Our pick$99 Social4.6Trustpilot4.5Google Top 1% global talent
vs
Basic PlanSmarcomms4.4Trustpilot

$99 Social vs Smarcomms: A close match — we just add a decade of track record and more flexible plans.

Smarcomms is one of the closest alternatives to $99 Social — a managed service with human writers and designers, custom branded posts, scheduling and a review step. This one's a genuine head-to-head, so the differences come down to track record, plan flexibility and price at higher post volumes.

Smarcomms review

What is Smarcomms?

Smarcomms is a genuinely comparable managed social media service. Like $99 Social, it uses human writers and designers, creates custom branded posts, schedules and publishes for you, and includes a review step before content goes live — so this is a close head-to-head rather than a night-and-day difference.

Where $99 Social pulls ahead is track record and flexibility. We've run the same done-for-you service since 2012 (Smarcomms launched in 2016), we offer a 15-post mid-tier at $149 that their public plans skip, and we come in slightly lower at the higher tiers — $189 vs $195 for 20 posts and $279 vs $295 for 30. We also plan your whole month of content in advance for approval, so you see the full picture before anything publishes.

Head to head

$99 Social vs Smarcomms, line by line.

$99 Social
Smarcomms
Starting price
$99/mo
$99/mo
Posts per month
10–30
10
Content quality
Great
Good
Customer reviews
4.6Trustpilot4.5Google
4.4Trustpilot
Custom, branded posts
Scheduled & posted for you
Review before posting
Revisions included
Dedicated account manager
Managed team — a single dedicated account manager isn't specified.
Platforms supported
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (+$10/mo per extra channel)
Contract
Month-to-month
Cancel anytime
Team location
US & managed global team Top 1% global talent
UK & outsourced global
In business since
2012
2016
The difference

How $99 Social is better than Smarcomms.

01
Top-quality talent

We hire from the top 1% of social media writers and designers worldwide, so the quality and skill behind your posts stay consistent month after month.

02
Planned a month ahead

Your whole month of content is briefed, designed and laid out in advance for your approval — so you can see the full plan before anything publishes, instead of reacting week to week.

03
Flexibility & scale

Add channels and scale posts up or down anytime, thanks to a subscription model and a modular team structure built to adapt to your needs.

04
Cost-efficiency

We use technology to streamline operations and a no-waste model — then pass the savings on to you, keeping the price at $99 since 2012.

Straight from their reviews

What Smarcomms customers complain about.

Recurring themes pulled from Smarcomms's public negative reviews. We've grouped them so you can see the patterns before you commit — no cherry-picking, no single reviewer quoted.

  • Advertised post counts hide a 'credits' systemReviewers report the headline plan only includes a credit allowance that runs out fast — actually using everything advertised can cost hundreds of dollars more per month.
  • 'Per week' quietly becomes 'per month'One reviewer paid for 5 posts a week, got that the first week, then was switched to 20 posts a month — leaving later weeks with only two or three posts.
  • Generic, AI-style, off-brand postsComplaints mention cookie-cutter content, the wrong logo dropped on posts, ChatGPT-style captions and a monotonous style that didn't reflect the brand.
  • Feedback gets missed or ignoredReviewers describe correcting the same issues every post, days of back-and-forth, and content that still didn't match the brief or launch-call changes.
  • Slow support, ghosting, no phone lineMultiple reviews cite chasing for updates, being ghosted for days, condescending replies, and support only over slow live chat or email.
  • Missed deadlines and empty weeksReports include work delivered well past promised dates, weeks with nothing to approve, and subscriptions cancelled before the final week was delivered.
Avoid unless you want cookie cutter content poorly designed and with little input or creativity.
The Tech MotherTrustpilot · Apr 2025
The $179.00 plan only includes 2000 credits… it would cost you at least an additional $800.00 a month.
Verified reviewerTrustpilot
I am not very much excited with the ChatGPT generated content and a very monotonous style of posts.
Verified reviewerTrustpilot

Themes and quotes are taken verbatim from Smarcomms's public reviews on Trustpilot and similar sites, lightly trimmed for length. Individual experiences vary.

Where Smarcomms falls short
  • No mid-tier planTheir public plans jump straight from 10 posts to 20. $99 Social offers a 15-post plan at $149 for businesses that want more than 10 but not quite 20.
  • Slightly higher at scaleAt matching volumes $99 Social is a little cheaper — $189 vs $195 for 20 posts, and $279 vs $295 for 30.
  • Newer to the spaceSmarcomms has operated since 2016; $99 Social has refined the same done-for-you service since 2012 across 10,000+ small businesses.
Where $99 Social wins
  • Real humans, never an AI millEvery caption is written and every graphic designed by a person on your team. AI only helps us research and brainstorm — it never writes your posts.
  • A whole team, not one generalistA dedicated account manager, a writer, and a designer matched to your industry — the crew an agency assigns to a $3,000/mo retainer, at a fraction of the price.
  • Nothing posts without your approvalReview and approval is built into every post at no extra charge. We never publish content you haven't signed off on.
  • Month-to-month, same $99 since 2012No setup fees, no contracts, cancel anytime — plus a written 14-day money-back guarantee on management plans.
Honest fit

Who is Smarcomms actually right for?

If you've narrowed it down to Smarcomms and $99 Social, you're choosing between two of the closest services in this space. Smarcomms is a reasonable fit if you post exactly ten times a month to Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and don't expect to scale — its entry plan covers that brief at the same $99 sticker price.

Pick $99 Social if there's any chance you'll grow into more volume: we offer the 15-post mid-tier ($149) their public lineup skips, come in cheaper at 20 and 30 posts, and the post count on your plan is a flat number — not a credit allowance to keep track of. We've also been doing exactly this since 2012, four years longer than Smarcomms has existed.

Making the move

What switching from Smarcomms looks like.

Switching is mostly a like-for-like move: your Smarcomms plan maps directly onto a $99 Social plan at the same or lower price — 10 posts is $99 on both, 20 posts is $189 here versus $195, and 30 is $279 versus $295, with a 15-post step at $149 in between. What's advertised is what's delivered: no credits to run down, and no 'per week' counts that quietly become 'per month'.

To start, submit a short brief from the client dashboard — your voice, your offers, what to promote — and we build your first full month of content for approval before anything publishes. Once your posting workspace invitation arrives you connect your pages, approve the calendar, and let your last paid Smarcomms month run out. No overlap required, no contract on our side.

Questions

$99 Social vs Smarcomms: quick answers.

At the entry tier they're the same $99/mo for 10 posts. At higher volumes $99 Social is slightly cheaper — $189 vs $195 for 20 posts and $279 vs $295 for 30 — and we offer a 15-post plan at $149 that Smarcomms' public lineup skips.
Reviewers report that Smarcomms meters usage through credits, and that actually using everything advertised can cost hundreds more per month. $99 Social has no credits: the post count on your plan is exactly what's delivered each month.
Track record and structure. We've run the same done-for-you service since 2012 across 10,000+ small businesses (Smarcomms launched in 2016), your whole month is planned in advance for approval, and revisions are included until you're happy — backed by a written 14-day money-back guarantee.
4.6/5 · Verified Google reviews

Loved by 10,000+ small businesses.

"I've been using $99 Social to manage social media for my law practice and my non-profit, and I can't recommend them enough. I get regular, professionally written posts that keep both accounts active and engaging — without me carving out hours every week. Five stars, and worth every penny."
MG
Michael Geller
Verified Google Review
"The BEST! Working with my account manager is such a pleasure. Smart, prompt and so helpful! Super pleased with the service!"
AG
Aimee German
Verified Google Review
"My account manager has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Their promptness and communication is greatly appreciated. I've already signed a second account to 99 Social and will most definitely keep using them for any new clients."
BC
Bianca Ciorobara
Verified Google Review
Risk-free · zero commitment

Not feeling it after your first batch of content?
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We're confident in the work our writers and designers will make for you. Every eligible new plan is backed by our 14-day money-back guarantee — no phone tag, no penalty clauses, no scripts to fight through.

  • 14 full days to review your first batch of content and work revisions with your account manager.
  • We'll go through at least two rounds of revisions so we get a real shot at your brand voice.
  • If you still aren't happy, we refund your first month in full.
Read the full policy

Applies to social media management plans (posts & reels). Once posts are published live to your accounts the trial closes — see full terms.

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