When it comes to managing social media accounts, having the right tools can make all the difference. Two of the most popular social media management tools on the market are Buffer and Later. Both platforms offer a range of features to help users schedule and publish content, track analytics, and manage multiple social media accounts from one dashboard.
Buffer’s free plan allows users to connect up to three social channels and schedule up to 30 posts per month, while Later’s free plan is more limited, with only one connected social channel and just 5 posts per month. Buffer’s paid plans start at $15 per month, while Later’s basic package starts at $8 per month. However, Later offers more features in its basic package, including one social set and 30 posts per month.
When deciding between Buffer and Later, it’s important to consider your specific needs and budget. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, and what works best for one user may not work as well for another. In the following sections, we will take a closer look at the features and pricing of each platform to help you make an informed decision.
Buffer: Pros and Cons
Buffer is a popular social media management tool that offers a range of features to help businesses and individuals manage their social media accounts. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Buffer:
Pros
- Easy to use: Buffer has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, making it a great option for beginners.
- Scheduling: Buffer allows you to schedule posts in advance, which can save time and help you stay consistent with your social media presence.
- Analytics: Buffer provides detailed analytics on your social media accounts, including engagement rates, follower growth, and more.
- Integration: Buffer integrates with a variety of other tools and platforms, including Canva, Slack, and more.
Cons
- Limited free plan: Buffer’s free plan is limited, allowing only three social channels and 30 scheduled posts per month.
- Pricing: Buffer’s paid plans can be expensive, especially for larger businesses or individuals with multiple social media accounts.
- Limited features: While Buffer offers many useful features, it may not have all the functionality that some businesses or individuals need.
Overall, Buffer is a solid social media management tool with many useful features. However, its pricing and limited free plan may make it less accessible for some users.
Later: Pros and Cons
When it comes to social media management, Later is a popular tool that offers a range of features. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Later:
Pros
- Visual planning: Later’s visual content calendar makes it easy to see your scheduled posts and plan your content strategy accordingly. You can drag and drop content to rearrange your schedule, and preview how your feed will look once your posts are published.
- Instagram-focused: Later is especially useful for Instagram management, with features like the ability to schedule Instagram Stories and carousel posts. It also offers a linkin.bio feature that allows you to create a clickable landing page for your Instagram profile.
- Affordable pricing: Later’s pricing plans are affordable compared to some other social media management tools, especially for smaller businesses and solopreneurs.
Cons
- Limited features: While Later is great for Instagram, it doesn’t offer as many features for other social media platforms. For example, it doesn’t have a built-in content library like Buffer does.
- Limited integrations: Later doesn’t integrate with as many third-party apps and tools as some other social media management tools, which could be a drawback if you rely on specific apps for your workflow.
- Limited analytics: Later’s analytics features are somewhat limited, especially compared to tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social. While you can track basic metrics like engagement and follower growth, you can’t get as granular with your data analysis.
Buffer vs Later: Features Comparison
When it comes to social media management, Buffer and Later are two of the most popular tools available. While both offer similar features, there are some differences that may make one a better fit for your needs. Here, we’ll compare the features of Buffer and Later in four key areas: post scheduling, social media engagement, social listening, and analytics.
Post Scheduling
Buffer and Later both allow you to schedule posts across multiple social media platforms. However, there are some differences in how they approach post scheduling.
Buffer’s scheduling interface is simple and straightforward, allowing you to easily schedule posts in advance. You can also create a posting schedule that automatically shares your content at the optimal times for your audience.
Later’s scheduling interface is also user-friendly, but it offers some additional features that may be helpful for businesses. For example, you can create content categories and schedule posts based on those categories. You can also preview your Instagram feed to see how your posts will look in context.
Social Media Engagement
Engaging with your audience is a crucial part of social media management. Both Buffer and Later offer tools to help you engage with your followers.
Buffer’s Reply feature allows you to respond to comments and messages across multiple social media platforms from one central location. You can also use Buffer’s Analytics to see which posts are generating the most engagement and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Later’s Conversations feature allows you to monitor and respond to comments on your Instagram posts. You can also use Later’s Hashtag Suggestions to find relevant hashtags to include in your posts and increase your reach.
Social Listening
Social listening involves monitoring social media for mentions of your brand or industry. Both Buffer and Later offer tools to help you stay on top of what’s being said about your business.
Buffer’s Listening feature allows you to track mentions of your brand across multiple social media platforms. You can also set up alerts to notify you when certain keywords or phrases are mentioned.
Later’s Search & Repost feature allows you to find user-generated content related to your brand and repost it to your own Instagram feed. You can also use Later’s Hashtag Analytics to track the performance of your branded hashtags.
Analytics
Analytics are essential for measuring the success of your social media strategy. Both Buffer and Later offer analytics tools to help you track your performance.
Buffer’s Analytics provide detailed insights into your social media performance, including engagement rates, click-through rates, and follower growth. You can also track the performance of individual posts and compare your results to industry benchmarks.
Later’s Analytics offer similar insights, including engagement rates and follower growth. You can also track the performance of your Instagram Stories and see which posts are driving the most traffic to your website.
Overall, both Buffer and Later offer powerful tools for social media management. The right choice for your business will depend on your specific needs and goals.
Ease of Use
When it comes to ease of use, both Buffer and Later offer intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. However, there are some differences worth noting.
Buffer’s dashboard is straightforward and easy to navigate, with a clean design that makes it easy to find and use the features you need. The scheduling process is simple and straightforward, with a drag-and-drop calendar that allows you to schedule posts quickly and easily. Additionally, Buffer offers a browser extension that makes it easy to share content from any website.
Later’s interface is similarly user-friendly, with a clean and modern design that is easy on the eyes. The scheduling process is also simple, with a drag-and-drop calendar that allows you to schedule posts quickly and easily. One unique feature of Later is the ability to preview your Instagram feed, which can be helpful for maintaining a cohesive aesthetic.
In terms of mobile apps, both Buffer and Later offer well-designed and easy-to-use apps for iOS and Android. Buffer’s app is particularly strong, with a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy to manage your social media accounts on the go.
Overall, we find both Buffer and Later to be highly user-friendly and easy to use. While there are some differences in the design and features of each platform, both are excellent choices for businesses looking for a social media management tool that is easy to use and navigate.
Pricing Comparison
When it comes to choosing a social media management tool, pricing is an important factor that needs to be considered. In this section, we’ll compare the pricing plans of Buffer and Later.
Buffer Pricing
Buffer offers three pricing plans – Free, Pro, and Premium. The Free plan is a good option for individuals and small businesses who are just starting out. It allows you to connect up to three social media accounts and schedule up to 10 posts per account. However, the Free plan has limited features and does not include analytics or team collaboration.
The Pro plan costs $15 per month and allows you to connect up to eight social media accounts and schedule up to 100 posts per account. It also includes advanced features like analytics, RSS feed integration, and team collaboration.
The Premium plan costs $65 per month and is designed for larger businesses and agencies. It allows you to connect up to 150 social media accounts and schedule up to 2,000 posts per account. It includes all the features of the Pro plan and also offers advanced analytics and reporting.
Later Pricing
Later offers four pricing plans – Free, Plus, Growth, and Advanced. The Free plan allows you to connect one social media account and schedule up to 30 posts per month. It also includes basic features like a visual content calendar and basic analytics.
The Plus plan costs $9 per month and allows you to connect up to five social media accounts and schedule up to 100 posts per account. It includes all the features of the Free plan and also offers additional features like Instagram hashtag suggestions and a media library.
The Growth plan costs $19 per month and is designed for small businesses and influencers. It allows you to connect up to 10 social media accounts and schedule up to 250 posts per account. It includes all the features of the Plus plan and also offers advanced analytics and audience insights.
The Advanced plan is designed for larger businesses and agencies. It costs $49 per month and allows you to connect up to 25 social media accounts and schedule unlimited posts per account. It includes all the features of the Growth plan and also offers additional features like team collaboration and custom branding.
Overall, both Buffer and Later offer competitive pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes. It’s important to evaluate your needs and choose a plan that best fits your budget and social media management requirements.
Customer Support
When it comes to customer support, both Buffer and Later provide a positive experience. Buffer can be found on Slack and Twitter, and it also provides email support. Buffer offers a range of resources to help new users, including blogs, guidelines, FAQs, and online training. They even have monthly webinars.
Later also offers customer support via email, and they have a well-documented help center with articles and video tutorials. They also have a community forum where users can ask questions and get help from other users.
Both Buffer and Later have a knowledge base that is easy to navigate, and they both offer a quick response time to customer inquiries. In terms of customer service, we think both Buffer and Later are excellent options.
Overall, when it comes to customer support, both Buffer and Later are reliable and offer a great experience.
Integration Capabilities
When it comes to integration capabilities, both Buffer and Later offer a wide range of options to connect with other tools and platforms.
Buffer has a strong integration game with Zapier, which allows users to connect with over 3,000 apps and automate workflows. Some of the popular integrations include Google Analytics, Trello, Slack, and WordPress. Buffer also offers direct integrations with platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
On the other hand, Later also offers integrations with various platforms like Shopify, Canva, Unsplash, and Adobe Creative Cloud. Later’s Zapier integration is also available, which allows users to connect with over 2,000 apps.
Both Buffer and Later offer browser extensions, which users can use to quickly add content to their social media accounts from anywhere on the web.
In terms of API access, Buffer offers a robust API that developers can use to build custom integrations and automate their social media workflows. Later also offers API access, but it is limited to their business plans.
Overall, both Buffer and Later offer strong integration capabilities, but Buffer’s Zapier integration game is stronger than Later’s. However, Later offers integrations with some unique platforms like Canva and Unsplash, which can be useful for businesses that heavily rely on visual content.
User Reviews
We researched user reviews for both Buffer and Later to get an idea of what users think about these social media management tools.
Buffer has an impressive rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars with 987 reviews on G2. Users praise Buffer for its ease of use, scheduling features, and excellent customer support. Some users note that the pricing can be a bit high, especially for small businesses.
Later also has a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars with 300 reviews on G2. Users appreciate Later’s scheduling capabilities, Instagram features, and user-friendly interface. However, some users report issues with the mobile app and note that the pricing can be a bit steep for certain features.
On TrustRadius, Buffer has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars with 464 verified user reviews. Users highlight Buffer’s scheduling and analytics features, as well as its integrations with other tools. Some users mention that the reporting features could be improved.
Later has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars with 136 verified user reviews on TrustRadius. Users like Later’s Instagram scheduling features, easy-to-use interface, and customer support. Some users note that the pricing can be a bit high, especially for smaller businesses.
Overall, both Buffer and Later have high ratings and positive reviews from users. The choice between the two ultimately depends on your specific business needs and budget.
Conclusion
After comparing Buffer and Later, we can see that both tools have their strengths and weaknesses. Buffer is great for those who prioritize analytics and reporting, while Later is better for those who want a more affordable option for scheduling social media posts.
When it comes to pricing, Later is generally cheaper for single brands, while Buffer Pro is cheaper for multiple brands. Both tools offer similar features for scheduling and posting to social media platforms, but Buffer has a slight edge when it comes to analytics and reporting.
Overall, the choice between Buffer and Later will depend on your specific needs and budget. If you prioritize detailed analytics and reporting, Buffer may be the better choice for you. If you want a more affordable option for scheduling social media posts, Later may be the way to go.
Regardless of which tool you choose, both Buffer and Later are great options for managing your social media presence and ensuring that your posts are consistent and engaging.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both Buffer and Later are popular social media schedulers with their own unique features. Buffer’s free plan allows users to connect three social channels and schedule up to 30 posts per month. Later’s free plan is more limited, with only one connected social channel and just 5 posts per month. However, Later’s paid plans offer more features than Buffer’s paid plans, including Instagram analytics, social commerce, and creator partnerships.
Ultimately, the choice between Buffer and Later depends on your specific needs and budget. We recommend trying out both platforms and comparing their features to determine which one is the best fit for your brand.
Buffer and Hootsuite are both popular social media management tools with their own unique strengths. Buffer is known for its simple and easy-to-use interface, while Hootsuite offers more advanced features like team collaboration and social listening.
If you’re looking for a more streamlined social media management tool, Buffer may be the better option for you. However, if you need more advanced features and team collaboration, Hootsuite may be the better choice.
Ultimately, the choice between Buffer and Hootsuite depends on your specific needs and budget. We recommend trying out both platforms and comparing their features to determine which one is the best fit for your brand.
