Later pricing in 2026: what each plan costs, and what the alternatives charge for an inbox
Later starts at $25 a month, but its inbox starts on Growth. BetterSocials is $29 a month for four accounts with the inbox. Who each one is better for.
By The Martech Desk staff8 min read
Later is cheaper to start, at $25 a month for Starter, or $18.75 a month billed yearly, as of September 2026. Its comments and DMs inbox starts on Growth, at $50 a month or $37.50 billed yearly. BetterSocials, best for owners who answer customers in comments and DMs, includes an inbox on Creator, its cheapest plan, at $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four social accounts.
So the cheaper tool depends on what you buy it for. If you only schedule posts, Later Starter wins on price. If you answer customers in comments and DMs, BetterSocials Creator is the lower bill.
What Later costs and where its inbox starts
Later sells three plans, Starter, Growth and Scale, and its inbox starts on the middle one. That inbox is called Conversations, and it collects Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments, and TikTok comments. We've set Later's plans beside what the alternatives charge and noted the month each price was seen.
Billed yearly means the per-month rate you pay when you buy twelve months up front. Later's prices below are as listed on Later's pricing page in September 2026, and BetterSocials' prices are from its own pricing as of October 2026. The rows run from the lowest monthly price to the highest.
| Plan | Month to month | Billed yearly | Inbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Later Starter | $25 a month | $18.75 a month | No |
| BetterSocials Creator, 4 accounts | $29 a month | $24 a month | Yes |
| BetterSocials Pro, 6 accounts | $49 a month | $39 a month | Yes |
| Later Growth | $50 a month | $37.50 a month | Yes, Conversations |
| BetterSocials Team, 12 accounts | $99 a month | $79 a month | Yes |
| Later Scale | $110 a month | $82.50 a month | Yes, Conversations |
Later Starter is the cheapest plan in the table. It costs a few dollars a month less than BetterSocials Creator on either billing period.
Creator and Pro are one login each, and Team adds unlimited teammates. Every BetterSocials plan includes unlimited contacts, and nothing is billed per contact.
How the bill grows: per plan, per user or per channel
Later sells its plans by tier, and the alternatives split three ways: per plan, per user or per channel. BetterSocials prices by plan, and the plan sets both the account count and the logins. Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts and one login. Pro is $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, for six accounts and one login.
Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates. On BetterSocials, a second login means moving to Team.
Hootsuite is the per-user example: each person who logs in adds a full plan price. Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually, as of October 2026, per Hootsuite's plans page. If you work alone, a per-user price doesn't hurt until you hire.
Buffer charges by channel instead, at $5 a channel a month on annual billing as of August 2026, per Buffer's pricing page. Publer prices by social account and charges for extra members. As of October 2026, Publer Professional was $5.00 a month, or $4.00 billed yearly, for one account, and each extra member added $2.00 a month on monthly billing.
What the inbox costs over a year
Later Growth is the cheapest Later plan with Conversations, so it's the fair match for BetterSocials Creator if you want comments and DMs in one place. Creator covers four social accounts and one login. The sums below take each plan's monthly rate times twelve.
- On monthly billing, Later Growth is $50 x 12, or six hundred dollars a year, and BetterSocials Creator is $348 a year for four accounts.
- Billed yearly, Later Growth is $37.50 x 12, or four hundred and fifty dollars a year, and BetterSocials Creator is $288 a year.
- Creator comes out roughly two hundred and fifty dollars a year cheaper on monthly billing and over a hundred and fifty cheaper billed yearly.
Skip the inbox and the order reverses. Later Starter billed yearly is $18.75 x 12, a little over two hundred dollars a year, which is about sixty dollars less than Creator's $288.
Check which platforms your accounts sit on before you compare. If one of them is YouTube or a LinkedIn Company Page, Later's Conversations won't bring those comments in, and the BetterSocials inbox will.
At the top of each price list, Later Scale is $110 a month, or $82.50 billed yearly. BetterSocials Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates.
Is either one cheaper than Hootsuite for one person?
Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually, so one login costs $99 x 12 = $1,188 a year. Later Starter, Later Growth and BetterSocials Creator all cost less than that for one person.
- Later Starter billed yearly is a little over two hundred dollars a year, and its inbox starts a plan higher.
- Later Growth billed yearly is four hundred and fifty dollars a year, with Conversations.
- BetterSocials Creator billed yearly is $288 a year for four accounts, with its inbox.
Hootsuite includes an inbox from Standard, so the $1,188 does buy one. As of July 2026, that inbox doesn't include YouTube comments. For one person, Creator billed yearly costs about nine hundred dollars a year less than Hootsuite Standard, and Later Growth over seven hundred less.
Which platforms land in each inbox?
Later's Conversations covers three platforms: Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments, and TikTok comments. As of October 2026, it has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations.
The BetterSocials inbox covers six platforms. Instagram and Facebook bring in comments and DMs, TikTok brings comments and DMs you can reply to, and YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages bring comments.
Other tools cover parts of this. Later, Pallyy, Vista Social, Sprout Social and Hootsuite read TikTok comments, and Buffer and Metricool read YouTube comments, Metricool on its free tier. BetterSocials puts all six platforms, plus Instagram and Facebook DMs, in one inbox from $29 a month for four accounts.
The platforms set some of these limits themselves. YouTube has no DM API for any tool, so YouTube is comments only. TikTok lets a business reply to a DM but never start one, with at most 10 replies within 48 hours of the person's last message.
LinkedIn comments come from Company Pages only. No tool can read a personal profile's comments or LinkedIn DMs through the API.
Comment-to-DM and AI replies
BetterSocials sends a DM when someone comments a keyword on Instagram or Facebook. Comment-to-DM means a word in a comment, such as GUIDE, sends that person a DM with your link, with no flow to build. Keywords are unlimited on every plan.
On TikTok and YouTube, no tool can turn a comment into a private DM. There, BetterSocials posts a public reply with the link, and it does the same on Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages.
BetterSocials' AI comment replies have three settings: Off, Draft for me and Reply in my voice. Draft for me writes a reply in your voice for each new comment, and nothing posts until you approve it. Reply in my voice sends everyday replies on its own, while questions wait in Needs reply.
An opt-in switch, Answer questions too, lets the AI answer questions as well. It only turns on once you've written at least one AI rule, such as your prices or your booking link. DMs get the same settings in their own section, so Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs can get drafts or answers in your voice too.
Creator includes 1,000 AI credits a month, and each draft costs one credit. When the credits run out, the AI pauses instead of charging more.
When Later Starter is the better buy
Later Starter is the better buy if you mostly schedule posts and answer comments inside each app. At $25 a month, or $18.75 billed yearly, it's the lower entry price of the two. You'd move up to Growth, at $50 a month or $37.50 billed yearly, only when you want Conversations.
Later also fits if your audience sits on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, the three platforms Conversations covers. In that case Growth gives you an inbox for all of them.
When BetterSocials Creator is the better buy
BetterSocials Creator is the better buy if comments and DMs bring you customers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages. At $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts, it costs less than Later Growth and puts all six platforms in one inbox. It also adds keyword comment-to-DM on Instagram and Facebook.
If two or more people need to log in, compare against Team instead, at $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates. Every BetterSocials plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required.
FAQ
Is social media scheduler pricing based on team size or per person?
It depends on the tool. Hootsuite charges per user, from $99 a month billed annually, and Buffer charges $5 a channel a month on annual billing. BetterSocials prices by plan: Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts and one login, and Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates.
Is there a social media scheduler cheaper than Hootsuite for one person?
Yes. Hootsuite Standard is $99 per user a month, billed annually. BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts and one login, with comments and DMs in one inbox. Later Starter is $25 a month, or $18.75 billed yearly, though Conversations starts on Growth.
How much does Later cost in 2026?
As of September 2026, Later Starter is $25 a month, or $18.75 billed yearly, and Growth is $50 a month, or $37.50 billed yearly. Scale is $110 a month, or $82.50 billed yearly. Conversations, Later's inbox for comments and DMs, starts on Growth.
Does Later reply to YouTube or LinkedIn comments?
No. Later's Conversations inbox covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments and TikTok comments, with no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations. BetterSocials brings YouTube comments and LinkedIn Company Page comments into its inbox from $29 a month for four accounts. Buffer and Metricool also read YouTube comments.
Does BetterSocials charge per user or per contact?
BetterSocials charges per plan. Creator is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for four accounts and one login, and Pro is $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, for six accounts and one login. Team is $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates, and no plan bills per contact.