While Instagram is so easy to use because of its minimal approach to publishing, the platform doesn’t have a native scheduling feature that becomes somewhat of an issue for content marketers. Imagine having to log in and out manually of multiple Instagram accounts through your mobile device daily. Sounds nightmarish, right?

Well, Instagram’s API Terms of Use declares that you “shall not use the Instagram APIs to post automated content to Instagram, including likes and comments that were not initiated and entered by an Instagram user.” This explains the relatively small number of third-party Instagram scheduling apps compared to the tools that do scheduling on other platforms a breeze.

However, scheduling is very important to marketing on Instagram not only because it organizes and streamlines the process, but it also plays a key role in a beautiful, polished feed! So, fret not! I compiled a list of the best Instagram schedulers for your convenience.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite recently added Instagram as another social network to an already extensive list of integrations. The interface looks like streams. When you schedule messages for Instagram along with all major platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, you can see all the scheduled content in a stream with times when it will go live.

You can also set up another stream of images from your feed, your profile or monitor content for specific hashtags.

Hootsuite offers both free and premium version (depending on the number of networks and streams you want to control) as well as desktop and app versions. You might also want to check out their free Chrome extension called Hootlet. It allows you to schedule interesting content across the web without the need to go back to Hootsuite website.

Later

Later helps you schedule and organize your Instagram posts, but doesn’t post it for you. The app sends you a push notification to open an app and post via Instagram. Using this tool, you can also search Instagram for posts and then quickly regram a post. Later (formerly known as Latergramme) offers a desktop, iOS and Android apps.

If you decide to upgrade to a premium account, which starts at $9.50 per month, you’ll be given an ability to manage two accounts and schedule up to 250 posts a month. More Instagram accounts, team members, unlimited posts and additional features to take your Instagram management to new levels are available for Business accounts. Free version available.

Planoly

Planoly is the first app to be designed solely for Instagram publishing. And it’s apparent: what separates Planoly from other apps is that you can plan how your account will look. How it works is you start with a 3×3 grid where you drag and drop your future posts; this enables you to visualize which images work together to create a cohesive Instagram experience and which ones – don’t. This is definitely one of the coolest features of this Instagram scheduler. Of course, you can also manage, plan, and schedule your posts from your computer and mobile phones, as well as, see some basic analytics and manage multiple Instagram accounts.

While Planoly doesn’t post automatically to your feed, you have the ability to manage and reply to your comments without leaving the app. Another cool feature is that you can discover, curate, and repost user-generated content from your community into your feed. I recommend giving this app a run, especially since they have a free version and you can always upgrade to a paid version to get more features. Bonus points: it has a very slick interface.

Plann

Plann is designed specifically for creatives and business owners growing Instagram accounts. It also offers features like scheduling posts (and 60-second videos, people!) and planning caption beforehand, but I love Plann for its user-friendly drag-and-drop visual planning tool. Plann states that, because of this feature, “our users frequently report follower growth, an increase in engagement rates and higher conversion to sale.” Another cool feature that differentiates Plann is the ability to store your most regularly used hashtags as sets.

There is a free version of this Instagram scheduling app that allows you to schedule up to 10 posts a month, but you can upgrade any time to a $3 / month subscription if you’re managing a single account or upgrade to a $9 / month to manage unlimited number of posts on unlimited number of handles. In my opinion, this is very affordable, so I say go crazy!

Crowdfire

Crowdfire app is one of the extensive offers (there is also an app that allows you to manage your Instagram following). It allows scheduling and organizing Instagram posts, but it won’t automatically post them for you.

However, it will send a push notification to your phone when it’s time to post your scheduled image. When you click on the notification, you’ll be prompted to open Instagram app and post an image directly through it. It will also remind you to apply filters to an image, since this app doesn’t have image-editing capabilities.

What makes Crowdfire different from a majority of other Instagram scheduling tools is its analytical abilities – the app will suggest the best time to post when your followers are most active on the platform, recommend the best hashtags and evaluate your caption overall.

The interface of Crowdfire is user-friendly and it has both an Android and iOS mobile app versions. Premium options, which start at $9.99 allow you to manage multiple Instagram accounts and multiple team members’ access. Otherwise, you can use a free version.

Schedugram

Schedugram is different from every other scheduling app in that it can actually post your Instagram updates (yay!). Don’t ask me how they do it, but they say it “doesn’t involve illegal reverse engineering of the Instagram app.” (I am not sure whether it can or cannot get your Instagram profile shadowbanned.)

With Schedugram you can upload and schedule images and videos via desktop version (double yay for those of us with fat fingers). It also sends email alert when an image is posted, so if there is an issue with your scheduled post, you’ll be notified.

Schedugram allows bulk upload, meaning you can upload tons of photos at once (no limit on the number of images), edit captions, schedule them and forget about it for a while! You can even program a ‘first comment’ feature that will enter your hashtags. How convenient and productive is that?

And just when you thought all of the amazing features were mentioned, I’ll throw one more in: you have the ability to manage multiple accounts with an unlimited number of team members!

With all the wealth of capabilities, there is no free version of the app; the service starts at $20 a month. Discount rates apply if you manage more than 10 accounts.

Imagine having to log in and out manually of multiple Instagram accounts through your mobile device daily. Sounds nightmarish, right?

What are the best Instagram scheduling apps in your opinion? What was your experience like? Share in the comment section below or head over to Instagram @lesyaliu to continue the conversation.