Honest comparison · checked October 2026
How a free Mac app stacks up against Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Later, Planoly and Metricool, including the places they are clearly stronger. Prices and features come from each company's own pages; anything we could not confirm is marked as not verified.
Side by side
Prices are in US dollars as of October 2026 and change often; check the vendor before you buy. Scroll sideways on smaller screens.
| Feature | Social Snagger | Buffer | Sprout Social | Hootsuite | Later | Planoly | Metricool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price model | Yes: Free download, pay what you want. AI is billed by your provider, or free with a local model. | Yes: Free (3 channels, 10 posts each). Essentials $6/channel/mo ($5 yearly). Team $12/channel/mo ($10 yearly). | Yes: Per seat: Essentials $79/mo yearly ($99 monthly); Standard $199; Professional $299; Advanced $399. 30-day trial. | Yes: Per user, billed yearly: Standard from $99/mo; Professional from $199; Advanced up to $399; Enterprise custom. 14-day trial. | Yes: Billed yearly: Starter $18.75/mo, Growth $37.50, Scale $82.50. 14-day trial. | Yes: Starter $14/mo, Growth $24, Pro $47 (up to 15% off yearly). Free plan on mobile, 10 uploads a month. | Yes: Free (1 brand, 20 posts/mo). Starter $20/mo yearly ($25 monthly). Advanced $53/mo yearly ($67 monthly). X is an add-on. |
| Where it runs | Partly: Mac app (macOS 11+). Your Mac must be awake for posts to go out. No web or mobile app. | Yes: Web, iOS and Android apps, browser extension. | Yes: Web. Mobile apps not checked for this page. | Yes: Web, plus iOS and Android apps. | Yes: Web, iOS and Android. | Yes: Web, iOS and Android. | Yes: Web and mobile app. |
| AI captions (provider) | Yes: Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama or LM Studio. Pictures: OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter. | Yes: AI Assistant on every plan. Underlying model not named. | Yes: AI Assist and the Trellis AI agent; AI credits per seat on Essentials. Model not named. | Yes: AI post and image generation and an AI caption writer. Model not named. | Partly: Caption Writer AI on credits: 5, 50 or 100 a month by plan. Model not named. | Yes: AI caption writer and idea generator. Model not named. | Yes: AI Assistant; monthly AI credits on paid plans. Model not named. |
| Bring your own AI key / local AI | Yes: Your own API key, or free local models via Ollama and LM Studio, found automatically. | No: No option found to use your own key or a local model. | No: No option found to use your own key or a local model. | Partly: MCP connectors let you drive Hootsuite from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot; no local model option found. | No: No option found to use your own key or a local model. | No: No option found to use your own key or a local model. | No: No option found to use your own key or a local model. |
| Carousel posting | Yes: One post to Instagram, Threads, Facebook (photos), Bluesky (up to 4) and Tumblr. | Yes: Instagram carousels up to 10 items; auto-publish needs a Business or Creator account. | Not verified: Not confirmed from Sprout's pages for this comparison. | Yes: Instagram feed posts, carousels and Reels. | Yes: Auto-publishes Instagram carousels with photos and/or videos. | Yes: Auto-posts carousels (images and videos) for Business or Creator accounts. | Yes: Instagram carousels mixing images and video (videos under 60 s). |
| Multi-part series kept in order | Yes: Series detected from file names; a part is held until the one before it is out. | No: No series ordering found. | No: No series ordering found. | No: No series ordering found. | No: No series ordering found. | No: No series ordering found. | No: No series ordering found. |
| Grid / visual planner | Yes: Grid view of your Instagram profile; drag one tile onto another to swap times. | Not verified: Visual calendar on all plans; a grid preview is not described on its pricing or help pages. | Partly: Instagram Grid Planner on Professional and Advanced only. | Partly: Not on its plans page; a free third-party Instagram Grid app is in its App Directory. | Yes: Visual Instagram planner: preview and rearrange the grid. | Yes: Core feature: preview and rearrange your grid. | Partly: Per-post previews; a full grid planner is not confirmed on its pages. |
| Repost-with-credit tools | Yes: Snag from 9 platforms with @handle and caption kept; credit on by default; permission tracked per post. | No: No repost or credit tool found. | No: No repost-with-credit tool found. | No: No repost-with-credit tool found. | Partly: UGC collection on Growth and Scale. | No: No repost-with-credit tool found. | No: No repost-with-credit tool found. |
| Telegram approvals and hand-offs | Yes: Free Telegram bot: TikTok/YouTube hand-offs, alerts, morning brief, Post anyway / Skip on held parts. | Partly: No Telegram. Its own mobile apps; approvals on Team. | Partly: No Telegram. Message approval workflows on Professional and Advanced. | Partly: No Telegram. Content approvals on Advanced. | Partly: No Telegram. Approvals on Growth and Scale. | Partly: No Telegram. Teamwork comments with @mentions. | Partly: No Telegram. Approval system on Advanced. |
| Team features | No: Single Mac. Many brands, but no shared accounts, roles or approvals. | Yes: Team plan: unlimited members, approvals. | Yes: Core strength: collaboration, approvals, team reports. | Yes: Seats, approvals, assignment and team performance (Advanced). | Partly: 1, 2 or 4 users by plan; approvals and roles from Growth. | Partly: 1, 2 or 6 users by plan; Teamwork comments. | Partly: Role-based invitations and approvals on Advanced. |
| Analytics | No: None. | Yes: On all plans; longer history and reports on paid plans. | Yes: Profile and post reports; competitor and paid insights on Professional+. | Yes: Reports on all plans; custom reports and 20-competitor benchmarks on Professional+. | Yes: 3 months (Starter) to 2 years (Scale) of history. | Partly: Instagram analytics; fuller metrics on paid plans. | Yes: Core strength: unlimited history on paid plans, competitor analysis. |
| Comment and message inbox | No: None. | Yes: Community inbox on all plans. | Yes: Smart Inbox (consolidated inbox from Standard). | Yes: One inbox; automation from Professional. | Partly: Social inbox on Growth and Scale (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok). | Not verified: Not confirmed from Planoly's pages for this comparison. | Yes: Instagram, Facebook and Google Business messages and comments. |
| Platforms it publishes to | Partly: Auto: Instagram, Threads, Facebook Pages, Pinterest, Tumblr, Bluesky, webhook. Hand-off: TikTok, YouTube Shorts. | Yes: Bluesky, Facebook, Google Business, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, X. | Yes: X, Facebook, Instagram (Business), LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, Threads, WhatsApp. | Yes: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky, Google Business (app). | Yes: Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat. | Yes: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Pinterest (X listed in its FAQ). | Yes: Facebook, Instagram, X (add-on), LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitch, Google Business, Threads, Bluesky. |
Where each one shines
Simple per-channel scheduler with a free plan.
Choose it if you run one or two brands on a handful of channels and want something simple that works from any device.
Social Snagger vs BufferFull social suite for teams: inbox, reporting, listening.
Choose it if you are a social team or agency that needs a shared inbox, approvals and reporting.
Social Snagger vs Sprout SocialEnterprise-grade suite with inbox, listening and AI.
Choose it if you manage many accounts with a team and need listening, approvals and reporting in one place.
Social Snagger vs HootsuiteVisual-first Instagram planner and scheduler.
Choose it if your Instagram grid is your shop window and you want to plan it visually from any device.
Social Snagger vs LaterInstagram grid planner that grew into multi-channel scheduling.
Choose it if you mostly care about how your Instagram feed looks and plan from your phone.
Social Snagger vs PlanolyScheduling plus strong analytics for many brands.
Choose it if you want analytics and reports across several brands without enterprise pricing.
Social Snagger vs MetricoolSocial Snagger is free for Mac, pay what you want. Keep your current scheduler for analytics or your team, and let Snagger fill the calendar.
Download free for MacFurther reading: the best Buffer alternatives for Mac and what a local-first scheduler is.