Business & Productivity · Later

Best Later Alternatives (2026): 7 Social Media Planners

By Reviewed by S NidhinUpdated 16 public sources citedHow we rank
Quick answer

The best Later alternative for most people is Buffer: it has a free plan, supports X and Bluesky, costs $5 a channel a month billed yearly and puts no cap on its AI Assistant. Planoly is the closest visual planner and includes X in its social set, Metricool adds much stronger analytics from free, and Vista Social gives teams a full inbox with 1,000 AI credits a month. For larger teams, Hootsuite and Sprout Social add listening and deep inboxes, and Postiz is an open-source option.

Why people look for Later alternatives

Too few AI credits

Later's Caption Writer and Ideas use credits: 5 a month on Starter, 50 on Growth. Starter cannot buy more. Buffer's AI Assistant has no usage cap on any plan, and Vista Social includes 1,000 credits a month.

No X or Bluesky

Later supports eight networks but not X or Bluesky, so text-first brands need a second tool. Buffer, Hootsuite, Metricool and Planoly all support X.

No free plan

Later retired its free tier, and plans start at $18.75 a month billed yearly after a 14-day trial. Buffer and Metricool still have free plans.

Billing complaints

Later scores 1.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 350 reviews, mostly about renewals charged without warning and refused refunds, even though working users on Capterra rate it 4.4.

Later alternatives at a glance

ToolBest forPrice fromFree planOur score
Later
for comparison		Visual-first brands on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest$18.75/month (Starter, billed yearly)No7.8
Buffer
Buffer, Inc.		Creators and small businesses who want a free plan and more AIFree; Essentials $5/channel/month billed yearlyYes8.2
Planoly
Planoly		Instagram-first creators who want grid planning for less$14/month billed annually (Starter)Yesn/a
Metricool
Metricool		Creators and agencies who want better analyticsFree; Starter $20/month billed annuallyYes8.2
Vista Social
Vista Social		Teams that want a full suite and generous AI credits$99/month or $950/year (Professional)No8.3
Hootsuite
Hootsuite Inc.		Larger brands that need listening and trend forecasts$99/user/month billed annually (Standard)No8.2
Sprout Social
Sprout Social, Inc.		In-house teams with a busy inbox and reporting needs$79/seat/month billed annually (Essentials)No8.3
Postiz
Gitroom (Postiz)		Technical users who want an open-source schedulerFree to self-host; cloud from $29/month ($23 billed yearly)Yesn/a

Scores come from our category rankings (hover for which one). "n/a" means the tool is not in a ranking yet.

The best Later alternatives, reviewed

#1 · Best for creators and small businesses who want a free plan and more AI

Buffer

by Buffer, Inc. · from Free; Essentials $5/channel/month billed yearly · free plan
8.2/10

Buffer fixes Later's two biggest gaps: AI limits and network coverage. Its AI Assistant writes, rewrites and repurposes posts with no usage cap on any plan, and it publishes to X, Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack as well as Instagram, TikTok and the rest. The free plan covers 3 channels; Essentials costs $5 a channel a month billed yearly, so an Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest setup costs $15 a month. Buffer MCP lets Claude or ChatGPT queue posts for you. Its calendar is less visual than Later's, with no grid-first planner.

Versus Later: Free plan, X support and unlimited AI, but a less visual planner.

Visit BufferOur Buffer review
#2 · Best for instagram-first creators who want grid planning for less

Planoly

by Planoly · from $14/month billed annually (Starter) · free plan

Planoly is Later's most direct rival: a visual planner that previews your Instagram grid and lets you rearrange posts before they go out. Starter costs $14 a month billed annually ($16 monthly) for 1 social set and 1 user, Growth $24 for 2 sets and 2 users, and Pro $47 for 6 sets and 6 users. Its social set includes X, which Later lacks. Every plan includes AI post ideas and caption suggestions, a link-in-bio store for selling digital products and Instagram DM automation. The free tier lives in the mobile app, with 10 uploads a month.

Versus Later: Cheaper grid planning with X support, and a store built into link in bio.

Visit Planoly
#3 · Best for creators and agencies who want better analytics

Metricool

by Metricool · from Free; Starter $20/month billed annually · free plan
8.2/10

Metricool suits Later users who want deeper numbers. It shows organic social, ads and website data in one dashboard, keeps unlimited analytics history on paid plans and tracks up to 100 competitors on Starter, where Later's benchmarking needs Scale. Starter covers 5 brands for $20 a month billed annually ($25 monthly), and Advanced adds approvals and team roles from $53. The free plan includes 1 brand and 20 posts a month but excludes LinkedIn and X. Its AI assistant writes captions, and the Metricool MCP connects AI assistants to your data.

Versus Later: Far stronger analytics per dollar, with a plainer planner.

Visit MetricoolSee it in our rankings
#4 · Best for teams that want a full suite and generous AI credits

Vista Social

by Vista Social · from $99/month or $950/year (Professional)
8.3/10

Vista Social, one of the top picks in our social media ranking, is a step up for teams outgrowing Later. Professional costs $99 a month, or $950 a year, for 15 profiles and 2 users, and includes 1,000 AI credits a month for captions and reply drafts, compared with Later Growth's 50. It adds a unified inbox with reviews, approvals, DM automations, reports and a link-in-bio page, and supports networks Later does not, such as Reddit, Bluesky and Tumblr. X costs $29 a month extra, and web listening starts at $75.

Versus Later: Many more AI credits and networks, at a higher price.

Visit Vista SocialSee it in our rankings
#5 · Best for larger brands that need listening and trend forecasts

Hootsuite

by Hootsuite Inc. · from $99/user/month billed annually (Standard)
8.2/10

Hootsuite suits brands whose social work has grown beyond visual planning. Every plan includes Wisdom, an AI assistant that drafts captions, suggests hashtags, creates images and answers questions about performance, plus a full inbox, brand monitoring and competitor benchmarks. Standard covers up to 10 accounts, including X, for $99 per user a month billed annually; Professional adds unlimited accounts and 90-day trend forecasts at $199. It costs many times Later's price, because every user pays for a seat.

Versus Later: Listening, forecasts and X support, at a per-user price.

Visit HootsuiteOur Hootsuite review
#6 · Best for in-house teams with a busy inbox and reporting needs

Sprout Social

by Sprout Social, Inc. · from $79/seat/month billed annually (Essentials)
8.3/10

Sprout Social is the premium choice when comments, messages and reviews matter as much as posting. Its Smart Inbox and reports are among the strongest in our ranking, its Trellis AI agent answers questions about your data with 100 credits per seat a month, and it offers live chat and phone support on every plan. Essentials is $79 per seat a month billed annually for 5 profiles; the shared inbox is listed from Standard at $199 and unlimited profiles from Professional at $299. It is overkill for a creator planning a grid.

Versus Later: The strongest inbox and reports, at a premium per-seat price.

Visit Sprout SocialOur Sprout Social review
#7 · Best for technical users who want an open-source scheduler

Postiz

by Gitroom (Postiz) · from Free to self-host; cloud from $29/month ($23 billed yearly) · free plan

Postiz is an open-source social media scheduler under the AGPL-3.0 licence, so developers can host it on their own server for free. The cloud version starts at $29 a month, or $23 billed yearly, with a 7-day trial, and every plan includes an AI copilot, AI video tools, an API and an MCP server so Claude or ChatGPT can schedule posts. It is less polished for visual grid planning than Later, and self-hosting takes technical work.

Versus Later: Open source and AI-heavy, but less visual and more technical.

Visit Postiz

How to choose the right Later alternative

Pick by the reason you are leaving Later:

  • You want more AI or a free plan: Buffer.
  • You love grid planning but want to pay less or post to X: Planoly.
  • You need better reports: Metricool.
  • Your team needs a full inbox and lots of AI credits: Vista Social.
  • You have grown into listening and forecasting: Hootsuite or Sprout Social.
  • You want open source: Postiz.

Check our Later pricing page to see what you pay now, and the best AI for social media ranking for scores. If design is your bottleneck rather than scheduling, pair any of these with Canva.

Switching tips from our editors
  1. Download your media library before you cancel; Later stores unlimited photos and videos, and you will want the originals in the new tool.
  2. Rebuild your link-in-bio page first and update the link in your Instagram and TikTok bios on the same day, so followers never hit a dead page.
  3. Export or screenshot your analytics while you still have access; Starter keeps only 3 months of history.
  4. Cancel from a desktop browser before your renewal date, and keep the confirmation email.
  5. Reconnect Instagram and TikTok in the new tool and run a test post on each network before moving your whole calendar.

Still weighing up Later? Read our Later review and Later pricing guide, or see every rival in our Best AI for Social Media ranking.

Jargon explained

Social set
Later's bundle of one profile from each supported network. Starter includes 1 set, which covers up to 8 profiles.
AI credits
Later's monthly allowance for AI features. One credit makes 1 caption or 3 post ideas, and the count resets on the 1st of each month.
User-generated content (UGC)
Photos and videos your customers post about your brand, which you can repost with permission and credit.
Link in bio
A small web page linked from your Instagram or TikTok profile that lists your products, posts and other links.
Notification publishing
Instead of posting automatically, Later sends a phone reminder so you can publish in the app and add music or stickers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Later?

Buffer. Its free plan covers 3 channels with the AI Assistant and no usage cap. Metricool's free plan (1 brand, 20 posts a month) and Planoly's free mobile tier (10 uploads a month) are other options.

Is Planoly better than Later?

It is cheaper, from $14 a month billed annually, includes X in its social set and has AI ideas on every plan. Later has stronger analytics and listening on its Scale plan and more networks such as Snapchat.

Is Buffer better than Later?

For AI writing, X support and a free plan, yes. For visual grid planning and user-generated content, Later is stronger. See our Buffer review.

Which Later alternative supports X (Twitter)?

Buffer, Planoly, Metricool, Hootsuite and Sprout Social all support X. Vista Social supports it as a $29-a-month add-on.

Which Later alternative gives the most AI?

Buffer's AI Assistant has no usage cap on any plan, and Vista Social includes 1,000 AI credits a month on Professional. Later includes 5 to 100 credits a month depending on plan.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from public information. Vendor figures are labelled as vendor claims.

  1. Later pricing (Later)
  2. Later AI social media tools (Later)
  3. Choose a Later Social plan (Later Help Center)
  4. Later acquired by US influencer marketing platform Mavrck (BetaKit)
  5. Influencer marketing and social media management: about Later (Later)
  6. Later Social reviews (Capterra)
  7. Later reviews (Trustpilot)
  8. Later: Social Media Scheduler (Apple App Store)
  9. Buffer pricing (Buffer)
  10. Planoly pricing (Planoly)
  11. Metricool pricing (Metricool)
  12. Vista Social pricing (Vista Social)
  13. Hootsuite plans (Hootsuite)
  14. Sprout Social pricing (Sprout Social)
  15. Postiz pricing (Postiz)
  16. Postiz source code (AGPL-3.0) (GitHub)