WP Scheduled Posts Review: Automate Your WordPress Publishing

What Is WP Scheduled Posts?

WordPress has a built-in scheduling feature, but it's bare-bones. If you're managing more than a handful of posts per week, manually setting publish times inside each individual post gets old fast. WP Scheduled Posts is a plugin that sits on top of WordPress's native scheduling and adds automation, a drag-and-drop calendar, and social media publishing.

The core idea is simple: instead of going into every post to pick a date and time, you configure a publishing schedule once, and the plugin handles the rest. It can evenly distribute your content throughout the week, post to Facebook and Twitter automatically, and even recover from missed schedules if WordPress hiccups.

This is a plugin that makes a lot more sense for some use cases than others. If you're a solopreneur struggling to publish two posts a month, you probably don't need it. But if you're running a news site, a multi-author blog, or any WordPress property with a steady stream of content, it starts to look very appealing.

Pricing and AppSumo Deal

The lifetime deal on AppSumo started at $39 for five sites, which is a reasonable price point for a WordPress plugin. Stacking a second code brought that up to 10 sites, and a third code at $117 total enabled unlimited sites.

The feature set was identical across all tiers — the only difference was the number of sites you could activate the plugin on. That's a clean, straightforward pricing structure. You get the schedule calendar, auto and manual post scheduling, the missed post handler, and full social sharing integration to Twitter and Facebook regardless of which tier you pick.

General Settings and Dashboard Widgets

Once installed, WP Scheduled Posts adds a settings page with a handful of toggles. Most users won't need to touch much here, but there are a few options worth knowing about.

First, there's a dashboard widget that shows your upcoming scheduled posts at a glance. You can toggle it on or off. There are also two separate toggles for showing scheduled posts in the WordPress admin bar — one for the front end (when you're browsing your live site while logged in) and one for the back end. The labeling here could be clearer; they're essentially front-end and back-end visibility toggles for the same admin bar feature.

You can also configure which post types the plugin works with. By default it handles standard WordPress posts, but if you've set up custom post types — like a dedicated "reviews" type — you can add those here. There are also settings for category display and user role permissions, so editors and contributors can manage scheduling without needing full admin access.

Auto Scheduler vs. Manual Scheduler

The heart of the plugin is the "Manage Schedule" section, which offers two distinct modes: auto and manual scheduling.

The auto scheduler is the hands-off option. You tell it which days of the week to publish and how many posts per day, and it handles the timing. You can also set a time range — say 9 AM to 5 PM — so articles only go live during business hours when your audience is most likely online. The plugin picks a random time within that window for each post.

The manual scheduler gives you precise control. If you want articles published every Monday at 7 AM sharp, this is where you set that up. It's better suited for publications with a rigid editorial calendar.

There's also a "missed schedule" handler that acts as a safety net. If WordPress fails to fire a scheduled post on time (which does happen occasionally due to cron issues), the plugin will publish it at the earliest opportunity. This is more relevant for the manual scheduler, since the auto scheduler would simply catch up on its own at the next available slot.

Social Media Integration

WP Scheduled Posts can automatically share your published posts to Twitter and Facebook. Setup requires generating API keys for Twitter and creating an app inside Facebook Business Manager, which is a bit involved but manageable — the plugin includes step-by-step instructions.

Once connected, you configure social templates that control how your posts appear on each platform. The template can pull in the article title, a content blurb, the URL, and tags. One clever feature: the plugin can automatically convert your WordPress categories into social media hashtags, which might make you rethink how you organize your content taxonomy.

For Twitter, you can also include the post's featured image. Facebook templates offer similar options with additional metadata controls, and you can choose whether to share as a link post or a status update. It's not a full-blown social media management tool, but for automatically syndicating content as it publishes, it covers the basics well.

The Visual Calendar and Post Editor

The standout feature is the drag-and-drop calendar. Rather than opening each post individually to assign a publish date, you get a monthly calendar view with all your unscheduled posts listed in a sidebar. You simply drag posts onto the dates you want, and they're scheduled based on the times you configured in your settings.

This is where the plugin really earns its keep. If you have dozens of posts queued up, scheduling them all through the standard WordPress editor would be tedious. The calendar turns a 30-minute chore into a 30-second task.

Within individual posts, WP Scheduled Posts also replaces the default WordPress publish UI with its own scheduling controls. You get a checkbox to auto-schedule based on your configured times, a manual date and time picker, and the ability to add social sharing tags directly from the post editor. If you need to fine-tune a post's schedule after dragging it onto the calendar, there's an edit button that drops you right into the post editor.

Final Verdict: 8.7 out of 10

WP Scheduled Posts is a thoughtful, well-built plugin that does exactly what it promises. It's fast, doesn't add bloat to the WordPress back end, and if you don't like the extra menu items, there are built-in toggles to hide them. The drag-and-drop calendar alone is worth the price of admission for high-volume publishers.

The caveat is that this is a niche tool. If you're not publishing frequently enough to need automated scheduling, you won't get much value here. But for news sites, multi-author blogs, content agencies, or anyone running a publication with a consistent editorial cadence, it's a solid addition to the WordPress toolkit.

Dave gave it an 8.7 out of 10 — a strong score that reflects a plugin doing its job well, even if the target audience is narrower than most.

Watch the Full Video

Prefer watching to reading? Check out the full video on YouTube for a complete walkthrough with live demos and commentary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is WP Scheduled Posts?

WP Scheduled Posts is a WordPress plugin that enhances the built-in scheduling feature with a content calendar, auto-scheduling, and social media auto-posting for planned content publishing.

Does WordPress have a content calendar?

WordPress does not include a visual content calendar by default. WP Scheduled Posts adds a drag-and-drop calendar view that shows all your scheduled and published posts in a monthly overview.

Can WP Scheduled Posts auto-share to social media?

Yes, WP Scheduled Posts can automatically share published posts to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. You configure which platforms receive auto-posts when content goes live.

How does auto-scheduling work in WP Scheduled Posts?

Auto-scheduling lets you set publishing windows and days. When you create a post, the plugin automatically assigns the next available time slot within your preferred publishing schedule.

Is WP Scheduled Posts worth it for solo bloggers?

For bloggers publishing regularly and maintaining a consistent schedule, the visual calendar and auto-scheduling features save time and help maintain publishing consistency.