Publer vs Later 2026: Which Social Scheduler Wins?
Quick verdict: Publer is our overall pick for Publer vs Later.
Publer is the cheaper, free-tier planner; Later is the paid, card-trial visual grid. Publer: free plan, paid from $5/account/mo (annual); Later: paid from $18.75/mo (annual). Prices checked 2026-09-18.
| Tool | Rating | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publer Best overall Best free Best for teams | 4.0/5 | Free $5/account/mo (annual) | Publer is a low-cost social planner that bills per account on a flat workspace with unlimi… |
| Later | 3.8/5 | $18.75/mo (annual) | Later is a social-first scheduler built around a visual Instagram-first grid. It has no fr… |
Bottom line: Publer (4.0/5) for the low-cost flat bill — free 3-account tier (no X/Twitter), then Professional $4/account/mo annual on an unlimited, unlimited-post workspace. Later (3.8/5) for the visual Instagram grid — but no free plan, a 14-day card-required auto-charging trial, and Social Set billing (Starter $18.75/mo annual). Publer's value score (5/5) beats Later's (3/5) on price-per-account. Pick Publer to spend less; pick Later for image-led planning and accept the card trial.
Pricing and details
Publer · 4.0/5
Free plan available · $5/account/mo (annual)
Publer bills per account, flat workspace (unlimited scheduling, no per-user charge on the workspace). Free $0 forever: 3 social accounts, no X/Twitter, 10 scheduled posts/account, 25 drafts. Professional $6/account/mo monthly ($4 annual). Business $12/account/mo monthly ($8 annual) adds analytics. Every 10th account or seat is free. X/Twitter is not on the free tier.
Professional $4/account/mo · Business $8/account/mo (annual)
Publer is a low-cost social planner that bills per account on a flat workspace with unlimited scheduling. Its free tier covers 3 social accounts, and its paid entry is among the cheapest in the cluster when a small team needs many accounts without the per-seat math.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Cheapest paid entry in the cluster: Professional $4/account/mo annual
- Flat per-account bill with unlimited scheduling on the workspace
- Free tier is a standing plan (3 accounts, 25 drafts)
- Every 10th account or seat is free
Cons
- X/Twitter is not on the free tier
- Younger vendor — thinner enterprise governance and inbox tooling than Hootsuite
- Analytics are basic next to Metricool's built-in suite
Pricing verified 2026-09-18
Later · 3.8/5
14-day trial (credit card required, auto-charge at expiry) · $18.75/mo (annual)
Later has no free plan — only a 14-day trial that requires a credit card and auto-charges at expiry. It bills by 'Social Set' (1 set = 8 profiles, 30 posts/profile). Starter $25/mo monthly ($18.75 annual) = 1 set, 1 user. Growth $50/mo ($37.50 annual) = 2 sets, 2 users, 180 posts. Scale $110/mo ($82.50 annual) = 6 sets, 4 users, unlimited posts. Extra set $11.25/mo, extra user $3.75/mo. X/Twitter support was removed on 2025-08-28.
Starter $18.75/mo · Growth $37.50/mo · Scale $82.50/mo (annual)
Later is a social-first scheduler built around a visual Instagram-first grid. It has no free plan — only a 14-day trial that requires a credit card and auto-charges — and bills by 'Social Set' (a bundle of profiles and posts) rather than per user.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Visual grid is the best in-class tool for image-led planning (ease 4/5)
- Clean week-planning interface for Instagram-first teams
Cons
- No free plan — evaluation starts on a 14-day card-required, auto-charging trial
- Social Set billing can exceed a set's 30-post cap and add surcharges
- X/Twitter support removed in 2025; smaller vendor than Hootsuite
Pricing verified 2026-09-18
Frequently asked questions
Which is better overall, Publer or Later?
Publer is our overall pick (4.0/5 vs 3.8/5). Publer is the cheaper, free-tier planner; Later is the paid, card-trial visual grid. Publer: free plan, paid from $5/account/mo (annual); Later: paid from $18.75/mo (annual). Prices checked 2026-09-18.
Do Publer and Later offer free plans?
Publer has a free tier. Publer paid plans start at $5/account/mo (annual); Later paid plans start at $18.75/mo (annual).
What does Publer cost?
$5/account/mo (annual) — Publer bills per account, flat workspace (unlimited scheduling, no per-user charge on the workspace). Free $0 forever: 3 social accounts, no X/Twitter, 10 scheduled posts/account, 25 drafts. Professional $6/account/mo monthly ($4 annual). Business $12/account/mo monthly ($8 annual) adds analytics. Every 10th account or seat is free. X/Twitter is not on the free tier. Prices were last verified on 2026-09-18.