Best for: The closest swap for an Instagram grid
Planoly is the most direct Later replacement. Grid preview, Link in Bio, unlimited uploads on every paid plan. Starter is $16 a month, or $14 billed yearly. Compared with Later, it is cheaper and does much the same job. You still shoot the photos.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|
| Starter | $16/mo | Or $14/mo billed yearly. 1 social set, 1 user, unlimited uploads |
| Growth | $28/mo | Or $24/mo billed yearly. 2 social sets, 2 users. Extra set $10/mo, extra user $5/mo |
| Pro | $55/mo | Or $47/mo billed yearly. 6 social sets, 6 users. Extra set $8/mo, extra user $3/mo |
USD list prices from planoly.com/pricing, checked 12 October 2026. The page opens on yearly billing. Planoly's help centre says prices are in USD. Free on the mobile app for 10 uploads a month. 14-day trial on paid plans.
Choose Planoly if
You shoot your own product photography, the Instagram grid is the point, and you want the cheapest visual planner that does it.
Pros
- Cheaper than Later on the page we read
- Unlimited uploads on paid plans
- Link in Bio included
Cons
- Free only on the mobile app
- Instagram-first
- Does not make posts
Best for: A cheap queue when the posts already exist
Buffer is the cheapest way to keep scheduling if the grid was never the point. Free for three channels and ten scheduled posts each, then $5 per channel a month. Compared with Later, there is no grid preview and no post cap on paid plans.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|
| Free | $0 | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 1 user |
| Essentials | $5/mo per channel | Or $60 a year per channel. Unlimited scheduled posts, 1 user |
| Team | $10/mo per channel | Or $120 a year per channel. Unlimited team members |
USD list prices from buffer.com/pricing, checked 12 October 2026. 14-day trial on paid plans. The price per channel drops past 10 channels.
Choose Buffer if
You already have a marketing team or writer producing content, and you just need a reliable place to schedule and queue posts across platforms.
Pros
- Usable free plan
- Priced per channel
- Unlimited scheduled posts on Essentials
Cons
- No grid preview
- Fewer visual tools than Later
- Does not make posts
Best for: Posts that come from what you know, not what you shoot
This week · approved
MonThree things that stall week threeLinkedIn · 9:00Queued
TueReel from Tuesday's callInstagram · 18:30Best time
WedWeek three is where consistency diesLinkedIn · 8:15Queued
Thu"Consistency beats perfection."Facebook · 12:00Queued
Fri22 seconds, captions burned inTikTok · 17:45Best time
Magic Marketer® is for the business whose posts are ideas, not photos. One source - a recording, a transcript, a link - becomes eight post formats in your voice, including carousels, quote cards, stories and short-form video. Then it publishes them. Compared with Later, you lose the grid preview. You gain a calendar that arrives full.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|
| Free trial | A$0 for 7 days | Card at sign-up. Publishing, scheduling and unlimited creations included. Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime before day 7 and you won't be charged. |
| Up to 2 brands | A$99/mo | Up to 2 brands. Unlimited team members. Publishing and scheduling included. A fresh batch on your schedule, daily, weekly, or monthly. Weekly community calls and workshops included. For 3 or more brands, book a demo and we quote agency pricing. Or A$986/yr, save 17%. |
| Agency | Custom | 3 or more brands. No public rate, quoted on a demo. |
Magic Marketer® prices are in AUD.
Choose Magic Marketer® if
Your content is what you say to clients rather than what you photograph, and the hard part is making the posts, not arranging them.
Pros
- Makes the posts from a source you already have
- Visual formats included, sized per channel
- Up to 2 brands on one plan
Cons
- No grid preview
- No Link in Bio page
- No permanent free plan
Best for: Analytics and the free plan Later no longer has
Metricool schedules, reports and tracks competitors, with a free plan for one brand. Starter is from $20 a month for five brands. Compared with Later, the reporting goes further and the planner is plainer.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month |
| Starter | From $20/mo | 5 brands. $36/mo for 10 brands |
| Advanced | From $53/mo | 15 brands, up to 50 |
USD list prices from metricool.com/pricing, checked 12 October 2026. Annual billing saves up to 24%.
Choose Metricool if
You already have content and mainly need a cheap, capable dashboard for scheduling, analytics, and competitor tracking across a lot of brands or accounts.
Pros
- Free plan for one brand
- Five brands on Starter
- Competitor analytics
Cons
- Plainer planner than Later
- Busy dashboard
- Does not make posts
Best for: Recycling a library of posts you already have
Publer prices per social account, with a free plan and every tenth account free. Paid plans add post recycling, which suits a back catalogue of photos. Compared with Later, it is less visual and better at reuse.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 user, 3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account |
| Professional | From $5/mo per account | Or $4/mo billed yearly. Unlimited scheduling and drafts, X included. 7-day trial |
| Business | From $10/mo per account | Or $8/mo billed yearly. Adds analytics, post recycling and unlimited AI. 14-day trial |
USD list prices from publer.com/plans, checked 12 October 2026. Priced per social account, with extra members on top. Every tenth account is free. Ten accounts on Professional came to $36/mo.
Choose Publer if
You have a large library of finished posts and want the cheapest way to schedule and recycle them across two or three channels.
Pros
- Usable free plan
- Post recycling on Business
- Every tenth account free
Cons
- Free plan has no X
- Less visual than Later
- Does not make posts
Best for: Several brands with an inbox and reviews
Vista Social is the step up, not across. Inbox, reviews, a listening add-on and fifteen profiles on Professional at $99 a month, or $950 a year. Compared with Later, it is a management tool more than a planner.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|
| Professional | $99/mo | Or $950 a year. 15 profiles, 2 users |
| Advanced | $199/mo | Or $1,910 a year. 30 profiles, 3 users |
| Scale | $449/mo | Or $4,310 a year. 70 profiles, 4 users |
USD list prices from vistasocial.com/pricing, checked 12 October 2026. No free plan, 14-day trial. X is $29/mo extra. Listening across social, web and news is $75/mo.
Choose Vista Social if
You run several brands with a small team and need the management layer: inbox, reviews, listening, advocacy.
Pros
- Inbox and reviews included
- Fifteen profiles on the entry plan
- Listening as an add-on
Cons
- No free plan
- X costs extra
- Still assumes the posts exist
