# Later Alternatives 2027: 13 Paid, Free & Open-Source

Source: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/later/
Prices checked: 2026-11-14 (Zekai Price Ledger)

The best Later alternatives in 2027 are Hootsuite (best overall, $99/user/mo billed yearly), Buffer (best free plan) and Postiz (best open source, AGPL-3.0). Later itself starts at $18.75/mo billed yearly. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 14 Nov 2026; 10 more are compared below, including 3 with a free plan and 4 open source.

| Tool | Type | Starting price | Free plan limit | Licence | Best for | Price checked | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Later (the tool being replaced) | — | $18.75/mo billed yearly | No | — | — | 2026-11-14 | [pricing](https://later.com/pricing) |
| Buffer | Free plan + paid | $5/channel/mo billed yearly | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user, 100 ideas | — | Per-channel pricing with a free plan | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://buffer.com) [pricing](https://buffer.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/buffer/) |
| Hootsuite | Paid | $99/user/mo billed yearly | No free plan | — | Enterprise inbox and monitoring | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://www.hootsuite.com) [pricing](https://www.hootsuite.com/plans) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/hootsuite/) |
| Metricool | Free plan + paid | $20/mo billed yearly | 1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics, 5 competitors | — | Multi-brand analytics at low cost | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://metricool.com) [pricing](https://metricool.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/metricool/) |
| Planoly | Free plan + paid | $14/mo | Free plan on the mobile app: 10 uploads a month | — | Grid planning at a lower price | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://www.planoly.com) [pricing](https://www.planoly.com/pricing) |
| Publer | Free plan + paid | $4/account/mo billed yearly | 3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts, 24-hour post history | — | Free tier and per-account billing | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://publer.com) [pricing](https://publer.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/publer/) |
| SocialPilot | Paid | $17/mo billed yearly | No free plan | — | Flat plans with bulk scheduling | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://www.socialpilot.co) [pricing](https://www.socialpilot.co/pricing) |
| ContentStudio | Paid | $19/mo billed yearly | No free plan | — | AI-heavy content production | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://contentstudio.io) [pricing](https://contentstudio.io/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/contentstudio/) |
| FeedHive | Paid | $15/mo billed yearly | No free plan | — | Creator automations on a budget | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://feedhive.com) [pricing](https://feedhive.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/feedhive/) |
| Postiz | Open source | $29/mo (hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 | Self-hosted scheduling, no post caps | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://postiz.com) [pricing](https://postiz.com/pricing) [code](https://github.com/gitroomhq/postiz-app) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/postiz-app/) |
| Mixpost | Open source | $299 one-time (hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | MIT (Lite edition) | One-time licence on your own server | 2026-11-14 | [site](https://mixpost.app) [pricing](https://mixpost.app/pricing) [code](https://github.com/inovector/mixpost) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/mixpost/) |
| OpenPost | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 | Single-container self-hosted editor |  | [site](https://github.com/getopenpost/openpost) [code](https://github.com/getopenpost/openpost) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/openpost/) |
| TryPost | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 | Agent-driven self-hosted scheduling |  | [site](https://github.com/trypostit/trypost) [code](https://github.com/trypostit/trypost) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/trypost/) |
| Socioboard | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0-or-later | Self-hosted reporting suite |  | [site](https://github.com/socioboard/Socioboard-5.0) [code](https://github.com/socioboard/Socioboard-5.0) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/socioboard/) |

## How each alternative compares with Later

- **Buffer** (Free plan + paid, $5/channel/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Prices per channel: Essentials is $5 per channel billed yearly with unlimited scheduled posts, and the free plan connects 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts each. Switch if you want to pay only for the channels you use and start on a free plan with three channels. Stay with Later if you want one social set to cover eight networks and a visual calendar built around Instagram.
- **Hootsuite** (Paid, $99/user/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Standard is $99 per user a month billed annually for 10 accounts, against Later Starter at $18.75 for one social set of 8 profiles and a single user. Switch if you need a shared inbox, monitoring and enterprise permissions across more than ten profiles. Stay with Later if you plan visually around Instagram and TikTok on a budget under $30 a month.
- **Metricool** (Free plan + paid, $20/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Free plan includes 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month and 5 competitor profiles; Starter at $20 billed yearly covers up to 5 brands with unlimited publishing. Switch if you manage several brands and want ads analytics plus a free tier to start on. Stay with Later if you want link in bio and best-time suggestions for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in one calendar.
- **Planoly** (Free plan + paid, $14/mo, checked 2026-11-14): Starter is $14 a month for 1 social set and 1 user with grid planning and Instagram DM automation; Later Starter costs $18.75 billed yearly with 5 AI credits. Switch if you want the cheapest visual planner with Instagram grid preview and DM automation. Stay with Later if you want TikTok best-time suggestions, a social inbox on Growth and per-profile post allowances.
- **Publer** (Free plan + paid, $4/account/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Free plan allows 3 social accounts, 10 scheduled posts per account and 25 drafts; Professional is $4 per account a month billed yearly with unlimited scheduling. Switch if you want a free tier or per-account billing instead of social-set bundles. Stay with Later if you value the platform-aware Reels audio suggestions and visual calendar workflow.
- **SocialPilot** (Paid, $17/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Essentials gives 5 accounts and 1 user for $17 a month billed yearly with 500 AI credits; Later Starter gives 8 profiles but only 5 AI credits. Switch if you want more AI credits and bulk scheduling in a flat plan for a few accounts. Stay with Later if you want one social set covering Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads.
- **ContentStudio** (Paid, $19/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Standard is $19 a month billed yearly for 5 accounts with 25,000 AI text credits, AI image and video credits and MCP access, against Later's 5 AI credits on Starter. Switch if AI writing, image and video generation matter more to you than Instagram-first visual planning. Stay with Later if you want a link in bio page and Instagram Reels audio selection from the same tool.
- **FeedHive** (Paid, $15/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-14): Creator is $15 a month billed yearly for 4 social accounts with conditional automation and AI performance prediction, but only 30 scheduled posts and 14 days of lead time. Switch if you want automations and AI post-performance predictions for a small creator account. Stay with Later if you need 30 scheduled posts per profile or a calendar designed around visual feeds.
- **Postiz** (Open source, $29/mo (hosted), checked 2026-11-14): AGPL-3.0 scheduler with unlimited posts, a calendar and AI agent integrations; self-hosting needs Postgres, Redis and a developer app for each network, which Later handles for you. Switch if you want to avoid per-profile limits and fees and can run Docker with Postgres and Redis. Stay with Later if you want Instagram Reels audio, link in bio and TikTok best-time suggestions without running a server.
- **Mixpost** (Open source, $299 one-time (hosted), checked 2026-11-14): Lite is MIT and free but covers only Facebook Pages, Mastodon and X; Instagram and TikTok scheduling needs the $299 one-time Pro licence and your own PHP or Docker server. Switch if you prefer a one-time licence over monthly plans and can host a Laravel app. Stay with Later if Instagram and TikTok scheduling must work without buying a licence or running a server.
- **OpenPost** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Includes built-in image, carousel and video editors and runs as a single Docker container with SQLite by default, with no Later-style social sets or per-profile post counts. Switch if you want unlimited posts and built-in editors from a one-container install. Stay with Later if you want mobile apps and a hosted service with support.
- **TryPost** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): AGPL-3.0 Laravel scheduler offering an MCP server and REST API for AI agents; at roughly 860 stars it is far younger than Later's established product. Switch if you want agents to draft and schedule posts over MCP on your own server. Stay with Later if you need a mature product with vendor support and a link in bio.
- **Socioboard** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): GPL-3.0 platform with reporting for nine networks; the last release is from January 2024 and it needs Node.js, PHP, MongoDB and MySQL, unlike Later's hosted setup. Switch if you want a self-hosted reporting-focused suite and can maintain several services. Stay with Later if you want regular releases and Instagram-specific features like Reels audio.

## Open-source options in detail

- **Postiz** (https://github.com/gitroomhq/postiz-app): Licence: AGPL-3.0; Commercial use: Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.; Runs on: Docker host with Postgres, Redis and media storage.; Setup: moderate: Docker plus a developer app and keys for each network.; Last commit: 2026-11-14; Last release: 2026-11-13; GitHub stars: 41,600 (2026-11-14)
- **Mixpost** (https://github.com/inovector/mixpost): Licence: MIT (Lite edition); Commercial use: Yes for Lite (MIT); Pro and Enterprise need paid licences.; Runs on: A PHP or Docker server with a public domain.; Setup: moderate: Laravel app needing a web server, database and domain.; Last commit: 2026-03-16; Last release: 2026-03-16; GitHub stars: 3,900 (2026-11-14)
- **OpenPost** (https://github.com/getopenpost/openpost): Licence: AGPL-3.0; Commercial use: Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.; Runs on: Docker Compose; the default setup is one container with SQLite.; Setup: moderate: One Docker container, but each network needs its own developer app.; Last commit: 2026-11-14; Last release: 2026-11-13; GitHub stars: 913 (2026-11-14)
- **TryPost** (https://github.com/trypostit/trypost): Licence: AGPL-3.0; Commercial use: Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.; Runs on: A web server running PHP 8.2 or newer with Laravel.; Setup: moderate: Laravel app with queue workers and per-network developer keys.; Last commit: 2026-11-13; Last release: 2026-11-01; GitHub stars: 863 (2026-11-14)
- **Socioboard** (https://github.com/socioboard/Socioboard-5.0): Licence: GPL-3.0-or-later; Commercial use: Yes; GPL-3.0 means sharing source if you distribute modified versions.; Runs on: Server with Node.js, PHP front end, MongoDB, MySQL and PM2.; Setup: hard: Several services (Node, PHP, MongoDB, MySQL) to install and keep running.; Last commit: 2026-08-17; Last release: 2024-01-16; GitHub stars: 1,500 (2026-11-14)

## Questions

### What is the best alternative to Later in 2027?
Hootsuite is the best overall Later alternative on this page ($99/user/mo billed yearly). For no cost, Buffer has a free plan (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user, 100 ideas). To self-host, Postiz is open source (AGPL-3.0).

### Is there a free version of Later?
No. Later has no free plan; paid plans start at $18.75/mo billed yearly, checked on 14 Nov 2026.

### Is there a 100% free alternative to Later?
Yes. Postiz, Mixpost, OpenPost, TryPost, Socioboard are open source and free to self-host. Buffer, Metricool, Planoly, Publer have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

### What is cheaper than Later?
Planoly starts at $14/mo, against $18.75/mo billed yearly for Later, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 14 Nov 2026.

### How much do Later alternatives cost for a team of 5?
If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 14 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Publer $20/mo, Buffer $25/mo, Planoly $70/mo, against Later $93.75/mo for Later. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

### Which is better, Hootsuite or Later?
Standard is $99 per user a month billed annually for 10 accounts, against Later Starter at $18.75 for one social set of 8 profiles and a single user. Choose Hootsuite if you need a shared inbox, monitoring and enterprise permissions across more than ten profiles. Stay with Later if you plan visually around Instagram and TikTok on a budget under $30 a month.

### Why are people leaving Later?
The documented reasons are: Later's help centre defines current plans (Starter, Growth, Scale) as those started on or after July 1, 2025, and says the Advanced tier no longer exists on current plans (1 Jul 2025); Pricing page: Starter allows 30 posts per profile and 5 AI credits a month, extra social sets and users are not available on it, and Growth ($37.50 yearly, $50 monthly) is the first plan with a social inbox (14 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

### What are the best Later alternatives?
Planoly for a cheaper visual planner, Buffer for per-channel pricing, Metricool for analytics across brands, and Postiz if you want to self-host.

## Related on Zekai

- [Buffer alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/buffer/)
- [Hootsuite alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/hootsuite/)
- [Metricool alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/metricool/)
- [Sprout Social alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/sprout-social/)
- [Taplio alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/taplio/)
- [AI for Marketing & Content Creation](https://zekaiwork.com/professions/ai-marketing-content-creation-automation/)

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Live table, team cost finder and price alerts: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/later/