Instagram has evolved into a gigantic platform for creators and brands. Its rich features like Reels, Stories, product tags, shoppable feeds, AR filters, and whatnot hook a billion users for hours at a stretch.
All this contributes to the fact that you have to dedicate some time to building an impactful Instagram marketing strategy. One way to ensure success on this visual-first platform is to use Instagram scheduling tool. However, Meta has made the whole process of scheduling content on Instagram very complicated, to the dismay of many.
In this scenario, Instagram scheduling tools are your best bet for efficiently planning your content and ensuring uninterrupted publishing.
To make things convenient for you, we have curated a list of Instagram Posting tools that can do the job for you.
Overview of the Top Instagram Scheduling Tools 2025
We’ve evaluated each tool featured in this article in the upcoming section. However, for your perusal, here are the top contenders in the category, as shown by an in-depth comparative study of their capabilities.
 SocialPilot |
 Buffer |
 Later |
 Sendible |
 Agorapulse |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $30/Month | $6/Month | $30/Month | $29/Month | $49/Month |
| Best for | Agencies & Small Businesses | SMBs & Brands | Brands & Creators | Mid-sized Businesses | Brands & Enterprises |
| Instagram Profiles | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Ease of Use | |||||
| Support | |||||
| Publishing | |||||
| Direct Instagram Publishing |  |
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| Story Scheduling | Direct publishing and mobile notifications |
Direct scheduling and push notification |
Only from desktop app |
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| Collaboration Post | |
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| Smart Queues | |
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| Repeat Posts | |
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| Calendar View | |
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Confusing | |
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| Auto Post From RSS Feeds | |
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(Complicated set up) |
(Manual) |
| Bulk Scheduling | (500 Posts) |
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(350 Posts) |
(200 Posts) |
| First Comment | Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn | Instagram only | |
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(Unavailable in Standard plan) |
| Link Shorteners | Bitly, Sniply and Rebrandly |
Unknown |
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Only on higher plans |
In-built |
| Post Creation | |||||
| Draft Your Posts | |
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| Image Editor | Custom Instagram sizing |
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(Limited) |
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| AI Assistant | |
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(Only captions) |
(Add-on) |
| Hashtag Generator | (Aligned with captions) |
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Limited capability |
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| Holiday Calendar | |
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| Canva Integration | (On all plans) |
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| Media From External Sources | |
(Not from cloud storage) |
Only Google Drive and Dropbox |
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(Only Canva and G-Drive) |
| Content Library | |
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(Add-on) |
| Image Tagging | |
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| Auto-Watermarking posts | |
Not automation |
Manually |
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| Location Tagging | |
(Only for Instagram) |
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| Custom Reel thumbnail | |
Only stills from video |
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Only stills from video |
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| Link-in-bio | |
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| Instagram Collaboration Post | |
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| Collaboration on Post | |||||
| Content Approval Workflows | (Quick and Easy) |
(Basic) |
Not from mobile |
(Technical glitches) |
(Confusing) |
| Comments on Post | |
(No tagging) |
Only for higher plans |
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| Support | |||||
| Priority Customer Support | |
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| Try for Free | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | |
These tools will not just enable you to schedule your posts automatically but also assist with analytics, insights, and get maximum engagement.
How we analyze and select these tools:
We have meticulously curated these scheduling apps through detailed research and hands-on testing. We considered various factors such as user satisfaction, G2 ratings and reviews, pricing structure, and scalability. We also actively analyzed the abilities of these tools in automation, developing content, visualization, analytics, and collaborative workflows. We have assembled this list to provide marketers with essential insights, enabling them to make well-informed decisions on the right tools to expand their businesses.
12 Instagram Scheduling Tools to Save Time
Best Instagram scheduling Platform for:
Large agencies and enterprises
Ratings:
4.2/ 5 (G2), 4.4/ 5 (Capterra)
Apps:
Web, iOS, and Android versions
Integrations:
Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Google Business Profile
Key Features:
- Social media content calendar
- Bulk content scheduling
- Best time to post recommendations
- AI-assisted caption ideation generation
- Hashtag suggestions
- Canva integration
- Content discovery
- Evergreen content recycling
- Programmed holiday calendar
Pros
- Hootsuite’s AI integration provides users with real-time recommendations while drafting content.
- Integrated content discovery streams and Canva support make content creation more seamless.
Isla H.
There is a lot to like about Hootsuite. The platform is easy to use and integrate into your social media efforts. The scheduling calendar and the analytics are particularly user-friendly and provide many options. Their academy and how-to video series are also excellent.
Cons
- The tool is tool is expensive and has a lot of add-on prices to access certain features, making it unsuitable for growing businesses.
- The platform’s steep learning curve due to being a complex dashboard can be challenging for beginners.
Sharon B.
The pricing is a lot higher. I do not see options to lower the social media pro
Our Experience
Hootsuite is a versatile tool for managing your social media accounts, offering a solution for automated Instagram scheduling. It allows users to create all types of Instagram posts from the same dashboard, including photos, videos, carousels, Stories, and Reels.
The content planner is a primary Hootsuite feature that lets users view their upcoming scheduled posts at a glance. This enables them to gauge whether they are on track with maintaining a consistent posting frequency on the platform.
The tool has seamlessly integrated AI-powered capabilities, providing templates enabling users to create engaging content quickly. Hootsuite can even single out best-performing posts that you can repurpose and recycle in your publishing schedule.
The one feature we perhaps found the most useful was the recommendations for the optimal times to post based on follower activity. This allows users to leverage audience engagement to the maximum.
Although a bit expensive, Hootsuite is a suitable solution for larger businesses that want to establish a presence on Instagram.
Pricing:
Hootsuite offers two pricing tiers after a 30-day trial, ranging from $99/month to $249/month. The custom plan caters to enterprises that can support upto 50 accounts to start with.
Overall verdict:
Hootsuite is a proficient scheduling tool that supports managing multiple Instagram accounts with features like advanced scheduling, AI-assisted content creation, etc. However, its user interface is complex with a steep learning curve, and the pricing can be too high for solopreneurs and small businesses.
Best Instagram scheduling software for:
Social media managers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses
Ratings:
4.3/5 (G2), 4.5/5 (Capterra)
Apps:
Web, iOS, Android App, Chrome Browser Extension
Integrations:
Facebook, Google Business Profile, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Pinterest, Shopify, Threads, TikTok, Twitter / X, YouTube
Key Features:
- AI assistant for content ideation and creation
- Custom content creation
- Automated scheduling plan
- Integrations for visual content resource
- Content boards
- Scheduling calendar
- Content categorization
- Integration with Canva, Giphy, DropBox, One Drive, and Google
- Collaboration on content
Pros
- The easy-to-navigate post-publishing dashboard in Buffer requires little to no training to use efficiently.
- The free AI integration in Buffer makes writing captions very easy and saves a lot of time.
Tracy W.
Buffer is extensively used in our company in marketing and corporate communication departments. It enables users to schedule and track scheduled posts across all major social networks. The analytics are great that show the performance of each post and aslo buffer is pretty affordable.
Cons
- Some users have problems bulk-scheduling their posts with Buffer.
Victory J.
The mobile app isn’t as seamless as the web version. I guess this isn’t an issue for many as most people prefer to work on their computers. I do a lot of repetitive tasks on the move so it kind of is a big deal for me.
Our Experience
Buffer is one of the more user-friendly scheduling tools for Instagram that is suitable for users on smaller budget. The high degree of ease of usage is what makes social media newbies prefer this platform.
A feature that benefits businesses that sell through Instagram is the creation of Start pages. These compact but useful landing pages can be linked with your Instagram bio so you get referral traffic to your product pages.
Buffer’s AI Assistant takes the burden of creating quality captions for Instagram off of the users. It offers content ideas, generates texts and repurposes evergreen content, keeping up your posting consistency. The hashtag suggestions in Buffer, which are aligned with the intent of the content are also provided by the AI Assistant.
The tool offers a free plan, which allows users to manage three social profiles. This is a good way to test out whether the tool is a fit for their business or not. However, for higher plans and added features, you need to pay Buffer based on the number of accounts connected, which can be a costly affair.
Despite being a highly capable, Buffer’s absence of chat support can impact the user experience.
Pricing:
Buffer provides a range of four pricing options along with a 14-day trial period for each. There is a free plan for beginners. Paid plans range from $6 a month for one account to a monthly $120 for 10 accounts.
Overall verdict:
Buffer is a simple, user-friendly tool with decent scheduling features. It comes equipped with all the basic features that individual users will find adequate to manage their Instagram scheduling. However, limited users on lower-tier plans and per-account pricing can be costly for managing multiple social accounts.
You can check out Buffer alternatives to find tools that may offer more scalable pricing and additional user seats without significant cost increases.
Best Instagram Scheduling App for:
Solo Entrepreneurs, Social Media Marketers, Small Businesses, and Enterprises
Ratings:
4.5 on G2 & 4.5 on Capterra
Apps:
Android and iOS Mobile App and Web Version.
Social Media Networks Supported:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Linkedin, YouTube, Google Business, and Pinterest
Key Features:
- Approval Workflow
- Support for Reels, Stories, Carousels
- Instagram Multi-format Content Support
- Content Labels & Filters
- Instagram Analytics Dashboard
- Visual Calendar
- Instagram Post Preview
- AI Caption Generator
- Multi-brand Workspaces
Pros
- Planable is super fast for agencies and brands with multiple approvers.
- Collaboration tool is like a shared Google Doc for posts.
Marellis H.
I can provide a visual calendar for my clients to review. I like that you can create pages other of social media accounts, this helps me present my client with blog info, email marketing, etc. things I can’t present in other platforms. Its easy to use and integrates well with social media accounts.
Cons
- Planable has limited automation no smart posting times or auto-repost.
- No hashtag suggestions you’ll have to manage hashtags manually.
Verified User in Fine Art.
The grid view for Instagram doesn’t seem to correlate to the calendar view which is weird, maybe I’m missing something. Moving from post to post could be more intuitive. Having multiple months loaded and available without extra clicks would be helpful. Hashtag autofill is temermental.
Our Experience:
We’ve used Planable for a while now and have hands-on experience with its features, pros and cons. Our focus is on content creation and scheduling, Instagram Stories and Reels, and team collaboration and approval workflows.
Content Creation and Scheduling
Planable feels like a native social media platform. The Feed view shows posts as they would on Instagram, so content creation and scheduling is seamless. The Calendar view gives you a broader view to plan and organize posts for days, weeks or months.
Planable supports various Instagram formats: Reels, Stories and Carousels. So you can implement different content strategies without needing multiple tools.
The drag-and-drop functionality makes scheduling a breeze. You can assign posts to specific dates and times and have a consistent posting schedule.
Instagram Stories and Reels Management
Planable allows you to schedule Instagram Stories so you don’t have to intervene manually. This is super helpful for peak times.
Planable supports scheduling of Instagram Reels so you can plan and execute video content strategy. But note that while Planable schedules, some interactive features native to Instagram won’t be replicated in the tool.
Pricing and Value
Planable has straightforward pricing that starts at $33/month for one account. For additional accounts, you have to pay double. It does not have any free trial plan but an all-time free plan with a few necessary but limited features, but it does not include calendar tools.
Overall Verdict:
Planable is a user friendly and fast Instagram scheduling tool. Content creation, scheduling flexibility and team collaboration are its strengths for brands and agencies looking to simplify their Instagram marketing. But for users looking for automation, in-depth analytics and hashtag management Planable might not be enough. Overall it’s a good base for managing Instagram content, balancing ease of use with the essentials.
Best Instagram scheduling app for:
Businesses, large agencies, and some enterprise brands.
Ratings:
4.5/5 (G2), 4.6/5 (Capterra)
Apps:
Web, iOS, and Android versions
Integrations:
TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, YouTube
Key Features:
- Grouped posts for custom scheduling queues
- Bulk scheduling content
- In-app image editor
- Canva support
- AI Assist for Caption generation
- Content management with social media calendar
- Holiday calendar
- Content curation feeds
Pros
- Sendible recommends optimal posting times to help users schedule content for maximum reach.
- Its shareable calendar streamlines collaborative planning and tracking of your social media strategy.
Daisy R.
I love that Sendible not only allows you to schedule content, but it also provides you with the most optimal posting times and can generate reports for you. My favourite feature about Sendible is also that it allows you to create a specific calendar preview for each of your clients.
Cons
- The mobile version of Sendible lacks some of the advanced features available in the web version.
- The UI might come across as clunky at times, and occasionally, posts fail to go through.
Jessica E.
Sendible used to have Pinterest scheduling but the feature was taken away. I also wish that you could build reports that covered longer periods rather than just 90 days.
Our Experience
Sendible is another scheduling tool that has a very shallow learning curve, which in turn proves to be appropriate for users starting out with social media marketing. Like others of its kind, Sendible can schedule single-image posts, carousel posts, Reels, and even Stories to Business and Creator accounts.
A feature that makes this tool stand out is its ability to support social media publishing and blog posting, proving it to be a rather diverse in functionality.
Just after signing in, users are brought to the calendar dashboard, which displays a summary of all upcoming scheduled posts and drafts. With multiple filters, you can sort content by profiles, creators, or scheduled queues and choose to view published, scheduled, or draft posts. The calendar also highlights holidays, offering a clickable option that opens a smart compose box with preloaded images and hashtags for quick post creation.
Sendible’s Instagram scheduler’s recommendation of the optimal times to post is determined by the past month’s engagement patterns, which proves to be more effective than Meta’s recommended scheduling slots.
For faster content creation, the tools offered by Sendible include bulk scheduling and AI Assist for caption generation. You’ll be able to effectively create and schedule hundreds of Instagram posts in no time.
Since Sendible is a tool for social media teams, it has features such as task assignment, calendar sharing and approval workflow to support teamwork. However, when it comes gto using Sendible on the go, the mobile app of the tool lacks a lot in comparison to the desktop version.
Pricing:
Sendible provides five paid plan options, and instead of offering a free plan, it provides a 14-day free trial period. The plans range from Creator, priced at $29, Traction for $89, Scale for $199, Advanced for $240, to the last plan, Enterprise plan, which is priced at $750.
Overall verdict:
Sendible is a highly intuitive tool for managing Instagram posts, making content scheduling and maintaining consistency easy. While it offers valuable features to streamline content creation, accessing advanced options for team collaboration comes at a higher cost.
Best Instagram Publishing Software for:
Agencies, Startups, Individuals, SMBs, Freelancers, and Creators.
Ratings:
4.5 on G2 & 4.7 on Capterra
Apps:
Android and iOS Mobile App and Web Version.
Social Media Platforms Supported:
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business Profile, and TikTok.
Key Features:
- Instagram Hashtag Suggestions
- Instagram Carousels Scheduling
- Team Collaboration
- Instagram Post Preview
- Instagram UTM Tracker
- Instagram Post Scheduling
- Instagram Story and Reel Scheduling
- Instagram Direct Publishing
- Post Approval Workflow
Pros
- Loomly is easy to use and simple to schedule Instagram posts.
- Managers love the approval workflow and collaboration features.
- It also schedules Instagram stories and automates content.
Brie B.
A lot of great feautres! Love that I can separate accounts in different calendars and how easy it is to schedule Instagram posts on different platforms on their own individual day/time and even clone to other calendars. Also really enjoy that I can internally title and categorize each post!
Cons
- Loomly is not a full automation solution due to limited features.
- Analytics not as robust as some cheaper tools.
- No free trial like other Instagram automation tools.
Brianna H.
While it is cost-effective, it is a bit off-putting to have to pay more to download a calendar. I downgraded because I didn’t need all the features but I didn’t realise I’d lose the ability to save a calendar to send to clients.
Our Experience
We used Loomly for scheduling Instagram posts, Stories and Reels for a while now, so here’s the lowdown on the features, performance and overall effectiveness.
Content Creation and Scheduling
Loomly has a super easy to use interface for creating Instagram posts. The platform gives you post optimization tips based on Instagram’s best practices to increase engagement. And the ability to preview posts before scheduling makes sure your content fits your brand’s aesthetic.
Scheduling posts is a breeze, you can set specific dates and times for publication. This is super helpful for maintaining a consistent posting schedule without having to do it manually.
Instagram Stories and Reels Management
You can plan and schedule Instagram Stories so you can have timely and consistent content. This is a must have for brands that want to be active without daily manual posting.
Loomly allows you to schedule Instagram Reels so you can capitalize on this engaging content format. But keep in mind that while Loomly can schedule Reels, some of the interactive features native to Instagram may not be available in the scheduling tool.
Pricing and Value
Loomly offers various price ranges, starting at $42/month and going up to $369/month for its premium plan that offers custom branding abilities. Not all plans have Instagram management features, so you might have to pay more for additional features.
Overall Verdict
Loomly allows you to schedule Instagram Reels so you can capitalize on this engaging content format. But keep in mind that while Loomly can schedule Reels, some of the interactive features native to Instagram may not be available in the scheduling tool.
Best Instagram Posting tool for:
Creators, freelancers, agencies, social media managers, and small businesses.
Ratings:
4.5/5 (G2), 4.4/5 (Capterra)
Apps:
Web, iOS, and Android versions
Integrations:
Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter)
Key Features:
- Auto Instagram publishing
- Bulk scheduling
- Link In Bio
- AI-Powered Captions
- Best time to post recommendations
- Media library with content labeling
- Hashtag suggestions
- Instagram Visual planner
- Curation of UGC
Pros
- Later, users can schedule content for months in one go, which is a real-time saver.
- Link-in-bio helps in tracking traffic and clicks by letting users add customizable links in the bio.
Julianna O.
I love using Later for social media scheduling! My small business uses it for Instagram ad Facebook scheduling daily. Thanks to Later, we are able to schedule out a months worth of content in just a few hours saving us hours and hours every week. It’s so easy to use, easy to check the traction of a post, and helps us stay sane during busy season when social media is the last thing we want to worry about.
Cons
- Later halts video posting when there are size issues, requiring users to edit the videos manually outside the platform and then reschedule them.
- Later lacks tools to assist with overall social media strategy.
- Occasionally, scheduled Instagram posts aren’t processed correctly before posting, which seems to be a problem within the app itself.
Hayley S.
I love the ease of use, the calendar feature, the option to copy a post to another channel, the option to filter through unused photos analytics and the option to see all posts our company has been tagged in.
Our Experience
Although it lacks functionality for other platforms, Later is a strong contender when it comes to choosing an Instagram scheduling tool. It is known for having a posey of features designed to optimize and create and manage Instagram content.
Later’s Instagram scheduling strength lies in its ability of visual content planning, which allows users to plan the look of their Instagram feed. Users can drag and drop posts to see how they will appear, ensuring that the feed maintains a consistent style. The platform also supports scheduling for Instagram Stories, Reels, and carousels, automating post publishing to maintain a steady online presence.
An attractive feed view along with a link-in-bio feature is a successful way to drive traffic to users’ websites.
Contributing to the content diversity Later provides users a scope to curate and use UGC in their content schedule. Bulk posting capabilities streamline the scheduling process, enabling users to upload and schedule multiple posts at once via CSV files.
However, there are limitations to Later’s effectiveness. Video posting can be cumbersome as the platform halts uploads if there are size issues, requiring manual editing outside the app.
Pricing:
Later presents three subscription choices, each accompanied by a 14-day complimentary trial period. The system presents a no-cost option, followed by paid levels starting with Starter, valued at $25, Growth at $45, and the final choice, the Advanced option, priced at $80.
Overall verdict:
Later is a highly effective Instagram scheduling tool, particularly suited for creators, freelancers, and small businesses. It offers powerful Instagram-specific features but may have limitations with video handling and broader social media strategy. Its range of pricing plans and a free trial make it accessible for various user needs.
Best Instagram Posting solution for:
Professionals, small teams, small or medium businesses
Ratings:
4.3/ 5 (G2)
Apps:
Android, iOS apps and web versions
Integrations:
TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram Threads
Key Features:
- Customizable posting schedule
- Optimum posting time recommendations
- Visual content calendar
- In-built holiday calendar
- Scheduling Instagram Story with link stickers
- Captivate AI for caption writing
- Library for media storage
- Efficient team collaboration
- Competitor-inspired content ideas
- UGC curation
Pros
- The product tagging feature on Instagram is highly beneficial for eCommerce and online businesses.
- Approval workflows simplify the management of multiple client accounts.
Clair H.
Working as a SMM for multiple organizations has never been so easy with the teams & approvals add-on that Sked offers. Forget cumbersome spreadsheets and shared drives, Sked has not only been a time-saver but is also an exceptional way to streamline the social media scheduling process. I love how user friendly it is and their support staff are great also. I frequently use Sked to schedule post across multiple companies and platforms.
Cons
- Sked Social’s pricing can become expensive for users managing a large number of accounts.
- There are occasional issues with publishing Instagram posts that include tags and alt text.
Georgia H.
I dislike that I can’t choose a frame from a Reel to post to Instagram. I don’t post Reels using SKED because I have to do the finishing touches manually.
Our Experience
Sked Social is a versatile scheduling tool which is able to handle all Instagram auto-publishing needs for marketers. The platform also supports scheduling on other social networks associated to social media marketing.
When using Sked Social for publishing, you can target your audience for better engagement with optimum engagement time and tailored captions. The dashboard of the scheduler is intuitive and offers a visual planner, which is useful for collaborative workflow as well as flexible content planning.
SkedSocial has many more features which make Instagram content creation more effective including first comment scheduling which helps to get conversations started in your post’s comment section. The Captivate AI generator in Sked Social further boosts content creation by generating ideas, rephrasing older posts, and analyzing competitor strategies for high-performing campaigns.
However, the platform’s proficiency across multiple networks might dilute the focus on Instagram, potentially missing out on more advanced Instagram-specific features offered by other tools.
Additionally, while the platform’s AI-driven insights are valuable, reliance on AI for content creation could lead to a lack of originality in posts if not carefully managed.
Pricing:
The starting plan in Sked Social costs $59 per month to manage three social accounts. The next two higher plans range from $199 to $349 per month for six and ten accounts, respectively.
Overall verdict:
Sked Social is an ideal tool for scheduling Instagram content, offering robust collaboration features along with post customization options for Instagram. It allows unlimited team members but limits the number of social accounts, with additional profiles costing extra—making it potentially pricey for smaller teams and agencies on a tight budget.
Best Instagram Publishing tool for:
Freelancers, large enterprises, medium and small-sized business
Ratings:
4.5 / 5 (G2)
Apps:
Web-version, Android and iPhone/iPad with iOS apps
Integrations:
Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and TikTok
Key Features:
- Instagram grid planner
- Content calendar with filters
- Media library integration
- Instagram Story direct publishing
- Collaboration posts
- Hashtag manager
- Geo tagging
- In-app image editor
- Shareable calendar
Pros
- The interface is quite intuitive and can be used by anyone.
- The onboarding process is is very smooth and easy with the help of the support team in Iconosquare.
Cem G.
The team that helps with Iconosquare installation and when support is required provides a rapid solution. Your user-friendly interface and the KPIs you offer are great. We prepare the sharing text with integrated AI. I almost don’t need to make any changes to the text.
Cons
- You need to resize images if you are using Iconosquare for scheduling and posting.
- There are some limitations regarding the video content publishing for Instagram.
Verified User
I can’t add audio to my reels which means I have to post these directly in the Instagram app.
Our Experience
Iconosquare is designed to serve as a complete tool for all the Instagram scheduling tasks, catering to the needs of businesses and social media managers by providing an array of features tailored specifically for Instagram content management. The scheduler allows users to craft posts, including photos, videos, carousels, and stories, directly from a centralized dashboard.
This capability includes automatic posting, which supports various content types, though with some limitations.
A standout feature of Iconosquare is the ability to preview posts exactly as they’ll appear once published, making it easy to fine-tune content for Instagram. It also boasts a collaboration post feature, letting users create content and invite others from Instagram to collaboratively publish them. This is great for brands teaming up with influencers or partners on shared campaigns.
Publishing of Instagram Stories has held a lot of restrictions for tools in the past but Iconosquare offers auto-post functionality for Stories. However, there are some limitations, such as the inability to add stickers, links, or other interactive elements directly within the platform, which could require manual intervention for full story customization.
Iconosquare also supports bulk actions like scheduling and approvals, making it easier to manage large volumes of content.
However, the lack of advanced AI-driven content generation and the requirement for manual validation of some posts may slow down workflows for users seeking more comprehensive automation.
Pricing:
Iconosquare has two defined pricing plans, with some visible loopholes. The Single plan starts at $59 with a single user, supporting 5 profiles and the Teams plan at $99 supports 10 users for the same number of accounts. The price of these plans increases with every 5 accounts you add on. However, the Single plan can’t be stretched to manage more than 10 accounts.
Overall verdict:
Iconosquare is a strong tool for Instagram management, offering features like post previews, collaboration, and auto-posting for stories. However, its limitations, such as the lack of interactive elements in Stories and the absence of advanced AI-driven automation, may slow down workflows. Additionally, its pricing structure can be restrictive for growing teams. Recommended with caution.
Best Instagram scheduling tool for:
Social media consultants, Mid and large-sized businesses, and enterprises
Ratings:
4.4/5 (G2), 4.4/5 (Capterra)
Apps:
Web, iOS, Android versions and Sprout Social Chrome Extension
Integrations:
Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok and YouTube
Key Features:
- AI-enhanced post captions
- Optimal publishing time options with ViralPost
- Asset Library for content
- Custom timezone selection for scheduling
- Content tagging
- Collaborative calendar sharing
- On-draft collaboration
Pros
- The platform’s interface supports scheduling and publishing for multiple social media accounts, saving users significant time.
- The publishing tools make it easy to optimize your posting schedule across various social media networks.
Kathryn R.
We LOVE that we can access all platforms of social media through Sprout Social and that we are able to manage our posts & quickly and easily! We don’t have to have multiple windows open and the process has been so seamless compared to the way we used to have to manage our pages! The support is amazing and we use Sprout Social all throughout our day and week – We are so thankful it has been a smooth transition and has been simple for our colleagues to understand how to post as well. Thank you!
Cons
- The per-user pricing model can be expensive, making it less suitable for larger companies.
- The interface lacks the ability to reuse content across different platforms, limiting customization options.
Chelsea S.
A LOT of features (including some of the best features Sprout has to offer) are hidden behind levels of payment. It’s super pricey, even just for basic plans with basic features. Plus, the mobile app needs help. It seems there’s always a glitch with the mobile app – captions not copying when you go to IG to post, long loading time for mobile publisher posts.
Our Experience
After exploring the platform, we can say Sprout Social does a lot more than scheduling social media posts. Marketers who want to boost their sales through social media can leverage a lot of benefits from this tool including paid campaign management, product promotion and ROI tracking.
At first, the calendar dashboard in Sprout Social is where most of the content management happens. You can create and schedule your Instagram posts, edit and reschedule as well. It has multiple filters which helps you to refine your view of the type of content you want to see. However, it lacks the drag and drop functionality which is seen in most of its alternatives.
The post creation process in Sprout Social looks simple enough allowing you to add media, captions, and tag profiles but we saw that it lacks stock image integration, which may require users to rely on external sources for images. Although we could customize our post in multiple ways while using the Sprout Social, there is no way to tailor the caption for multiple platforms at once if you are scheduling an Instagram post for other networks as well.
The AI Assist feature helps in creating captions by generating variations and adjusting tones, though it doesn’t extend to content ideation, which may limit creativity for some users.
One specific capability in the tool, Optimal Send Times feature proves to be a nifty trick to target the maximum possible engagement. It analyzes audience activity patterns from the past 16 weeks and recommends the best time to post on Instagram.
For collaborative work, Sprout Social includes robust team collaboration tools. Posts can be staged in various states such as Draft, Queue, or Submitted for Approval, allowing for a thorough review process before content goes live.
Pricing:
Sprout Social has three paid plans starting from $249 per user every month to manage five social profiles. The other two plans come at $399 and $499 per user/month to manage an unlimited number of social profiles.
Overall verdict:
Sprout Social is a robust tool for Instagram scheduling, offering strong team collaboration and content management features. However, its high cost and limitations, such as the lack of drag-and-drop functionality, AI-powered content ideation, platform-specific customization and stock image integration, may not justify the price for smaller teams or users seeking more flexibility. Recommended for larger teams with comprehensive needs.
Best IG scheduling tool for:
Agencies, eCommerce, and Social Media-based businesses
Ratings:
4.5/5 (G2), 4.6/5 (Capterra)
Apps:
Web version, Android and iOS apps
Integrations:
Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube and Google Business Profile, Google Analytics
Key Features:
- Multi-network scheduling
- Collaborative content management
- AI-powered writing support
- Prioritized content queues
- PulseLink in bio
- Visual content planning for Instagram
- Automated first comment scheduling
- Instagram-specific customizations
- Bulk content scheduling
- Custom fields
- Customized publishing for different platforms
Pros
- The intuitive interface streamlines content planning and scheduling across multiple platforms from a single hub.
- The bulk scheduling option allows users to save time by scheduling up to 200 posts at once.
Sandra H.
Agorapulse is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for me to schedule posts, engage with our audience, and track performance across multiple platforms. The reporting features are also robust, providing valuable insights.
Cons
- Agorapulse’s mobile app lacks the effectiveness of its web counterpart.
- Users are frequently logged out unexpectedly, disrupting the platform’s on-the-go functionality.
Verified User
Agorapulse is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for me to schedule posts, engage with our audience, and track performance across multiple platforms. The reporting features are also robust, providing valuable insights.
Our Experience
After using Agorapulse, we’ve found that it is a tool users can consider for Instagram scheduling without much thought. It is capable for publishing all types of posts on Instagram, directly and with mobile notifications. Agorapulse provides a user-friendly scheduling system that enables content creators to preview posts specifically for the platform. This is especially helpful if you want to optimize your content for maximum visual impact.
Smart queues are another highlight, allowing users to create content groups with pre-set schedules. Once content is added to these queues, it is automatically published according to the set schedule. This is an immensely effective ability if your focus is on Instagram content automation for multiple accounts.
Agorapulse has more to offer in terms of automation, allowing bulk actions such as scheduling, approvals, and assignments, streamlining the workflow for users managing multiple posts.
However, despite its advanced features, Agorapulse has some limitations. While it integrates AI to assist with caption refinement and tone adjustments, it lacks more advanced AI-driven content generation and campaign ideation tools, which could be a drawback for users looking for more comprehensive automation. Additionally, while the approval workflow is robust, requiring team or client approval before posts are published, this process can sometimes slow down content delivery if not managed efficiently.
Pricing:
Agorapulse offers one free plan and four paid plans with a 30-day free trial for each. The four paid plans are called Standard, Professional, Advanced, and Custom, ranging from $69 for Standard, $99 for Professional to $149 for Advanced, managing 10 social profiles. Additional profiles cost $15 each for every plan.
Overall verdict:
Agorapulse is a strong contender for Instagram scheduling, offering user-friendly features like smart queues and bulk actions that streamline content automation across multiple accounts. However, its limitations in AI-driven content generation and potential slowdowns in the approval workflow may be drawbacks for some users. Considering its advanced features and pricing, it’s recommended for users seeking robust Instagram management but not necessarily for those requiring comprehensive automation.
Best IG scheduling platform for:
Individual social media managers, entrepreneurs, agencies, and influencers
Ratings:
4.5 / 5 (G2)
Apps:
Web-version, Android and iOS apps
Integrations:
Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, and BlueSky
Key Features:
- Easy Instagram scheduling in advance
- Bulk uploading
- Caption customization
- Built-in hashtag manager
- Integration with Canva
- Instagram Stories and Reels scheduling
- Team Collaboration
- Auto RSS publishing
Pros
- AI Imaginator is productive for creating visual content faster to schedule.
- The tool is very user-friendly.
Ann L.
Love how easy it is to use and how clients can approve proofs without a lot of extra expense of confusion. AI tools are nice. Reliable friendly support and most importantly, whenever we have made requests or suggestions the tech team has taken our requests seriously and integrated some great solutions.
Cons
- The Free plan does not give access to all social media platforms.
- Some functionalities in the mobile versions are not as developed as the desktop version.
Thomas S.
Base pricing doesn’t include access to X accounts. Set up of your accounts requires the use of your laptop and website and cannot be done efficiently via your Android App.
Our Experience
Social Champ is a flexible Instagram scheduling tool that makes content management a breeze across multiple social platforms. With features tailored for Instagram, it lets users easily plan, schedule, and publish posts right from an intuitive, user-friendly dashboard, simplifying the whole process.
Its bulk scheduling feature is a major time-saver, letting you manage multiple posts in one go. Plus, the visual content calendar helps keep your feed organized and aligned with your brand’s look and strategy. Social Champ also excels in Instagram Stories management, offering the ability to schedule and post stories directly without needing push notifications, which is particularly useful for maintaining consistent engagement.
Social Champ’s Canva integration comes as an added bonus, which means you can design eye-catching content without ever leaving the platform—a huge win for Instagram content creation, where visuals are everything. And with the auto-posting feature, you can plan your posts to be published at peak times, boosting your engagement with minimal effort.
But Social Champ isn’t without its downsides. It lacks advanced AI-driven content creation tools, which might leave users wanting more in terms of customization. While it’s great for scheduling and posting, its analytics and reporting features fall a bit short compared to other platforms, limiting the depth of performance insights you can gather.
Pricing:
Social Champ has three pricing plans starting from Champion at $29 supporting 2 users and 12 account; Business at $99 for 6 users and 40 accounts. The last one, Agency plan at $299 allowing 100 accounts and 10 users. The enterprise plan is completely customizable.
Overall verdict:
Social Champ is a solid Instagram scheduling tool with bulk scheduling, Canva integration, and direct story posting, ideal for managing content efficiently. However, it lacks advanced AI content creation and detailed analytics. Recommended for users focused on easy scheduling and visual content but less suited for those needing deeper insights and customization.
Key Factors to Choose an Instagram Scheduling Tool
We’ve unveiled a whole list of the best Instagram scheduling tools in this article now. However, picking the perfect tool that suits all your needs is completely up to you.
If you’re confused with all these tools and their multitudes of functionalities, take a pause. When evaluating your best options, there are essential factors you must look for other than which everything will be added advantages.
Here’s what to prioritize in an Instagram scheduling tool:
- Budget-Friendliness: The pricing of a tool has to be the most vital concern for growing businesses. So it’s important that the option you choose fits within the budget allotted to your social media marketing without putting much strain on it.
- Direct Publishing Ability: Instagram has a lot of restrictions posed on the scheduling from private accounts. Hence, make sure that your Instagram scheduler is able to overcome those limitations and schedule content for all types of accounts connected to it.
- Team Collaboration Workflow: Social media marketing requires teamwork. Team members and clients need to collaborate to run the publishing smoothly. Therefore, the Instagram posting tool should be equipped to support and manage a team.
- Bulk Scheduling: To maintain a consistent presence on Instagram, you’ll need to post regularly. Bulk scheduling allows you to plan weeks or months of content in one sitting, eliminating the hassle of daily posting. It’s a highly useful feature in Instagram scheduling tools.
- Insights on Content Performance: Instagram provides a limited amount of Insights to users, but marketers need a more comprehensive idea of how their content is performing. So, if a scheduler can provide comprehensive Instagram analytics, it’ll be best.
- Customer Support: If technical issues arise or you need help maximizing features, responsive support ensures you stay on track and avoid disruptions in your social media strategy. Reliable support adds value and confidence in using the tool.
Why Use a Scheduling Tool for Instagram?
If you are reading this article, you must have felt the requirement of an Instagram scheduling tool. However, we’d like to highlight a few key benefits of using these tools for marketers and entrepreneurs:
- Having a Instagram posting tool streamline workflows and remove the need for manual tasks, saving a significant amount of time.
- These tools let you create other versions of an Instagram post, customize it for different platforms which makes cross-posting simple.
- You can set optimal posting times for different Instagram accounts to maximize engagement. This ensures your content reaches your audience when they’re most active, without you having to stay up to post yourself.
- Its easier to ensure consistent posting across all your profiles on Instagram and various other social networks.
- You will be able to cut down on the number of errors because review and approval workflows help with quality check of the content before publishing.
- The best Instagram scheduling tools facilitate smooth team and client collaboration, streamlining content automation by allowing internal communication and contributions all within one platform.
Conclusion
With the functions of Instagram constantly changing and our priorities switching, using a tool to schedule a post is a must for upscaling. They help you stay relevant with the latest advances.
Along with ensuring that your chosen Instagram tools can complete the essential tasks, finding a tool on an appropriate budget is crucial too. They keep your marketing efforts in line with your company’s requirements and support your ever-growing needs at all times.
Whether you are looking for a free, straightforward, or multi-functional tool that can review the trending hashtags, and inform you of your audience’s activities while recommending the best time and date to post, the tools listed above will surely come to your rescue.
f you want a tool that gives you master control of every major social media platform, then SocialPilot is the ultimate choice. Take its free trial and let us know your first-hand experience of using it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Instagram scheduling app?
The best Instagram scheduling apps for 2025 are:
- SocialPilot
- Hootsuite
- Buffer
- Planable
- Sendible
- Loomly
- Later
- Sked Social
- Iconosquare
- Sprout Social
- Agorapulse
- Social Champ
Does SocialPilot allow direct Instagram scheduling?
Yes, you can now directly publish to your Instagram business account with SocialPilot.
You can automatically schedule image, reels, stories, and video posts without using a reminder or third-party tool.
What is the best time to post on Instagram?
The best time to post on Instagram largely depends on your business niche and target audience. However, the general best time frames to post on Instagram are 3 am to 6 am and 11 pm-2 pm.
What day is best to post on Instagram?
Tuesday is the best day to post on Instagram. Since Mondays are the busiest for most people and weekends reserved for leisure, your audience is less likely to respond to business posts.
Should I post every day on Instagram?
Yes, you should post at least once a day on Instagram and share multiple stories throughout the day. This will increase your chances of more profile visits and followers. It also keeps you active on your followers’ feeds.
About the Author
1. SocialPilot
$30
per month
Best Instagram Scheduling app for:
Marketing Agencies, SMBs, Multi-Location Brands & Professionals
Rating:
4.5 (G2)
Apps:
Web-version, Android & iOS apps, Chrome, Firefox and Edge web extensions
Integrations:
Instagram, Facebook, Instagram Threads, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile
Core Features of SocialPilot
Now that you know what SocialPilot can do for you, let’s discuss the core features of SocialPilot below:
Key Features:
Pros
Shayne W.
Social Pilot allows me to utilize automation to ensure consistent content posting. On top of this the dashboard provides a nice single pane of glass to see what I will be posting this month with the capability to edit and schedule mroe posts. Basically 4 hours of work allows me to keep constant communication for an entire month whihc has proven invaluable for us as a business who does not imploy internal marketing. The setup to my social media platforms was easy and the integration has not had a single issue.
Verified G2 Review
Cons
Tammy
Occassionally (especially in the past), we had issues with broken social links, but this hasn’t happened in a while. Otherwise, Social Pilot has worked great for our needs.
Verified G2 Review
Our Experience
SocialPilot is considered as one of the best Instagram scheduling tools that lets users plan and schedule their content for multiple accounts. It has advanced features, all dedicated to streamlining and automating the whole process, right from content planning, to publishing Instagram-worthy posts. To add to all that, a simple user interface and affordable pricing makes SocialPilot a go-to tool for businesses of all types.
Now, let’s dive deeper into all that SocialPilot brings to the table as a proficient Instagram scheduling tool.
Streamlined Instagram Scheduling:
The tool has been designed to forego the complications of repetitive manual posting, enabling users to maintain consistency in their publishing on Instagram. You can create custom weekly scheduling slots for every account connected to the tool, which automates the publishing process once you start to create your posts.
Other notable scheduling capabilities include repeat posting, allowing users to reschedule evergreen content to be published at regular gaps. If you are planning to schedule a post for multiple accounts, you can choose to publish them in a staggered fashion. All of this qualifies SocialPilot as an ideal option for flexible and automated scheduling.
Content Calendar and Bulk Scheduling:
The intuitive content calendar in SocialPilot provides a centralized hub to plan and visualize your Instagram content. Users can create posts and collaborate seamlessly on the dynamic dashboard. The drag-and-drop functionality lets you move content cards around, change publishing dates and times in a blink. You can add notes, see drafts, and manage whole campaigns from this one space.
Bulk scheduling, another standout feature in SocialPilot using which, you can schedule weeks or months worth of Instagram posts in a single sitting. And all these posts will be visible to you right on your content calendar.
Instagram Content Customization:
Users can benefit from many of the customization options provided by SocialPilot to create diverse but effective Instagram content. The AI-powered caption generator and hashtag suggestions can generate perfectly Instagram-worthy captions to accompany your visuals.
Instagram is a wholly visual platform, and to make that aspect of your posts stronger, SocialPilot offers an in-app image editor, stock image library, and Canva integration. Businesses can even set up watermarked logos so all their image posts are published as branded content. We especially liked that users can customize their Reel covers thumbnails, which can make their videos even more clickable.
SocialPilot allows creators to add location and image tags along with mentions to the posts they schedule, boosting them extensively. Additionally, you can invite public profiles to create collaboration posts, all contributing to significantly expanding your networking opportunities.
SocialPilot Pricing
SocialPilot offers a 14-day free trial and access to all premium features (no credit card required &cancel any time). Choose a plan that fits your needs.
$170.00/mo
$85.00/mo
$42.50/mo
$25.50/mo
Final Verdict:
SocialPilot is a perfectly tailored solution for Instagram scheduling needs of marketers and businesses of all sizes. Its pocket-friendly plans and Instagram-friendly features allow for the best content output with minimum effort.