Later vs Planoly: Why Instagram Schedulers Are Overpriced (2025)

The Instagram scheduling tool comparison creators need
By Ashley Chen • Social Media Strategist • 9 min read

I spent $480 last year on Later.

To schedule Instagram posts.

That's it. Just scheduling.

Then I found out what other creators are using...

🤯 The Instagram Tool Reality Check:

Later: $40/month for "Growth" plan
Planoly: $34/month for "Pro" plan
What they do: Schedule posts you create
What they don't do: Create any content
Better alternative: AI that creates AND schedules for $37

You're paying premium prices for a calendar.

Later vs Planoly: The Honest Comparison

Later

$40/mo

✓ Visual calendar
✓ Instagram focus
✗ No content creation
✗ Limited platforms

Planoly

$34/mo

✓ Grid preview
✓ Basic analytics
✗ No content help
✗ Clunky interface

AI Media Machine

$37/mo

✓ Creates content
✓ All platforms
✓ Schedules everything
✓ 12 AI tools total

What Instagram Creators Actually Need

Let's be real about your workflow:

Current reality with Later/Planoly:





What you actually need:





"I was paying Later $40/month just to schedule posts I spent hours creating. AI Media Machine creates my content AND schedules it for $37. Game changer." - Maria Rodriguez, Fashion Influencer (47k followers)

The Hidden Costs of "Just Scheduling"

💸 Your Real Instagram Costs:

Scheduling tool: $40/month
Canva Pro for graphics: $15/month
Caption writing time: 10 hours/month
Hashtag research: 3 hours/month

Total: $55/month + 13 hours of work

AI Media Machine: $37/month total
Save $216/year + 156 hours
Get AI That Creates + Schedules ($1 Trial)

Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

FeatureLaterPlanolyAI Media Machine
Monthly Price$40$34$37
Content Creation❌ No❌ No✅ Yes
Caption Writing❌ DIY❌ DIY✅ AI writes
Hashtag Research⚠️ Basic⚠️ Limited✅ AI optimized
Platforms5 max3 max✅ All major
Post Limit150/monthUnlimited✅ Unlimited
Team Members6 users2 users✅ Unlimited

Why Creators Are Switching

"Later was costing me $480/year to do 10% of what I needed. AI Media Machine creates my reels, carousels, stories, AND schedules them. Best $37 I spend each month." - James Park, Fitness Coach (92k followers)
"Planoly's grid preview is nice but I was still spending 20 hours/week creating content. Now AI does it in 20 minutes." - Sophie Turner, Food Blogger (31k followers)

The Content Creation Revolution

🚀 What AI Media Machine Actually Does:

For Instagram:
• Creates carousel posts with swipe-worthy content
• Writes captions that get engagement
• Designs stories that convert
• Suggests trending audio for reels
• Researches hashtags that work

For Everything Else:
• TikTok scripts and ideas
• YouTube descriptions
• Pinterest pins
• LinkedIn posts
• Twitter threads

All for $3 LESS than Later's basic plan.

The Time You'll Save (Calculated)

Weekly time with Later/Planoly:
• Content creation: 8 hours
• Caption writing: 3 hours
• Hashtag research: 1 hour
• Scheduling: 1 hour
Total: 13 hours/week

Weekly time with AI Media Machine:
• Tell AI what you want: 10 minutes
• Review and tweak: 30 minutes
• Schedule everything: 10 minutes
Total: 50 minutes/week

That's 12 hours back every week.

Real Results from Real Creators

"Follower growth with Later: +200/month. With AI Media Machine: +1,400/month. The content quality difference is insane." - Rachel Kim, Beauty Influencer

Why the difference?

• AI creates more content (quantity)
• Content is data-optimized (quality)
• More time for engagement (community)
• Consistent posting schedule (algorithm)
• Better captions and hashtags (reach)

The Instagram Scheduler Trap

⚠️ What They Don't Tell You:

• Scheduling is 5% of social media success
• Content quality is 70% of success
• These tools help with the 5%, not the 70%
• You're paying premium for the easy part
• The hard part (creation) is still on you

Make the Smart Switch

Look at your last month:

• How many hours creating content?
• How much for scheduling tools?
• How much growth did you see?

Now imagine:

• AI creates everything
• You just review and post
• More content, less time
• Better results, lower cost

🎯 Your Next 12 Months:

Keep paying for scheduling:
$480/year + 676 hours of work

Switch to AI creation:
$444/year + 52 hours of work

You save: $36 + 624 hours

That's 15.6 work weeks back.

Start Creating, Stop Just Scheduling

Later and Planoly had their time.

But paying $40/month to schedule content you still have to create?

That's 2015 thinking.

Join the creators who work smarter.

Try AI Content Creation → Transform Your Instagram

Ashley Chen grew her Instagram from 5k to 127k followers in 18 months using AI content creation. She previously spent $960/year on scheduling tools that only did 10% of the work.

1. Spend hours creating content 2. Design graphics separately 3. Write captions manually 4. Upload to scheduler 5. Pay $34-40/month for the privilege 1. Something that CREATES the content 2. Writes engaging captions 3. Suggests hashtags that work 4. Schedules across all platforms 5. Costs less than premium schedulers