Later
Visual social media planner with link in bio and analytics
Later report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for planning Instagram and TikTok visually
Later is a drag-and-drop calendar built around Instagram and TikTok, with a link-in-bio page on every plan. For two people it's Growth at $37.50 a month billed yearly, which also brings the inbox and approvals. X and Bluesky aren't among the eight networks in its listing, though.
Who Later is for
- Great if Instagram and TikTok are where your business lives
- Handy when you want the link-in-bio page and the scheduler on one bill
- Good for agencies grouping each client's profiles into its own social set
Who Later is not for
- Skip it if you post to X or Bluesky, which aren't in its list of networks
- Tight if you're on Starter, at 30 posts per profile a month and one user
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there's only a 14-day trial
Why Later gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyA 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.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan, just a 14-day trial of the paid plans. That's enough to plan a couple of weeks of posts and see whether the calendar suits you.
- CFeaturesVisual planner, best 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.
- BEase of useIts iPhone and iPad app averages 4.55 from about 2,500 ratings, solid but just short of an A.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Later's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/later#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/later.svg" alt="Later: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Later stands among social media schedulers
Later's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 10 of the 19 other social media schedulers we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 15 of 19) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $18.75 a month, against a middle price of $27.25 for the category: 6 of the 19 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 20 social media schedulers we grade, cut by the letter each got. Later’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 4 of 19, level with 14
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 19, level with 17
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 19, level with 10
- BEase of useAbove 15 of 19, level with 1
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 19, level with 17
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 20 social media schedulers. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Later, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Later you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $225 a year.
What you could make
- Calendar and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Later’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Later?
Later Social plans and auto-publishes posts to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Snapchat from a drag-and-drop calendar. It adds a link-in-bio page, AI caption and idea tools, and analytics whose history grows with the plan. The company also sells influencer and affiliate marketing; this listing covers the social media scheduling plans.
Later is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $18.75 per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually. See every plan
Good for
- Creators and brands built around Instagram and TikTok
- Small teams that want a link-in-bio page and scheduler together
- Agencies grouping each client's profiles into a social set
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Later pricing
- Starts at
- $18.75 per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $18.75per 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 | $37.50per 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 | $82.50per 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. |
Read from later.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Later before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discount25% off with annual billing
Later says annual plans save 25% against monthly billing, which it describes as three months free.
Stated on later.com - Nonprofit50% off the annual Growth plan for nonprofits
Later's pricing FAQ gives qualified nonprofit organizations 50% off the Growth plan when billed annually.
Stated on later.com
How people rate the Later app
4.6
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars83%
- 4 stars6%
- 3 stars3%
- 2 stars2%
- 1 star7%
2,532 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Later alternatives
- Later vs Buffer
Free plan · from $5/mo
- Later vs Hootsuite
Free trial · from $99/mo
- Later vs Sprout Social
Free trial · from $79/mo
- Later vs Planable
Free trial · from $33/mo
- Later vs Metricool
Free plan · from $20/mo
Common questions
Is Later free?
No, Later is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial.
How much does Later cost?
Later lists 3 plans. Starter: $18.75 per month for up to 8 social profiles, billed annually. Growth: $37.50 per month for up to 16 social profiles, billed annually. Scale: $82.50 per month for up to 48 social profiles, billed annually. Prices were read from later.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Later work on?
Later is available on Web, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does Later offer any discounts?
Later publicly lists the following: 25% off with annual billing; 50% off the annual Growth plan for nonprofits.
How is Later rated?
Later's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2,532 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Later have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Later is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Later have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Later is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Later open source?
Later is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Later integrate with?
Later's listing names Canva, Mailchimp, Google Analytics and Mavely. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Later?
Later is made by Later.
What are the alternatives to Later?
The closest alternatives to Later in our directory are Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Planable and Metricool. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Later.
How does Later compare with other social media schedulers?
Later's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 10 of the 19 other social media schedulers we grade, and level with 4. It stands best on ease of use (B, above 15 of 19) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Is Later good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Later C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $18.75 a month, against a middle price of $27.25 for the category: 6 of the 19 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of Later?
To replace Later you would be making one mailbox that several people work at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $225 a year. What you could not make: One mailbox that several people work at once. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.