Later vs Planoly (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Later and Planoly share a 2.4 GPA, and only Planoly has a free plan.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Later grades higher on ease of use. Planoly grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Later
Visual social media planner with link in bio and analytics
Planoly
Visual social planner with link in bio and Instagram DM automation
Which one is for you
Pick Later if
- Fits if Instagram and TikTok are where your business posts most
- Works for agencies grouping each client's profiles into its own social set
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you post to X or Bluesky, which aren't in its list of networks
- Tight if you're on Starter: 1 user, 30 posts per profile a month, 3 months of analytics and no add-ons
- Not for you if you want a free plan: there's a 14-day trial, and monthly billing is 25% above the prices shown
- Watch out: a second Instagram account needs another social set, $11.25 a month on Growth and Scale
- Pricey if you want competitor benchmarks or brand mentions, which are on Scale at $82.50 a month
Pick Planoly if
- Fits if you plan an Instagram feed from your phone
- Makes sense if you want planning, link in bio and DM replies in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 10 uploads a month, on the mobile app
- Not for you if you need teams on Starter, which allows 1 set and 1 user
- Watch out: where a platform bars auto-posting, you get a reminder to post it yourself
- Watch out: the page shows annual billing by default, with savings up to 15%
How we grade them
| 2.4GPALaterFair | 2.4GPAPlanolyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CA team of two needs Growth, since Starter has one user: $37.50 a month billed yearly for 2 users and up to 16 profiles. That's above this category's $29 middle and under the $58 dearer quarter. Starter is $18.75 if you're on your own. | B$14 a month on the default annual billing, inside the category's $17.99 cheaper quarter; the monthly price wasn't read. Growth is $24. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, just a 14-day trial of the paid plans. The prices shown are billed yearly, and monthly billing costs 25% more. | CFree plan: mobile app only, 10 uploads a month. 14-day trial of paid plans. |
| Features | CVisual planner, suggested posting times, AI captions, link in bio, an inbox and approvals are all here. The gaps it shows: its eight networks leave out X and Bluesky, the inbox covers only Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and Starter stops at 30 posts per profile a month. | CGrid preview, auto-posting, AI captions, link in bio and automated replies. Some platforms can't auto-post, so you get reminders. |
| Ease of use | BIts iPhone and iPad app averages 4.55 from about 2,500 ratings, short of the 4.7 an A needs. | CNo store rating on record. Social sets and the grid layout to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Canva, Mailchimp, Google Analytics and Mavely plugged in. No desktop app, which an A needs, and the integration list is short. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest and X. |
| Best for | planning Instagram and TikTok visually | mobile Instagram planning with link in bio |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Later and Planoly. How we grade
Price against what you get
Later starts at $18.75 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Planoly starts at $14 a month and scores 2.3.
Later scores higher, and starts $4.75 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other social media schedulers on the chart, 3 score higher than Later for less, and 4 score higher than Planoly for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Later also covers shared inbox and reports.
- Planoly also covers templates and online store.
At a glance
| Later | Planoly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $18.75 per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually | $14 per month (page defaults to annual billing; monthly-billing price not read) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan on the mobile app with 10 uploads per month. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial on paid plans |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Later | Planoly |
| Price read from | later.com | planoly.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Later
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and the plans page shows annual-billed prices, which Later says are 25% below monthly billing.
- Starter has 1 user, 30 posts per profile a month and 3 months of analytics, with no add-ons; the social inbox and approvals need Growth.
- A social set holds one profile per network, so a second Instagram account needs a second set ($11.25 a month on Growth and Scale, billed annually).
- Competitor benchmarking, brand mentions and custom analytics are limited to Scale.
Planoly
- The free plan is limited to 10 uploads a month and lives on the mobile app.
- Starter allows 1 social set and 1 user; extra sets and users start on Growth.
- Some platforms do not allow auto-posting, so those posts arrive as reminders instead.
- The pricing page shows annual billing by default and gives a saving of up to 15%, not the monthly prices.
Key features
Later
- Visual planner and auto-publishing
- Posts, Reels, Stories, Pins, Shorts and Snapchat Spotlight are dragged onto one calendar and published automatically, or by phone notification for Instagram and TikTok.
- Best time to post
- Suggested posting times for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook show in the calendar; seeing them across several profiles at once needs Growth or Scale.
- AI captions and ideas
- Caption Writer and Ideas run on monthly AI credits: 5 on Starter, 50 on Growth and 100 on Scale, where one credit is one caption or three ideas.
- Link in Bio
- A link-in-bio page with clickable posts, product carousels, email sign-up forms and Mavely affiliate links comes with every plan.
- Social inbox and approvals
- From Growth up, Instagram and Facebook DMs and comments and TikTok comments are answered on the web, and posts go through internal or external approval.
- Analytics and listening
- History runs to 3 months, 1 year or 2 years by plan. Scale adds custom cross-network reports, Meta ads data, competitor benchmarks and brand mentions.
Planoly
- Visual planning and grid preview
- Plan the whole calendar in one view and preview how an Instagram feed will look, rearranging posts before they go out.
- Auto-posting and reminders
- Posts publish automatically where the platform allows it. Otherwise a push notification reminds you to post natively.
- AI ideas and captions
- Suggests post ideas, keywords and captions tailored to a brand, plus a calendar of holidays and trending formats.
- Link in bio and store
- A link-in-bio page can sell digital products, services, bookings and merch. The vendor says it charges no transaction fees.
- Automated replies and DMs
- Set auto-responses for Instagram comments and direct messages. The feature is listed on every paid plan.
- Media library
- A built-in library stores photos, videos and graphics, with unlimited uploads on the paid plans.
Plans
Later
Starter$18.75
per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually
1 social set (one profile per network), 1 user, 30 posts per profile a month, 5 AI credits and 3 months of analytics. No add-ons.
Growth$37.50
per month for up to 16 social profiles, billed annually
2 social sets, 2 users, 180 posts per profile a month, social inbox, approvals, UGC collection and 1 year of analytics.
Scale$82.50
per month for up to 48 social profiles, billed annually
6 social sets, 4 users, unlimited posts, custom and Meta ads analytics, benchmarks against 20 competitors, brand mentions and 2 years of data.
Planoly
Free$0
Available on the Planoly mobile app, limited to 10 uploads per month.
Starter$14
per month; page defaults to annual billing
1 social set, 1 user and unlimited uploads. Adding sets or users needs Growth.
Growth$24
per month; page defaults to annual billing
2 social sets and 2 users. Extra sets $10 a month, extra users $5 a month.
Pro$47
per month; page defaults to annual billing
6 social sets and 6 users. Extra sets $8 a month, extra users $3 a month.
Ways to pay less
Later
- Annual discount
25% off with annual billing
Later says annual plans save 25% against monthly billing, which it describes as three months free.
- Nonprofit
50% off the annual Growth plan for nonprofits
Later's pricing FAQ gives qualified nonprofit organizations 50% off the Growth plan when billed annually.
Planoly
- Annual discount
Save up to 15% on annual plans
The pricing page says annual plans are billed upfront at a discount of up to 15%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Later or Planoly?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Planoly is cheaper to start with: $14 a month, against $18.75 a month for Later. Later starts at $18.75 per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually, and Planoly starts at $14 per month (page defaults to annual billing; monthly-billing price not read).
Which has a free plan, Later or Planoly?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Planoly has a free plan. Later does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Later and Planoly run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Later lists a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.