Lately today
Starts at
$19/mo
- Contract
- Nonprofit pricing only for annual contract deals
- Free plan
- Trial: Starter has a 'Try now for free' button; trial length not stated
Cheaper than Lately (2)
Compared by starting price, same currency.
| Alternative | Starts at | Against Lately | States that Lately doesn't | Contract | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 BufferEssentials, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$6/moEssentials plan, starting price | $13 lessstarting price | Unified social inbox, Public API, MCP server | monthly or annual, switch anytime | Free forever, up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 1... |
 LaterStarter, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$18.75/mo yearlyStarter plan, starting price | $0.25 lessstarting price | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SSO | Annual plans are billed once per year and renew automatically | Trial: 14-day free trial on all paid plans |
Free plan, which Lately doesn't show (3)
A free plan you can keep, in the vendor's own words.
| Alternative | Starts at | Against Lately | States that Lately doesn't | Contract | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 MetricoolStarter (up to 5 brands), read Oct 29, 2026 |
$25/moStarter (up to 5 brands) plan, starting price | $6 morestarting price | Unified social inbox, Public API, MCP server | Cancel anytime; plan stays active until end of billing cycle, then... | Free forever: 1 brand, up to 20 posts per month, 5 competitor profiles, 30... |
 SocialBuStarter, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$29/moStarter plan, starting price | $10 morestarting price | AI image generation, Unified social inbox, Social listening, Public API and 1 more | Cancel any time; effective immediately | Free plan with 3 social accounts, 10 lifetime posts and 60 AI credits... |
 AgorapulseStandard, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$99/userStandard plan, starting price | Not comparable | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SOC 2, SSO and 2 more | Terminating early requires paying remaining fees for the... | After the 30-day trial you can pick a paid plan or keep using a free plan... |
Other options (13)
No computed reason to switch, listed for completeness.
| Alternative | Starts at | Against Lately | States that Lately doesn't | Contract | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FeedHiveCreator, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$19/moCreator plan, starting price | Same pricestarting price | AI image generation, Unified social inbox, Public API, MCP server | Not found | Trial: 7-day free trial |
 SocialPilotEssentials, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$20/moEssentials plan, starting price | $1 morestarting price | Unified social inbox, SOC 2, SSO, Public API and 1 more | No contracts or commitments; cancel anytime | Trial: 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
 ContentStudioStandard, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$29/moStandard plan, starting price | $10 morestarting price | AI image generation, Unified social inbox, Social listening, SSO and 2 more | Monthly or yearly subscription cycle; cancel anytime | Trial: 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
 OcoyaStarter, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$29/moStarter plan, starting price | $10 morestarting price | AI image generation, Unified social inbox, Public API, MCP server | Cancel any time in Settings > Billing; cancellation takes effect... | Trial: 7-day free trial of any paid plan, card required, nothing charged during the... |
 PlanableBasic, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$33/moBasic plan, starting price | $14 morestarting price | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SSO, Public API and 1 more | Not found | Trial: 50 free created posts total, no time limit, no credit card; does not reset... |
 EclincherListings & AI Local SEO, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$50/moListings & AI Local SEO plan, starting price | $31 morestarting price | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SOC 2, SSO and 2 more | Cancel anytime | Trial: 14-day free trial |
 LoomlyStarter, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$65/moStarter plan, starting price | $46 morestarting price | AI image generation, Unified social inbox, Social listening | Monthly plan can be stopped anytime; yearly plan is 12 months with... | Trial: 7-day free trial, no credit card needed |
 Sked SocialGrow, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$69/moGrow plan, starting price | $50 morestarting price | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SOC 2, SSO and 1 more | Upgrade anytime; downgrades take effect at end of billing cycle | Trial: 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
 PostFastStarter, read Oct 29, 2026 |
€12/moStarter plan, starting price | Not comparable | Unified social inbox, Public API, MCP server | Not found | Trial: 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
 FlickSolo, read Oct 29, 2026 |
£14/moSolo plan, starting price | Not comparable | Nothing extra found | No contract; cancel anytime from the billing page | Trial: 7-day free trial on all plans; charged after the trial unless cancelled |
 HootsuiteStandard, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$99/user yearlyStandard plan, starting price | Not comparable | AI image generation, Unified social inbox, Social listening, SOC 2 and 2 more | Monthly or annual term depending on plan | Trial: 14-day free trial on Standard, Professional and Advanced; trial accounts... |
 Sprout SocialEssentials, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$99/userEssentials plan, starting price | Not comparable | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SSO, Public API | Annual billing for main plans | Trial: 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
 Vista SocialProfessional, read Oct 29, 2026 |
$99/userProfessional plan, starting price | Not comparable | Unified social inbox, Social listening, SOC 2, SSO and 1 more | Monthly plans renew monthly; annual plans paid upfront for the... | Trial: 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
No price found, or contact sales (2)
Questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Lately?
Buffer, at $6/mo by starting price, $13 less than Lately. Computed from each vendor's published prices.
Is there a free alternative to Lately?
Yes. 4 AI social media tools have a free plan, including Buffer, Metricool, SocialBu, Agorapulse.
How this page is made
Alternatives come from Lately's own category, AI social media tools. Prices come from each vendor's pricing page and are compared at the same volume where both can be computed, and by starting price where neither can. "States that Lately doesn't" lists what we found on the other vendor's site and didn't find on Lately's, which doesn't prove Lately lacks it. How prices are read.