Updated 14 Nov 2026 · prices read on vendor pages

13 best Later alternatives in 2027

Reviewed by Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai•Prices checked 14 Nov 2026•How we check

The short answer

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.

Open the Zekai Cost Finder Get price alerts

Best overallSee in table →

Hootsuite

$99/user/mo billed yearly

8.8

Best free planSee in table →

Buffer

$5/channel/mo billed yearly · free plan

9.3

Best open sourceSee in table →

Postiz

Free to self-host · AGPL-3.0

7.9

13alternatives compared

4with a free plan

5open source

$4/account/mo billed yearlycheapest paid · Publer

$18.75/mo billed yearlyLater starts at

01 · Zekai Price Ledger

Which Later alternatives are worth it in 2027?

Later alternatives worth a look in 2027 are Planoly for a cheaper visual planner, Buffer for per-channel pricing with a free plan, Metricool for analytics across brands, SocialPilot for flat plans and Hootsuite for team inbox work. Prices were read from each vendor page on 14 November 2026.

Zekai Cost Finder · team1 person

Tool	Type	Starting price	Free plan limit	Best for	Cost for your team	Checked
LaterThe tool you are replacing	You are here	$18.75/mo billed yearlyStarter, 1 social set, 1 user, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly)	No free plan	Visual Instagram and TikTok planning	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Buffer Zekai score 9.3Best free plan	Free plan + paid	$5/channel/mo billed yearlyEssentials, per channel, billed yearly ($6 billed monthly)	3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user, 100 ideas	Per-channel pricing with a free plan	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Hootsuite Zekai score 8.8Best overall	Paid	$99/user/mo billed yearlyStandard, billed annually (page shows annual-basis prices only; no monthly figure)	No free plan	Enterprise inbox and monitoring	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Metricool Zekai score 9.3	Free plan + paid	$20/mo billed yearlyStarter, up to 5 brands, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly)	1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics, 5 competitors	Multi-brand analytics at low cost	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Planoly Not yet reviewed by ZekaiCheapest paid	Free plan + paid	$14/moStarter, 1 social set, 1 user (page shows $14/month and 'save up to 15% annually' without a separate figure)	Free plan on the mobile app: 10 uploads a month	Grid planning at a lower price	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Publer Zekai score 7.9	Free plan + paid	$4/account/mo billed yearlyProfessional, per social account, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)	3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts, 24-hour post history	Free tier and per-account billing	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
SocialPilot Not yet reviewed by Zekai	Paid	$17/mo billed yearlyEssentials, 5 accounts, 1 user, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly)	No free plan	Flat plans with bulk scheduling	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
ContentStudio Zekai score 8.8	Paid	$19/mo billed yearlyStandard, 5 accounts, 1 user, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)	No free plan	AI-heavy content production	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
FeedHive Zekai score 7.2	Paid	$15/mo billed yearlyCreator, 4 social accounts, billed yearly ($19 billed monthly)	No free plan	Creator automations on a budget	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Postiz Zekai score 7.9Best open source	Open source	$29/mo (hosted)Hosted Standard, 5 channels, billed monthly ($23/mo billed yearly)	No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0)	Self-hosted scheduling, no post caps	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Mixpost Zekai score 6.3	Open source	$299 one-time (hosted)Pro licence, one-time, 1 domain, 1 year of updates	No limit, self-hosted (MIT (Lite edition))	One-time licence on your own server	$0	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
OpenPost Zekai score 7.3	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0)	Single-container self-hosted editor	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
TryPost Zekai score 7.0	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0)	Agent-driven self-hosted scheduling	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Socioboard Zekai score 6.0	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (GPL-3.0-or-later)	Self-hosted reporting suite	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗

Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. The Cost Finder assumes one entry plan per person, so it multiplies by your team size; yearly prices are shown per month, and team or business plans can cost more per seat. "Not checked" means we could not confirm a public price.

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02 · Free plan

Is there a free version of Later?

Later's pricing page lists no free plan, only a 14-day free trial of Starter, Growth or Scale. Its help centre still describes a Free tier (1 social set, 1 user, no AI credits), so check your account. Starter costs $18.75 a month billed yearly.

Source: Later pricing page, read 14 Nov 2026.

FreeNone

No free plan on the pricing page

Paid from$18.75/mo billed yearly

Starter, 1 social set, 1 user, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly)

03 · Free alternatives

What are the best free Later alternatives?

The best free Later alternatives are Buffer (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel), Publer (3 accounts, 10 posts per account, no X) and Metricool (1 brand, 20 posts a month). Planoly has a 10-upload free plan in its mobile app.

Buffer

Best free planFree plan + paid

3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user, 100 ideas

Paid from $5/channel/mo billed yearly

vs Later →Zekai review

Metricool

Free plan + paid

1 brand, 20 posts a month, 30 days of analytics, 5 competitors

Paid from $20/mo billed yearly

vs Later →Zekai review

Planoly

Cheapest paidFree plan + paid

Free plan on the mobile app: 10 uploads a month

Paid from $14/mo

vs Later →

Publer

Free plan + paid

3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts, 24-hour post history

Paid from $4/account/mo billed yearly

vs Later →Zekai review

04 · Open source

What are the best open-source Later alternatives?

Open-source Later alternatives are Postiz (AGPL-3.0), Mixpost Lite (MIT, with a paid Pro tier), OpenPost and TryPost (both AGPL-3.0) and Socioboard (GPL-3.0). You host them yourself, pay for the server, and Instagram and TikTok scheduling needs developer app credentials or approval from each network.

Postiz

AGPL-3.0★ 41.6k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Deploy with Docker, Coolify, Railway or any VPS; needs Postgres, Redis, media storage and environment variables, plus a developer app for each social network you connect.

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: 14 Nov 2026

Last release 13 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Mixpost

MIT (Lite edition)★ 3.9k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Self-host the Laravel app with Docker or a PHP server and a public domain; Lite is free, Pro adds all networks and an inbox for a one-time licence.

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: 16 Mar 2026

Last release 16 Mar 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

OpenPost

AGPL-3.0★ 913 GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Start with Docker Compose in a single container backed by SQLite, then add developer app credentials for each network; built-in image, carousel and video editors are included.

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: 14 Nov 2026

Last release 13 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

TryPost

AGPL-3.0★ 863 GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Run the Laravel application on a PHP 8.2 or newer server with a database and queue worker; an MCP server and REST API let AI agents draft posts.

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: 13 Nov 2026

Last release 1 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Socioboard

GPL-3.0-or-later★ 1.5k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Install the Node.js microservices, PHP front end, MongoDB and MySQL, and keep them alive with PM2; developer keys are needed for every network you connect.

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: 17 Aug 2026

Last release 16 Jan 2024

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

05 · Side by side

How does Later compare with each alternative?

Later sells social sets (one profile per network): Starter $18.75 billed yearly or $25 monthly. Buffer bills per channel ($5), Publer per account ($4), Planoly from $14, SocialPilot $17 for 5 accounts and Hootsuite $99 per user. Self-hosted tools skip licence fees.

Later vs Buffer

Best free planFree plan + paid$5/channel/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 20269.3

The differencePrices 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 to Buffer ifyou want to pay only for the channels you use and start on a free plan with three channels

Stay with Later ifyou want one social set to cover eight networks and a visual calendar built around Instagram

Pros

Intuitive interface is easy to learn and use.
Flexible per-channel pricing model saves money.

Cons

Free plan is limited to 10 scheduled posts per channel.
Advanced analytics are only available on paid plans.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Buffer · Verdict: Reliable Social Media Hub

Visit Buffer Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs Hootsuite

Best overallPaid$99/user/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 20268.8

The differenceStandard 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 to Hootsuite ifyou need a shared inbox, monitoring and enterprise permissions across more than ten profiles

Stay with Later ifyou plan visually around Instagram and TikTok on a budget under $30 a month

Pros

14-day free trial available without entering a credit card
Connects with over 100 third-party integrations

Cons

Bulk scheduling is not supported during the 14-day trial
Trial accounts face daily posting caps of 10 to 20 posts

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Hootsuite · Verdict: All-in-one social suite

Visit Hootsuite Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs Metricool

Free plan + paid$20/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 20269.3

The differenceFree 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 to Metricool ifyou manage several brands and want ads analytics plus a free tier to start on

Stay with Later ifyou want link in bio and best-time suggestions for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in one calendar

Pros

Combines planning, analytics, inbox, and ads in one dashboard
Free plan available with permanent access for single-brand management

Cons

Free plan limits analytics history to 30 days
Team management and post approval systems require the Advanced plan

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Metricool · Verdict: Solid social manager

Visit Metricool Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs Planoly

Cheapest paidFree plan + paid$14/mo · checked 14 Nov 2026

The differenceStarter 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 to Planoly ifyou want the cheapest visual planner with Instagram grid preview and DM automation

Stay with Later ifyou want TikTok best-time suggestions, a social inbox on Growth and per-profile post allowances

Visit Planoly Price alert

Later vs Publer

Free plan + paid$4/account/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 20267.9

The differenceFree 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 to Publer ifyou want a free tier or per-account billing instead of social-set bundles

Stay with Later ifyou value the platform-aware Reels audio suggestions and visual calendar workflow

Pros

Saves 5+ hours weekly with bulk and auto-scheduling features.
Affordable pricing with a functional free plan available.

Cons

Analytics are more focused on performance than deep competitor analysis.
Core strength is scheduling, with fewer features for social listening or inbox management.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Publer · Verdict: Efficient Social Scheduling

Visit Publer Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs SocialPilot

Paid$17/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 2026

The differenceEssentials 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 to SocialPilot ifyou want more AI credits and bulk scheduling in a flat plan for a few accounts

Stay with Later ifyou want one social set covering Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Threads

Visit SocialPilot Price alert

Later vs ContentStudio

Paid$19/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 20268.8

The differenceStandard 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 to ContentStudio ifAI writing, image and video generation matter more to you than Instagram-first visual planning

Stay with Later ifyou want a link in bio page and Instagram Reels audio selection from the same tool

Pros

Comprehensive toolset unifies publishing, analytics, and engagement.
Strong agency features like white-labeling, workspaces, and client approvals.

Cons

Interface can be complex for beginners due to the vast number of features.
The free trial is short at only 7 days.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of ContentStudio · Verdict: Powerful Agency-First SMM Suite

Visit ContentStudio Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs FeedHive

Paid$15/mo billed yearly · checked 14 Nov 20267.2

The differenceCreator 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 to FeedHive ifyou want automations and AI post-performance predictions for a small creator account

Stay with Later ifyou need 30 scheduled posts per profile or a calendar designed around visual feeds

Pros

Supports all major social platforms including X, LinkedIn, and TikTok
Powerful AI for generating post ideas, copy, and hashtags

Cons

7-day free trial is short for evaluating advanced features
AI credits and automation runs are limited on lower-tier plans

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of FeedHive · Verdict: AI Social Media Engine

Visit FeedHive Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs Postiz

Best open sourceOpen source$29/mo (hosted) · checked 14 Nov 20267.9

The differenceAGPL-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 to Postiz ifyou want to avoid per-profile limits and fees and can run Docker with Postgres and Redis

Stay with Later ifyou want Instagram Reels audio, link in bio and TikTok best-time suggestions without running a server

Visit Postiz Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs Mixpost

Open source$299 one-time (hosted) · checked 14 Nov 20266.3

The differenceLite 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 to Mixpost ifyou prefer a one-time licence over monthly plans and can host a Laravel app

Stay with Later ifInstagram and TikTok scheduling must work without buying a licence or running a server

Visit Mixpost Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs OpenPost

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.3

The differenceIncludes 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 to OpenPost ifyou want unlimited posts and built-in editors from a one-container install

Stay with Later ifyou want mobile apps and a hosted service with support

Visit OpenPost Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs TryPost

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.0

The differenceAGPL-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 to TryPost ifyou want agents to draft and schedule posts over MCP on your own server

Stay with Later ifyou need a mature product with vendor support and a link in bio

Visit TryPost Read the Zekai review Price alert

Later vs Socioboard

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)6.0

The differenceGPL-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 to Socioboard ifyou want a self-hosted reporting-focused suite and can maintain several services

Stay with Later ifyou want regular releases and Instagram-specific features like Reels audio

Visit Socioboard Read the Zekai review Price alert

06 · What changed

Why do people leave Later?

1 Jul 2025
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. (source)
14 Nov 2026
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. (source)

08 · FAQ

Questions people ask about Later alternatives

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.

09 · Method

How did Zekai check this page?

Zekai independently reviews AI tools. For this page we read each vendor's own pricing and product pages and recorded the starting price, the free-plan limit and the date of the check. Only tools that do the same job as Later are listed, and sponsors never change the order or the scores.

Mehmet Elmicenni

Founder of Zekai. Reviews the alternatives pages and the price checks behind them.

About the founder · How Zekai scores tools

JSON copy Markdown copy

1 · Same job onlyEvery alternative does the same task as Later; tools for other jobs are left out.

2 · Vendor pages onlyPrices and free limits come from each vendor's own pricing page, never from blogs.

Zekai score0–10, from four published weights: ease 25%, output quality 30%, value 20%, time saved 25%. How we score

3 · Re-checkedA price older than 35 days is re-read or the page falls back to an older version.

Change log

14 Nov 2026
Page rebuilt on v6; all prices re-read on vendor pages.
14 Nov 2026
Open-source options expanded and each one given licence, commercial-use, hardware and setup details.

13 best Later alternatives in 2027

Hootsuite

Buffer

Postiz

Which Later alternatives are worth it in 2027?

Know first when Later or an alternative changes price

Your tool here

Is one of these tools yours?

Is there a free version of Later?

What are the best free Later alternatives?

Buffer

Metricool

Planoly

Publer

What are the best open-source Later alternatives?

Postiz

Mixpost

OpenPost

TryPost

Socioboard

How does Later compare with each alternative?

Later vs Buffer

Later vs Hootsuite

Later vs Metricool

Later vs Planoly

Later vs Publer

Later vs SocialPilot

Later vs ContentStudio

Later vs FeedHive

Later vs Postiz

Later vs Mixpost

Later vs OpenPost

Later vs TryPost

Later vs Socioboard

Why do people leave Later?

More comparisons for Social media scheduler / manager

Questions people ask about Later alternatives

What is the best alternative to Later in 2027?

Is there a free version of Later?

Is there a 100% free alternative to Later?

What is cheaper than Later?

How much do Later alternatives cost for a team of 5?

Which is better, Hootsuite or Later?

Why are people leaving Later?

What are the best Later alternatives?

How did Zekai check this page?