10 Best Instagram and Facebook Scheduling Tools [2026]

Short answer: Meta Business Suite is the best free way to schedule Instagram and Facebook posts, including Reels and Stories. For visual planning, Later is the leading paid tool, and Buffer is the simplest. SEO Runway schedules to Facebook and Instagram (plus LinkedIn), includes Facebook and Instagram analytics and an AI monthly plan, and sits alongside SEO and local SEO.

Disclosure: SEO Runway is our product. We ranked it using the same criteria as every other tool, and noted where others do better.

Quick picks

• Best free: Meta Business Suite
• Best visual planning: Later
• Simplest paid: Buffer
• Best FB/IG next to SEO and local: SEO Runway
• Best Instagram grid planner: Planoly

Instagram and Facebook schedulers compared

*Approximate; verify.

How we chose these tools

We compared each tool's published features, plans and documentation on five criteria: Reels and Stories support, first comment, link in bio, analytics, and price.

1. Meta Business Suite: best free

Verdict: Meta's own free tool for scheduling and analytics across Facebook and Instagram.

Pros: free; full format support.

Cons: Meta only; limited collaboration and approvals.

2. Later: best visual planning

Verdict: visual grid planning, auto-publishing and link in bio.

Pros: visuals.

Cons: post limits.

3. Buffer: simplest paid

Verdict: easy scheduling with a clean queue.

Pros: ease.

Cons: lighter analytics.

4. SEO Runway: best Facebook and Instagram next to SEO and local

Verdict: publish now or schedule to Facebook and Instagram (and LinkedIn) from one calendar, with a post editor for photo and video, an AI monthly plan, and Facebook and Instagram analytics, in the same project as local SEO and reviews.

Pricing: Social from $39/month; 14-day free trial. See plans.

Pros: AI month plans; analytics in client reports.

Cons: no link-in-bio page; check Reels and Stories support.

5. Planoly: best Instagram grid planner

Verdict: plan your grid visually.

Pros: grid.

Cons: Instagram-first.

6. Hootsuite: best multi-network

Verdict: Meta networks among many others.

Pros: breadth.

Cons: price.

7. Metricool: best free plan + analytics

Verdict: scheduling and analytics with a free tier.

Pros: free start.

Cons: limits.

8. Publer: best value

Verdict: rich features at a low price.

Pros: value.

Cons: interface.

9. Sprout Social: best for larger teams

Verdict: scheduling, inbox and deep analytics.

Pros: depth.

Cons: cost.

10. Tailwind: best for small creators

Verdict: scheduling plus design help for Instagram and Pinterest.

Pros: creator tools.

Cons: narrower scope.

Meta Business Suite vs third-party tools

Meta Business Suite is free and supports every Meta format, so it's enough for a single business posting only to Facebook and Instagram. Third-party tools earn their cost when you need multiple brands or clients, approvals, LinkedIn or other networks in the same calendar, AI planning, link-in-bio pages, or reports that combine social with other marketing.

Related guides

• Our full list of social media tools for agencies
• Instagram analytics tools

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule Instagram Reels?

Yes. Meta Business Suite and most major schedulers can schedule and auto-publish Reels to professional accounts.

Is Meta Business Suite free?

Yes. It's free for Facebook Pages and Instagram professional accounts.

Do I need a business account to schedule Instagram posts?

Yes. Auto-publishing requires an Instagram professional (business or creator) account connected to a Facebook Page.

The bottom line

• Free: Meta Business Suite.
• Visual planning: Later or Planoly.
• Simple paid: Buffer.
• Facebook and Instagram next to SEO and local: SEO Runway.

Start a 14-day free trial of SEO Runway, or see the social media workspace.