Later
Checked 24 Oct 2026 · source · 7 networks · API no · AI yes
Instagram/TikTok-first brands and creators who plan visually and want link-in-bio built in.
You post a lot to X or need a public API. Later does not list X publishing or a customer API.
Overview
Later is built around visual planning for Instagram and TikTok, with link in bio, a media library and a calendar you can share with outside reviewers. It also sells influencer marketing tools, and the company's history shows acquisitions (Mavrck in 2022, Mavely in 2025), so social scheduling is one product line of several. The seven directory networks it lists are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Pinterest. X and Bluesky are not among them. Snapchat is supported but sits outside the directory's list.
Pricing is by social set, where one set holds 8 profiles. Starter is one set, one user and 30 posts per profile per month. Growth is 2 sets, 2 users and 180 posts. Scale is 6 sets, 4 users and unlimited posts. Annual rates are $18.75, $37.50 and $82.50. The monthly prices ($25, $50, $110) load by script and are not on the fetched pricing page; they come from a third-party review and match the 25% discount math, so I would check them on later.com. The scheduler blog also says a free plan is available while the pricing page shows none, and I would trust the pricing page.
The limits that matter in practice are small ones. Starter's 30 posts per profile caps a daily poster. AI credits are 5, 50 and 100 a month, and a Caption Writer caption costs one credit, so Starter has five captions a month. Extra users, sets and credits are Growth and Scale add-ons only ($3.75 per user, $11.25 per set, $3.75 per 100 credits at annual rates), so a Starter customer who needs a second person has to change tier. The inbox is also Growth and above, covering comments on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and DMs on Instagram and Facebook only. Listening is Scale only and pulls from Instagram and TikTok.
Instagram has documented limits. Stories cannot be auto-published and use notification publishing. Auto-published Reels support original audio only and no custom cover. First comment is Instagram only. The vendor's pages also disagree about whether Instagram needs a Business profile or allows Creator. I found no public API, Zapier or Make mention, no SOC 2, GDPR or SSO statement, and Trustpilot shows 1.4 from 352 reviews. The recent changes I could read are mostly blog posts on best times and first comments.
What it does well
- Visual planning is the strength: a drag and drop Instagram feed preview, a monthly calendar and a media library with Canva, Dropbox and Google Drive imports.
- Link in bio is built in on all plans, with up to 5 links per Instagram post on Growth and above.
- Growth adds content approval with external reviewers who need no Later account.
- Best Time to Post covers Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and analytics history reaches 1 year on Growth and 2 years on Scale.
- The add-on prices are flat and clearly stated, so extending a plan is predictable.
What to watch out for
- There is no free plan, no X or Bluesky publishing, and no public API found.
- Starter caps posts at 30 per profile and includes only 5 AI credits.
- Stories, Reels audio and Reel covers are limited when you auto-publish.
- The inbox, the competitor tools and listening need Growth or Scale.
- The vendor's own pages disagree on a free plan, on Instagram account types and on its user count (7 million on one page, 1 million on another).
Plans and prices
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually, per month | Unit | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25 | $18.75 | per month | 1 social set (8 profiles), 1 user, 30 posts/profile, 5 AI credits |
| Growth | $50 | $37.50 | per month | 2 social sets (16 profiles), 2 users, 180 posts/profile, 50 AI credits |
| Scale | $110 | $82.50 | per month | 6 social sets (48 profiles), 4 users, unlimited posts, 100 AI credits |
Free plan: No free plan; 14-day free trial
Later's price depends on four things: sets, users, posts and AI credits. Annual rates are $18.75 for Starter, $37.50 for Growth and $82.50 for Scale, and monthly figures from a third-party source are $25, $50 and $110. Starter is where it breaks. It holds 8 profiles, but 30 posts per profile a month, one user and 5 AI credits push an active account to Growth, and add-ons for users, sets and credits exist only from Growth up. Past that, an extra set is $11.25 a month and an extra user $3.75, which is small next to per-seat suites. Scale's 6 sets and 48 profiles suit a small agency, though the entry price stops being true the moment a second user is needed.
Networks listed by Later
- Supports Facebook
- Supports Instagram
- Does not support X
- Supports LinkedIn
- Supports TikTok
- Supports YouTube
- Supports Threads
- Does not support Bluesky
- Supports Pinterest
- Does not support Google Business
- Does not support Mastodon
What Later does on each network
Only what the vendor's own pages state. A blank cell means the pages do not say.
| Network | Post types | Publishing | First comment | Analytics | Inbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| imagecarouselreelstory | Mixed | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| TikTok | video | Auto-publish | No | Yes | Yes |
| textimagevideocarouselreel (per Later comparison page) | Auto-publish | No | Yes | Yes | |
| textimagevideo | Auto-publish | No | |||
| Threads | textimagevideolink | Auto-publish | Yes | ||
| YouTube | shortvideo | Auto-publish | |||
| image pinvideo pin | Auto-publish | Yes |
- Needs: Instagram Business profile per auto-post page; Reels and first-comment pages say Business or Creator; analytics need Business or Creator
- Limits: Reels up to 90 seconds; first comment 2,200 characters and 10 mentions; Stories notification only; Stories analytics kept up to 3 months; custom Reel covers unavailable when auto-publishing; product tagging on Growth and above
- later.com
- TikTok
- Needs: Link in bio needs a TikTok Business account with over 1,000 followers; scheduling options include comments, duets, stitches toggles
- Limits: Vendor states media is validated before posts go live; no numeric limits stated
- later.com
- Needs: Not stated beyond connecting a profile
- Limits: Pages versus groups not stated; Best Time to Post extended to Facebook
- later.com
- Needs: Text and image posts to personal profile or Company Page; video only to Company Pages
- Limits: No limits stated
- later.com
- YouTube
- Needs: Available on all plans
- Limits: Shorts maximum 60 seconds (page FAQ); title, description, keywords and notify subscribers fields
- later.com
- Needs: Vendor states Pinterest Marketing Partner with API access for scheduling video pins
- Limits: Pinterest analytics history up to 3 months on all plans; no pin or board limits stated
- later.com
Publishing and scheduling
- Calendar views
- monthly visual calendar; weekly view showing when audience is most active (Pinterest page); Instagram visual planner (drag and drop feed preview)
- Queue
- Not stated as a queue; posts are placed in calendar time slots by drag and drop
- Bulk upload
- Bulk scheduling and auto-publishing for single image, video and carousel posts; bulk upload of photos and videos to the Media Library
- Best time suggestions
- Best Time to Post for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok on all plans; multi-profile best times on Growth and Scale; Starter gets a 24-hour trial of multi-profile (blog dated 2026-05-06); vendor states it uses actual profile data
- Drafts and notes
- Drafts and saved captions on all plans; calendar notes as placeholders and post comments on Growth and Scale
- First comment
- Instagram only, all paid plans, needs Auto Publish and a Business or Creator profile; up to 2,200 characters and 10 @mentions per comment; works for feed posts, carousels and Reels
- Hashtag tools
- Hashtag Suggestions (up to 30 related hashtags per Reels page) and auto hashtags on all plans; caption-based suggestions on Growth and above; Saved Captions store hashtag groups
- Link in bio
- Link in Bio page with custom buttons, backgrounds, themes, featured banner; linking on all plans; up to 5 links per Instagram post on Growth and above; TikTok bio link needs a TikTok Business account with over 1,000 followers; Mailchimp integration
- Time zones
- Account time zone is used for scheduling; notification posts from the mobile app use the device time zone; calendar time zone can be changed temporarily and reverts on refresh (help article snippet, page itself returned 403)
- Also listed
- Schedule up to 10 social profiles at once; Per-profile media customization; Notification when a scheduled post goes live (vendor states); Instagram Stories cannot be auto-published, notification publishing only; Reels auto-publish supports original audio only; trending audio only via notification (page dated 2025-05); Reels up to 90 seconds, 9:16 recommended; custom cover images not available for auto-published Reels due to API restrictions; Share calendar link for stakeholders with no login (vendor states); Unlimited media storage (vendor states); Media Library imports from computer, Dropbox, Google Drive, Canva; labels; search by tags, mentions, hashtags, Unsplash stock photos; Each Instagram storyboard counts as 1 post against the plan allowance; Posts per profile: Starter 30/month, Growth 180/month, Scale unlimited
Teams, approvals and clients
- Seats
- Starter 1 user, Growth 2, Scale 4; extra user $3.75/month on Growth and Scale
- Roles
- Members can collaborate and request approval but cannot approve; Reviewers approve and keep Publish Without Approval; custom roles and permissions on Growth; access groups: 1 on Starter, unlimited on Growth and Scale
- Approvals
- Content approval and external comment workflow on Growth and above; works on scheduled and draft posts; in-app notification center for approval activity needs Scale
- Client access
- External reviewers can give feedback on posts without a Later account; share calendar link
- Workspaces and brands
- Social sets: Starter 1 (8 profiles), Growth 2 (16), Scale 6 (48); extra set $11.25/month on Growth and Scale
Content creation and AI
- AI features
- Caption Writer: Generates captions in brand voice; 1 credit per caption; Ideas tab: Post concepts and content pillars; 3 ideas per credit; Best Time to Post (Smart Scheduling): Recommends posting times shown on calendar; Future Trends: Named in FAQ and on Growth plan list, not described on the AI page
- AI credits
- Starter 5, Growth 50, Scale 100 per month; Caption Writer and Ideas share one pool; credits reset on the 1st of each month; extra $3.75 per 100 credits on Growth and Scale
- Design tools
- Edit Image and Edit Video tools; Crop to platform dimensions; Trim video; Text overlays on Stories; Canva import
- Media library
- Unlimited storage (vendor states); upload from computer, Dropbox, Google Drive, Canva; labels; search by tags, mentions, hashtags and Unsplash
- Links and UTM
- Links can be shortened and clicks tracked (Pinterest page); sale tracking links in Link in Bio (vendor states)
- Video tools
- Trim and crop video, choose cover frame
Analytics and reporting
- Metrics
- reach; engagement rate; follower growth; impressions; taps and exits (Stories); link in bio clicks; traffic by pin (Pinterest); Custom Analytics on Scale: choose metrics, date ranges, platforms; Meta Ads analytics
- Competitor tracking
- Competitive benchmarking, future insights, brand health and brand mentions on Scale only
- Data history
- Starter up to 3 months, Growth up to 1 year, Scale up to 2 years; Pinterest up to 3 months on all plans; Link in Bio analytics 1 year (2 years on Scale)
Inbox and engagement
- Inbox
- Social Inbox on Growth and Scale: comments on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok; DMs on Instagram and Facebook only; assign messages to teammates; owners cannot yet restrict Members' inbox access
- Listening
- Listening pulls data from Instagram and TikTok only; mentions, sentiment, creator discovery, trends; included in Scale; vendor says more platforms coming
Integrations, API and apps
- Integrations
- Canva; Dropbox; Google Drive; Mailchimp; Unsplash; Shopify (influencer product page); Snapchat; Pinterest; TikTok; Meta
- iOS app
- Later mobile app on Apple App Store
- Android app
- Later mobile app on Google Play
- Desktop app
- Desktop app mentioned on publishing page; app page does not describe one
Pricing details
- Billing model
- Per plan with social sets; Starter $18.75, Growth $37.50, Scale $82.50 per month billed yearly; listening cost varies by brand
- Annual discount
- Page badge: 3 months free, 25% off on yearly billing; monthly prices not shown
- Trial
- 14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required (analytics page)
- Free plan
- Blog comparison table says Free plan available; pricing page shows none
- Add-ons
- Extra social set $11.25/month; Extra user $3.75/month; Extra AI credits $3.75/month per 100 credits (add-ons Growth and Scale only)
- Overage
- Posts per profile capped monthly: Starter 30, Growth 180, Scale unlimited; prices billed in USD, taxes extra
- Currencies
- USD
Security and compliance
- Platform partner status
- Vendor states partner of TikTok, Meta, Snapchat and Pinterest; Pinterest Marketing Partner with exclusive API access for video pins; Vendor states Instagram Partner publishing via Instagram Graph API
Support and onboarding
- Support channels
- Help Center; Expert Sessions (mentioned); Basic support on Starter, priority support on Scale
- Help centre
- https://help.later.com/hc/en-us
- Training
- Expert Sessions and courses on social ROI reporting mentioned on vendor pages
About the company
- Founded
- 2014
- Ownership
- History: Splashscore founded 2014, renamed Mavrck 2015; Mavrck acquired Later in 2022; united under Later brand 2024; Later acquired Mavely 2025 (about page)
What review sites show
Scores and counts as the review site displays them on the date shown. They are other people's ratings, not ours.
| Site | Score | Reviews | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 1.4 | 352 | 2026-10 |
Recent product changes
2026-08-02
Blog: audio matters for Instagram Reels scheduling
Blog post on scheduling Reels with audio (title only read from blog index)
2026-05-19
How to schedule a first comment on Instagram
Instagram first comment scheduling, all paid plans, Auto Publish required
2026-05-06
Best Time to Post across platforms
Each selected platform gets its own best-time suggestion; Growth and Scale; Starter 24-hour trial
Limits the vendor documents
- Instagram Stories cannot be auto-published and use notification publishing(later.com)
- Auto-published Reels support only original audio; trending audio needs notification publishing(later.com)
- Custom cover images for auto-published Reels not available due to API restrictions(later.com)
- First comment works only for Instagram and only with Auto Publish(later.com)
- Social Inbox DMs supported only for Instagram and Facebook; inbox only on Growth and Scale(later.com)
- LinkedIn video can only be scheduled to Company Pages, not personal profiles(later.com)
Pages read for this profile (29)
- https://later.com/pricing/
- https://later.com/about/
- https://later.com/social-media-scheduler/
- https://later.com/instagram-scheduler/auto-post/
- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/later.com
- https://later.com/social-media-publishing/
- https://later.com/instagram-scheduler/schedule-instagram-reels/
- https://later.com/instagram-scheduler/schedule-instagram-stories/
- https://later.com/tiktok-scheduler/
- https://later.com/pinterest-scheduler/
- https://later.com/linkedin-scheduler/
- https://later.com/facebook-scheduler/
- https://later.com/threads-scheduler/
- https://later.com/youtube-scheduler/
- https://later.com/social-media-analytics/
- https://later.com/social-media-inbox/
- https://later.com/social-media-ai-tools/
- https://later.com/social-media-approval-workflow/
- https://later.com/social-media-listening/
- https://later.com/link-in-bio/
- https://later.com/later-social-for-agencies/
- https://later.com/app/
- https://later.com/sprout-social-alternative/
- https://later.com/blog/instagram-first-comment/
- https://later.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-social-media/
- https://later.com/blog/social-media-scheduler/
- https://later.com/blog/schedule-instagram-reels/
- https://later.com/blog/category/later-tools-and-features/
- https://help.later.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042772234-Working-with-Time-Zones-in-Later
Pick Later if
Pick Later if your content is mostly Instagram and TikTok, you want link in bio and a visual calendar in the same tool, and you can stay within a small team. Skip it if you publish to X or Bluesky, need a documented API, need Stories or trending-audio Reels to auto-publish, or need a free plan. Anyone with compliance requirements should ask for security documents, because I did not find any.
Questions people ask
Does Later have a free plan?
The pricing page shows no free plan, only paid plans with a 14-day trial. One vendor blog comparison says a free plan is available, which conflicts with the pricing page.
How much does Later cost?
On annual billing, Starter is $18.75, Growth $37.50 and Scale $82.50 a month. Monthly prices of $25, $50 and $110 come from a third-party review and are not directly verified on later.com.
Does Later support X?
No. Its network list covers Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Pinterest. X and Bluesky are not listed.
What is a social set on Later?
One social set holds up to 8 profiles. Starter includes 1 set, Growth 2 and Scale 6. Extra sets cost $11.25 a month on Growth and Scale at annual rates.
Alternatives
Tools for a similar audience that share the most networks with Later.
How we checked
Annual per-month prices come from later.com/pricing ('3 months free / 25% off'). The month-to-month prices ($25/$50/$110) load by JavaScript and weren't in the fetched page; they come from third-party reviews (SocialPilot, checked 2026-09-25) and match the 25% discount math, but aren't directly verified on later.com. Add-ons: extra social set $11.25/mo, extra user $3.75/mo, 100 AI credits $3.75/mo (annual rates). X, Bluesky and Mastodon aren't listed. Snapchat is supported. No public API found on later.com, and a competitor page says Later has none; treat as likely, not confirmed.