Best Lately Alternatives 2026: Top AI Social Media Tools Compared
TL;DR - Quick Answer
11 min readQuick tool comparison. Features, pricing, and what works best for your needs.
Lately offers AI content repurposing but costs $119+/month, requires 20-40 hours setup, and AI outputs need substantial editing.
Here are better options for most teams.
Create content, post everywhere
Create posts, images, and carousels with AI. Schedule to 9 platforms in seconds.
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Why Switch from Lately?
Lately's limitations:
- High price: $119/month minimum, no free plan
- Steep setup: 20-40 hours before seeing results
- AI accuracy: 60-70% accuracy, substantial editing needed
- Basic analytics: Weaker than dedicated tools
- Enterprise focus: Overkill for small teams
What's Lately's biggest limitation?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Top 5 Lately Alternatives
1. SocialRails — Best Value AI Content
Price: $29-99/month
Solves Lately's biggest issues: price and complexity.
Best for: Teams wanting AI content without the complexity.
Try SocialRails free →2. Buffer — Best Free Option
Price: Free - $120/month
Simple and affordable.
Best for: Solo creators wanting simplicity.
Buffer vs Lately →You need AI content but Lately's $119/month is too expensive. Best alternative?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
3. Hootsuite — Best for Social Listening
Price: $99-739/month
AI content plus monitoring capabilities.
Best for: Teams needing brand monitoring.
Hootsuite vs Lately →4. SocialBee — Best for Content Recycling
Price: $29-99/month
Evergreen content automation.
Best for: Evergreen content strategies.
SocialBee Review →5. Metricool — Best Free Analytics
Price: Free-$199/month
Better analytics at lower cost.
Best for: Teams wanting deep analytics.
Metricool Review →You want to monitor brand mentions. Lately doesn't offer this. Which alternative?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Feature Comparison
Cost Comparison: Solo User
Best value: SocialRails at $29/month with unlimited AI.
Who Should Switch?
Switch from Lately if you need:
Stay with Lately if you:
- Have substantial long-form content to repurpose
- Need employee advocacy at scale
- Have 20-40 hours for setup
- Budget is $119+/month
- Value Voice Model technology
You're a solo creator spending $119/month on Lately. You need AI content but want simpler setup. Best move?
💡 Tip: Think carefully before selecting your answer!
Best Overall: SocialRails
For most Lately users, SocialRails is the best alternative.
Create content, post everywhere
Create posts, images, and carousels with AI. Schedule to 9 platforms in seconds.
Start your free trialQuick Answers
Cheapest Lately alternative? Buffer is free. SocialRails and SocialBee start at $29/month.
Which has AI content? SocialRails (unlimited), Hootsuite (OwlyWriter), SocialBee (AI Copilot).
Lately alternative with social listening? Hootsuite and Sprout Social.
Easiest to set up? Buffer takes minutes. SocialRails takes 15 minutes. All are faster than Lately's 20-40 hours.
Best for content repurposing specifically? If you specifically need repurposing like Lately, consider SocialBee for content recycling or use AI tools separately.
Bottom Line
Lately is good for: Enterprise content repurposing with Voice Model technology.
Lately falls short on: Price, setup time, accuracy, and accessibility.
Best alternatives:
- SocialRails — AI content at $29/month
- Buffer — Free for solo users
- Hootsuite — Social listening at $99/month
- SocialBee — Content recycling at $29/month
Related
Lately:
More Alternatives:
- Hootsuite Alternatives
- Buffer Alternatives
- Sprout Social Alternatives
- SocialBee Alternatives
- Metricool Alternatives
Tool Reviews:
Pricing Guides:
Best-Of Guides:
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