The best Later alternative depends on what is pushing you to look. Later is a strong tool for visual brands, and its Starter plan is $18.75 a month billed yearly, as published in October 2026. People usually look elsewhere for one of four reasons: there is no free plan, Starter allows 30 posts per profile a month, the published platform list does not include X or Bluesky, or they would like to pay in pounds.
This page sets Later beside five alternatives using each company's own published prices. It also says when Later is the better choice, because for plenty of Instagram-first brands it is.
A note on who is writing. WyreIt is our own product, so read our view of it with that in mind. Where another tool is the better choice, this page says so.
Later and five alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Entry paid price | Free plan or trial | What the entry plan covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WyreIt (our product) | £19 a month (Standard), £49 (Pro), £79 (Creator) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card | Any 3 platforms and 3 extra profiles on Standard; all 7 platforms on Pro | UK sole traders and small businesses who want one flat price in pounds |
| Later | $18.75 a month, billed yearly (Starter) | No free plan. 14-day trial | 1 social set, 1 user and 30 posts per profile a month on Starter | Visual brands built around Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest |
| Buffer | From $5 a month per channel on yearly billing ($60 a year per channel) | Free plan: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | Priced per channel, so the bill grows with each one you add | One to three channels, or anyone who needs a free plan |
| Metricool | Starter from $20 a month on annual billing ($25 monthly) | Free plan: 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, no LinkedIn or X | Up to 5 brands on Starter. X is a paid add-on at $10 a month per account | People who want a free plan and care most about analytics |
| Publer | Paid price depends on how many accounts you add; see Publer's page | Free plan: 3 social accounts (not X), 10 scheduled posts per account | Priced by the number of social accounts and team members | A free plan that covers more networks, such as Pinterest and Google Business |
| SocialBee | $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing (Bootstrap) | No free plan. 14-day trial, no card | 5 social profiles and 1 user on Bootstrap; 10 profiles on Accelerate ($49) | Solo operators who want unlimited AI writing in the entry plan |
Competitor prices and plan details are as published by each company on its own pricing page, October 2026: Later, Buffer, Metricool, Publer, SocialBee. Dollar prices are shown as each company lists them and may exclude VAT. Prices change, so check the page before you buy. This is not a complete list of tools. WyreIt is our own product, and its prices are on our pricing page.
What Later costs in 2026
As published on Later's pricing page in October 2026, with prices shown for yearly billing:
- Starter: $18.75 a month, with 1 social set, 1 user and 30 posts per profile a month. Later's page lists 8 profiles in a social set.
- Growth: $37.50 a month, with 2 social sets, 2 users and 180 posts per profile a month.
- Scale: $82.50 a month, with 6 social sets, 4 users and unlimited posts.
- AI: 5 AI credits a month on Starter, 50 on Growth and 100 on Scale.
- Free plan: none. Each plan starts with 14 days free.
Later's published platform list is Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Snapchat. Its page offers monthly billing too, but we could not read the monthly figures from the page, so they are left out here.
Why people look for a Later alternative
- They want a free plan. Later has a trial, not a free plan. Buffer, Metricool and Publer each publish a free plan.
- They post often. Thirty posts per profile a month is about one a day. A business posting twice a day to one profile would need the Growth plan.
- They post to X or Bluesky. Neither is on Later's published list.
- They want replies in the same place. Check what each Later plan includes for comments and messages before you assume it.
- They want a price in pounds. Later publishes in US dollars.
WyreIt vs Later
WyreIt has four plans. Standard is £19 a month for any 3 platforms, with 3 extra profiles, the inbox, analytics, and AI caption and reply drafting. Pro is £49 a month for all 7 platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Bluesky), with 4 extra profiles, WyreIt AI, Autopilot and 1,000 AI credits a month. Creator is £79 a month with 3,000 AI credits and AI images. Agency is priced by conversation. The price is for the account, not per user or per channel. There is a 14-day free trial with no card needed. The trial does not include any AI.
The headline figures are close, so look at what each one buys. Later Starter is one user, one social set and a monthly cap on posts per profile, in dollars. WyreIt Standard is any 3 platforms plus 3 extra profiles, with the inbox and analytics included, in pounds, and the price is for the account, not per user.
Be clear about what Later does better. It publishes to Pinterest, Threads and Snapchat, and WyreIt does not publish to any of them. It is built around planning a visual feed, which matters to a brand that lives on Instagram. If those are the reasons you chose Later, they are also reasons to stay. The fuller side-by-side is on WyreIt vs Later.
The other alternatives
Buffer
Buffer is the first place to look if you want a free plan: up to 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel. Paid plans start from $5 a month per channel on yearly billing ($60 a year per channel), with unlimited scheduled posts per channel. Its published platform list includes X, Bluesky, Threads and Pinterest.
A word on the sums. Buffer charges $5 a month for each channel, so one to four channels cost less than WyreIt Standard at £19 a month, and up to three can be free. From about five channels upwards, compare your own total with a flat price.
Metricool
Metricool has a free plan for 1 brand with 20 scheduled posts a month, without LinkedIn or X. Starter is from $20 a month on annual billing, or $25 monthly, for up to 5 brands. X is a paid add-on at $10 a month per connected account. It suits people who chose Later for its reporting and want more of that.
Publer
Publer's free plan covers 3 social accounts (not X) with 10 scheduled posts per account. Its paid price depends on how many accounts and team members you add, and Publer's page works out the figure for you. Its platform list includes Pinterest, Threads and Google Business, so it is a closer match for Later's networks than WyreIt is.
SocialBee
SocialBee's Bootstrap plan is $29 a month, or $24 on annual billing, for 5 social profiles and 1 user. There is no free plan, but the trial is 14 days with no card.
For creators
A creator's needs differ from a shop's. You are usually posting video to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and the work is in the captions, the replies and keeping a steady rhythm. Later covers those three platforms and Pinterest. WyreIt covers those three too, and its Creator plan at £79 a month adds WyreIt AI, Autopilot, AI images and 3,000 AI credits a month. If Pinterest is a real source of traffic for you, that settles it in Later's favour.
When Later is the better choice
- You post to Pinterest, Threads or Snapchat.
- Your brand is visual and planning how the Instagram grid looks is part of the job.
- You post less than once a day per profile, so the Starter cap never bites.
- You already use the tools Later builds around Instagram and would miss them.
How to switch from Later
- List your platforms and how often you post to each. That tells you which plan you need anywhere.
- Start a free plan or trial on the alternative and connect the same accounts.
- Schedule next week in the new tool while Later publishes what is already queued.
- Check your renewal date. Later's published prices are for yearly billing, so the date matters.
Frequently asked questions
Does Later have a free plan in 2026?
No. As published in October 2026, Later has no free plan. Each plan can be tried free for 14 days.
What is the best free alternative to Later?
Buffer, Metricool and Publer each publish a free plan, with limits on channels and scheduled posts. WyreIt has no free plan; it has a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
Is WyreIt cheaper than Later?
The entry prices are close: Later Starter is $18.75 a month billed yearly and WyreIt Standard is £19 a month. They are in different currencies and cover different things, so compare what you would actually use: users, posts per profile and platforms.
Which Later alternative posts to X and Bluesky?
WyreIt publishes to both, alongside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube. Buffer also lists both. Metricool lists Bluesky, and X as a paid add-on.
Can I schedule Instagram and TikTok videos with these tools?
Yes. Each tool here lists Instagram and TikTok. Our guide to posting to TikTok and Instagram at the same time covers how that works in practice.
See every WyreIt plan on pricing, or read Buffer vs Later vs WyreIt for those three in more depth.
WyreIt is a social media management tool for small business owners and sole traders. Post to Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and more from one dashboard — at a fraction of the price of Hootsuite.