is included on Pro, and Google Drive uploads arrived in January 2026.
The Short Answer
Maeve Social is a fit for teams that want flat pricing and direct X publishing. Analytics, the social inbox, AI drafting, REST API access, a CLI, and a hosted MCP server are included on every plan. Standard at $99 adds approvals, no-account client review links, and white-labeled PDF reports. HeyOrca Basic costs $59 for each workspace, while Pro costs $149 for each workspace and includes custom product branding. Maeve's plans are $25, $99, and $199 a month, each with a 3-day trial.
If your reason for leaving is narrower, a narrower tool wins.
Maeve Social
Client review links that need no client account, plus analytics, an inbox, and AI on every plan, at flat pricing instead of per-workspace math.
See Approvals Without Client AccountsPlan, preview, and publish in one workflow
Why People Move On From HeyOrca
HeyOrca's current plan structure creates clear reasons to compare alternatives. Basic includes unlimited users, posts, and approvals, but reporting, the social inbox, and listening cost extra. Pro includes those features and custom branding. Both paid plans include AI tools and up to 10 connected profiles per workspace.
The platform gap is also concrete. HeyOrca directly publishes to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Google Business Profile, and Pinterest. Its direct X integration ended on April 6, 2026, although teams can still plan X posts through a placeholder account and publish manually from a notification. Bluesky also requires that placeholder workflow.
The 12 Alternatives at a Glance
Prices checked in August 2026, monthly billing unless noted.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free Option | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| HeyOrca (baseline) | $59/workspace/mo | Yes, 15 posts/mo | No-login approvals with unlimited paid users |
| Maeve Social | $25/mo flat | 3-day trial; free templates | The whole workflow on flat pricing |
| Planable | $39/workspace/mo | Yes, 50 posts total | Visual approvals, unlimited users |
| Loomly | $65/mo | Free trial, no card | Approvals and guidance on flat tiers |
| Vista Social | $79/mo | 14-day trial | Modern agency suite, flat pricing |
| Sendible | $35/mo | 14-day trial | Agency dashboards, unlimited users |
| SocialBee | $29/mo | 14-day trial | Evergreen content recycling |
| Publer | From $5/mo | Yes, 3 accounts | The lowest bill here |
| Buffer | $6/channel/mo | Yes, 3 channels | The simplest workflow |
| Statusbrew | $89/mo | 14-day trial | Inbox rules and review management |
| Agorapulse | $99/user/mo | 30-day trial | Inbox depth, ad-comment moderation |
| Sprout Social | $99/seat/mo | 30-day trial | Enterprise analytics and listening |
| Hootsuite | $99/user/mo, annual | 14-day trial | Enterprise scale and governance |
1. Maeve Social, for Flat-Priced Multi-Channel Work
Maeve Social combines planning, scheduling, analytics, a social inbox, and client approvals on published tiers. Every plan publishes to 9 platforms and includes an Instagram Grid Planner, an AI assistant on monthly credits, recurring series, a Media Room, REST API access, a CLI, and a hosted MCP server.
Analytics cover Google Business Profile plus six social platforms. The inbox covers supported interactions from Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and Google Business Profile. Standard at $99 adds approval workflows, client review links that work without a client account or seat, and white-labeled PDF reports with written analysis. That report branding is narrower than HeyOrca Pro's custom product branding.
HeyOrca keeps important advantages. No-login approval links and unlimited users come with Basic at $59 per workspace, while Maeve's client review links start on Standard and Maeve Standard includes 5 users. HeyOrca also has a permanent free workspace and Android support, while Maeve offers a 3-day trial and an iOS app. Maeve directly publishes to X and HeyOrca no longer does; neither directly publishes to Bluesky.
| Plan | Monthly | Social Connections | Workspaces | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $25/mo | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| Standard | $99/mo | 50 | 5 | 5 |
| Premium | $199/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
2. Planable, for Visual Approval Workflows
If the review workflow is the priority, Planable covers the same core job with more approval modes. Both products include unlimited collaborators on paid plans and organize work by client or brand. Planable adds platform previews, comments, and version history to each post. Basic allows optional approval, Pro can require approval, and Enterprise adds multi-level approval. Universal Content extends the same review process to newsletters, ad copy, and other non-social work.
Pricing is per workspace at $39 or $59 a month on monthly billing. Basic includes 4 social pages and 60 posts per workspace each month; Pro includes 10 pages and 150 posts. Planable invites collaborators into the workspace, while HeyOrca can let an external stakeholder approve through a shareable link without a login. Planable includes an MCP connector on paid plans, which matters to teams using an AI assistant outside the product.
3. Loomly, Approvals on Ordinary Flat Tiers
Loomly includes approval workflows on every paid plan, plus platform previews, post ideas, an AI assistant, advanced analytics, and an interactions inbox. Starter at $65 a month covers 3 users and 12 social accounts across unlimited calendars. That account cap is different from HeyOrca's model, where each $59 Basic workspace includes up to 10 profiles.
The pricing has a cliff. Beyond costs $332 a month, a $267 increase, and expands the allowance to 60 accounts and unlimited users while adding custom branding and custom workflows. Loomly has no permanent free plan, but its current site offers a no-card trial. Compare the number of connected profiles and collaborators you need, not just the number of client brands.
4. Vista Social, a Flat-Priced Agency Suite
Vista Social combines publishing, a unified inbox, review management, AI text, image, and short-video generation, and approval workflows on flat tiers. Professional includes single-stage approvals. Advanced adds multi-stage approvals, custom reports, and connections through Zapier, Make, and MCP. Apps are available for iOS and Android.
Professional at $79 a month covers 2 users and 15 profiles, while Advanced at $149 covers 4 users and 30 profiles. X publishing costs $29 a month on every plan, and listening beyond connected profiles starts at $75 a month. AI credits are capped at 1,000 on Professional, 2,000 on Advanced, and 3,500 on Scale. HeyOrca keeps the advantage for no-login approvals and separate client workspaces.
5. Sendible, Agency Dashboards With Unlimited Users
Sendible gives every plan unlimited users and separates clients with workspaces. Plus at $99 a month includes 3 workspaces, 18 profiles, and approval workflows. Approvers receive email and dashboard notifications and use a Sendible account to review posts. The reporting tools include a Google Analytics 4 integration.
The fully branded white-label dashboard is a paid add-on for Elite and Enterprise, which start at $299 and $750 a month. HeyOrca Pro includes custom branding at $149 per workspace, so the cheaper branding path depends on client count and whether you need a white-labeled dashboard or only client-facing reports. Sendible directly publishes to Bluesky; HeyOrca does not.
6. SocialBee, the Evergreen Recycling Engine
SocialBee schedules by category. Teams sort content into themed queues and can set evergreen posts to publish again. HeyOrca supports recurring posts, but SocialBee puts category rotation at the center of its workflow. The post-approval system starts on Accelerate, and SocialBee directly publishes to Bluesky.
Bootstrap and Accelerate include one user and one workspace, so a multi-person team needs a user add-on or Pro. Pro costs $99 a month for 3 users per workspace, 5 workspaces, and 25 connected accounts. Accelerate and Pro include up to two years of analytics history, while PDF exports require Pro.
7. Publer, the Lowest Bill on the List
Publer starts at $5 a month for Professional and $10 for Business, then prices additional social accounts and members separately. Every tenth account and member is free. Business adds analytics, unlimited AI prompts, competitor analysis, API access, and automated recycling. Publer directly supports 13 platforms, including Bluesky, WordPress, Telegram, and Mastodon, and can bulk-import up to 500 posts by CSV.
Publer does have agency workflows. Professional and Business include unlimited workspaces, member roles, internal notes, and client approvals. Clients are invited into a workspace by email, while HeyOrca's external stakeholders can approve through a shareable link without login credentials. HeyOrca also includes unlimited paid users, so model Publer's member charges before calling it cheaper for a large team.
8. Buffer, a Lighter Publishing Workflow
Buffer is a lighter option built around a publishing queue. It includes an AI Assistant without a usage cap, first-comment scheduling, Community for supported comment replies, and iOS and Android apps. The free plan covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel. Essentials is $6 per channel a month, and Team adds approvals and unlimited users at $12 per channel.
A small team running 5 channels pays $30 a month on Essentials, about half of one HeyOrca Basic workspace, and picks up Bluesky and Mastodon among Buffer's 11 networks. Approvals require Buffer Team and are designed for signed-in collaborators, not HeyOrca-style external stakeholders using no-login share links.
9. Statusbrew, Inbox Rules and Review Management
Statusbrew includes publishing and a unified inbox on Lite. Standard adds its Rule Engine for routing and moderating interactions plus Google Business Profile support. Premium adds approvals, AI sentiment analysis, competitor benchmarking, social and web listening, and team performance reports.
Lite costs $89 a month for 1 user and 5 profiles, Standard costs $179 for 3 users and 10 profiles, and Premium costs $299 for 6 users and 15 profiles. Each has a 14-day trial without a card. Compared with HeyOrca, Statusbrew trades no-login client review and unlimited users for deeper inbox rules and included listening on Premium.
10. Agorapulse, Inbox Depth and Ad-Comment Moderation
Agorapulse puts comments, direct messages, and mentions in one inbox with automated rules. Professional adds Facebook and Instagram ad comments, team assignments, and Canva. Those moderation workflows go beyond HeyOrca's Social Inbox. Agorapulse also documents integrations with ChatGPT and Claude on paid plans.
Per-user pricing is the constraint: $99 to $199 per user a month with 10 shared profiles per plan, so five users on Standard cost $495 a month against one HeyOrca Pro workspace at $149 with unlimited users. The comparison favors Agorapulse only when its inbox depth or ad-comment moderation is required.
11. Sprout Social, for Enterprise Analytics
Sprout Social includes cross-network dashboards and Facebook reporting across its paid tiers. Standard adds the Smart Inbox, review management, social CRM, collaboration tools, and 5 profiles. Professional raises the profile limit to unlimited and adds competitor reports. Advanced adds API access, inbox sentiment, and helpdesk integrations. Social Listening and Premium Analytics are separate products.
Essentials costs $99 per seat on monthly billing but omits the Smart Inbox and team collaboration. Standard costs $249 per seat monthly, so a five-seat team pays $1,245 a month. That compares with $149 for one HeyOrca Pro workspace with unlimited users, before any custom multi-workspace quote. The difference only makes sense when Sprout's reporting, inbox, CRM, or add-ons are required.
12. Hootsuite, Enterprise Scale and Governance
Hootsuite includes limited social listening with sentiment from Standard, ad management, its Wisdom AI assistant, MCP connectors, and an app directory. Bulk scheduling of up to 350 posts and approval workflows sit on the $399 Advanced plan.
Entry is $99 per user a month on annual billing for 10 accounts, and monthly billing costs more. Five people on Standard cost $495 a month on annual billing. Approval workflows and bulk scheduling of up to 350 posts require Advanced at $399 per user a month on annual billing.
Where Per-Workspace Pricing Wins and Loses
HeyOrca and Planable both price by client workspace, but their allowances differ. HeyOrca Basic costs $59 per workspace and Pro costs $149, with unlimited paid users, posts, and approvals plus up to 10 connected profiles. At public monthly rates, five Basic workspaces cost $295 and five Pro workspaces cost $745. HeyOrca directs teams with five or more workspaces to sales for a custom rate, so an agency's actual total may differ. Annual billing is 15% cheaper.
One HeyOrca Basic workspace costs less than Loomly Starter at $65 and includes unlimited users. Maeve Basic costs $25 but supports only 1 user and has no client review links; Maeve Standard costs $99 for 5 users, 5 workspaces, approvals, and client review links. Planable Basic costs $39 for each workspace, 4 pages, and 60 monthly posts. HeyOrca's free workspaces include 1 user, 2 connected profiles, and 15 scheduled posts per month, but no shareable links or approval workflows.
How We Put This List Together
We compared the twelve against HeyOrca's current documented constraints: per-workspace pricing, the Basic add-ons, the 10-profile allowance, and direct platform coverage after X support ended. Pricing structure and approval workflow weighed heaviest. Prices and limits come from current official vendor pricing pages and help documentation, checked in August 2026. Monthly billing is used unless a row says otherwise.
Maeve Social is our product. Its advantages here are flat pricing, direct X publishing, analytics and the inbox on every plan, white-labeled reports from Standard, and REST API, CLI, and MCP access. HeyOrca includes no-login approvals and unlimited users on Basic, has a permanent free tier and an Android app, and provides custom product branding on Pro. Neither tool directly publishes to Bluesky.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions HeyOrca switchers ask most.
HeyOrca's clearest advantage is no-login client approval with unlimited users on every paid workspace. Its current constraints are equally concrete: direct X support ended in April 2026, Bluesky requires manual notification publishing, and reports, the inbox, and listening cost extra on Basic.
Match the replacement to the missing requirement. Maeve Social offers flat pricing and direct X publishing, Planable focuses on detailed approval, Loomly and Vista Social bundle broader flat-tier workflows, Publer keeps client approvals at a low entry price, and Buffer is lighter. Statusbrew, Agorapulse, Sprout, and Hootsuite add deeper moderation, analytics, listening, or governance at higher prices.
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