The content marketing landscape is shifting rapidly, and platforms that once seemed indispensable are now facing challenges even experts didn’t predict just months ago. Think of the current situation like navigating a city you thought you knew by heart — the familiar shortcuts are suddenly under construction, new paths are opening up and your GPS keeps recalculating your route.
As marketers, we need to stay ahead of these changes and understand how they impact the experiences we create for audiences — sometimes even before we have all the information.
Right now, the rise of AI-generated content is creating significant quality problems across the industry. Audiences are encountering more automated, generic content than ever before, while marketers struggle to maintain the authenticity and relevance that drives real engagement.
That’s not us complaining; you said it. 71% of content marketers in our recent AI survey identify generic, bland content as their biggest AI challenge, while 42% are watching thin, irrelevant content fail to meet actual audience needs.
This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. As content quality becomes increasingly important for standing out, you need to evaluate whether your current platform is helping you rise above the noise or contributing to it. Today, we’re examining Contently and exploring alternatives that might better serve your content strategy in 2025.
Understanding Contently: What It Offers
Contently carved out its niche as the sophisticated option in content marketing platforms. Think of it as the well-dressed cousin of basic freelance marketplaces.
Their core offering revolves around agentic AI content creation — essentially human-AI collaboration with editorial oversight baked in. The platform deploys specialized AI agents for different tasks:
- Brand voice consistency.
- SEO-optimized content.
- Fact-checking features.
- LLM optimization.
- AI detectability (though one might argue reliability on that last one remains questionable).
Beyond the AI bells and whistles, Contently maintains its freelancer marketplace roots. You get access to vetted content creators plus content management workflows that handle approval processes without the usual back-and-forth email chains (we’ve all got enough of those).
The platform works well for teams that want structure without micromanagement. But here’s where things get interesting — and why marketers are shopping around.
Why the Marketing World Keeps Peeking at Other Writers’ Platform Choices
The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when your content needs are anything but standard. And let’s be honest, who is (or wants to be) standard?
We can already observe how specialization drives most platform switches. To point out the obvious, B2B SaaS companies need different workflows than e-commerce brands. Health care marketers face independent research and compliance requirements that fashion brands don’t, and generic platforms force square pegs into round holes.
And let’s not forget that the increased content performance we hope for comes at a cost. Contently’s pricing model works great if you’re a mid-to-large enterprise with constant content volume. Smaller teams often find themselves paying for features they’ll never use while lacking the specific functionality they actually need — be it more advanced social media integration or document management.
Plus, the constant updates about new platforms force (some) organizations to favor platforms with integration capabilities to future-proof their choice. As a rule, your content platform should play nice with your existing tech stack, not declare war on it. Contently certainly offers basic integrations with WordPress, Drupal, Adobe Experience Manager and a few social media platforms — but unless you count Zapier as support, that’s about where the party ends.
It’s like being in a relationship where you constantly lean on your best friend for emotional support because your actual partner won’t fully commit. Sure, Zapier can bridge the gap, but why should you need a middleman for basic compatibility? Some teams want seamless connections to their CRM, content analytics tools and project management systems without the extra relationship counseling.
So, if these factors make you doubt whether Contently is the right choice for your business, who will be there for you?
Top 6 Contently Alternatives for 2025
1. contentmarketing.ai
The specialist’s choice for comprehensive AI-powered content strategy workflows.
Yes, we know. Including our own content marketing software in a list seems a bit … odd. But Brafton’s team has invested a lot of time and effort in building automated workflows based on years of expertise in manual content production. Instead of focusing on one-size-fits-all content creation, we’ve developed purpose-built workflows designed for exact industry use cases we already know.
Our blog content creation workflow, for instance, focuses on authority building, not keyword stuffing. Content ideation templates dig into brand and audience analysis to suggest topics that actually matter. For existing content, we’ve developed a copy refiner that sharpens clarity and strategic impact, while copy updates ensure brand alignment without starting from scratch.
Whether you want to grab media attention with a quickly crafted press release or need to prep subject matter expert interviews to ensure your content hits E-E-A-T objectives, Brafton’s content marketing platform has you covered. Social media optimization and SEO refresh capabilities round out a toolkit that thinks like a content strategist, not just a content generator.
Best for: Businesses prioritizing content quality and brand authority, teams needing specialized workflows for different content types and organizations requiring comprehensive SEO integration.
2. Skyword
The data-driven storytelling platform that treats content like science.
Skyword’s Accelerator 360 combines live data, automation, human creativity and GenAI in ways that make other platforms look like they’re guessing. Their AI topic discovery uncovers opportunities aligned with specific brand goals, so you don’t depend on generic suggestions generated by a chatbot.
Automated brief generation streamlines planning processes that usually involve multiple meetings and endless revisions. Plus, you get access to Skyword’s vetted writer community when you need human expertise.
Best for: Large enterprises needing data-driven content strategies, brands requiring extensive creator network access and teams focused on performance analytics and optimization.
3. Sprinklr
The unified customer experience platform that happens to excel at content.
Sprinklr AI+ is like that one kid in school who seemed effortlessly good at everything — math, science, art, sports. While other content software providers stick to one specialty, Sprinklr AI+ runs on multiple AI models (Sprinklr AI, Google Cloud Vertex AI, OpenAI’s ChatGPT), giving you flexibility instead of vendor lock-in. But here’s what truly sets it apart: cross-functional AI that extends beyond content to customer service and support.
Agent assistance provides AI-powered support for customer-facing teams. Conversational AI handles chatbot and automation capabilities. It’s content marketing for teams that understand customer experience doesn’t stop at publication.
Best for: Organizations needing unified customer experience management, teams requiring both content marketing and customer service AI and businesses with complex, multi-channel customer interactions.
4. Content Harmony
The SEO-first content optimization specialist that speaks search engine.
Built on IBM’s keyword extraction API, Content Harmony treats SEO like a science experiment with measurable results. Their proprietary metrics — content difficulty, link difficulty, domain difficulty scores — give you numbers that actually mean something.
Competitor analysis generates AI outlines based on what’s already working in your space. Multi-media analysis optimizes visual and video content, not just text. It’s SEO without the guesswork.
Best for: SEO-focused content teams, businesses competing in high-difficulty keyword markets and organizations requiring detailed competitor content analysis.
5. Adobe GenStudio for Performance Marketing
The creative-first marketing content generator for teams that think visually.
This AI-first creative app lets marketing teams create ads and emails independently — no more waiting for design approvals. Firefly custom models provide integrated image generation with brand consistency built in.
Video generation capabilities are coming soon, but the persona-based personalization already tailors content to specific target audiences. Campaign optimization streamlines everything from content creation to management workflow.
Best for: Marketing teams focused on paid social, performance marketing and display advertising, organizations prioritizing visual content creation and businesses needing rapid campaign asset generation.
6. Traditional Contently
The established freelancer marketplace leader that started this whole conversation.
Credit where it’s due: Contently remains a mature platform with established processes. Their large network of vetted freelancers provides proven content management workflows, backed by strong brand recognition.
The limitations driving migration:
- Less specialized AI functionality compared to newer platforms.
- Higher costs for smaller teams.
- Limited customization for specific industry needs.
Contently works if you need traditional content marketing with reliable execution. Just remember that specialized needs require specialized tools.
Making the Right Choice for Your Team
Your platform decision should follow a framework, not a feeling.
Start with assessment: What content challenges actually keep you awake at night? Define success metrics that matter to your business, not vanity metrics that look good in reports. Evaluate your team’s current capabilities and capacity constraints.
Test platform alignment: Most platforms offer trials or demos. Use them. See how the workflow feels when you’re actually creating content, not just watching marketing videos.
Plan implementation strategically: Phased rollouts prevent chaos. Training investment determines adoption success. Integration planning ensures your new platform plays nice with existing tools. Performance monitoring keeps you honest about results.
The content marketing landscape offers diverse, specialized alternatives to traditional platforms. The right choice depends on your specific business needs, team structure and content goals.
AI-powered content creation will continue evolving rapidly. Platform selection isn’t just about today’s needs — it’s about positioning your team for whatever comes next. Choose accordingly.
Note: This article was originally published on contentmarketing.ai.