Optimate vs Meta Business Suite
Meta Business Suite is Meta's free tool for running a Facebook Page and an Instagram account. It schedules posts and Stories, shows their insights and brings Messenger and Instagram messages into one inbox. It only reaches Meta's own apps.
Our verdict
If you post anywhere beyond Facebook and Instagram, Optimate is the better choice: one calendar for all 11 networks, client approvals and reports for agencies, and posts written from your brand kit. If Facebook and Instagram are all you post to and you write your own posts, Meta Business Suite does the job for free.
- Every network from one calendar
- Posts written in your brand's voice
- Built for client work
We quote no Meta Business Suite price we could not check, so its prices are left to its own pricing page, and we say plainly where Meta Business Suite has the edge.
Who each one is for
Choose Meta Business Suite if…
Businesses that post only to Facebook and Instagram, write their own posts, answer messages in Meta's own inbox and would rather pay nothing.
Choose Optimate if…
Businesses and agencies that post to LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube or Google Business as well as Facebook and Instagram, and want the posts written in their brand's voice instead of starting from a blank box.
Pricing side by side
Optimate
- Free
- £0
- 14-day free trial, then 3 connected accounts (not X), up to 5 posts scheduled at a time, 5 free AI generations
- Pro
- £29
- per month, 10 connected accounts, 1 brand
- Studio
- £59
- per month, 15 connected accounts, up to 3 clients
- Agency
- £135
- per month, 50 connected accounts, unlimited clients
- Enterprise
- Contact us
- beyond 50 connected accounts
Meta Business Suite
- Meta Business Suite
- Free
- comes with your Facebook Page, no subscription — any ads you choose to run are paid for separately
Compared on features on 4 November 2026. We quote no Meta Business Suite price we could not check. Verify on Meta Business Suite’s pricing page
Feature by feature
Free or paid
- Optimate
- Free plan (3 connected accounts (not X), up to 5 posts scheduled at a time, 5 free AI generations); paid plans from £29/mo
- Meta Business SuiteEdge
- Free, with no paid plan
Networks
- OptimateEdge
- 11 networks, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Google Business included. LinkedIn: personal profiles for now; Company Pages once LinkedIn approves Optimate.
- Meta Business Suite
- Facebook and Instagram only
AI writing
- OptimateEdge
- Brand-kit-driven captions, designs and images, in each brand's voice and colours
- Meta Business Suite
- No brand kit; each post starts from what you type
Instagram and Facebook posting
- Optimate
- Platform-true preview, a grid view of each new post, and Stories on Instagram and Facebook
- Meta Business Suite
- Posts, Stories and Reels with Meta's own previews
Direct messages
- Optimate
- Bluesky only
- Meta Business SuiteEdge
- Messenger and Instagram direct messages in one inbox
Comments
- Optimate
- Reply to comments from YouTube, Google Business, Bluesky, X, Facebook, Instagram (through a Facebook Page) and Threads (Pro and up)
- Meta Business Suite
- Facebook and Instagram comments
Client work
- OptimateEdge
- A brand kit per client and client approvals (Studio and up), client-branded reports emailed weekly or monthly (Agency)
- Meta Business Suite
- Partner access through Meta's business settings; no client approval links or client reports
Ads
- Optimate
- Not offered: organic posts only
- Meta Business SuiteEdge
- Create and manage ads beside your posts
Why teams choose Optimate over Meta Business Suite
Every network from one calendar
Optimate schedules to LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads, Google Business, Bluesky and Mastodon from one calendar. Meta's planner reaches Facebook and Instagram only, so LinkedIn, TikTok, Google Business and the rest have to be done somewhere else.
Posts written in your brand's voice
Optimate keeps a brand kit for each brand (voice, audience, forbidden words, colours and logo) and writes captions and designs against it. In Meta Business Suite each post starts from what you type.
Built for client work
From Studio, each client gets its own brand kit and approval link; on Agency, client-branded reports go out by email every week or month.
Every tool you get with Optimate
Whichever tool you’re weighing us against, this is the full toolkit — every tool and benefit included, because the content is generated on-brand, not just scheduled.
Where Meta Business Suite has the edge
We’d rather tell you than have you find out. If one of these is a dealbreaker, Meta Business Suite may suit you better.
It costs nothing
Meta Business Suite comes with your Facebook Page at no cost. If Facebook and Instagram are your only networks and you write your own posts, there is nothing to pay for and no reason to switch.
Messages in Meta's own inbox
Messenger and Instagram direct messages are answered in one place. Optimate has direct messages on Bluesky only.
Ads beside your posts
Boosts and ads are run from the same place as your posts. Optimate does organic posts only.
Related guides
Wider comparisons that include Meta Business Suite, if you’re still drawing up a shortlist.
Switching from Meta Business Suite?
1. Connect your accounts
Start the free trial and connect the accounts you post to. Nothing changes on Meta Business Suite, so you can run both for a week.
2. Bring your queued posts
Put them in a spreadsheet and upload it with Bulk upload, up to 200 posts at a time, on paid plans and the trial. Columns called caption, text or content, platform, date and time, and image or media are all read, so you rarely need to rename anything.
3. Set up your brand kit
Tell Optimate your voice, audience and colours once, and every new post is written and designed to match.
Common questions
Is Meta Business Suite free?
Yes. It comes with your Facebook Page and costs nothing to use; only ads you choose to run are paid for. Optimate has a free plan too, with 3 connected accounts, and Pro is £29 a month for 10.
Why pay for Optimate when Meta Business Suite is free?
Because it reaches the networks Meta's planner doesn't, and writes and designs the posts from your brand kit. If you only post to Facebook and Instagram and write your own captions, stay with Meta Business Suite.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many businesses keep Meta Business Suite for direct messages and ads, and plan and post across every network from Optimate. Posts Optimate publishes appear on your Page and Instagram account like any other post.
Try it against your own accounts
Every account starts with a 14-day free trial, with no card required — enough to judge the content quality against whatever you use today. After that the free plan covers 3 connected accounts and 5 free AI generations to try, for captions, branded designs and carousels; AI pictures and video are on paid plans.
Start your 14-day free trial