Later is still one of the best tools for planning an Instagram feed that looks good. It gets harder to justify once you post to several networks or work with a team, and since 2025 it has neither a free plan nor X support.
This guide compares ten Later alternatives and says who each one suits. Every price was read off the vendor’s own pricing page on 24 September 2026, and each entry has a screenshot of that page. We make PostPost.ai, which is one of the ten; we say where the others beat it.
On this page: At a glance · Why people switch · The 10 alternatives · Pricing compared · How to choose · FAQ
Best Later alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starts at (monthly billing) | Priced by | Free plan | Users on the entry plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostPost.ai | Businesses with nobody to write the posts | $29 | Brand | No, 7-day trial | Unlimited |
| Buffer | Simple scheduling on many networks | $6 per channel | Channel | Yes, 3 channels | 1 |
| Planoly | Instagram-first creators | $16 | Social set | Mobile app only | 1 |
| Planable | Teams that need client approval | $39 per workspace | Workspace | First 50 posts | Unlimited |
| Hootsuite | Larger teams and enterprises | £89 per user | User | No | Each user pays |
| Agorapulse | Replying to comments and DMs | $99 per user | User | Yes | Each user pays |
| Publer | The lowest paid price | $5 | Social account | Yes, 3 accounts | 1, extra members paid |
| Metricool | Analytics and reporting | $25 | Brand | Yes, 1 brand | 1 |
| SocialPilot | Agencies with many accounts | $30 | Social account | No | 1 |
| Sendible | Teams that want unlimited users | $35 | Workspace | No | Unlimited |
| Later | Instagram visual planning | $25 | Social set | No | 1 |
Hootsuite’s page served us pounds and shows annual billing only, so its row is in pounds. Annual billing is cheaper at every tool here, usually by 15% to 25%.
What Later costs in 2026
Later sells three plans, priced by social set. A social set is one profile on each network Later supports, so in practice one set is one brand.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Social sets | Users | Posts per profile per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25 | $18.75 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| Growth | $50 | $37.50 | 2 | 2 | 180 |
| Scale | $110 | $82.50 | 6 | 4 | Unlimited |
On Growth and Scale, an extra social set is $15 a month and an extra user is $5. Starter cannot add either. The social inbox, approvals and a year of analytics start on Growth.
Later publishes to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat. There is a 14-day trial.
Why people are switching from Later
Five reasons come up in almost every guide ranking for this search.
- The free plan is gone. Later now offers a 14-day trial and then paid plans only.
- Social sets make a second brand expensive. Each extra brand is another set, $15 a month on Growth, and Starter cannot add one at all.
- X support ended. Later stopped publishing to X on 28 August 2025, and new X connections were closed a month earlier.
- Starter is tight. One user, 30 posts per profile a month and 5 AI credits, with no add-ons. A daily poster reaches the cap by the end of the month.
- Team features cost $50. The inbox, approvals and a second user all start on Growth.
How we chose these alternatives
We started from the 25 tools named by the six pages ranking highest for “Later alternatives”. We kept the ten named most often that a Later user would realistically move to, plus our own product.
For each one we read the pricing page, set any calculator to realistic numbers, took a screenshot and noted the date. We did not rely on review sites for prices, because they go stale quickly.
The 10 best Later alternatives
1. PostPost.ai
Best for: small businesses where nobody has time to write the posts.
PostPost.ai starts from your website instead of an empty calendar. It reads the site, builds a brand kit from it (services, prices, tone, colours, logo) and writes a week of posts for each channel, with images to match. You review and approve every post before it goes out.
Key features
- Posts, carousels and images written from your own website
- One calendar for Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Telegram, Google Business Profile, Bluesky and Pinterest
- Comments and DMs in one inbox, and analytics, on every plan
- Unlimited team seats on every plan
Pricing: Starter is $29 a month ($290 a year) for one brand on three channels and about 30 posts. Business is $59 a month ($590 a year) with no channel cap and about 60 posts. Pro is $149 for three brands and Studio $299 for ten. There is a 7-day trial, and you can see your first posts before entering a card.
Pros
- Writes the posts, which none of the other nine do
- No per-seat or per-channel charges
Cons
- No link-in-bio page, no Snapchat and no social listening
- Needs a website to read; without one there is nothing to build from
- DMs come in from Facebook and Instagram only
“We were spending 4–5 hours a week on Instagram posts alone. I had to employ someone — separate images, separate text, then load it into every channel. Now it takes me 15 minutes for the whole week.” — 2VP.Uk, design and build contractor, London
Paste your website and see the week it writes.
2. Buffer
Best for: people who liked Later’s simplicity and post to many networks.
Buffer is the closest thing to Later in how it feels: a clean queue, a calendar and good mobile apps. It connects more networks than Later, including X, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile.
Key features
- Per-channel pricing, so you pay only for the accounts you connect
- Community inbox on every plan, including Free
- Approval workflows and unlimited team members on Team
Pricing: Free covers 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel. Essentials is $6 per channel a month ($5 annually) for one user. Team is $12 per channel ($10 annually) with unlimited users. 14-day trial.
Pros
- A free plan for up to 3 channels
- Cheap for one person with a few channels
Cons
- A second person means Team, which doubles the price of every channel
- Per-channel pricing adds up once you pass five or six networks
3. Planoly
Best for: Instagram-first creators who want the same visual planning as Later.
Planoly is the closest match to Later’s grid planner, and it is cheaper at every tier. It adds a creator store for selling digital products and merch from your link-in-bio page.
Key features
- Visual Instagram grid planner with auto-posting
- Free link in bio with a built-in store
- Instagram DM automation and a comment inbox for Instagram
Pricing: Starter $16 a month ($14 annually) for one social set and one user. Growth $28 ($24) for two sets and two users. Pro $55 ($47) for six sets and six users. On Growth, an extra set is $10 and an extra user $5. The free plan lives in the mobile app and allows 10 uploads a month. 14-day trial.
Pros
- The nearest thing to Later’s planner, for less money
- Selling from the link-in-bio page is built in
Cons
- X is reminder-only: Planoly’s help centre says you post to X by hand
- Built around Instagram; other networks get fewer features
4. Planable
Best for: agencies and brand teams whose posts need client approval.
Planable is built around approval. A client sees the post as it will appear, comments on it in place and approves it, and nothing publishes before that. Users are unlimited on every plan, so clients cost nothing.
Key features
- Approval workflows, from optional to multi-level
- Feed and calendar views, plus a grid view on Pro
- Unlimited users on every plan
Pricing: Basic is $39 per workspace a month with 4 social pages and 60 posts. Pro is $59 with 10 pages and 150 posts. Annual billing gives two months free ($33 and $49). Analytics ($14) and the social inbox ($9) are add-ons per workspace. The first 50 posts are free, with no time limit.
Pros
- The best approval flow in this list
- No per-user cost for clients and reviewers
Cons
- Basic publishes one post to X per 24 hours
- Analytics and the inbox cost extra on every plan
5. Hootsuite
Best for: larger teams and companies that need an established, full-featured suite.
Hootsuite covers publishing, the inbox, listening and reporting in one product, with many integrations. It is priced per user, which suits companies with a budget more than small teams.
Key features
- Unified inbox and brand monitoring from the entry plan
- Unlimited social accounts and inbox automation on Professional
- Content approval and team routing on Advanced
Pricing: Standard £89, Professional £169 and Advanced £349 per user a month on annual billing. Standard covers up to 10 social accounts. Enterprise is custom. 14-day trial. The page showed us pounds; US prices differ.
Pros
- The broadest feature set here, with a mature analytics suite
- Widely known, so new hires have often used it
Cons
- Per-user pricing adds up fast: two people on Standard are £178 a month
- Approvals need Advanced
6. Agorapulse
Best for: social media managers who spend their day replying to people.
Agorapulse is built around the inbox. All messages and organic comments land in one inbox, and the inbox is on the entry plan.
Key features
- All messages and organic comments in one inbox, with labels
- Approval workflows, with multi-step approval on Custom
- Inbox assignment and team performance reports from Professional
Pricing: Standard $99, Professional $149 and Advanced $199 per user a month; annual billing is $79, $119 and $149. Each plan includes 10 social profiles. X publishing is a separate add-on, priced on request. There is a free plan and a 30-day trial with no card.
Pros
- The strongest inbox for its price
- A free plan to start on
Cons
- Per-user pricing, like Hootsuite
- X is not part of the plans
7. Publer
Best for: the lowest paid price that covers most networks.
Publer prices each social account separately, so a small setup costs very little. It publishes to X on paid plans and adds automation that Later does not have.
Key features
- Bulk scheduling, RSS automations and recycling of old posts
- Link in bio through Linkie
- Telegram, Bluesky, Mastodon and Google Business Profile
Pricing: Professional starts at $5 a month for one account and Business at $10. Five accounts cost $20 on Professional or $35 on Business, on monthly billing. Annual billing saves 20%. The free plan covers 3 accounts, without X.
Pros
- Very cheap for a single person
- X is included on every paid plan
Cons
- No social inbox
- Analytics and best posting times need Business
8. Metricool
Best for: people who care most about analytics and reports.
Metricool combines scheduling with analytics that go further than most tools at this price. It tracks competitors and ads, and keeps unlimited history from the first paid plan.
Key features
- Analytics with unlimited history and competitor tracking
- Several brands on one plan
- Link in bio pages and a Looker Studio connector
Pricing: Free covers one brand, without LinkedIn or X. Starter is $25 a month ($20 annually) for up to 5 brands. Advanced is $67 ($53) for 15 brands, and adds team management and post approval. X is an add-on: $10 a month for each X account.
Pros
- The best reporting for the price
- Five brands on the entry plan
Cons
- X costs extra per account
- A second team member needs Advanced
9. SocialPilot
Best for: agencies that manage many accounts on a budget.
SocialPilot gives a lot of accounts and users per dollar. Client approval and free client seats come on the higher plans.
Key features
- Social inbox and manager approval from Standard
- Client approval, white-label reports and free client seats from Premium
- Bulk scheduling
Pricing: Essentials $30 a month for 7 accounts and 1 user. Standard $50 for 15 accounts and 3 users. Premium $100 for 25 accounts and 6 users. Ultimate $200 for 50 accounts and unlimited users. Extra accounts are $4 and extra users $5. Annual billing saves 15%. 14-day trial, no card.
Pros
- Good value for teams and agencies
- X, Google Business Profile and Bluesky included
Cons
- Essentials has no inbox, analytics or approvals
- The AI assistant knows nothing about your brand
10. Sendible
Best for: teams that do not want to pay per person.
Sendible includes unlimited users on every plan, and replying to comments is on the entry plan. Each workspace, usually one per brand or client, holds six social profiles.
Key features
- Unlimited users on all plans
- Monitoring and replying from Core
- Assignment and approvals from Plus
Pricing: Core $35 a month for 1 workspace and 6 profiles. Plus $99 for 3 workspaces and 18 profiles. Premium $199, Elite $299 and Enterprise $750 for more. 14-day trial, no card.
Pros
- Adding people costs nothing
- Inbox on the cheapest plan
Cons
- Six profiles per workspace; a seventh network needs a second workspace
- Sendible’s own FAQ says it does not answer Instagram DMs
Later vs the alternatives: pricing compared
Entry prices are hard to compare, because each tool charges by something different. Here is one typical Later setup priced at every tool: one brand on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube, with two people using it.
| Tool | Monthly price | Plan and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Publer | $22 | Professional, 5 accounts plus 1 member; no inbox |
| Planoly | $28 | Growth, 2 users |
| Sendible | $35 | Core, unlimited users |
| Later | $50 | Growth, 2 social sets and 2 users |
| SocialPilot | $50 | Standard, 3 users |
| PostPost.ai | $59 | Business, unlimited seats, posts written for you |
| Planable | $59 | Pro, because Basic holds 4 pages |
| Buffer | $60 | Team, 5 channels × $12 |
| Metricool | $67 | Advanced, where team members start |
| Hootsuite | £178 | Standard, 2 users × £89 on annual billing |
| Agorapulse | $198 | Standard, 2 users × $99 |
Later’s Growth plan sits in the middle for this setup. Planoly and Publer are cheaper, and the two per-user tools cost several times more.
Your own setup is probably different. Set it below and every tool in this article is priced for it.