Buffer vs Later 2023: Choosing the Right Social Media Management Tool

Buffer vs Later. In today’s digital age, social media has become an essential part of our lives. Whether you’re an individual looking to promote your personal brand or a business aiming to reach a wider audience, having a strong social media presence is crucial.

To effectively manage your social media accounts, you need to utilize scheduling tools that enable you to plan and automate your posts. Two popular options in the market are Buffer and Later.

In this article, we will delve into the key features, differences, and benefits of Buffer vs Later, helping you make an informed decision.

Let’s get started!

What is Buffer?

Buffer is a popular social media management platform that helps individuals and businesses streamline their social media scheduling and publishing processes. It allows you to manage multiple social media accounts, schedule posts in advance, and analyze performance metrics, all from one central dashboard.

Buffer is designed to simplify the process of creating and sharing content across various social media platforms, making it a valuable tool for beginners and experienced users alike.

What is Later?

Later is a scheduling and publishing tool focused on Instagram (Meta Business Partner, Pinterest Business Partner, and TikTok Marketing Partner). It also offers features such as planning and scheduling content, obtaining analytics, tracking user-generated content, and dealing with hashtags.

Later was the first Instagram scheduler and was created specifically for this platform. It started as a basic tool for Instagram but has since become more comprehensive and compatible with other social media sites, like Planoly.

Why would you use Buffer?

Buffer is an efficient social media management tool that saves you time, simplifies scheduling, provides analytics, and supports collaboration.

It offers a user-friendly interface and is suitable for beginners and professionals alike. By leveraging Buffer’s features, you can streamline your social media marketing efforts, engage with your audience effectively, and achieve high-quality results.

Why would you use Later?

If you want to efficiently manage your Instagram content by scheduling and publishing posts in advance. Later also provides tools for organizing and analyzing your Instagram presence, such as tracking user-generated content, generating multiple links in your bio, and monitoring hashtag usage.

If you’re managing multiple social media accounts, Later can help you streamline your workflow by allowing you to plan and schedule content across different platforms from one dashboard.

Overall, Later is a helpful tool for anyone looking to save time and increase their social media engagement on Instagram and beyond

Buffer vs Later: Supported social media platforms and integrations

Platform/Integration	Buffer	Later
Facebook	✔️	✔️
Twitter	✔️	✔️
LinkedIn	✔️	✔️
Instagram	✔️	✔️
Pinterest	✔️	✔️
Google My Business	✔️	❌
YouTube	✔️	❌
TikTok	✔️	✔️
Snapchat	❌	❌
Reddit	✔️via Zapier	❌
Tumblr	✔️via Zapier	❌
Canva	✔️	❌
Unsplash	✔️	✔️
Giphy	✔️	❌
Dropbox	✔️	✔️
OneDrive	✔️	❌
Google Drive	✔️	✔️
Zapier	✔️	❌

Please note that while Buffer vs Later both support many of the same social media platforms and integrations, there may be differences in the specific features and capabilities available for each platform/integration within each tool.

Buffer vs Later: Key features

Here are the key features of Later

Later is a popular social media management tool that offers a range of key features to help users schedule and manage their social media content effectively. Here are the key features of Later:

• Visual Content Planning: Later focuses on visual content and provides a visual content calendar where you can plan and schedule your social media posts. This feature allows you to see how your content will look on your Instagram feed and maintain a consistent aesthetic.
• Instagram Scheduling: Later specializes in Instagram scheduling and offers a seamless scheduling experience for this platform. You can schedule single-image or multi-image posts, as well as videos, stories, and IGTV content. Later also supports the first comment feature and allows you to save captions for future use.
• Auto-publishing: Later offers auto-publishing for Instagram business profiles, which means your scheduled posts will be published automatically without requiring manual confirmation at the scheduled time. This feature saves time and ensures your content goes live at the desired times.
• Social Media Analytics: Later provides basic analytics for Instagram, allowing you to track your post performance, follower growth, engagement rates, and more. These insights help you understand your audience and optimize your content strategy based on data-driven decisions.
• Visual Planner: Later’s Visual Planner feature enables you to arrange and rearrange your scheduled posts visually. You can preview the look of your Instagram feed, plan the order of your posts, and maintain a cohesive and visually appealing aesthetic.
• User-generated Content (UGC): Later makes it easy to curate and schedule user-generated content. You can search for specific hashtags or accounts, obtain rights to use the content and schedule it to be shared on your social media channels. UGC helps you showcase authentic content and engage your audience.
• Linkin.bio: Later’s Linkin.bio feature allows you to create a clickable landing page that houses links to multiple websites or products mentioned in your Instagram posts. This feature helps drive traffic from your Instagram profile to your desired destinations, making it easier for your audience to access relevant content.
• Hashtag Suggestions: Later offers hashtag suggestions to help you find relevant and popular hashtags for your Instagram posts. By using appropriate hashtags, you can increase your post’s visibility, reach a wider audience, and boost engagement.
• Content Calendar: Later provides a content calendar that gives you an overview of your scheduled posts across different social media platforms. This feature helps you plan and organize your content, ensuring a consistent posting schedule and preventing any gaps or overlaps.
• Team Collaboration: Later allows multiple team members to collaborate on content creation and scheduling. You can invite team members, assign roles and permissions, and streamline the approval process. This feature facilitates teamwork, improves efficiency, and ensures consistent branding and messaging.

The key features of Buffer are

Buffer also offers a variety of key features that make it a popular choice for social media management. Here are the key features of Buffer:

• Social Media Scheduling: Buffer allows you to schedule your social media posts in advance. You can create a posting schedule and queue up your content to be automatically published at specific times. This feature saves time and ensures consistent posting across multiple platforms.
• Multi-Platform Support: Buffer supports major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. You can manage all your accounts from a single dashboard, simplifying your workflow and enabling you to reach your audience across different channels.
• Content Calendar: Buffer provides a content calendar that gives you an overview of your scheduled posts. You can visualize your content plan, make adjustments, and ensure a balanced and consistent posting frequency.
• Post Customization: With Buffer, you can tailor your posts for each social media platform. You can customize the text, add images or videos, and even modify the posting time for individual platforms. This flexibility allows you to optimize your content for maximum engagement on each platform.
• Post Performance Analytics: Buffer provides basic analytics to track the performance of your social media posts. You can see the number of likes, comments, shares, and clicks each post receives. This data helps you understand what content resonates with your audience and make data-driven decisions to improve your social media strategy.
• Browser Extensions: Buffer offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. These extensions allow you to easily share web content with Buffer directly from your browser. With a click of a button, you can add articles, images, or videos to your Buffer queue for scheduled posting.
• Social Media Engagement: Buffer helps you engage with your audience by providing notifications and easy access to comments, mentions, and messages across different platforms. You can respond to your audience in a timely manner, build relationships, and foster meaningful conversations.
• Team Collaboration: Buffer’s collaboration features enable teamwork and coordination. You can invite team members to contribute, review, and schedule posts. This promotes collaboration, streamlines the content creation process, and ensures consistent messaging across your social media channels.
• Mobile Apps: Buffer offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, allowing you to manage your social media accounts on the go. You can schedule and publish posts, engage with your audience, and access your analytics from anywhere, keeping your social media presence active and responsive.
• Integration with Third-Party Tools: Buffer integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and applications, such as Canva for graphic design, Feedly for content curation, and Google Analytics for tracking website traffic. These integrations enhance your content creation and management capabilities, making your social media efforts more efficient and effective.

Buffer vs Later: Ease of use

Ease of use is an important factor when considering a social media management tool. Both Buffer vs Later aim to provide a user-friendly experience, but there are some differences in their approaches.

Buffer’s ease of use

Buffer is widely known for its ease of use, making it a popular choice among beginners and experienced users alike. Here are some key aspects that contribute to Buffer’s ease of use:

• User-Friendly Interface: Buffer features a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. The dashboard is well-organized, allowing users to access different sections and features with ease. The layout is designed to provide a seamless user experience, making it simple to schedule and manage social media posts.
• Simple Scheduling Process: Buffer simplifies the scheduling process by providing a straightforward workflow. You can easily select the social media platforms you want to post to, compose your message, attach images or videos, and schedule the post for a specific date and time. The scheduling calendar provides a clear overview of your planned posts, ensuring you can manage your content effectively.
• Cross-Platform Posting: Buffer supports multiple social media platforms, allowing you to schedule and publish posts across various channels simultaneously. Whether you want to schedule posts for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other platforms, Buffer makes it easy to manage all your accounts from one centralized location.
• Browser Extensions and Mobile Apps: Buffer offers browser extensions and mobile apps that seamlessly integrate with your web browser and mobile devices. These extensions and apps allow you to quickly share content you come across while browsing the web or on your mobile device, eliminating the need to switch between platforms and making it convenient to schedule posts on the go.
• Post Performance Analytics: Buffer provides easy-to-understand analytics that helps you track the performance of your social media posts. You can view metrics such as reach, engagement, clicks, and more. The analytics are presented in a visually appealing and digestible format, allowing you to assess the effectiveness of your social media strategy without any technical complexities.
• Team Collaboration: Buffer offers team collaboration features that facilitate coordination and workflow management. Multiple team members can be invited to collaborate, assign roles, and review or approve posts. This functionality streamlines the content creation and publishing process, especially for businesses with team-based social media management.
• Integration with Third-Party Apps: Buffer integrates with various third-party apps, such as content discovery platforms, image editing tools, and URL shorteners. These integrations expand Buffer’s functionality and enable you to seamlessly incorporate external resources into your social media workflow.
• Educational Resources and Support: Buffer provides comprehensive educational resources, including blog posts, webinars, and guides, to help users navigate the world of social media management effectively. They also offer responsive customer support, ensuring that users can receive assistance when needed.

Overall, Buffer’s ease of use stems from its user-friendly interface, simplified scheduling process, cross-platform posting capabilities, browser extensions and mobile apps, post-performance analytics, team collaboration features, integration options, and accessible support. These factors make Buffer an excellent choice for individuals and businesses seeking an intuitive and hassle-free social media management experience.

Buffer’s Mobile App

Buffer offers a mobile app that complements its web-based platform, allowing users to manage their social media accounts on the go. Here are the key features of the Buffer mobile app:

• Content Scheduling: The Buffer mobile app enables you to schedule and publish posts to your social media accounts directly from your smartphone or tablet. You can compose messages, attach images or videos, and select the platforms you want to post to. The app provides a user-friendly interface that simplifies the scheduling process, making it easy to plan and manage your social media content while on the move.
• Calendar View: The app includes a calendar view that displays your scheduled posts in a visual format. This feature allows you to see your content distribution at a glance, ensuring you can maintain a consistent posting schedule and avoid any gaps or overlaps in your social media strategy.
• Queue Management: Buffer’s mobile app allows you to manage your content queue effortlessly. You can view and reorder your scheduled posts, edit their content or timing, or remove them if necessary. This flexibility enables you to adapt your social media strategy in real-time and make adjustments whenever needed.
• Post-Performance Analytics: The app provides access to post-performance analytics, allowing you to monitor the engagement and reach of your social media content. You can view key metrics such as likes, comments, shares, clicks, and more. This data helps you assess the effectiveness of your posts and make informed decisions about your social media strategy.
• Image and Video Editing: Buffer’s mobile app includes basic editing features for images and videos. You can crop, add filters, adjust brightness or contrast, and make other enhancements to your visuals directly within the app. This functionality saves time and eliminates the need for separate editing tools, ensuring your content is visually appealing before publishing.
• Push Notifications: The app sends push notifications to keep you informed about important updates and activities related to your social media accounts. You can receive alerts when a scheduled post is published, when engagement occurs on your posts, or when it’s time to replenish your content queue. These notifications help you stay on top of your social media activity and respond promptly to any interactions.
• Team Collaboration: If you’re part of a team managing social media accounts, the app allows you to collaborate with other team members. You can assign roles, review and approve posts, and communicate seamlessly within the app, ensuring efficient teamwork and coordination.
• Cross-Platform Integration: Buffer’s mobile app integrates with the web-based platform, allowing for seamless synchronization between devices. This means you can start drafting a post on your mobile device and finish it on your computer, or vice versa. The integration ensures that your social media management remains consistent across different devices and provides flexibility in how you choose to work.

Overall, the Buffer mobile app provides a convenient and efficient way to manage your social media accounts on the go. With features like content scheduling, calendar view, post-performance analytics, editing capabilities, push notifications, team collaboration, and cross-platform integration, the app empowers users to maintain an active and engaging social media presence from anywhere, at any time.

Later’s ease of use

Later is known for its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, making it easy for both beginners and experienced users to navigate and manage their social media scheduling and publishing. Here are some key aspects that highlight Later’s ease of use:

• Visual Content Planning: Later’s visual content calendar provides a clear and organized overview of your scheduled posts. You can see your planned content in a grid format, allowing you to visualize your feed’s aesthetics and maintain a consistent and visually appealing Instagram profile. This visual approach simplifies the planning process and helps you create a cohesive and engaging content strategy.
• Drag-and-Drop Scheduling: With Later, scheduling posts is as simple as drag-and-drop. You can easily rearrange your content within the calendar view by dragging and dropping posts to different time slots or days. This feature makes it effortless to adjust your posting schedule and experiment with different content arrangements.
• Content Preview: Later offers a preview feature that allows you to see how your posts will appear on Instagram before they go live. This enables you to check the aesthetics, formatting, and overall look of your content, ensuring it aligns with your brand’s style and maintains a cohesive visual identity.
• Visual Planner: The Visual Planner feature in Later lets you visually plan and curate your Instagram feed. You can upload and arrange photos, create a cohesive color scheme, and ensure that your content flows seamlessly from one post to another. This visual planning capability helps you maintain a visually appealing and engaging Instagram profile.
• User-Friendly Mobile App: Later’s mobile app complements its web-based platform, providing an easy-to-use interface for managing your social media accounts on the go. The app allows you to schedule and publish posts directly from your mobile device, access analytics, preview your feed, and engage with your audience. The intuitive design and functionality make it convenient to manage your social media presence anytime, anywhere.
• Content Library and Auto-Publishing: Later offers a content library where you can store and organize your media assets, making it quick and easy to select and schedule content for your posts. Additionally, the Auto-Publishing feature allows you to set up automatic posting, saving you time and effort in manually publishing each post.
• Analytics and Insights: Later provides comprehensive analytics and insights about your Instagram account’s performance. You can track metrics such as follower growth, engagement rates, and top-performing posts. These analytics help you understand your audience’s preferences, measure the success of your content, and make data-driven decisions to improve your social media strategy.
• Integration with Other Platforms: Later integrates with various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest TikTok, Linkedin. This integration allows you to manage and schedule your content across multiple platforms from one central location, streamlining your social media management and saving you time.

Overall, Later’s ease of use stems from its intuitive interface, visual planning features, drag-and-drop scheduling, content preview, user-friendly mobile app, content library, auto-publishing, analytics, and platform integration. These aspects make it a popular choice for individuals and businesses looking for a user-friendly and efficient solution to schedule and manage their social media content.

Later’s Mobile App

Later offers a mobile app that allows users to manage their social media accounts on the go. The mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices and provides a convenient way to schedule and publish posts, engage with your audience, and access important features from your mobile device.

Here are some key features and benefits of the Later mobile app:

• Scheduling and Publishing: The Later app enables you to schedule and publish posts directly from your mobile device. You can easily upload photos, write captions, and select the desired date and time for your posts to go live. This feature is particularly useful when you’re on the move or don’t have access to a computer.
• Visual Content Preview: The app allows you to preview how your Instagram feed will look with the scheduled posts. You can visualize the layout, aesthetics, and overall flow of your content before it’s published. This helps you maintain a consistent and visually appealing Instagram profile.
• Story Scheduling: With the Later mobile app, you can also schedule and publish Instagram Stories. You can upload images or videos, add captions, stickers, and other interactive elements, and choose the exact time for your Stories to be published. This feature ensures that your Stories are shared at optimal times, even when you’re not actively using the app.
• Media Library: The app provides access to your media library, allowing you to easily select and add photos or videos to your scheduled posts. You can organize your media assets, making it effortless to choose the right content for your social media posts.
• Analytics and Insights: Later’s mobile app provides access to analytics and insights about your Instagram account’s performance. You can track important metrics such as follower growth, engagement rates, and top-performing posts. This data helps you understand your audience and make data-driven decisions to improve your social media strategy.
• User-Friendly Interface: The Later mobile app features a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand. You can quickly switch between different accounts, view your scheduled posts, and access various features with just a few taps.
• Direct Photo Capture: The app allows you to capture photos directly within the app, making it convenient to create and share real-time content. This feature is especially useful for capturing behind-the-scenes moments or timely updates that you want to share with your audience.
• Notifications and Reminders: The app sends push notifications and reminders for upcoming scheduled posts, ensuring that you stay on top of your social media publishing schedule.

The Later mobile app is designed to provide a seamless and efficient mobile experience for managing your social media accounts. Whether you’re scheduling posts, previewing your feed, or accessing analytics, the app allows you to stay connected and engage with your audience wherever you are.

Buffer vs Later: Customer Support

Later customer support

Later provides reliable and accessible customer support to assist users with any inquiries or issues they may encounter. The Later customer support team is dedicated to ensuring users have a positive experience and can make the most of the platform’s features.

Here are some key aspects of Later’s customer support:

• Support Channels: Later offers support through various channels, including email and live chat. Users can reach out to the support team directly, and they strive to provide timely and helpful responses to user inquiries.
• Help Center and Knowledge Base: Later maintains a comprehensive help center on its website. It contains a wealth of resources, including step-by-step guides, video tutorials, frequently asked questions, and best practices. Users can access this knowledge base to find answers to common questions and learn how to use Later effectively.
• Community and User Forums: Later has an active community where users can connect, share insights, and seek advice from other users. The community forums provide a platform for discussions, tips, and collaboration, creating a supportive environment for users to learn from one another.
• Social Media Engagement: Later understands the importance of engaging with users on social media platforms. They actively monitor their social media accounts, respond to comments and direct messages, and address user concerns or feedback. This interactive approach helps foster a sense of community and ensures users feel supported.
• Regular Updates and Announcements: Later keeps users informed about new features, updates, and improvements through regular communication channels. They send out newsletters, publish blog posts, and make announcements on social media to keep users up to date with the latest developments and enhancements.
• Responsive and Knowledgeable Team: Later’s customer support team is known for its responsiveness and expertise. They aim to provide clear and helpful responses to user inquiries, ensuring that users receive the assistance they need in a timely manner.
• Enterprise-Level Support: In addition to their standard support, Later offers specialized support options for enterprise-level customers. This includes dedicated account managers and tailored assistance to meet the specific needs of larger organizations.

Later does not offer phone support, which may be a drawback for some users who prefer to speak directly with customer service representatives.

Overall, Later’s customer support is focused on delivering excellent service to users. Whether you have a technical question, need help with scheduling or content creation, or require guidance on social media strategies, Later’s support team is dedicated to helping you succeed. They provide resources, engage with users on various platforms, and offer personalized support to ensure a positive user experience.

Buffer customer support

Buffer offers reliable and responsive customer support to assist users with any questions or issues they may encounter. The Buffer customer support team is known for its helpful and timely assistance, aiming to provide the best possible experience for users.

Here are some key aspects of Buffer’s customer support:

• Support Channels: Buffer offers support through multiple channels to cater to users’ preferences and needs. You can reach out to their support team through email, live chat, and social media platforms like Twitter. They strive to respond promptly and efficiently to customer inquiries.
• Knowledge Base and Help Center: Buffer provides a comprehensive knowledge base and help center on their website. It contains a wealth of resources, including frequently asked questions, step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and troubleshooting articles. Users can find answers to common queries and learn how to make the most of Buffer’s features.
• Community and User Forums: Buffer maintains an active community where users can connect, share insights, and seek advice from fellow Buffer users. The community forums provide a platform for discussions, best practices, and collaboration among users, making it a valuable resource for learning and problem-solving.
• Social Media Engagement: Buffer understands the importance of engaging with users on social media. Their support team actively monitors their social media accounts, responds to comments and messages, and addresses user concerns or feedback. This proactive approach ensures that users feel heard and supported.
• Regular Updates and Communication: Buffer keeps users informed about product updates, new features, and service improvements through regular communication channels. They share updates via email newsletters, blog posts, and social media announcements, ensuring that users are aware of the latest developments and improvements.
• Responsive and Helpful Team: Buffer’s customer support team is known for being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable. They strive to provide clear and helpful responses to user inquiries, aiming to resolve issues promptly and effectively.
• Enterprise-Level Support: In addition to their standard support, Buffer offers dedicated support options for enterprise-level customers. This includes priority access to support representatives and tailored assistance to meet the specific needs of larger organizations.

Finally, Buffer also does not offer phone support, which may be a drawback for some users who prefer to speak directly with customer service representatives.

Overall, Buffer’s customer support is highly regarded for its quality and dedication to helping users. Whether you have a technical question, need assistance with a feature, or seek guidance on social media strategies, Buffer’s support team is committed to providing timely and reliable support to ensure a positive user experience.

Buffer vs Later: Pros and Cons

Choosing the right social media management tool can be a challenging task, especially with so many options available in the market.

Buffer vs Later are two popular tools that businesses can use to manage their social media accounts effectively. While both tools have their unique strengths and weaknesses, it’s essential to understand their pros and cons before making a decision.

Buffer vs Later offers different pros and cons that businesses should consider before choosing a platform.

Let’s see the pros & cons in more detail to help you decide which tool is the right fit for your business.

Pros of Later:

• Time-saving: Later’s scheduling and auto-publishing features can save you a significant amount of time, allowing you to plan and schedule your Instagram posts in advance.
• Multi-platform compatibility: Later allows you to schedule content for multiple social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest TikTok, and Linkedin, all from one dashboard.
• Analytics: Later provides detailed analytics on your Instagram account, including follower growth, engagement rates, and more. This can help you understand how your content is performing and make data-driven decisions about your social media strategy.
• UGC management: Later makes it easy to track and manage user-generated content on Instagram, which can help you build engagement and relationships with your followers.
• Linkin.bio: Later’s Linkin.bio feature allows you to add multiple links to your Instagram bio, which can help you drive traffic to your website or other online properties.
• Affordable pricing: Later’s pricing is more budget-friendly compared to other social media management tools.
• Advanced Instagram-specific features: Later provides advanced features for Instagram, including Instagram Stories scheduling and a media library, making it a great tool for Instagram management.
• User-friendly interface: Later has a simple and user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate and use.
• Good range of support options: Later offers email, chat, and knowledge base support, giving users multiple options for help when needed.
• Free plan: Later’s free plan is quite limited but it’s free, offering only basic scheduling features and analytics. To access more advanced features, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan.

Cons of Later:

• No real-time posting: Later does not offer real-time posting, which means that you can’t post directly to Instagram from the platform. Instead, you will need to use Later’s scheduling feature to plan and schedule your posts in advance.
• Some features are Instagram-specific: While Later does offer multi-platform scheduling, some of its features, such as UGC management and Linkin.bio, are specific to Instagram and TikTok.
• Limited customer support: No phone support.
• Limited features: Later’s features are primarily focused on Instagram management, and it offers fewer features compared to Buffer for other social media networks.

Pros of Buffer:

• User-Friendly Interface: Buffer is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for beginners to navigate and use the platform effectively.
• Scheduling Flexibility: Buffer offers a variety of scheduling options, allowing you to customize posting times and frequency to best suit your audience and engagement patterns.
• Team Collaboration: Buffer’s team collaboration features enable multiple users to collaborate on social media content, making it ideal for businesses with multiple team members or agencies.
• Analytics and Insights: Buffer provides robust analytics and reporting tools that offer valuable insights into your social media performance, including engagement metrics, audience demographics, and top-performing posts.
• Integration with Third-Party Tools: Buffer integrates seamlessly with various other tools and platforms, such as Canva and Pocket, allowing you to streamline your workflow and enhance your content creation process.
• Free Plan: Buffer’s free plan has limitations on the number of social media accounts and scheduled posts, making it less suitable for businesses with larger social media needs.

Cons of Buffer:

• Advanced Features on Higher Plans: Some advanced features, such as social media listening and competitor analysis, are only available on Buffer’s higher-priced plans, which may be a consideration for businesses on a budget.
• Limited Customer Support: No phone support. While Buffer offers customer support, some users have mentioned that response times can vary, and there may be limitations in the level of support available on certain plans.
• Dependency on Third-Party Tools: Buffer relies on integration with third-party tools for some functionalities, such as content creation or image editing, which means you may need to use additional tools to fulfill all your social media management needs.
• Learning Curve for Advanced Features: Buffer offers a range of advanced features, such as analytics and reporting tools, which may require some time and effort to fully understand and utilize effectively.

The choice between Buffer vs Later depends on your specific requirements, the social media platforms you prioritize, and your budget. Consider the pros and cons of each tool, and evaluate how well they align with your needs to make an informed decision.

Buffer vs Later: Pricing & Plans.

Buffer’s Pricing & Plans

Buffer offers 4 different plans to choose from according to your needs.

Free Plan

• Up to 3 Channels
• Up to 30 Scheduling Posts
• 1 Included User
• Buffer AI Assistant with 50 AI Credits
• Planning & publishing tools
• Landing page builder
• AI Assistant

Essentials $6/month per channel

• Free features, plus:
• Engagement tools
• Analytic reports

Team $12/month per channel

• Essentials features, plus:
• Unlimited team members & clients
• Draft collaboration tools

Agency $120/month for 10 channels

• Add additional channels for $6/month
• Team features, plus:
• Custom access & permissions
• Agency-friendly pricing

If you choose to pay annually you will have a discount of two months for free and the price is configured on the 

• Essentials at $5/month per channel, on 
• Team at $10/month per channel,  and on 
• Agency at $1200/yr for the first 10 channels. Additional channels for $60/yr per channel

All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial

Later’s Pricing & Plans

Later offers 6 different plans to choose from according to your needs.

Free plan

• 1 Social Set, 1 user, 1 Access Group
• 10 posts per month per social platform
• A Linkin.bio page
• Instagram Analytics (3 months)
• Unlimited media storage
• Photo and video scheduling
• Saved Captions
• Visual Instagram Planner

Starter: $18/month 

• 1 Social Set
• 1 user
• 30 posts per social profile
•  Limited analytics (up to 3 months of data)
•  Customizable Linkin.bio page
•  Collab tools for creators
• Extra Social Sets and users are not available.

Growth: $40/month 

• 3 Social Sets
• 3 users
•  150 posts per social profile
•  Full analytics (up to 1 year of data)
•  Customizable Linkin.bio page
•  Collab tools for creators and brands
•  Team and brand management tools
• Extra Social Sets ($15/month each) Extra users ($5/month each).

Advanced: $80/month 

• 6 Social Sets
• 6 users
• Unlimited posts
•  Full analytics (up to 1 year of data)
•  Customizable Linkin.bio page
•  Collab tools for creators and brands
•  Team and brand management tools
•  Live chat support
• Extra Social Sets ($15/month each) Extra users ($5/month each)

Scale 15: $200/month

• 15 Social Sets
• 10 users
• Auto Publishing
• Unlimited Posts
• 1 Year Of Analytics
• Customized Linkin.bio Page
• Team & Brand Management Tools
• Live Chat Support
• Instagram Conversations
• Extra Social Sets ($15/month each) Extra users ($5/month each)

Scale 30: $400/month

• 30 Social Sets
• 20 users
• Auto Publishing
• Unlimited Posts
• 1 Year Of Analytics
• Customized Linkin.bio Page
• Team & Brand Management Tools
• Live Chat Support
• Instagram Conversations
• Extra Social Sets ($15/month each) Extra users ($5/month each)

A Social Set is a set of social profiles (1 Instagram, 1 Facebook, 1 Twitter, 1 Pinterest, 1 TikTok, and 1 Linkedin profile). Social Sets help you organize your social profiles based on brand or identity.

All paid plans include Auto Publishing, Instagram Best Time to Post, Visual Instagram Planner, Instagram Reels Auto Publishing, Hashtag Suggestions, Instagram Stories Scheduling, and Carousel Auto Publishing.

In addition, If you choose to pay annually you will have a 17% discount and the price configured on the Starter at $15/month, on Growth at $33,33/month, and on Professional at 66,67/month. All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial.

On Scale 15 and on Scale 30 you can’t pay annually.

Buffer vs Later: Which one should I choose?

When deciding between Buffer vs Later, it ultimately depends on your specific needs and priorities. Both platforms offer a range of features for social media scheduling and management. Here are some factors to consider when choosing between the two:

• Buffer vs Later Features: Buffer provides a comprehensive set of scheduling and publishing features for multiple social media platforms, including post-scheduling, analytics, team collaboration, and content curation. Later, on the other hand, offers specialized Instagram features like visual planning, Instagram Stories scheduling, hashtag suggestions, and user-generated content curation.
• Buffer vs Later Platform Focus: Buffer vs Later. Buffer supports a wide range of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Mastodon, YouTube, Google Business Profile, and Instagram. Later focuses primarily on Instagram, with additional support for Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, TikTok, and Pinterest. If Instagram is your main focus, Later may be a better fit.
• Buffer vs Later Pricing: Buffer offers various pricing plans based on the number of social accounts and scheduled posts, starting from their free plan. Later also offers different plans, with their free plan limited to one social profile per platform. Consider your budget and the number of profiles you need to manage.
• Buffer vs Later Ease of Use: Both Buffer vs Later have user-friendly interfaces, making them accessible to beginners. Buffer’s interface is straightforward and easy to navigate, while Later emphasizes visual planning and a clean design.
• Buffer vs Later Analytics: Buffer provides robust analytics and reporting features to track engagement, reach, and audience growth. Later offers detailed analytics specifically tailored for Instagram, including follower growth, engagement rates, and post-performance.
• Buffer vs Later Integrations: Buffer integrates with various third-party tools and platforms like Canva, Pablo, and Pocket, enhancing your content creation and curation capabilities. Later offers integrations with platforms such as Unsplash and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Ultimately, the choice between Buffer vs Later depends on your specific requirements, the platforms you prioritize, and your budget. Consider the features, platform focus, pricing, ease of use, analytics, and integrations that align with your social media management needs. It can be helpful to try out the free plans or take advantage of any trial periods to test the platforms before making a final decision.

Conclusion

Buffer vs Later are two prominent social media management tools that offer valuable features for scheduling, publishing, and analyzing social media content. Buffer provides a comprehensive solution with broad platform support and robust analytics. Later, on the other hand, specializes in visual content planning and excels in platforms like Instagram.

When deciding between Buffer vs Later, consider your specific social media needs, budget, and user experience preferences.

If you prioritize visual content and have a strong focus on Instagram, Later’s specialized features may be the ideal fit for your business.

Alternatively, if you manage multiple social media accounts across different platforms and value versatility, Buffer’s comprehensive functionality and broad platform support make it a solid choice.

Remember, choosing the right social media management tool is crucial to streamline your workflow, improving productivity, and effectively engage your target audience.

In the end, we hope to help you to clarify what suit to your needs with this Buffer vs Later post.

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