Skip to content

13 Best Later Alternatives in 2025 (Free & Paid)

Best Later alternatives for social media in 2025. Find tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Agorapulse that offer more features for content scheduling and management.
21214235a398941a4fc1b134d6b748fa

Written by Disha Rabari

Published December 23, 2025

Later Alternatives

Table of Contents

Later is great for visual planning, but teams often outgrow it once they need deeper reporting, easier approvals, or stronger multi-platform workflows. Below are 13 alternatives starting with RecurPost, plus pricing and quick pros/cons.

1. RecurPost

Dashboard recurpost

RecurPost keeps planning, scheduling, content recycling, replies, and reporting in one dashboard. It’s a strong pick for creators, small businesses, and agencies that want fewer moving parts and more consistency across channels.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Starter

Personal

Agency

$9
/ mo
$25
/ mo
$79
/ mo
2 Profiles
for individuals or non-business users
5 Profiles
for small business owners
20 Profiles
for agencies managing multiple clients

Pros

Cons

2. Sprout Social

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a social media management platform that lets brands schedule posts, reply to messages in one Smart Inbox, and track results with reporting across networks like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, and X. It is best for teams that need approvals, inbox, and reporting.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

You can also check out our detailed comparison of Sprout Social vs Later to see how they stack up.

3. Planoly

Planoly

Planoly is a visual social media planner made for creators, small business owners, and influencers to schedule and organize content across channels like Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, and X. 

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

For more details on features and pricing, read our Planoly vs Later in-depth comparison.

4. Buffer

Buffer

Buffer is a social media management platform that lets teams create, schedule, and publish posts with a queue and calendar, then reply to comments and check performance from the same dashboard. It suits creators, freelancers, and small businesses that want a simple way to stay consistent and keep up with conversations across various social media platforms.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

You can also check out our detailed comparison of Buffer vs Later to see how they stack up.

5. Metricool

metricool calendar

Metricool is a social media management tool that puts planning, scheduling, reporting, inbox replies, link-in-bio pages, and even ads tracking into one dashboard. It suits creators, freelancers, small businesses, and agencies that run many channels or client brands.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

Explore a full feature breakdown in our Metricool vs Later comparison to learn which suits you better.

6. Tailwind

Tailwind

Tailwind is a social media scheduler built around Pinterest, with scheduling for Instagram and Facebook too. It’s best for creators, bloggers, ecommerce brands, and small teams that want a Pinterest-first workflow with smart posting times, content creation tools, and simple growth features

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

To compare capabilities directly, check out Later vs Tailwind on our site.

7. SkedSocial

SkedSocial

Sked Social is a social media management platform for planning, auto-publishing, and managing replies across channels from one dashboard. It suits agencies, in-house teams, and creators who need a visual planner, approvals, and a shared inbox for day-to-day posting. 

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

Don’t miss our Later vs Sked Social review for a comprehensive head-to-head feature comparison.

8. Sendible

Sendible

Sendible is a social media management platform made for agencies, creators, and growing teams that want one place for publishing, replies, and reporting. It includes a Smart Compose editor and a visual calendar for scheduling, plus bulk importing (CSV) and a content library for planning weeks. For engagement, Priority Inbox pulls comments and messages into one stream, with filters.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

For a direct matchup, check out Later vs Sendible and see the feature differences at a glance.

9. Loomly

Loomly

Loomly is a social media management tool built around a visual content calendar, with workflows for drafting, approvals, publishing, and performance tracking across multiple channels. It suits marketing teams, agencies/freelancers, and brands/creators that need clean approvals and client-friendly calendars. 

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

Learn more in our Later vs Loomly detailed review to determine which is right for you.

10. Hootsuite

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media management platform that brings publishing, inbox, listening, and reporting into one dashboard. It suits small teams, agencies, and larger brands that run multiple channels and want approvals, reporting, and message management in one place.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

Explore a full feature breakdown in our Later vs Hootsuite comparison to learn which suits you better.

11. Social Bee

SocialBee

SocialBee is a social media management tool with features like planning, scheduling, recycling evergreen posts, replying to comments/DMs, and reporting from one dashboard. It suits solopreneurs, small businesses, and agencies that want a tidy “content buckets + repeat posting” system across many networks

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

12. Agorapulse

Agorapulse

Agorapulse is a full-scale social media management platform designed to handle everything from publishing and engagement to social listening and analytics, all from one streamlined dashboard. It’s best suited for agencies, mid-sized brands, and teams managing multiple profiles, especially when collaboration and workflow structure matter.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

13. MeetEdgar

Meetedgar

MeetEdgar is a social media scheduling and automation tool designed for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses who want to stay active online without constant hands-on effort. Build a content library, group posts by category, and Edgar takes care of reposting them on a set schedule, keeping your profiles alive without daily effort.

Key Features

Pricing Plans

Pros

Cons

What is Later?

Later is a social media management and scheduling tool that enables teams to plan, schedule, and publish posts in advance. Teams can track post performance with analytics, store assets in a media library, and use Link in Bio to send traffic to products, blogs, or landing pages. Later supports Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat.

It suits creators, freelancers, small brands, and small teams that want steady posting with a simple workflow.

Limitations: costs rise as you add more profiles/users, analytics can feel light for proving ROI, team approvals and client workflows can get slow, and multi-platform management isn’t as smooth as tools built for heavy scheduling across many channels.

Why Look for Later Alternatives?

Many teams start looking for Later alternatives when Instagram-only planning isn’t enough, and multi-channel posting needs a stronger setup. Here are a few reasons to consider switching:

  • Price: Starts affordable, but costs can rise fast as profiles, brands, and users are added. Many alternatives give more room to grow per plan.
  • Reports: Basic stats may feel thin for client or leadership updates. Alternatives often give deeper breakdowns and cleaner exports.
  • Approvals: With more people involved, drafts and feedback can slow publishing. Many alternatives have smoother approval flows.
  • Multi-platform: Great for Instagram-style planning, but managing many networks can feel clunky. Alternatives often handle multi-channel posting more smoothly.
  • Scale: High-volume posting needs bulk scheduling and repeatable workflows. Alternatives often cut manual steps.

How to Choose the Best Later Alternative?

Below are a few points you should consider to find the best Later alternative:

  • Your core needs: Decide what matters most: visual planning, evergreen recycling, inbox replies, client approvals, or deep reporting, then pick a tool that’s strongest in that area.
  • Supported platforms: Confirm it supports the exact networks and post types needed (Reels, Stories, Shorts, carousels), plus auto-publish where required.
  • Content volume and team size: Look at how many posts go out per week, per profile, and how many brands/clients are managed. Also, check user seats, roles, approvals, and whether pricing jumps per extra profile.
  • Analytics and reporting: Look for post and profile reporting, exports (PDF/CSV), and easy-to-share dashboards that make results clear to clients or managers.
  • Collaboration and workflow: Choose a tool with approvals, comments, version history, and a smooth draft-to-publish flow to cut delays.
  • Integrations with other tools: Check for Canva, Google Drive/Dropbox, link tracking, RSS, and Zapier-style connections so content and data don’t get stuck in silos.
  • Budget and scalability: Compare the monthly cost today vs the cost after adding 5 more profiles and 2 more team members. Watch for add-ons (extra profiles, inbox, reporting exports) and check cancellation terms before committing.
  • Trial and support: Use the trial to test all the features before committing to a paid plan and measure how fast support responds when something breaks.

Use this checklist to quickly narrow down the best Later alternatives that match your platforms, posting volume, workflow needs, and budget without wasting time on tools that won’t scale with your team.

Free vs. Paid Later Alternatives

There are both free and paid options available while looking for Later alternatives. Here’s a quick free vs paid alternatives comparison

Free Alternatives

What you get for free: Free tools usually cover the basics: scheduling a limited number of posts, a simple calendar, and basic post previews. Many also give light analytics and limited profile connections, so a brand can test the workflow before paying.

Limitations of free tools: Free plans often cap scheduled posts, restrict analytics history, and lock down team features like approvals and roles. Inbox tools (DMs/comments), branded reports, and advanced publishing options are also commonly paywalled.

Examples of quality free tools: Buffer (Free plan), Metricool (Free plan), and Loomly(Free Plan) are strong starting points for simple scheduling and basic insights. These are popular picks for creators and small brands testing consistency without a budget.

Paid Alternatives

Advantages of paid tools: Paid plans unlock higher post volumes, more profiles/brands, deeper analytics, longer history, better inbox tools, and stronger workflows like approvals and client review links. Many also add reporting exports (PDF) and integrations that cut manual work.

Value considerations: The real value is time saved: bulk scheduling, reusable content systems, faster approvals, and client-ready reports can replace extra tools and reduce weekly workload. The best plan isn’t the cheapest; it’s the one that prevents “upgrade pain” two months later.

Right-sizing your plan: Match the plan to weekly output and team structure: solo creators can start small, while agencies should price by number of brands, approval needs, and report exports. A simple rule: choose a tier that covers current needs plus 20–30% extra capacity for growth.

Social Media Management Features Comparison

Tool
Free Plan
Starting Price
Notable Features
RecurPost
$9/month
Evergreen content recycling, white-label reports, Instagram DM automation, unified inbox, and bulk scheduling.
Sprout Social
$249/month
Smart scheduling times, inbox, monitoring, and review management
Planoly
$16/month
Visual planner, scheduling, and basic Instagram analytics.
Buffer
$6/channel/month
Simple scheduling, planning space, basic analytics, link-in-bio (Start Page), and team features on paid plans.
Metricool
$22/month
Scheduling, analytics, competitor tracking, PDF/PPT reports, and link-in-bio.
Tailwind
$29.99/month
Smart scheduling, analytics, Smart.bio, content designs, and communities.
SkedSocial
$59/month
Auto-publishing, visual calendar + grid planning, best times to post, inbox, approvals, shareable client calendar.
Sendible
$29/month
Unlimited scheduling, monitoring + replying, reporting, team assignments/approvals on higher tiers.
Loomly
$65/month
Calendar planning, approvals, content library/ideas, analytics (plan-based), team-friendly setup.
Hootsuite
$149/user/month
Scheduling, best-time suggestions, AI writing/image tools, inbox, basic listening, and competitor benchmarking.
SocialBee
$29/month
Content categories, scheduling, analytics, workspaces/users by plan, agency tiers for more profiles.
Agorapulse
$99/month
Scheduling, unified inbox, reporting + branded exports, assignments, ad comment replies on higher tiers.
MeetEdgar
$29.99/month
Category-based queues, weekly automations, unlimited scheduled posts, team members, add-on accounts, and AI credits.

Later Alternatives by Business Types

Different businesses need different tools. What works for a solopreneur may not fit an agency. Here are the suggested best picks by business type.

  • Small Businesses:

RecurPost, Buffer, because they keep social media scheduling simple and support steady posting at an affordable price.

  • Enterprises:

Sprout Social, Hootsuite, since they offer team management, stronger permissions, and analytics-focused tools for high-volume workflows.

  • Agencies:

RecurPost, Agorapulse, as they support multi-client workspaces, approval workflows, and white-label reports, plus recycling for a full content calendar.

  • Freelancers/Solopreneurs:

Metricool, Planoly, because free plan options help you start fast, and basic analytics show which social media posts perform.

  • E-commerce:

Tailwind, Loomly, since visual content planners support product drops and promo calendars, and repeat scheduling keeps launches consistent.

Later Alternatives FAQs

Best free alternative to Later: Buffer (Free plan) because it lets up to 3 channels connect with 10 scheduled posts per channel, plus basic analytics, community inbox, and an AI assistant. Another great free pick is Metricool if stronger starter analytics and competitor tracking matter, but note it’s 1 brand and 20 posts/month, and it does not include LinkedIn or X/Twitter on free.

RecurPost is a strong Later alternative for small businesses because pricing starts at $9/month and it offers a 14-day trial with no credit card, plus a $25/month Personal plan made for small business owners managing multiple profiles. It covers the day-to-day essentials in one place, including a visual calendar, evergreen libraries that recycle posts, and bulk scheduling through CSV upload so weeks of content can be queued fast. It also includes a unified social inbox with Google review management, which is a big win for local brands that need quick replies and reputation control.

Yes, RecurPost can be a better pick than Later when posting needs go beyond an Instagram-first planner, because it adds evergreen content libraries that auto-recycle posts, plus bulk scheduling via CSV to load weeks or months of content fast. It also includes a unified social inbox for messages, comments, and mentions, and reports that can be shared or downloaded as PDFs, along with extras like first-comment scheduling for hashtags or links. Later shines for creator-style features like Linkin.bio, but RecurPost usually wins for repeat posting + bulk workflows + multi-account consistency.

Later’s biggest downsides are that costs can climb quickly as more profiles and users are added, analytics can feel too light for ROI or client-ready reporting, and team workflows like approvals and handoffs may slow down as more people get involved. It can also take extra manual work to handle high content volume since bulk and repeatable scheduling workflows may feel limited, and multi-platform management may not feel as smooth once posting expands beyond an Instagram-first setup.

Upcoming Webinar
Video Icon
Upcoming Webinar

If your posts don't go viral, this is for you!

Join our webinar to learn how to use AI to create Viral posts.

icon date
Last Thursday of this month
icon time
3:30 PM IST and 4 PM ET