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Roundup

Best YouTube scheduling tools

YouTube already lets you schedule an upload for free. A separate tool earns its place when the same short video also goes to Reels and TikTok, or when YouTube is one of several channels you plan together. This list says which tool fits which job.

Who wrote this

Optimate publishes this page, so treat it as a vendor's list rather than an independent review. We've tried to earn the read by ranking on fit rather than on who's paying for the page — Optimate isn't first on every list here, and where a competitor is the better answer we say so and link you to them.

How this list is ordered

Ranked on YouTube specifically: scheduling videos and Shorts ahead, sending the same clip to your other networks, YouTube analytics, and price for one to five accounts. Prices are from each vendor's published pricing; tools we haven't verified get positioning only. Which networks a tool reaches changes as platforms open and close their APIs, so confirm it on the tool's own site before you pay.

Pricing checked between 25 August and 26 September 2026. Tools without a figure are ones we haven’t verified directly — check their site rather than trust a number we didn’t read ourselves.

  1. Number 1: YouTube Studio

    Best for: YouTube is your only channel, at no cost

    YouTube's own upload page lets you set a video or Short to go public at a time you choose, with the title, description and thumbnail beside it. If YouTube is all you post to, start here.

    Visit YouTube Studio

  2. Number 2: Optimate

    Free plan · Pro £29/mo · Studio £59/mo · Agency £135/mo

    Best for: Shorts and videos beside your other networks, from one post

    Uploads YouTube videos and Shorts on a schedule, with the title and description you set, on the same calendar as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads, Google Business, Bluesky and Mastodon. The same vertical video can go to Reels, TikTok and Shorts in one post. From Pro, YouTube comments come into one Inbox.

    Start your 14-day free trial

  3. Number 3: Buffer

    Free plan · from $5/channel/mo

    Best for: Shorts beside a few other networks on a small budget

    A reliable queue with per-channel pricing and a free plan to start on. Suits short clips going to several networks; light on long-form video tools.

    Optimate vs BufferVisit Buffer

  4. Number 4: Publer

    Free plan · from $5/account/mo

    Best for: Bulk-scheduling videos on a budget

    Priced per social account, with bulk scheduling and post recycling, and one of the widest network lists of any scheduler.

    Optimate vs PublerVisit Publer

  5. Number 5: Metricool

    Free plan · from €20/mo

    Best for: YouTube numbers beside every other network

    Analytics-first, with competitor tracking across up to 100 profiles, customisable report templates and a Looker Studio connector. Scheduling is solid but secondary to measurement.

    Optimate vs MetricoolVisit Metricool

How Optimate does it: the Optimate YouTube scheduler

Common questions

Can you schedule YouTube Shorts?

Yes. YouTube Studio lets you set a Short to go public at a later time when you upload it, and schedulers that connect to YouTube, Optimate included, publish it at the time you pick.

What makes a video a Short?

A square or vertical video of three minutes or less. YouTube treats it as a Short by itself; a landscape video stays a normal video.

Do I need a scheduler if I only post to YouTube?

Usually not: YouTube Studio schedules uploads for free. A scheduler earns its place when the same clip also goes to Reels and TikTok, or when YouTube is one of several channels you plan together.

Try Optimate against your own accounts

14-day free trial, no card required — enough to judge the content quality for yourself rather than take our word for it. The free plan after that covers 3 connected accounts.

Start your 14-day free trial