YouTube
Everything you need to schedule posts on YouTube: what you can do natively, text limits, image and video sizes, the schedulers that support it, and recent API changes.
Can you schedule natively?
Yes, built inYouTube Studio schedules uploads: the video stays private and goes public at the time you set. Premieres can be scheduled too, but not for Shorts.
Step-by-step guideText limits
| Field | Limit | How it counts |
|---|---|---|
| title | 100 characters | Cannot contain < or >. Source |
| description | 5,000 characters | Uploads through the API count bytes, so emoji and accented letters use more of the 5,000. Source |
Image and video sizes
Only what YouTube documents. "Not stated" means the platform doesn't publish that figure; we don't fill gaps from blogs. Ads specs are marked, because they can differ from normal posts.
-
Video
- Size
- Not stated
- Ratio
- 16:9
- Files
- MP4
- Limits
- 262,144 MB max · 12 h max
Details and sources
YouTube Help: by default up to 15 minutes; verified accounts can go longer; max 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. Recommended upload: MP4 container, no edit lists; 16:9 is standard on computer, the player adapts to vertical or square; resolutions 360p to 8K; common frame rates 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60.
-
Shorts
- Size
- Not stated
- Ratio
- 9:16, 1:1
- Files
- Not stated
- Limits
- 3 min max
Details and sources
YouTube Help: Shorts are square or vertical videos up to 3 minutes; uploaded at a maximum resolution of 1080p; up to 15 Shorts can be selected per upload batch. Use a wider ratio such as 16:9 to keep a video from becoming a Short. No official organic pixel size or safe zone found.
-
Video thumbnail
- Size
- 3840 × 2160
- Ratio
- 16:9
- Files
- JPG, PNG
- Limits
- 50 MB max
Details and sources
YouTube Help: recommended 3840 x 2160 for videos (minimum 640 px wide); Shorts thumbnails 2160 x 3840 at 9:16 (minimum 640 px tall). File limit 50 MB on desktop for video, Shorts and podcast thumbnails; video thumbnails capped at 2 MB on mobile. Older guides citing 1280 x 720 and 2 MB are out of date.
-
Channel banner
- Size
- 2560 × 1440
- Ratio
- 16:9
- Files
- Not stated
- Limits
- 6 MB max
Details and sources
YouTube Help: minimum upload 2048 x 1152 px at 16:9; safe area for text and logos 1235 x 338 px at the minimum size; recommended 2560 x 1440 px especially for TV; 6 MB or smaller. Formats not stated for the banner. Profile picture: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG (no animated GIF), up to 15 MB, renders at 98 x 98 px. Watermark: square, at least 150 x 150 px, under 1 MB.
How tools publish to YouTube
What each tool's own pages state about YouTube: 20 auto-publish, 1 send a phone reminder. A blank cell means the pages do not say.
| Tool | Publishing | Post types | 1st comment | Limits and requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agorapulse | videoshort | No community posts; unlisted videos cannot be published; unverified accounts limited to 15-minute videos Needs: Shorts auto-detected if vertical and under 3 minutes | ||
| Apaya | Needs: Features page says YouTube is on the roadmap; also listed as an integration | |||
| Ayrshare | Auto-publish | |||
| Blog2Social | short | |||
| Blotato | Auto-publish | videoshort | No | 10 posts per channel per rolling 24h on Starter, 25 on Creator and Agency Needs: Branded channels selected from main Google account; Manager role may need Owner access |
| Buffer | Phone reminder | short | Daily limit 10 Shorts for unverified users, unlimited for verified | |
| Circleboom | short | |||
| ContentStudio | Yes | |||
| CoSchedule | short | Shorts only; full-length videos not published Needs: Channel; log in with owning Google account | ||
| Dash Social (formerly Dash Hudson) | Auto-publish | video | 1 video; API requires auto_publish true | |
| Fedica | Auto-publish | video | Needs: Paid plans; comments only, no DMs | |
| FeedHive | video | Needs: Title required | ||
| Gain | Mixed | long-form videoshort | Insights cover only last 30 days | |
| GoHighLevel Social Planner | shortvideo | |||
| Heropost | ||||
| HeyOrca | Auto-publish | video | Yes | |
| Hookle | Needs: Support added in version 4.1.0 | |||
| Hootsuite | Auto-publish | video | Comments moderated through Streams, not the inbox; analytics cover subscriber growth, engagement, views, average view duration; OwlyWriter AI writes titles and descriptions; catalog coverage in Lumen 15K accounts | |
| Kontentino | short | Shorts only, 3 to 60 sec, 9:16, 2 GB; long-form via YouTube Studio | ||
| Lately | Needs: YouTube integration announced in a January 2019 press release; product page lists only Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, TikTok upcoming | |||
| Later | Auto-publish | shortvideo | Shorts maximum 60 seconds (page FAQ); title, description, keywords and notify subscribers fields Needs: Available on all plans | |
| Loomly | Auto-publish | videoshort | No limits stated; thumbnails, titles, tags and chapters; long video to Shorts via Loomly Studio | |
| MeetEdgar | short | MP4 up to 5 GB and 60 s; page lists both 9:16 and 1920x1080 Needs: Connect channel on Accounts page; visibility Public, Unlisted or Private | ||
| Metricool | shortvideo | Yes | Description 5,000; Shorts up to 3 min; 10 posts per 24h on Free, 20 on paid; first comment 10,000 | |
| Mixpost | videoshort | |||
| mLabs | all formats (vendor states) | |||
| NapoleonCat | Needs: YouTube channels (homepage) | |||
| Nuelink | videoshort | Video 5 sec to 10 min, 500 MB; Shorts 15-180 sec, 150 MB, 9:16 | ||
| Ocoya | Short (video or GIF only) | Caption 5,000; 1 video up to 256 MB Needs: Connects as YouTube Shorts | ||
| OneUp | Yes | |||
| Outstand | Auto-publish | Needs: Managed Keys | ||
| Planable | videoshort | |||
| Plann | Auto-publish | short | ||
| Planoly | Auto-publish | |||
| PlanPost | Auto-publish | videoshort | No | Description 5,000 characters, one video per post. Title, tags, category, privacy status and made-for-kids are set per upload. Needs: YouTube channel connected with upload and read-only permissions |
| Post Bridge | video | Titles, tags and custom thumbnails settable | ||
| Post Planner | Needs: Listed as supported | |||
| PostEverywhere | Auto-publish | long videoShort | No | Title 100; description 5,000 bytes; MP4 up to 4 GB; long video up to 12 hours; Shorts up to 3 minutes Needs: Video required; Community posts not supported |
| Postly | Yes | Needs: Sign in with Google account that owns the channel; invited Studio access does not grant API access | ||
| Postmypost | Daily publication limit 10; raisable on Advanced plan via support | |||
| Postpone | Mixed | short | Needs: Notification posting available for YouTube Shorts | |
| PostSyncer | short | |||
| Predis.ai | YouTube Shorts | |||
| Publer | Mixed | videoshort | Yes | Title 100 chars; description 5,000; video up to 12 hours and 2 GB; Shorts vertical up to 3 min; no duplicate videos Needs: Visibility public, private or unlisted; monetization must be switched on manually per video in YouTube Studio |
| Quso.ai | videoShorts | Needs: Channel | ||
| RecurPost | video upload | |||
| Schedchie | Auto-publish | videoshort | Uploads up to 15 min and 200 MB | |
| Sendible | videoshort | Custom video thumbnails (June 2026); title character count validation added March 2026 and restored Aug 2026 | ||
| Simplified | videoshort | 15 published posts per 24 hours | ||
| Sked Social | Auto-publish | No | ||
| SmarterQueue | videoshort | |||
| SocialBee | videoshort | Yes | Integrations page: schedule videos and Shorts, monitor comments; demographic distribution by country in analytics | |
| SocialBu | videoshort | Bulk columns cover title, video URL, Shorts, privacy, thumbnail | ||
| SocialPilot | Auto-publish | videoshort | No limits stated; supports tags, Made for Kids setting, custom thumbnails, queue, schedule and instant post | |
| SocialRails | videoShort | |||
| Sprout Social | Listed among networks in analytics and calendar; no publishing detail read | |||
| Statusbrew | videoshort | Yes | First comment 10000 characters Needs: Channels | |
| Swat.io | Mixed | videoshort | ||
| TryPost | Auto-publish | short (per FAQ) | ||
| Upload-Post | Auto-publish | videoshort | Needs: Comments need youtube.force-ssl scope; older connections must reconnect | |
| Viraly | Auto-publish | shortvideo | Yes | Caption 5,000; thumbnails up to 4GB videos, not for Shorts Needs: Brand accounts supported; title required |
| YouTube Studio | video | Titles up to 100 characters, descriptions up to 5,000, up to 15 videos per upload (upload help) Needs: Video set to private or scheduled; supervised accounts may not be able to upload | ||
| Zernio (formerly Late) | Auto-publish | videoshort | Title 100, description 5,000; unverified channels 15 min, verified up to 12 h; thumbnails up to 2 MB Needs: One channel per profile; Brand Account needs owner or manager access |
Schedulers that publish to YouTube
80 of the tools we track list YouTube publishing. Cheapest first.
| Tool | From | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Postly | $3.20 / channel / mo | No |
| Hookle | $3.99 / mo | Yes |
| Publer | $4 / account / mo | Yes |
| Social Champ | $4 / account / mo | Yes |
| Buffer | $5 / channel / mo | Yes |
| UNUM | $5.25 / mo | Yes |
| RecurPost | $7.50 / mo | No |
| Post Planner | $9 / mo | Yes |
| PostEverywhere | $9 / mo | No |
| Zoho Social | $10 / mo | Yes |
| Iconosquare | $10 / mo | Yes |
| Planly | $10 / mo | No |
| Plann | $12.50 / mo | Yes |
| Lately | $14 / mo | No |
| Planoly | $14 / mo | Yes |
| Quso.ai | $14.50 / mo | Yes |
| ContentStudio | $15 / mo | No |
| OneUp | $15 / mo | No |
| Nuelink | $16 / mo | No |
| Postpone | $16 / mo | Yes |
| Upload-Post | $16 / mo | Yes |
| Onlypult | $17.50 / mo | No |
| Later | $18.75 / mo | No |
| Predis.ai | $19 / mo | No |
| TryPost | $19 / mo | No |
| Outstand | $19 / mo | No |
| Viraly | $19 / mo | Yes |
| PlanPost | $19.99 / mo | No |
| Metricool | $20 / mo | Yes |
| Pallyy | $20 / mo | Yes |
| Mixpost | $20.75 / mo | Yes |
| SocialBu | $22 / mo | Yes |
| Postiz | $23 / mo | No |
| Heropost | $23 / mo | No |
| PostSyncer | $24 / mo | No |
| Sociamonials | $24 / mo | No |
| SocialBee | $24.17 / mo | No |
| MeetEdgar | $24.91 / mo | No |
| SocialPilot | $25.50 / mo | No |
| Blotato | $29 / mo | No |
| Ocoya | $29 / mo | No |
| SocialRails | $29 / mo | No |
| CoSchedule | $29 / mo | Yes |
| Sendible | $29.75 / mo | No |
| Planable | $33 / mo | No |
| Post Bridge | $39 / mo | No |
| CloudCampaign | $41 / mo | No |
| Loomly | $49 / mo | No |
| Statusbrew | $49 / mo | No |
| Apaya | $55 / mo | No |
| Sked Social | $58 / mo | No |
| HeyOrca | $59 / mo | Yes |
| Kontentino | $59 / mo | No |
| Sprout Social | $79 / user / mo | No |
| Agorapulse | $79 / user / mo | Yes |
| Simplified | $79 / mo | No |
| Vista Social | $79.17 / mo | No |
| GoHighLevel Social Planner | $80.83 / mo | No |
| Hootsuite | $99 / user / mo | No |
| Gain | $99 / mo | No |
| eClincher | $134 / mo | No |
| Ayrshare | $149 / mo | No |
| Emplifi | $1249 / mo | No |
| FeedHive | Not published | No |
| Dash Social (formerly Dash Hudson) | Not published | No |
| Oktopost | Not published | No |
| Swat.io | Not published | No |
| Circleboom | Not published | Yes |
| SmarterQueue | Not published | No |
| YouTube Studio | Not published | No |
| FS Poster | Not published | No |
| Blog2Social | Not published | Yes |
| Schedchie | Not published | No |
| Zernio (formerly Late) | Not published | Yes |
| Fedica | Not published | No |
| Hopper HQ | Not published | No |
| mLabs | Not published | No |
| NapoleonCat | Not published | No |
| Facelift | Not published | No |
| Postmypost | Not published | No |
YouTube API changes
Full changelog- New feature YouTube Announced 14 Sept 2026YouTube thumbnails.set upload limit raised from 2MB to 50MB
Tools can upload higher quality custom thumbnails and playlist images without compressing them below 2MB.
- Policy YouTube Announced 27 Aug 2026YouTube aligns public view counting across videos, Live and Shorts
Public view counts can shift because a view now counts from the first frame, including autoplay.
- Policy YouTube Announced 1 Jun 2026YouTube Data API moves videos.insert and search.list to separate quota buckets
Projects should track quota for uploads and search separately from other methods and request increases per bucket through the Quota Extension Form.
- Policy YouTube Announced 4 May 2026 Effective 1 Jun 2026YouTube adds derived metrics and data storage policies for audited developers
Analytics tools that build custom scores or store YouTube statistics beyond 30 days now need approval.
- Policy YouTube Announced 4 Dec 2025Video upload quota cost lowered from about 1600 to about 100 units
Upload tools on the default 10,000-unit daily quota can plan for far more videos.insert calls per day than before.
- Breaking YouTube Announced 10 Jul 2025 Effective 21 Jul 2025YouTube videos.list mostPopular chart changes source on 21 July 2025
The mostPopular chart no longer matches the old Trending Now list.