Later vs Loomly
What To Choose in 2024?
What is Later?
Later positions itself as a visually-oriented social media scheduler, primarily tailored for Instagram, though it supports other platforms too. Their visually rich interface aids users in crafting a cohesive and appealing social media feed. It’s a favorite among many influencers, bloggers, and visually-driven brands. Later’s drag-and-drop calendar allows for easy content planning, and it provides tools for hashtag management and user-generated content curation. It’s a go-to for those seeking an Instagram-centric solution.
Who Later Is Best For
- Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: Ideal for businesses focused on visual content, particularly Instagram scheduling, with a simple and intuitive interface.
- Social Media Managers: Perfect for individuals or small teams managing social media, especially if Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest is the primary focus.
- Content Creators: Great for influencers, photographers, and bloggers who need to curate and schedule high-quality visual content.
What is Loomly?
Loomly is a social media calendar tool that does more than just scheduling. Its features vary from post previews and optimization recommendations to data on audience interaction. Loomly’s primary focus is on enterprises that require an organized, in-depth approach to social media.
With its seamless collaboration features, Loomly promotes teamwork. With real-time notifications, you can easily assign tasks, give feedback on drafts, and keep everyone in the loop. Loomly is therefore suited for teams of all sizes, delivering a consistent brand voice and fast workflow.
Who Loomly Is Best For
- Marketing Teams: Ideal for teams needing tools for content creation, approval workflows, and scheduling across multiple platforms.
- Businesses and Agencies: Great for larger organizations that require advanced scheduling and reporting capabilities.
- Data-Driven Marketers: Perfect for marketers seeking in-depth analytics and performance insights across several social media channels.
Overview
In today’s digital age, social media is essential for building your brand and engaging with your audience. Whether you’re a small business, a content creator, or a marketing team, selecting the right social media management tool is crucial for streamlining your content planning, scheduling, and reporting. Later and Loomly are two popular tools that cater to different needs. In this comparison, I’ll share my personal experience with both platforms to help you decide which is best suited for your social media strategy.
This comparison aims to provide an unbiased, detailed breakdown of Later and Loomly, based on my hands-on experience with both tools. By the end, you’ll have a clearer idea of which platform best fits your needs—whether you’re managing content for a single brand, running a small business, or working with a team.
Later vs Loomly: User Rating
| Rating Categories | Later | Loomly |
| Star Rating (Out of 5) | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Meets Requirements (Out of 10) | 8.9 | 8.6 |
| Ease of Use (Out of 10) | 9.2 | 8.7 |
| Ease of Setup (Out of 10) | 9.0 | 8.5 |
| Quality of Support (Out of 10) | 8.8 | 8.3 |
| Product Direction (% positive) | 85% | 82% |
- Later:
- G2: Later holds a 4.7/5 rating from over 400 reviews. Users love the platform’s ease of use and visual content calendar. It’s especially popular for Instagram management. However, some users note the limited analytics and lack of advanced features.
- Capterra: Later has a 4.8/5 rating from 200+ reviews. It’s praised for its simple, intuitive interface and effective scheduling tools. Some users feel it could benefit from more robust reporting capabilities.
- Loomly:
- G2: Loomly boasts a 4.7/5 rating from over 600 reviews. Users appreciate its content creation and team collaboration features. However, some wish the analytics were more advanced.
- Capterra: Loomly has a 4.8/5 rating from 500+ reviews. It’s valued for its easy content planning and approval workflows, though some users find the design features could be more visually engaging.
Later vs Loomly: Feature Comparison
| Features | Later | Loomly |
| Pricing (per month in USD) | 12.5$ | 25$ |
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms Supported | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and others | Major platforms supported |
| Visual Content Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Post Optimization Tips | No | Yes |
| Audience Engagement Analytics | Limited | Comprehensive |
| Multi-media support | Yes | Yes |
| Note on Pricing | Based on number of posts | Based on social accounts |
a. Scheduling and Automation
Later offers a clean, easy-to-use scheduling system with its visual content calendar. I found the drag-and-drop functionality to be incredibly intuitive, making it easy to plan and schedule posts, especially for Instagram. The Auto Publish feature also simplifies scheduling, selecting optimal times for posts based on engagement. However, Later’s automation options are relatively basic compared to other tools.
Loomly provides advanced scheduling and automation features. It supports team workflows with approval processes and allows for seamless content scheduling across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The platform’s content reminders and auto-posting options make it ideal for managing larger volumes of content. Loomly’s robust features cater well to teams that need advanced collaboration and scheduling.
b. Supported Social Media Platforms
Later is focused on Instagram, but it also supports Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. From my experience, it excels in managing Instagram content, allowing for easy scheduling of posts and stories. However, its lack of LinkedIn support might be a dealbreaker for businesses needing to manage professional accounts.
Loomly supports a broader range of platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and even Google My Business. This makes it a versatile tool for managing social media campaigns across multiple platforms. Loomly’s ability to handle professional accounts on platforms like LinkedIn and Google My Business adds extra value for businesses with diverse social media needs.
c. Analytics and Reporting
Later provides essential analytics such as post performance, engagement rates, and follower growth. I found these features sufficient for basic tracking, especially on Instagram. However, the platform doesn’t offer deep insights or multi-platform reporting, which might be limiting for businesses that need detailed performance analysis.
Loomly offers advanced analytics and customizable reports, which I found incredibly useful for tracking ROI, audience growth, and overall campaign performance. It consolidates data from multiple platforms into a single dashboard, making it easy to analyze and adjust strategies based on real-time insights. For teams needing robust reporting, Loomly is a more comprehensive option.
d. User Interface and Experience
Later’s interface is sleek and user-friendly, making it easy for beginners to navigate. The visual calendar and content discovery features are intuitive, helping me plan my posts quickly. However, the simplicity of the platform means it may not have the depth or customization options that more advanced users may need.
Loomly has a feature-rich interface that offers a lot of customization, which I initially found overwhelming. But once I became familiar with the platform, I appreciated its ability to handle complex workflows. The approval process and team collaboration features were particularly useful. While Loomly has a steeper learning curve, it offers extensive tools for businesses and teams looking for more advanced functionalities.
Pros and Cons of Using Later
Pros
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- Highly visual interface for planning
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- Intuitive and easy to navigate
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- Focused on crafting a cohesive brand image
Cons
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- Limited analytics functionality
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- Primarily tailored for Instagram
Pros and Cons of Using Loomly
Pros
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- In-depth post analytics
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- Offers valuable optimization tips
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- Comprehensive calendar view
Cons
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- Interface might not be as intuitive for some
Later vs Loomly- The Bottom Line
Both Later and Loomly offer unique benefits, depending on your needs. Later is a great choice for content creators, small businesses, or social media managers focused on Instagram and visual content. Its ease of use and streamlined features make it ideal for solo users or small teams. On the other hand, Loomly is the better option for larger teams, marketing agencies, or businesses with diverse social media needs. Its robust scheduling, collaboration tools, and detailed analytics make it a more comprehensive platform for those managing campaigns across multiple platforms.
After testing both tools, if simplicity and Instagram management are your main goals, Later is the way to go. But if you need advanced scheduling, collaboration, and reporting features, Loomly would be a better fit.
Compare Later Tool with other tools : Later vs. Metricool
RecurPost as an alternative to Later and Loomly
RecurPost provides an adorable alternative to both Later and Loomly by combining the features of both platforms into a single, complete solution. It finds a great mix of visual planning and in-depth analytics, making it a flexible solution for social media management.
| Feature | RecurPost | Later | Loomly |
| Pricing (per month in USD) | $25 | Approx. $12.5 (Plus plan) | Approx. $25 (Base plan) |
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Content Generation | Yes | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Team Management | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Platform Support | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, YouTube, TikTok | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google My Business, TikTok, Snapchat |
| Caption Customization | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| URL Shortener | Yes | No | Yes |
| White Label Reports | Yes | No | On Higher Plans |
The Question Isn’t Later vs Loomly — It’s Why Not RecurPost?
While both Later and Loomly have carved niches for themselves, RecurPost is all about offering holistic features for a wide range of needs. The key question is less about Later or Loomly, but why you aren’t considering RecurPost in your social management toolkit.