Later Pricing 2026: Starter, Growth and Scale Costs

Later costs $25 a month for Starter, $50 for Growth and $110 for Scale on monthly billing. Billed yearly, the same plans work out to $18.75, $37.50 and $82.50 a month, which Later labels "3 months free". There is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial. Prices are in US dollars, before tax, verified on Later's pricing page as of October 2026 (read October 19).

Later prices by "social sets", not by channel. One set holds one profile on each of the eight networks Later supports, so a single brand fits in one set however many networks it uses. That makes Later cheap for one brand on many networks and expensive for anyone who needs two accounts on the same network.

Later plans at a glance

Yearly billing means one charge a year: $225 for Starter, $450 for Growth and $990 for Scale. Paying month to month for a full year costs $300, $600 and $1,320, so the yearly plan saves a quarter, $75 to $330 depending on tier. Later's FAQ says annual plans renew automatically.

Toolradar data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, tracks 159 social media management tools as of October 19, 2026, and the median cheapest paid plan is $20.52 a month across the 47 that publish a price. Later's Starter sits just below that median on yearly billing and above it on monthly. Later's directory profile is on Toolradar.

What a social set is, and why it decides the bill

A social set is one profile on each network Later supports: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat. Later says sets are meant to organize content by brand or client.

The rule that matters is "one of each". A shop with one Instagram, one TikTok and one Facebook page uses three of Starter's eight slots and still fits in one set. A creator with a main Instagram and a second Instagram for a side project needs a second set, which Starter does not sell. Two accounts on the same network push you to Growth, even if you only post a few times a week.

Post caps are the other trigger. Starter allows 30 scheduled posts per profile a month, and posts count when they are scheduled, not when they publish. A brand posting every day to Instagram hits that cap in a 31-day month, and Stories and Reels count toward it. Growth raises the cap to 180 per profile, and Scale removes it.

Starter: one brand, one person

Starter suits a solo creator or a small business that runs one account per network. It includes Later's visual planner, auto publishing, Link in Bio, best time to post for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, 5 AI credits a month and 3 months of analytics history.

The limits are firm. Starter is one user only, and extra social sets, users and AI credits are not for sale on it. Support is basic. If a freelancer or an assistant needs a login, the plan has to change, not just the seat count.

Growth: teams, approvals and a second brand

Growth doubles the sets to two and the users to two, and adds the features a team needs: internal and external approvals, a social inbox, custom roles and permissions, and UGC collection. It also adds smart scheduling with trend data, 50 AI credits a month and a year of analytics history.

Growth is also the first plan that sells add-ons, so it can stretch:

One AI credit generates three ideas or one caption, so the 50 included credits cover 50 captions a month. Nonprofits get 50% off the annual Growth plan, which halves its $450 yearly bill.

Scale: analytics and six brands

Scale adds the analytics that Growth lacks: Meta Ads analytics, custom analytics, competitive benchmarking, future industry insights from social listening, brand health and brand mentions. It includes six social sets, four users, unlimited posts, 100 AI credits, two years of analytics and priority support.

Past four brands, Scale costs less than Growth with add-ons. Growth plus four extra sets reaches six brands at exactly Scale's monthly price, but with two users instead of four and a 180-post cap. On yearly billing the match is also exact: $37.50 plus four sets at $11.25 is $82.50. At that point Scale's unlimited posts and listening tools come at no extra cost.

Two cost scenarios, computed from list prices

These scenarios use Later's printed prices and Buffer's printed per-channel rates on monthly billing, read October 19, 2026, before tax.

One brand on four networks, one person. Later Starter is $25 a month. Buffer Essentials at $6 per channel for four channels is $24 a month. The bills are within a dollar, so the choice comes down to Later's 30-post cap per profile against Buffer's unlimited scheduled posts on Essentials, which Buffer says are subject to a fair use policy.

An agency with six clients, each on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, and three staff. That is 18 profiles. Later Scale covers six sets and four users for $110 a month. Buffer Team costs $12 per channel for the first 10 channels and $4 for channels 11 to 25, so 18 channels come to $152 a month. Later costs $42 a month less here, because a set prices a whole brand while Buffer prices every channel.

The gap flips when profiles are spread thin. An agency running 12 clients on Instagram alone needs 12 sets on Later, Scale plus six extra sets at $15, or $200 a month, while Buffer Team prices 12 channels at $128. Our Buffer pricing guide covers those per-channel tiers in full, and the Buffer review and Hootsuite review cover the products.

MarketingShot is a free daily email for marketers that flags tool price changes like these the week they happen. Subscribe at marketingshot.com.

How Later compares with Buffer and Hootsuite

Hootsuite's FAQ says its paid plans start at $99 for Standard, which manages up to 10 social accounts, and $199 for Professional, and that plans are sold per user, with displayed prices based on annual billing. On yearly billing, one Hootsuite Standard seat costs more than Later Scale with its six sets and four users. Buffer has the only free plan of the three on these pages, which our best free social media schedulers list compares. For the full field, see Hootsuite pricing, Sprout Social pricing and Metricool pricing.

What the price leaves out

• Taxes. Later says prices are billed in USD and applicable taxes are extra.
• Starter cannot grow. No extra users, sets or AI credits are sold on Starter.
• Posts count when scheduled. On Starter and Growth a post uses its slot the moment you schedule it, not when it publishes.
• Snapchat and YouTube count as profiles. They fill set slots like any other network.
• Annual plans renew. Later renews them automatically, so set a reminder before the renewal date.
• The trial. All three plans offer 14 days free before the first charge.

Is Later worth it?

Later is worth it for a single brand that wants a visual planner and Link in Bio across several networks, and for an agency whose clients each run one account per network. It is the wrong fit for anyone with two accounts on the same network on a small budget, and for a team that needs more than 30 posts per profile but no collaboration features, because the only way past the cap is Growth. Read the Later review for the product beyond its price, or Later alternatives if the set model does not fit.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Later cost per month?

Later costs $25 a month for Starter, $50 for Growth and $110 for Scale on monthly billing. Billed yearly, the plans cost $18.75, $37.50 and $82.50 a month, charged once a year.

Does Later have a free plan?

No. Later offers a 14-day free trial on all three paid plans. Buffer is the scheduler in this comparison with a free plan, covering 3 channels.

What is a social set on Later?

A social set is one profile on each of Later's eight networks: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat. Starter includes one set, Growth two and Scale six, and a second account on the same network needs a second set.

How much does it cost to add users to Later?

Extra users cost $5 a month each on monthly billing or $3.75 a month on yearly billing, on Growth and Scale. Starter is limited to one user and cannot add more.

How much does Later save with yearly billing?

Yearly billing saves 25%. Starter costs $225 a year instead of $300, Growth $450 instead of $600, and Scale $990 instead of $1,320.

Does Later offer a nonprofit discount?

Yes. Later says qualified nonprofit organizations get 50% off the annual Growth plan.

Sources and method

We read Later's pricing page on October 19, 2026, on both the monthly and the yearly toggle, including the plan comparison and the FAQ. Competitor prices come from Buffer's pricing page and Hootsuite's plans page, read the same day. Yearly totals multiply the printed monthly-equivalent rate by 12; scenario totals add printed plan and add-on prices and exclude tax. Prices change, so check the vendor pages before you subscribe.

Cite this: MarketingShot, "Later Pricing 2026: Starter, Growth and Scale Costs", November 2026.

Related reading: Later review, Later alternatives, Buffer pricing, Hootsuite vs Buffer, best social media management tools, and Toolradar profiles of Buffer and Hootsuite.

Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.