Independent head-to-head
Later vs Zoho Social
Both are on our shortlist, and most people only need one. Here is where each genuinely wins.
Which fits your work better: Later or Zoho Social?
Later suits brands and agencies where the visual feed itself is part of the strategy — Instagram-first accounts that plan around how the grid looks, not just when posts go out. Zoho Social suits agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel. Zoho Social is cheaper to start with ($15/month against $19/month), so price alone favours it.
Later
Social Media Scheduling ToolsVisual-first scheduling built around Instagram and short-form video.
Zoho Social
Social Media Scheduling ToolsBuilt for agencies managing many clients from one login.
Decision view
Compare what changes the answer
| Decision factor | Later$19/mo | Zoho Social$15/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | None |
| Best for | Brands and agencies where the visual feed itself is part of the strategy — Instagram-first accounts that plan around how the grid looks, not just when posts go out. | Agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel. |
| Not for | Agencies whose clients care more about approval workflow and reporting depth than visual planning — Buffer's Team tier or Zoho Social's Agency tier fit that better. | A single brand or solo operator — the free and Standard tiers work, but you're paying for agency infrastructure you'll never touch. |
Shared answers are dimmed so trade-offs stay visible.
Plan comparison
Published plans as recorded on each vendor’s pricing page on its verification date. Limits and add-ons differ between vendors, so compare at your own volume.
Later
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $19 | Billed annually (~$18.75); 1 social set (8 profiles), 30 posts/profile/month |
| Growth | $38 | Billed annually (~$37.50); 2 social sets (16 profiles), 180 posts/profile/month |
| Scale | $83 | Billed annually (~$82.50); 6 social sets (48 profiles), unlimited posts |
Zoho Social
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1 brand, 6 channels, 1 user |
| Standard | $15 | 1 brand, 12 channels |
| Professional | $40 | Adds livestream, bulk scheduling, monitoring dashboard |
| Premium | $65 | Adds inbox management, content approvals, CRM/Desk integrations — this figure is less consistently reported than the surrounding tiers |
| Agency | $320 | 10 clients, agency-branded reports, client portal |
| Agency Plus | $460 | 20 clients |
Where Later wins
- Visual grid preview is genuinely useful for brands where feed aesthetics matter
- Social-set model bundles related profiles cleanly for a single brand
- AI credits are included rather than a separate add-on purchase
Where Zoho Social wins
- Agency and Agency Plus tiers price by client count, which scales better than per-channel pricing once a roster grows past a handful of accounts
- Client portal and agency-branded reports are a real time-save over building reports by hand
- Native CRM/Desk integration matters if a client is already in the Zoho ecosystem, which local-service businesses using Zoho Books or Zoho CRM often are
Later or Zoho Social?
Later suits brands and agencies where the visual feed itself is part of the strategy — Instagram-first accounts that plan around how the grid looks, not just when posts go out. Zoho Social suits agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel. Zoho Social is cheaper to start with ($15/month against $19/month), so price alone favours it.
Brands and agencies where the visual feed itself is part of the strategy — Instagram-first accounts that plan around how the grid looks, not just when posts go out.
Agencies running enough local-service clients that per-channel pricing elsewhere stops making sense — the Agency tiers price by client, not by channel.
What decides it
- Entry price
- Later starts at $19/month; Zoho Social at $15/month. Compare the plan that matches your real usage, not the entry tier.
- Trial
- Later offers a 14-day trial; Zoho Social offers a free plan.
- What each gives up
- Later: post-per-profile caps on lower tiers are tighter than Buffer's unlimited-posts Essentials tier. Zoho Social: tier structure is genuinely more complex than Buffer's — six named plans with overlapping features is a lot to explain to a client.