7 Best Instagram Scheduler Apps For Auto Posting On Instagram

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Best Instagram Scheduler
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AppsKey FeaturesStarting Plan
Tailwind✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Hashtag Finder
✓ Multiple accounts
✓ Drive Traffic with Smart.bio
✓ iOS & Android App
✓ Multiple social platforms
Free – Limited features
Pro – $12.99 /mo
Circleboom✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Hashtag generator
✓ Multiple Accounts
✓ Carousel posts for Instagram
✓ Instagram Post Planner
✓ Multiple social platforms
Free – Limited features
Pro – $17.99/mo
AgoraPulse✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Reels & Carousel publishing
✓ Multiple Accounts
✓ Visual calendar
✓ iOS & Android App
✓ Multiple social platforms
Free – Limited features
Pro – $79/mo
Later✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Hashtag Suggestions
✓ Visual Instagram Planner
✓ Carousel & Reels Auto Publishing
✓ Drive Traffic with linkin.bio
✓ iOS & Android App
✓ Multiple social platforms
Free – Limited features
Starter – $15/mo
HootSuite✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Visual Analytics
✓ Product tagging
✓ Multiple Accounts
✓ iOS & Android App
✓ Multiple social platforms
Free – Limited features
Professional – $29/mo
Buffer✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Hashtag manager
✓ Visual content calendar
✓ Multiple Accounts
✓ iOS & Android App
✓ Multiple social platforms
Free – Limited features
Essentials – $5/mo
Onlypult✓ Automated Publishing
✓ Link in bio to drive traffic
✓ Multiple Accounts
✓ Image & video editor
✓ Hashtag manager
✓ iOS & Android App
✓ Multiple social platforms
Start – $17.50/mo

In one of Instagram’s blog posts, they referred to Instagram as a place where “people turn their passions into purchase”.

If this is true, then every business person, blogger, podcaster, writer, programmer, and freelancer should have an Instagram account if they want to turn followers into loyal customers.

The blog post also reveals that 60% of Instagram users learn about a product or service through the platform. So I’m not surprised that I made my first sale on Instagram a few years ago when I started an online jewelry store.

This is why Instagram is my favourite social network.

Schedule Instagram Posts – Completely Automated

What I’m not crazy about is the time and effort it takes to regularly fill Instagram with content. Not just any content, mind you, but visually stunning images that will make your followers tap twice.

This was when scheduling Instagram posts became my obsession. I spent hours looking for a way to keep my Instagram feed constantly updated with the least possible effort.

That’s when I found some amazing tools…

Great news!

Here are a few of the Instagram tools that will let you automatically post updates on Instagram without manual intervention:

  1. Tailwind
  2. Circleboom
  3. AgoraPulse
  4. Later
  5. HootSuite
  6. Buffer
  7. Onlypult
  8. SocialPilot (Added in 2022)

I’ve tried all the options on this list, and I must say that all of them are great ways to maintain an active Instagram account. Each tool here has its own pros and cons, and I’ve listed them out for you to get a better idea of how they work.

1. Tailwind

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Tailwind is the best way to automate scheduling Instagram posts.

They are an official Instagram partner and offer many features which I enjoyed while testing and using Tailwind.

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When you schedule an Instagram post, Tailwind will also give you a list of suggested hashtags, as well as the best time to post.

You also get stats from your published posts, so you know which ones got the most views and engagement. The Post Inspector area is where you get to see your previous posts and how much likes and comments each of them received. Recently, they also added the feature to schedule Instagram stories which are being loved by many businesses and digital marketing agencies.

Tailwind also works with Pinterest and you can add multiple accounts per network.

Pros:

  • Direct publishing (Completely automated)
  • Post analytics
  • Best time to post
  • Includes Pinterest
  • Multiple accounts
  • Drag and drop calendar
  • Chrome add-on
  • iOS App

Cons:

  • No Android app yet

Pricing

Tailwind is a paid service that costs $9.99/month (for bloggers and small businesses) or $799/month for agencies/large companies.

Subscribe on YouTube

2. Circleboom Publish

Circleboom Publish serves as the most effective tool to automate and schedule Instagram posts for multiple Instagram accounts at once.

They provide amazing extensions to curate and design Instagram posts that will be fun and time-saving for you while managing your Instagram account(s).

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The intuitive and creative Canva board enables you to curate, design, and create eye-catching Instagram content that will boost your impressions and engagement. Built-in extensions on Circleboom provide unique ready-made Instagram templates, images, new filters and effects, fonts, graphics, animations, and other materials to design quality and unique Instagram content. Also, you can import your domestic images and videos to share on Instagram. You can edit your Instagram posts before sharing them on Circleboom. 

You can create Instagram carousel posts on Circleboom Publish. You can both upload your photos or curate them in Circleboom extensions. You can schedule them for the future. Also, you can define time intervals and automate your Instagram carousel posts.

On Circleboom Publish, location support, product tagging, hashtag generator, first comment option and Instagram grid photo is available for multiple Instagram accounts.

Circleboom Publish also supports Twitter, Facebook Group, Facebook Page, Pinterest, LinkedIn Profile, LinkedIn Company Page, Google Business Profile, and TikTok. You can manage multiple accounts from all these supported platforms.

Circleboom offers the most cost-effective plans for users regarding its competitors.

Pros:

  • Direct publishing, scheduling, and automating Instagram posts
  • Multiple account management
  • Instagram carousel post support
  • Hashtag generator, first comment option, and location support.
  • Instagram grid post creation and scheduling.
  • Instagram product tagging.
  • Content curation and design tools
  • Queue scheduling feature
  • Canva, Unsplash, and Giphy extensions
  • Google Photos, Google Drive, Dropbox integrations
  • Cross-post between different platforms
  • Works with Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google My Business, and TikTok. 
  • Fast and kind customer support.
  • Forever-free tier and free trial.

Cons:

  • The forever-free tier has some limitations. 

Pricing:

Circleboom Publish has a free trial and a forever-free tier. The paid subscriptions start at $18.99/month. It offers several paid plans and you can find the best one for your needs.

(No credit card is required)

3. Agorapulse

You’ve probably heard of Agorapulse as a powerful social media tool. It does a great job at scheduling Instagram posts through its mobile app (available for iOS and Android), but it goes beyond that.

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For each social network added to this app, you get separate tabs labeled Inbox, Listening, Publishing, Fans & Followers, and Reports. The Listening tab allows you to search for a hashtag and monitor its activity. Reports give you a detailed chart of your profile’s statistics including likes and followers. You can even add automated rules to moderate comments and mentions.

Pros:

  • Advanced analytics
  • Supports Instagram video auto-publishing
  • Republish option
  • Visual calendar (weekly/monthly)

Cons:

  • Nothing really

Pricing

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Agorapulse supports Facebook,  Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube on top of Instagram. This makes this software more advanced and a bit more expensive. A basic plan costs $49/month, which allows for 3 social network profiles and one team member. The Medium plan costs $99/month and allows 10 social profiles, 3 team members, and ads monitoring.

4. Later

Later is a multi-platform app to help you publish Instagram content according to a pre-made schedule.

This means that you can upload images from Later.com or from your phone and schedule it for publishing at a later time.

The app will then send you a notification once it’s time to publish a post. The notification leads you to your phone’s Instagram app with the content ready to be published.

Later Calendar
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While this process isn’t that convenient, it’s still a great way to ensure your Instagram is updated regularly.

With a free account, you can schedule up to 30 posts a month.

You can log in to your Later account on your computer and upload all your images from your hard drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, organize posts in a nice, visual calendar, and schedule each one according to your preferences.

Pros:

  • Multi-platform app (Desktop, Web, Mobile).
  • Visual and interactive calendar.
  • Can also schedule Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter posts.
  • Analytics, Search, and Repost features available for free accounts.
  • Can upload photos from Dropbox and/or Google Drive.

Cons:

  • Cannot upload/publish directly to Instagram.
  • Shared calendar and other features require paid subscription.
  • Captions are not copied over to actual Instagram post.

Pricing

Later can be free forever if you’re okay with some features being unavailable to you (such as calendar sharing, advanced analytics, and an increased number of posts allowed each month).

If you want to get more features and add more social media profiles, then you can upgrade to a paid subscription starting at $9/month (or $7/month, paid annually).

5. Hootsuite

One of the leading apps for social media management, Hootsuite is another great tool for scheduling Instagram posts.

If you’re already using HootSuite to manage your Twitter, Facebook, or other social media profiles, then you can simply add your Instagram profile to get your posts scheduled.

Again, Hootsuite doesn’t publish directly to Instagram. Instead, you need to install the Hootsuite mobile app. After you’ve set up the mobile app, you’ll get a notification telling you if it’s time to publish a scheduled post. You then need to open Instagram on your phone and publish the post that’s ready to go.

hootsuite_scheduler
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Like Later, Hootsuite limits the number of scheduled posts with a free account. According to a new update, free users can only schedule 30 posts at a time across all social media profiles (EX: 2 scheduled posts for Instagram + 2 scheduled posts for Twitter = 4 scheduled posts).

One thing to note is that a free Hootsuite account only shows scheduled messages as a list. If you want to change the view into a daily, weekly, or monthly grid, you’ll have to upgrade to a Professional account ($29/month).

Pros:

  • User-friendly web and mobile app interface.
  • Real-time analytics.
  • Bulk scheduling.
  • Auto-schedule feature (suggests the best time to post).

Cons:

  • Calendar view of scheduled posts is not available for free accounts.
  • Only 30 scheduled posts at a time is allowed for free accounts.

Pricing

Hootsuite has a free account option that allows one user and three social media profiles. If you want to add more social profiles, you will need to upgrade to a Professional subscription which allows for 10 social media profiles.

A Professional plan costs $29/month.

There’s a free 30-day trial if you want to experience all of Hootsuite’s features.

6. Buffer

Buffer has been one of my favorite free social media management tools for a while now. It has also recently added scheduling for Instagram.

The publishing process is the same with Later and Hootsuite. To schedule and publish Instagram posts, you have to install the Buffer mobile app and then get notified when it’s time to publish.

buffer_reminders
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With a free Buffer account, you can only schedule 10 posts at a time. If you want to schedule more than that, then you can upgrade to the Awesome Plan ($10/month; $102/year). You also need to upgrade if you want to see your scheduled posts in a visual calendar; otherwise, scheduled content appears as a list on a feed.

There are two things that I like in Buffer’s web and mobile interface: Comments and likes show up under each published post, and you can scan older posts and hit the Re-Buffer button which will allow you to post those posts again or schedule for publishing at a later time.

Pros:

  • Free plan allows scheduled Instagram posts (10 at a time).
  • Real-time analytics on individual posts.
  • Re-Buffer option for recycling old posts.

Cons:

  • Access to the visual calendar requires an upgrade to a paid plan.
  • Pricing is high.

Buffer has a free option that allows for one account per social network (Twitter, Facebook, Google, Instagram, and Google Plus) and 10 scheduled posts each. For additional social media profiles and scheduled posts, you can upgrade to the Awesome Plan for $10/month ($102/year).

7. Onlypult

Unlike the apps mentioned in this list, Onlypult publishes scheduled posts directly to Instagram. This may raise some concerns for users who value their privacy and security since it’s not clear how Onlypult is able to accomplish what other tools can’t.

onlypult_scheduled-posts
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Nevertheless, the tool has been around for a few years now, and that’s enough reason for me to believe that they’re in line with Instagram’s Terms and Conditions.

If you want to schedule posts for a public Instagram account without having to manually publish from your phone, then this is one of the few tools out there that will let you do that.

In addition to direct Instagram publishing, you can also track your audience engagement, comments, and likes from the Onlypult dashboard.

Instagram features like uploading multiple images and applying filters are also present in this tool.

Direct messages can also be viewed from the Direct tab. You can even reply to comments from the Onlypult interface.

Pros:

  • Posts are published straight to Instagram.
  • Upload images from PC or URL.
  • Upload single or multiple images.
  • Calendar view with large thumbnails.
  • Auto-delete posts after publishing.
  • Mobile app for iOS.

Cons:

  • This is a paid service.
  • Works only with a public Instagram account.

Pricing

Onlypult price starts at $17.50 for 5 accounts and 1 manager/user (in case you buy an annual subscription).

Onlypult provides posting to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google My Business, YouTube, TikTok, Tumblr, WordPress, Telegram, Pinterest, and Medium.

Conclusion – The Best Instagram Scheduler tools

With all these free and paid options, you have the power to substantially boost your Instagram engagement. You just need to decide whether you need simple scheduling reminders or more advanced publishing techniques.

Tailwind offers both free and paid accounts and should be your first choice.  If you are a digital marketing agency, AgoraPulse could be a great solution for you.

Regardless of which you choose, there’s no denying that Instagram is one of the most popular social networks today, and you need to build your presence on this network to expand your audience reach.

To do this, you need to stick to a posting schedule and publish compelling content that your followers will want to like, comment on, and share.

Which tool do you use for scheduling Instagram posts? Have you tried any of the ones on this list? What do you think? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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A Blogger, Author and a speaker! Harsh Agrawal is recognized as a leader in digital marketing and FinTech space. Fountainhead of ShoutMeLoud, and a Speaker at ASW, Hero Mindmine, Inorbit, IBM, India blockchain summit. Also, an award-winning blogger.

21 thoughts on “7 Best Instagram Scheduler Apps For Auto Posting On Instagram”

  1. I use Facebook Creator Studio, to Schedule post for Instagram, what are the extra features to these apps contain?

  2. Hena

    I was always looking out for scheduling my posts on Instagram! Heard about Buffer few weeks back from a friend, but never really thought it would be effective. Thanks for sharing this post, I am now planning to use it!

  3. Sara Youl

    Thanks, Kim, really it’s a very useful tools list. Among of them right now I am using Buffer and Tailwind. I think Buffer is more easy to use and effective. I am using Tailwind only for Pinterest. But now I think I should try more tools you have given here.

  4. Saurabh Pandey

    This, Kim, is a really extensive article. Be completely thankful for you sharing this useful info. I have always wondered how I could enhance my Instagram involvement to a completely different level. And bam, I have finally found just what which suits my requirements. HootSuite and Afterwards seem quite promising indeed. I will try my hands on the two and find out which satisfies my expectations better.

  5. Shruti

    Thaks for sharing the list of Tools!

    I mainly used Buffer and Hootsuite for scheduling but also would like to add Crowdfire as also one of the tools to scheduling the posts.

  6. Shweta Negi

    Thanks for such a nice article Kim.
    Please tell me any tool for scheduling facebook posts automatically.

  7. Olabanji isreal ayokunle

    Your article is always helpful to us. Even though, i have a health blog and i used dlvr.it and hootsuite for my blog post and sharing to instagram. They offer a free and better services. Your content is always relevant to all niche. Keep up the good work. You are very helpful to all of us blogging.

  8. Jyoti

    Thanks Kim for sharing such informative article. It will save time also if we will manage our social media channels through hootsuite or above channels. Scheduling is also great feature.

  9. Startup Arena

    i’m use buffer its very helpful for scheduling post on social media but we post only 10 in free
    thanks for sharing amazing post keep up great work

  10. Stephen Raj

    Thanks for this informative post Kim. I wasn’t aware that Instagram can be as good as facebook and twitter to promote. And these scheduling tools was completely new for me. Will give it a try. Thank you once again.

  11. Rajesh Kumar

    Hi Kim,

    One more nice and informative article shared by you. This list are awesome. In this list currently I am using hootsuite only and it is super awesome. One by one I will try other once and shared my experience with you that which one I like the most.

    Thanks once again for sharing such a wonder for information with us.

  12. Aman kumar

    Hi Kim,
    very nice content these things inspire us to remain focused and deliver quality result.Will definitely use it for My Instagram Account.

  13. Ashutosh singh

    Nice article. Instagram is a very good platform to promote content.
    Thanks for introducing the scheduling apps for the Instagram
    It is very helpful.

  14. Henry Jobs

    This, Kim, is a very comprehensive article. Am utterly grateful for you sharing such helpful information. I’ve always wondered how I could boost my Instagram engagement to a whole new level. And bam, I’ve finally found just the thing that suits my needs. Hootsuite and Later seem very promising indeed. I’m going to try my hands on both and see which meets my expectations better.

    Thanks a lot. Success to You! 🙂

  15. Paul Nwachukwu

    Great Tutorial. Thanks a lot really. Will definitely use it for My Instagram Account.

    1. Kim Barloso

      You’re most welcome.

  16. Dev Pandey

    Very informative post!

    I was not sure if Instagram can be so useful for business. I would like to give a trial to this tools. Thanks

    1. Kim Barloso

      If you do it right, Instagram can actually boost your business.

  17. Ravi dixit

    Another helpful post kim thank you.
    My instagram followers are increasing day by day and i am going to try one from the list.

  18. Cassia Juliato

    Excellent Post.

    I did not know these tools, but they look fantastic.
    I will analyze all of them and see which of them fit best in mine needs.
    Thanks for sharing.

    1. Kim Barloso

      You’re welcome. I hope you find the best tool for your Instagram!

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