The short answer
The best Later alternative depends on why you're leaving. Planoly is the closest match for visual Instagram planning, with unlimited uploads from $16 a month. Buffer and Metricool have free plans, and both post to X and Bluesky (Metricool's X is a paid add-on). Planable suits small brands where someone approves posts, and Post Bridge and Unisenda give unlimited posts for a flat price.
Later itself starts at $18.75 a month billed yearly for one profile on each of its eight networks, with up to 30 posts per profile a month. Prices were checked on each company's pricing page on 24 October 2026.
In this article
Later is built for visual, Instagram-first planning: a drag-and-drop calendar, a preview of your Instagram grid and a link-in-bio page. If that's what you want, Later is worth keeping. But its cheaper plans cap how many posts each profile can have a month, and its list of networks leaves out X and Bluesky. Below are six Later alternatives, grouped by what they do differently. We make Unisenda, one of the six, so we've tried to be fair: prices come from each company's own pricing page, checked on 24 October 2026, and we say where other tools do more than ours.
Who Later is good for
According to Later's pricing page, every plan is built on social sets. One set is one profile on each network Later supports: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat.
- Starter: $18.75 a month billed yearly. One set, one user, up to 30 posts per profile a month, a link-in-bio page, Reels audio, best-time-to-post suggestions and three months of analytics.
- Growth: $37.50 a month billed yearly. Two sets, two users, 180 posts per profile a month, approvals and a social inbox.
- Scale: $82.50 a month billed yearly. Six sets, four users, unlimited posts.
Later says yearly billing saves 25% compared with paying monthly, and every plan has a 14-day free trial. Its scheduler lets you drag posts around a visual calendar and preview your Instagram feed as a grid. For Instagram and TikTok you can also choose notification publishing, where Later reminds you on your phone and you finish the post in the app.
Why people look for a Later alternative
- Post caps. On Starter, 30 posts per profile a month is about one a day, and Stories and Reels count toward it. Post more than that and you'll need Growth, or Scale for no limit.
- Missing networks. X and Bluesky aren't on Later's list. If you post there, you'll need a second tool.
- One user on Starter. Approvals and the inbox start on Growth.
None of this is hidden; it's all on Later's pricing page. The question is whether it fits how often, and where, you post.
Later alternatives compared
| Tool | Price from | Accounts | Best for | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Later | $18.75, billed yearly | 1 set of 8 profiles | Visual Instagram planning | 14-day trial |
| Planoly | $16 ($14 yearly) | 1 set of 8 profiles | Instagram grid planning | Free app plan, 14-day trial |
| Buffer | $6 per channel ($5 yearly) | Pay per channel | X, Bluesky and a free plan | Free plan, 14-day trial |
| Metricool | $25 ($20 yearly) | 5 brands | Analytics | Free plan (1 brand) |
| Planable | $39 ($33 yearly) | 4 per workspace | Posts someone approves | First 50 posts free |
| Post Bridge | $39 | 15 | Many accounts, an API | 7-day trial |
| Unisenda | $25 ($20.83 yearly) | 10 | One post, tailored per network | 7-day trial |
Prices are per month in US dollars, before tax. Yearly prices are shown per month but billed once a year.
Post limits on each entry plan
Because post caps are a common reason to leave Later, here's what each tool's cheapest paid plan allows:
| Entry plan | Posts allowed |
|---|---|
| Later Starter | 30 per profile a month |
| Planoly Starter | Unlimited uploads |
| Buffer Essentials | Unlimited (fair use: 5,000 per channel) |
| Metricool Starter | Unlimited (fair use) |
| Planable Basic | 60 per workspace a month |
| Post Bridge Marketer | Unlimited |
| Unisenda Starter | Unlimited |
For the same visual, Instagram-first planning
Planoly
Planoly is the closest like-for-like swap: a visual planner where you preview your Instagram grid and rearrange posts before they go out. Starter is $16 a month, or $14 billed yearly, for one social set (one profile each on Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and TikTok), unlimited uploads and one user.
Good at: grid planning, a free link-in-bio page, selling digital products and merch, and Instagram DM automation on every plan. It auto-posts where a network allows it and sends a phone reminder to post natively where it doesn't.
Watch out for: Bluesky isn't on its list. Extra users and social sets need Growth ($28 a month, or $24 yearly), and the free plan lives in the mobile app, with 10 uploads a month.
Suits: Instagram-first creators who like Later's way of working but want no monthly post cap.
Planable
Planable is built for reviewing posts together. Prices are per workspace with unlimited users: Basic is $39 a month, or $33 billed yearly, for 4 social pages and 60 posts a month, with feed and calendar views and optional approvals. Pro is $59 ($49 yearly) for 10 pages and 150 posts, and adds a grid view and required approvals.
Good at: sign-off from a teammate or client, unlimited users, and a free start: your first 50 posts cost nothing, with no time limit and no card.
Watch out for: it caps posts too, analytics and the social inbox are paid add-ons, Bluesky isn't on its list, and X publishing isn't available during the free trial.
Suits: small brands where a boss, partner or client approves posts before they go live.
For more networks and a free plan
Buffer
Buffer charges per channel instead of per set. Its free plan covers three channels with 10 scheduled posts each. Essentials is $6 per channel a month, or $5 billed yearly, with unlimited posts, analytics and first-comment scheduling, and Buffer posts to 12 networks, including X and Bluesky.
Good at: a free plan, a community inbox even on the free plan, an API, and networks Later doesn't cover.
Watch out for: per-channel pricing adds up. One profile on each of eight networks costs $48 a month on Essentials, or $40 billed yearly, which is more than Later Starter.
Suits: creators on two to four networks, especially if X or Bluesky is one of them. We compare more options in Buffer alternatives.
Metricool
Metricool counts brands, and a brand works much like Later's social set: one profile on each network. The free plan covers one brand and 20 posts a month, without LinkedIn or X. Starter is $25 a month, or $20 billed yearly, for five brands with unlimited posts under a fair-use policy.
Good at: analytics and competitor tracking, an inbox for messages, a link-in-bio page, and Bluesky and Threads support.
Watch out for: X is a paid add-on at $10 a month per account, and approvals start on the Advanced plan.
Suits: creators who want detailed stats next to their planner.
For lots of posts at a flat price
Post Bridge
Post Bridge costs $39 a month for 15 accounts with unlimited posts, and you can connect several accounts on the same network. It posts to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky and Google Business Profile, and includes an API and an MCP connection for AI assistants.
Good at: volume. Unlimited posts and 15 accounts for one price.
Watch out for: its pricing page doesn't list a grid preview or link-in-bio page, analytics is in beta, and it offers a 7-day trial rather than a free plan.
Suits: creators who post a lot across many accounts and care more about volume than the look of the grid. See Post Bridge alternatives for more in this group.
Unisenda
Unisenda is our scheduler. Every plan has unlimited posts: Starter ($25 a month) lets you connect 10 accounts, Creator ($39) 20 and Studio ($79) 40, and one post can go to all of them at once. You write a post once, then give each account its own caption, format and settings in its own tab, with a preview of how it will look on that network, including a phone preview for vertical video. Instagram Reels can get music from Instagram's licensed library and a cover, and Stories and carousels of up to 20 photos work too. The calendar's week view lets you drag a post to another day or hour.
Good at: posting to X and Bluesky alongside Instagram, tailoring each version, and showing a clear result with a link to every live post.
Watch out for: Unisenda previews each post, but it isn't a grid planner like Later or Planoly. There's no link-in-bio page, no analytics, no first comment on Instagram (only on LinkedIn and Bluesky), no free plan, and approvals only on Studio, through a private review link rather than a team dashboard.
Suits: one person posting their own content to several networks. Our guide on how to schedule Instagram posts shows the steps.
What Later and the others do better than Unisenda
To be straight about it: Later has a link-in-bio page, a grid preview, analytics and, on Growth, approvals and a social inbox. Planoly adds DM automation and a shop. Buffer and Metricool have free plans and analytics, and Planable handles approvals for a whole team. Unisenda's Studio plan has a simpler approval step with a private link for reviewers, but none of the rest. Pick it only if tailored posts across nine networks and knowing each one went out matter more to you.
How to switch from Later
- Save what you want to keep: copy the captions of your scheduled posts, download the media you use, and note your link-in-bio links if you'll rebuild that page elsewhere.
- Start the new tool's trial and reconnect your accounts. In Unisenda, open Connections, click Connect and approve access on each network's own screen. You never share a password.
- Schedule a few real posts, including a Reel or a carousel, and check they go out the way you expect.
- Delete what's left in your Later calendar so nothing posts twice, then cancel.
You can also try Unisenda first in the demo, which uses sample accounts and never publishes anything, and compare plans and prices.
Questions people ask
What is the best free alternative to Later?
Buffer's free plan covers three channels with 10 scheduled posts each, and Metricool's covers one brand with 20 posts a month. Planoly has a free plan in its mobile app with 10 uploads a month, and Planable gives you your first 50 posts free.
Does Later limit how many posts you can schedule?
Yes. Starter allows 30 posts per profile a month and Growth 180, counting feed posts, Stories and Reels. Only the Scale plan is unlimited. Checked on Later's pricing page on 24 October 2026.
Can Later post to X or Bluesky?
Later's pricing page lists Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat, so X and Bluesky aren't included. Buffer, Post Bridge and Unisenda post to both, and Metricool does with a paid X add-on.
What's the difference between Planoly and Later?
Both are visual planners with an Instagram grid preview and a link-in-bio page. Planoly's Starter plan costs $16 a month, has unlimited uploads and includes X. Later's Starter costs $18.75 a month billed yearly, caps posts at 30 per profile a month and doesn't include X.
Sources
Checked on 24 October 2026. Networks change their rules often, so check the source before you rely on a number.