Later is a social media scheduling tool built around visual planning, with a drag-and-drop calendar and a grid preview for Instagram. It prices by social set, a bundle of one profile per network, which suits brands managing a handful of accounts across many platforms.
Later ranking and coverage
- In Marketing
- #10 of 14 tied
- Overall
- #77 of 122 tied
- Terms score
- 5.1 /10
- Referenced here
- 1 page
Cost position 6.2 · Portability 3 · Subscription flexibility 6 - Ranked on published terms only: entry price against category peers, portability and subscription flexibility, equally weighted. This is not a quality score.How the rank is calculated.
Later: the short answer
Every line below is drawn from facts verified on 9 August 2026.
- What it is
- Visual-first scheduling, priced by social sets rather than seats
- Best for
- Instagram-led brands that plan visually
- Starts at
- Starter $18.75/month billed yearly; monthly works out at about $25 on their stated 25% discount
- Free option
- No free plan, 14 days trial
- Biggest strength
- Instagram grid preview genuinely improves visual planning
- Biggest drawback
- Advertised prices assume yearly billing at 25% off
- Based on
- Primary-source research, not hands-on use
- Closest alternative
- Buffer - Cheaper per channel if you post to only a few networks
- True annual cost
- from $225 a year on Starter, the cheapest paid tier ($18.75 a month)
Later at a glance
| Best for | Instagram-led brands that plan visually, Small teams posting across many networks at once, Anyone who wants to see the feed before publishing |
|---|---|
| Category | Marketing, Analytics |
| Starting price | Starter $18.75/month billed yearly; monthly works out at about $25 on their stated 25% discount |
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Pricing model | subscription |
| Company | Later (formerly Latergramme) |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Founders | Matt Smith, Ian MacKinnon, Kirk Simpson |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Public API | No |
| Browser extension | No |
| Mobile apps | iOS + Android |
| Self-hosting | No |
| Affiliate programme | No |
| Data source | Vendor pricing page and public records |
| Last checked | August 2026 |
Later pricing
Prices below were read from the vendor's own pricing page on 9 August 2026. Pricing model: subscription. Free trial: 14 days.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $18.75 | per month | Billed yearly at 25% off. 1 social set (8 profiles), 1 user, 30 posts per profile |
| Growth | $37.50 | per month | Billed yearly. 2 social sets (16 profiles), 2 users |
| Scale | $82.50 | per month | Billed yearly. 6 social sets (48 profiles), 4 users, custom analytics |
| Add-ons | $11.25 | per month | Per extra social set. Extra users $3.75. 100 AI credits $3.75 |
What Later actually costs over a year
A monthly price is not the same thing as a monthly contract. These are the plans above resolved both ways, per seat or unit where the plan is charged that way. Where a vendor quotes only a yearly figure it is divided by twelve rather than left out, and the Quoted column says which figure the vendor actually publishes.
| Plan | Quoted | Monthly | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | per month | $18.75 | $225 |
| Growth | per month | $37.5 | $450 |
| Scale | per month | $82.5 | $990 |
| Add-ons add-on | per month | $11.25 | $135 |
Which Later plan should you buy?
| Your situation | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You post to one profile per network | Starter | $18.75 a month billed yearly for one social set of 8 profiles. Note the page defaults to yearly billing, so monthly is $25. |
| Two people manage two brands or accounts | Growth | $37.50 billed yearly for 2 social sets and 2 users. |
| You need custom analytics and four users | Scale | $82.50 billed yearly for 6 social sets and 4 users. |
| You manage several client accounts | Add social sets, then compare | Extra sets are $11.25 each and users $3.75. Eight clients is around $97 a month, at which point compare tools built for multi-client work. |
| You post to only two networks | Consider Buffer instead | A social set includes eight profiles. If you connect two, you are paying for six you do not use. |
| You need listening or an inbox | Do not buy Later | Neither exists meaningfully. Hootsuite or Sprout Social for management. |
Verdict by who you are
Instagram-led brandYes
The grid preview prevents publishing three similar images in a row, which is a real editorial benefit no queue-based tool offers.
Small team posting the same campaign everywhereYes
Social sets are better value than per-channel pricing when you use all eight networks.
Agency with many clientsCompare first
Workable with add-ons, but it is not designed for multi-client management.
LinkedIn or X-focused operatorNo
Visual planning is the product, and you would be paying for unused profiles.
Should you buy Later?
Buy Later if…
- Instagram-led brands that plan visually
- Small teams posting across many networks at once
- Anyone who wants to see the feed before publishing
Do not buy Later if…
- Teams needing social listening or an inbox at scale
- Agencies with many client accounts
- Text-first channels such as LinkedIn or X alone
Key features
- Visual content calendar with drag-and-drop scheduling
- Instagram grid preview before posting
- Best Time to Post based on your own engagement
- Media library for organising assets
- Link in bio landing page
- Auto-publishing to supported networks
- AI caption and content tools, metered by credits
- Analytics per post and per profile
Integrations
- Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat
- Canva
- Shopify for shoppable posts
- Dropbox and Google Drive
- Google Analytics via link tracking
Later screenshots
Captured by us in August 2026 at 1440px, unedited. Interfaces change, so these show the product as it looked on the date we verified this profile. Pricing pages are captured from a US vantage point, so the currency shown matches the USD figures recorded above.
Our assessment
Later is the right tool if your social media is visual and your planning is too. Seeing a scheduled Instagram grid before it exists prevents the specific mistake of publishing three similar images in a row, and the drag-and-drop calendar suits people who think in weeks rather than queues. The social set model is also genuinely well judged for brands that post the same campaign to eight networks, since one set covers one profile on each. Where it goes wrong is agencies and heavy users: extra sets at $11.25 and extra users at $3.75 add up, AI credits are metered separately, and there is no listening or serious inbox. It is a publishing tool with good analytics, not a management platform.
What works in Later
- Instagram grid preview genuinely improves visual planning
- Social sets suit posting the same content across many networks
- Cheap entry point at $18.75 a month billed yearly
- Best Time to Post uses your own engagement data
What doesn't
- Advertised prices assume yearly billing at 25% off
- Users are tightly capped, from 1 on Starter to 4 on Scale
- No social listening and only a basic inbox
- AI credits are metered and sold as an add-on
EveryAny Decision Score
3 of these 8 dimensions are calculated from verified facts; the rest are our judgement, shown as a band rather than a figure unless something specific sits behind them. How each score works.
- Cost position6.2/10
derivedentry tier at $18.75 a month against a category median of $20 a month across 13 comparable tools
- Portability3/10
derivedno portability signals
- Subscription flexibility6/10
derivedfree trial, subscription, monthly billing
- Feature depthModerate
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- Ease of learningVery high
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- CollaborationModerate
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- AI capabilityModerate
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- Professional adoptionHigh
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
What leaving Later would cost
high lock-in
Later offers none of the four portability signals we check, so anything you build here stays here. Portability 3/10 ; lock-in is the inverse. How this is calculated.
Later competitors and alternatives
| Alternative | Why you might pick it instead |
|---|---|
| Buffer | Cheaper per channel if you post to only a few networks. |
| Hootsuite | Broader listening and inbox, at considerably more cost. |
| Metricool | Better analytics and ad reporting for a similar price. |
Buffer
Marketing
Social scheduling priced per channel, so small accounts stay cheap.
Checked Aug 2026
Hootsuite
Marketing
The incumbent in social media management, priced like one.
Checked Aug 2026
The prices assume yearly billing
Later’s pricing page loads with the Bill Yearly toggle already on, advertising “3 months free | 25% off”. Every figure you see is therefore a discounted, annually committed rate.
| Plan | Billed yearly | Implied monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $18.75/month | $25 |
| Growth | $37.50/month | $50 |
| Scale | $82.50/month | $110 |
If you want to pay monthly, add a third. That is not hidden exactly, but the default toggle means most people quote the lower number.
A social set is the unit, and it is a good idea
A social set is one profile on each supported network: Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Snapchat. So one set is eight profiles.
- Starter: 1 set, 8 profiles, 1 user
- Growth: 2 sets, 16 profiles, 2 users
- Scale: 6 sets, 48 profiles, 4 users
For a single brand pushing one campaign everywhere, this is better value than Buffer’s per-channel model, because eight channels on Buffer Essentials is $40 a month against Later Starter’s $18.75.
For someone posting to two networks only, Buffer wins, since you would pay for six profiles you never connect. Count networks, not just accounts.
Users are the tight constraint
One user on Starter. Two on Growth. Four on Scale. Extra users are $3.75 a month each, extra social sets $11.25 a month each, and AI credits $3.75 per 100 a month.
An agency with eight clients needs eight sets, which is $18.75 plus seven extra sets at $11.25, so around $97 a month before users. Workable, but at that point compare against tools built for multi-client management rather than assuming Later scales into it.
What it does not do
No meaningful social listening. No unified inbox handling volume. No approval workflows worth the name. If those are requirements, you are looking at Hootsuite or Sprout Social and a much larger budget.
Later’s claim is narrower and it holds: it is the nicest way to plan visual content across several networks and see what it will look like before it goes out.
Later questions, answered
- Is Later worth it?
- Later is the right tool if your social media is visual and your planning is too.
- How much does Later cost?
- Starter $18.75/month billed yearly; monthly works out at about $25 on their stated 25% discount. The cheapest paid tier we recorded is Starter, published at $18.75 a month, which works out at $18.75 a month or $225 over a year. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
- Does Later have a free plan or free trial?
- Later has no free plan. A free trial is available: 14 days.
- What is the best Later alternative?
- It depends on the job. Buffer: Cheaper per channel if you post to only a few networks. Hootsuite: Broader listening and inbox, at considerably more cost. Metricool: Better analytics and ad reporting for a similar price.
- Can I self-host Later?
- No. Later is a hosted service only, so your data lives on the vendor's infrastructure.
What this profile is based on
Every claim below is about our work, not about Later. A "no" is recorded rather than omitted, because the difference between a tested review and careful desk research is the reader's to weigh. How we research a profile.
-
Prices read from the vendor : yes
Read from Later's own pricing page on 9 August 2026
-
Plans and terms recorded : yes
4 rows, each with its billing period
-
Original screenshots : yes
2 captured by us: homepage, pricing page
-
Sources cited and dated : yes
1 primary source, each with the date it was read
-
Product used first-hand : no
Not tested. This profile is desk research from primary sources
-
Alternatives used first-hand : no
None, so comparisons here rest on published facts rather than use
-
Vendor contacted : no
Not contacted for this profile
Where Later appears on this site
One other page here references Later, and it is listed below.
- Another profile Buffer names it as a competitor
Counts pages on this site that name the product by choice - buyer guides, articles, deal records and other profiles. Category and directory indexes list everything automatically and are not counted.
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Provenance and freshness
When each fact was last checked
- Pricing ·
- Plans ·
- Free trial
- Features
- Platforms
- Integrations
- Affiliate programme
- Company details
What has changed
-
August 2026
- Pricing verified as yearly-billing rates at 25% off, with monthly rates derived
- Added plan picker and verdicts
Sources & verification
Facts on this page were read from the sources below on the dates shown. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, we record it as not disclosed rather than estimating it.
- Later pricing - checked 9 August 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will re-check it. Corrections are logged on the page.
