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.
Despite the benefits and added ways to get your product or message out there in front of your target audience, brands often struggle to find the best time and resource to continue their Instagram spree.
Whether posting for your own business account or a client’s profile, you have to dedicate some time to building an impressive Instagram marketing strategy.
And one way to ensure maximum success is to use some great Instagram scheduler. So we narrowed down the choices and listed only the best paid and free Instagram scheduling tools with no budget strain.
We have researched on your behalf and have put together our findings, so you discover best apps to schedule instagram posts as per your business needs.
One of the popular Instagram scheduling tools used by experienced marketers is Hootsuite. You can also use it to manage multiple social media accounts on robust media workstations.
It allows you to create your social posts and lets you preview them before scheduling. Hootsuite is not just for Instagram. Users can schedule and post on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, and even YouTube. Despite its popularity, it is quite complicated and pricey when compared to other Instagram posting apps.
Pros
Virgina
As a Hootsuite user for 7 years now, it is my favorite social media management software. Creating, optimizing, and posting social media for different platforms, etc
Cons
Brie
The user interface is weak. It’s not user-friendly, nor is it practical or modern looking. It tends to leg, it also isn’t mobile-friendly, they do have an app, but again it’s not easy to navigate.
Buffer offers a simple and effective method to publish and schedule a selection of social media channels. It is often a recommended tool ideal for beginners. Apart from being an app that auto posts to Instagram, users can also post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The option to choose and change the time and date of the posts is ideal for smaller companies who seek a flexible tool for convenience.
Pros
Marcos
Over many projects and jobs, I’ve used Buffer as my go-to social media management tool. Link your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts (others, if you wish), and you are ready to rock and roll.
Cons
Duane
They raised their price for individual accounts from 10 to 15 a month. Go for the free plan, and then you lose posting abilities. The software has always had issues with it, as each “upgrade” can result in a loss of features. I hesitate to upgrade because of this.
Tailwind is another free Instagram scheduling tool that’s aimed at small businesses. It is also used for posting and scheduling Pinterest boards. Easy to use and simple to navigate for even the less tech-oriented people, Tailwind offers something many other apps lack. It has the ability to bulk upload posts with drag and drop functionality. You can also track your profile metrics, trend reporting, and engagement benchmarks.
Pros
Joanna
This software is mostly beneficial for planning, tracking, and evaluating progress for posts on Instagram and pins on Pinterest. This software addresses the issue of posting scheduled pins to Pinterest, which for a long time was not an option with other scheduling sites.
Cons
Kate
The main menu could be a little more basic, than offering options to navigate away from the main screen. I feel the main screen jumps right into the product, which can be a bit overwhelming.
Another best Instagram scheduler that allows users to schedule both images and videos as social media posts directly is Sendible. It enables users to choose and select specific time slots before adding them to a queue to be posted automatically.
Sendible even offers users the ability to recycle their old content and reshare them. An all-in-one tool that allows users to schedule, design, create and promote posts across a range of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and even Tumblr.
Pros
Nikki
Sendible provides the features most important to me at a price that doesn’t break my budget. I feel their support team has been responsive, and I look forward to continued improvements with this product.
Cons
Caitlin
This software is so glitchy. I often have to log out and back in to make features work. Sometimes they disappear altogether, or when I click them, they don’t fire.
Later is the official partner of Instagram and serves as an excellent Instagram posting app. This app for scheduling Instagram posts is used by over 1 million users worldwide and comes with loads of handy features. Whether you are an agency, an influencer, or a small business, this tool can prove to be quite valuable. Some of the main features include planning and preparing content through a calendar view and previewing them on Laters’ Instagram Planner app.
Pros
Laura G
Later has legitimately changed the way I do business and how I think about social media as a whole. Social media is not a burden anymore, but something that I am very intentional with.
Cons
Laura P.
The analytics part would improve if it could give more details about the overall engagement of our profile. This means it would be great if we could have graphics that sum up all the reactions for our stories, posts, and clicks on our link altogether.
Hopper HQ is one of the simple Instagram scheduling tools for businesses of all sizes. It is an effective Instagram tool that allows you to schedule and prepare posts in advance by editing and uploading posts in bulk. Hopper enables users to post, track and review the analytics of their Instagram activity. Within this Instagram scheduler, users can also collaborate with other team members and auto-publish on Instagram.
Pros
Anne
I find Hopper to have functionality and ease of use that I’ve not had before. When we have had issues with the software, customer service has always been top-notch!
Cons
Cara
It’s constantly disconnecting. There is no point in scheduling posts if you have to go back and check that your scheduling tool is working every day.
Sked Social is viewed by many to be an all-in-one time-saving tool. This Instagram scheduling tool allows users to schedule, auto-post, and track the performance of every post, along with measuring the ROI of social media efforts.
Like many other Instagram posting apps, Sked Social offers bulk uploading of content. It also comes with an in-app photo editor allowing users to edit both text and filters while adding stickers. Besides being an app for scheduling Instagram posts, Sked Social can also help you post on other platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Pros
Alexa
The interface is very fast and is very user-friendly software. It has all the features that you need to post on Instagram. The calendar view allows you to plan ahead of time. I just put the information there, and Sked does all the work for me!
Cons
Amen
Even though it has IG story options, it doesn’t have all the options to add the polls links, which we all know are very powerful. Also, customer support isn’t the greatest. I was a loyal customer on an ‘old’ plan paying £32/month where on their website it’s advertised from £19.
Combin is a free Instagram scheduling tool for those who are unsure of where to start or not yet ready to commit to a more developed app. Not just posts, you can even schedule and post Instagram stories with Combin. It allows users to drag and drop images and combine them, so you create engaging and meaningful stories. Once created, you can publish them directly to your profile. Though the tool is free, you need to pay to add more accounts and use all of its features to their full potential.
Pros
Patrice
I like how much time it saves me from liking photos, commenting, and following users. I like how I can add in my own comments, select specific accounts and hashtags, and automate a lot of the tedious parts of growing an Instagram account.
Cons
Patrik
Most features did not work properly. After contacting support and trying their alternative ways, it didn’t really change much at all. In the end, it didn’t work at all, even to like one image.
Apphi is a simple tool that allows users to schedule multiple Instagram posts and is ideal for those Instagram users who have tight deadlines. It offers the ability to save their most-used captions and hashtags.
This Instagram posting app can be used on both desktop and mobile and offers an analytics option for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. What sets this Instagram software tool apart from others is its ability to schedule not just Instagram posts but also videos, stories, and even IGTVs while receiving valuable information on their followers’ activity.
This ensures that the content is being received and viewed at optimal prime time.
Pros
Helen
I have been using this app for a few days now, managing more than one IG account, and when they say you can schedule your posts in advance, you literally plan, schedule, and then forget about it. It does it for you!
Cons
Ella
However, the auto-post doesn’t work for me as whenever I schedule something to post after it’s supposed to have been posted, it just says expired and doesn’t post, even though I haven’t used any of my free auto-posts.
Iconosquare is an excellent Instagram scheduling tool that is also known for its robust analytics. You can use it for scheduling posts, monitoring your competitors, and working earnestly towards community building for your brand.
You can keep track of diversified analytics like post impressions, reach, and trends related to engagement. You can even use its hashtag tracking feature to get better visibility.
Pros
Eirik V J
I love the simplicity and the impressive underlying data set and all the great analytics that they share. I also enjoy the fact that I can dig into the data as deeply as I want.
Cons
Devyn D
Some of the categorizations of features are a little confusing. The names of the categories are not necessarily user-friendly, but once you get the hang of it, it’s fine.
Conclusion
With the functions of Instagram constantly changing and our priorities switching, using Instagram scheduler is a must for upscaling. They help you stay relevant with the latest advances.
Along with ensuring that your chosen Instagram planner app 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.
If 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.
The best Instagram scheduling apps are:
Yes, there are a couple of free Instagram scheduling tools which let you post to Instagram directly for free. However, it allows you only to publish single photos and videos directly. To share carousel posts, you will still need to use the notifications. Tailwind and Combin are the tools that let you do it for free.
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.
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 6 am-9 am, 12 pm-2 pm, and 5 pm-7 pm.
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.
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.
The best way to schedule Instagram posts for free is by using free plans from third-party tools like Buffer and later.
About the Author
Jimit Bagadiya
Jimit Bagadiya is the co-founder and CEO at SocialPilot. He brings 13 years of leadership experience in building SaaS platforms. He divides his time between working with his team on product engineering and maintaining a good customer happiness quotient. He aims to bring SocialPilot to the forefront of social business.
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If you are looking for an affordable yet reliable Instagram scheduling app, SocialPilot is the undisputed choice. It is a solution-driven tool that combines all branding elements with direct Instagram scheduling.
Straightforward and simple to use, SocialPilot allows you to schedule Instagram posts, reels, and stories. Besides Instagram, it also supports other major social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Google My Business, Tumblr, YouTube, and VK.
It allows users to create, integrate and schedule posts from one dashboard. But what’s most exciting is how SocialPilot constantly updates its features to match the latest trends.
One of SocialPilot’s newest features includes Reels posting and analytics. This ensures that all your social media profiles share noteworthy content and bring you closer to your targets.
If you are stuck somewhere, you can reach out to its customer support. They are available round-the-clock via phone, email, chat, and social media.
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SocialPilot’s ability to bulk schedule content is a giant time-saver. Having that feature plus an intuitive dashboard that was friendly to the new and intermediate user is a recipe for success. Lastly, SP is at the forefront of advancements and new technology.