Compare/Head to head

aiCarousels vs Draftly

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

aiCarousels

$10/mo Free trial

AI carousel generator that turns an idea, a link, a PDF or a YouTube video into a finished carousel for LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and X, with an AI ghostwriter, 304 layouts and brand kits. You can try it free with no sign up; Pro is $10/mo billed yearly, or $99 once with your own OpenAI key.

Where aiCarousels fits

  • Recruiters posting job and market insight carousels on LinkedIn
  • Agency owners turning blog posts into slides
  • Small teams that want branded carousels without a designer

Draftly

$19/mo Free tier

Draftly is a LinkedIn writer and scheduler with a free plan of 5 posts a month and paid Starter at $19/mo for 50 posts.

Where Draftly fits

  • Creators who want a no-card LinkedIn writer with carousel previews
  • Weekday posters who need Starter's 50 posts and 300 extension comments
  • Daily publishers who will burn Pro's 200 posts and 1,000 comments
  • Sellers who want Inbox AI reply drafts without switching tools

At a glance

DetailaiCarouselsDraftly
Starting price$10/mo$19/mo
Free tier–No✓Yes
Free trialYesNot on record
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underPersonal brandPersonal brand

Where they pull apart

aiCarousels

Stands out: It writes and designs the slides in one step, with 19 ghostwriter voices, posts straight to your LinkedIn profile, and offers a $99 lifetime plan that runs on your own OpenAI key instead of a subscription.

Watch out: The free try lets you build and edit but not download or post, so real use needs Pro. Posting and scheduling reach personal LinkedIn profiles only, not company pages, and the lifetime plan bills AI usage to your own OpenAI account.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that post mainly to LinkedIn company pages
  • Users who need a full content calendar across formats

Draftly

Stands out: Inbox Management and LinkedIn Outreach are optional $19/mo add-ons on any plan, including Free.

Watch out: Pro's 200 posts and 1,000 extension comments still sit inside LinkedIn publishing, so this is not a multi-network scheduler.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that need native Instagram, TikTok, or X queues in the same product
  • Buyers who want a numbered free trial rather than a capped free plan

Pros and cons

aiCarousels

  • Writes and designs carousels in one step
  • One click posting to LinkedIn
  • $99 lifetime option
  • Free try has no downloads
  • Posting reaches personal profiles only
  • Lifetime plan needs your own OpenAI key

Draftly

  • Free plan with no card and the same core editor as paid
  • Starter at $19/mo is a clear step up to 50 posts without an annual lock
  • Inbox and Outreach add-ons can sit on Free instead of forcing a plan jump
  • LinkedIn-only publishing, with no multi-channel queue
  • Extension comments cap at 20 on Free, which is easy to burn
  • Outreach add-on requires a Claude account for the AI campaign path

What each one costs

aiCarousels

$10/mo

You can try it free with no sign up and edit the carousel, but downloads and posting need a paid plan. Pro is $10/mo billed yearly ($120 a year). Team is $39/mo billed yearly ($468 a year) for 5 seats with a writer and brand kit per client. Pro Lifetime is $99 once, with AI usage billed to your own OpenAI key. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 10 Nov 2026

Draftly

$19/mo

Free is $0 with 5 posts and 20 extension comments per month, no card. Starter is $19/mo for 50 posts and 300 comments. Pro is $49/mo for 200 posts and 1,000 comments. Annual billing is available on Starter and Pro. Inbox Management and LinkedIn Outreach are $19/mo add-ons on any plan. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Is aiCarousels cheaper than Draftly?
aiCarousels starts lower, at $10/mo against $19/mo for Draftly. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try aiCarousels or Draftly for free?
Draftly carries a free tier on our listing. aiCarousels offers a free trial.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 10 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?