How to Schedule Instagram and LinkedIn Carousel Posts
By Anu Verma
To schedule an Instagram carousel for free, build it in the Instagram app and choose Schedule under Advanced settings, or upload the slides to Meta Business Suite and set a time; both need a professional account. A LinkedIn carousel is a PDF document post. LinkedIn's own scheduler may not take a document, so the route we could confirm is a scheduler that accepts PDFs, such as Metricool or SocialPilot. Schedulers publish Instagram carousels of up to 10 items, while the Instagram app takes 20.
To schedule an Instagram carousel for free, build it in the Instagram app and choose Schedule under Advanced settings, or upload the slides to Meta Business Suite and pick a date and time. Both need a professional (Business or Creator) account. On LinkedIn, the swipeable carousel is a document post: you upload a PDF and LinkedIn shows it one page at a time. LinkedIn's composer can schedule posts up to three months ahead, but the guides we found disagree on whether it accepts a document, so the route we could confirm is a scheduler that takes PDFs, such as Metricool or SocialPilot. Through any scheduler, an Instagram carousel holds up to 10 photos and videos, half the 20 the Instagram app allows.
To send the same slides to Instagram, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn in one go, PostWharf publishes them to all four from $15 a month: a carousel on Instagram and Threads, a multi-photo post on Facebook and a multi-image post on LinkedIn (sponsored). Later, SocialBee, Sendible and Agorapulse also publish Instagram carousels, Buffer and Publer schedule LinkedIn PDF documents, and all nine schedulers are priced side by side below.
If an AI assistant drafts the words on your slides, Automate Basics' free AI courses for work will help you get more out of it: start learning.
What a carousel is on each network, and how many slides it takes
The word means slightly different things from one network to the next, and the number of slides you can schedule depends on the route you take as much as on the network.
| Network | What a carousel is there | Most items in one post | Free way to schedule it | Shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A feed post of photos and videos you swipe through | 20 in the Instagram app; 10 through Meta Business Suite or any scheduler | The Instagram app, or Meta Business Suite | One shape for every slide; 4:5 portrait (1080 x 1350 pixels) is the usual choice | |
| Facebook Page | A post with several photos | 10 photos, or 1 video, through PostWharf | Meta Business Suite | 4:5 fills the most of the feed |
| LinkedIn document post | A PDF, PowerPoint or Word file shown one page at a time | 300 pages in Metricool | LinkedIn's composer, if it accepts the document (guides disagree) | One page size throughout; one guide suggests 1080 x 1350 |
| LinkedIn multi-image post | Several images attached as photos, not as pages | 20 images through PostWharf | LinkedIn's composer | Not given |
| Threads | Photos and videos in one post | 20, mixed | Not covered here | Not given |
| TikTok photo post | Photos in one post, with no video | 35 photos | Not covered here | Not given |
The Instagram figures come from Later's help centre, the LinkedIn page count from Metricool's, and the Facebook, Threads, TikTok and LinkedIn image counts from the per-post limits PostWharf publishes for each network.
Three rules hold whatever tool you use:
- Make every slide the same shape. On Instagram the first slide sets the crop for the whole set, so a landscape photo dropped into a portrait carousel loses its edges. Guides disagree on whether Instagram has relaxed this, so resize the files rather than count on it.
- Upload in the order you want people to swipe. In Meta Business Suite, the order you upload the files in becomes the swipe order.
- Business or Creator, not personal. Direct publishing of a carousel needs a professional Instagram account. Social Champ's help centre says personal accounts get a reminder to post by hand instead, and SocialBee does the same for Creator accounts.
Free way 1: schedule a carousel in the Instagram app
Instagram's own app schedules posts for professional accounts up to 75 days ahead, according to Instagram's help centre, and a carousel is a post like any other. Anyone can switch to a professional account in the account settings.
- Start a new post, select several photos or videos, and check their order.
- Write the caption, then open Advanced settings and switch on scheduling.
- Pick the date and time, tap Done, and finish the post with Schedule.
- To move it later, open the profile menu and find it under Scheduled content.
The app is also where the 20-slide limit applies; Meta Business Suite and schedulers stop at 10. What it leaves out is every network other than Instagram.
Free way 2: Meta Business Suite, for Instagram and Facebook together
Meta Business Suite is Meta's free dashboard for a Facebook Page and the Instagram account linked to it. It can schedule one carousel to both at once, from a computer or its app. You need an Instagram Business or Creator account connected to a Facebook Page.
- Sign in at business.facebook.com and start a new post.
- Tick the Instagram account, the Facebook Page, or both.
- Upload every slide at once, by selecting several files or dragging them in. They line up in the order you upload them.
- Write the caption and, where the composer offers it, add alt text to each slide so screen readers can describe it.
- Use the scheduling option beside the publish button, set the date and time, and confirm.
Guides put Business Suite's carousel limit at 10 slides, the same as a scheduler. It reaches only Facebook and Instagram, so X, LinkedIn, TikTok and the rest stay out of reach. If Threads matters to you, Instagram's sharing to Threads leaves carousels behind as well, according to a guide cited in our guide to posting on every network at once.
Free way 3: LinkedIn's composer, for a document post
A LinkedIn carousel is a document post: you attach one file, and LinkedIn turns its pages into slides that readers click or swipe through. Design the slides in any tool you like and save them as a single PDF.
- Export the slides as one PDF with every page the same size. One scheduling guide suggests a portrait page of 1080 x 1350 pixels.
- Keep the words as real text where you can. Buffer's guide to LinkedIn carousels warns that a PDF made only of images cannot be read by screen readers.
- In LinkedIn, start a post, attach the PDF as a document, give the document a title, and write the post text.
- To schedule it, use the clock icon beside the Post button and choose a time between one hour and three months ahead, as third-party guides describe it.
Step 4 is where the guides disagree for documents: one says LinkedIn's scheduler does not take them. If LinkedIn will not schedule your document, post it by hand at the time, or use a scheduler that accepts PDFs.
A multi-image post is not the same thing. Attaching several images instead of a PDF makes a multi-image post, a different post type that is not shown as pages. Several schedulers publish true document posts, including Publer, Buffer, Metricool and SocialPilot; with a tool that does not, a multi-image post is the fallback. So when a tool says it handles "LinkedIn carousels", check which of the two it means.
Schedulers that publish carousels, compared
| # | Tool | Instagram carousels | LinkedIn carousels | Entry plan, a month | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PostWharf | Up to 10 photos and videos, mixed | Multi-image posts of up to 20 images; PDF documents not in its published limits | $15 ($10 billed yearly), one brand, unlimited channels | 7-day Starter trial | One set of slides to Instagram, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn at once |
| 2 | Publer | Not covered by the pages we read | PDF document posts, per its help centre | $5 for one account ($4 billed yearly) | Free plan: three accounts | LinkedIn PDF carousels for one account at the lowest price |
| 3 | Buffer | Not covered by the pages we read | One PDF per post, up to 100 MB and 300 pages | $6 per channel ($5 billed yearly) | Free plan: three channels | Paying only for the channels you use |
| 4 | Later | Up to 10 photos and videos; auto-publish or a phone reminder | Not covered by the pages we read | $25 ($18.75 billed yearly), one profile on each of eight networks | 14-day trial | Instagram-first planning |
| 5 | Metricool | Help centre lists posts, Reels and Stories | PDF, PowerPoint or Word files of up to 300 pages | $25 ($20 billed yearly) for up to five brands | Free plan: one brand, no LinkedIn | LinkedIn PDF carousels on a small budget |
| 6 | SocialBee | Published from Business accounts; reminders for Creator and Personal | Not covered by the pages we read | $29 ($24 billed yearly), five profiles | 14-day trial, no card | Business accounts that also recycle evergreen posts |
| 7 | SocialPilot | Up to 10 images and videos, Business and Creator profiles | PDF document posts, or several images | $30 ($25.50 billed yearly), seven accounts | 14-day trial, no card | Both kinds of carousel in one tool |
| 8 | Sendible | Scheduled and auto-posted, per its carousel page | Not covered by the pages we read | $35 ($30 billed yearly), six profiles, unlimited users | 14-day trial, no card | Agencies with several people on one account |
| 9 | Agorapulse | Carousel posting, per its release notes | Not covered by the pages we read | $99 per user ($79 billed yearly) | 30-day trial, no card | A team that answers comments as well |
For how the same tools handle Reels, Stories and first comments, see our comparison of Later alternatives.
How we chose the schedulers
To be listed, a scheduler had to be in the Automate Basics tool directory and, on its own pages or help centre as read for this guide or for our Later alternatives guide, publish carousels straight to Instagram or PDF document posts to LinkedIn. Nine of the twelve schedulers in the directory meet that bar. Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Postiz may handle carousels as well, but the pages we read did not confirm it, and we left them out rather than guess.
PostWharf's place at the top is sponsored. It meets the same bar, and its facts come from its own pages, as everyone else's do. The other eight are in order of what the entry plan costs a month on monthly billing, lowest first, with a tie going to the lower yearly rate: Later and Metricool both cost $25, and Later is cheaper billed yearly.
Prices come from each vendor's pricing page as recorded in our tool directory on 16 October 2026, in US dollars before tax; they change often, so check the vendor's page before you buy. The carousel limits come from web searches run on 22 October 2026, which returned vendors' help pages and third-party guides, and from the per-network limits PostWharf publishes.
The 9 schedulers, in order
1. PostWharf
Sponsored.
PostWharf is a social media scheduler with one composer for ten networks. You upload the slides once, write the caption, change the wording for any network that needs its own version, and publish it now or on a schedule. Its published limits per post are up to 10 photos and videos, mixed, on Instagram; 10 photos on Facebook; 20 photos and videos, mixed, on Threads; 20 images on LinkedIn; and 35 photos on TikTok. A set of up to 10 image slides therefore fits all five networks in one upload.
After a post goes out, PostWharf checks it again and lists one row per network, and a delivery that fails is retried automatically with the reason shown in a status feed. A carousel that landed on Instagram but not on LinkedIn shows up in LinkedIn's row rather than going unnoticed.
On LinkedIn, PostWharf's slides arrive as a multi-image post. Its published limits list images and video for LinkedIn, not PDF documents, so if you want a page-by-page document carousel, ask PostWharf or test one during the trial.
Starter is $15 a month, or $10 billed yearly, for one brand with unlimited channels and 200 scheduled posts a month. A REST API, webhooks, a command-line tool and a connection for AI assistants come with every plan.
Where it falls short: there is no free plan, Starter caps scheduled posts at 200 a month, and its pages describe no analytics reports, reply inbox or Instagram grid preview. Sources: PostWharf's per-network limits, read 22 October 2026, and pricing, read 16 October 2026.
Start PostWharf's 7-day free trial of Starter; the card is charged only when the trial ends.
2. Publer
Publer's help centre has its own guide to creating and posting LinkedIn PDF files, so a set of slides saved as one PDF goes out as a page-by-page document post rather than as loose images.
Professional is $5 a month, or $4 billed yearly, for one social account; the 7-day trial covers Professional. The free plan takes three social accounts, though not X, with 10 scheduled posts per account at a time.
Where it falls short: the entry price covers a single account, so each extra network or profile adds to the bill, and the pages we read did not cover Instagram carousels. Source: Publer's help article on LinkedIn PDF files, found 22 October 2026, and Publer's pricing, read 16 October 2026.
3. Buffer
Buffer's help docs say a PDF can be scheduled to LinkedIn, one document per post, of up to 100 MB and 300 pages, and its guide to LinkedIn carousels says document scheduling works for both profiles and company pages.
Essentials is $6 per channel a month, or $5 billed yearly, and the free plan covers three channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time. There is a 14-day trial of Essentials.
Where it falls short: the per-channel price climbs with every network you add, and the pages we read did not cover Instagram carousels. Sources: Buffer's help docs on scheduling posts, found 22 October 2026, and Buffer's pricing, read 16 October 2026.
4. Later
Later's help pages say a carousel can hold up to 10 photos, videos or a mix of both. Instagram's app takes 20, but its API limits partners such as Later to 10. You set the date and time and choose whether Later publishes the carousel itself or sends you a notification to post it yourself. Later auto-publishes to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat; its supported networks do not include X or Bluesky.
Starter is $25 a month, or $18.75 billed yearly, for one social set (one profile on each network), one user and 30 posts per profile a month. There is a 14-day trial and no free plan.
Where it falls short: 30 posts per profile a month on Starter, and the pages we read did not cover LinkedIn document posts. Sources: Later's help centre, found 22 October 2026, and Later's pricing, read 16 October 2026.
5. Metricool
Metricool's help centre covers scheduling LinkedIn carousels: its planner takes a PDF, PowerPoint or Word file of up to 300 pages and posts it as a carousel. For Instagram, the help centre lists posts, Reels, Trial Reels and Stories as formats that business and creator accounts can auto-publish.
The free plan covers one brand on every network except LinkedIn and X, with 20 scheduled posts a month, so LinkedIn carousels start on Starter: $25 a month, or $20 billed yearly, for up to five brands. X costs $10 a month per connected account on top, and the prices exclude VAT.
Where it falls short: LinkedIn is not on the free plan, and approvals and team roles wait for the Advanced plan. Sources: Metricool's LinkedIn help page, found 22 October 2026, and Metricool's pricing, read 16 October 2026.
6. SocialBee
SocialBee publishes carousels directly from Instagram Business accounts. Creator and Personal accounts get a push notification instead, with the media and caption ready to post, and a grid view shows how upcoming posts will sit on the profile. Posts are organised into content categories with their own schedule, so evergreen posts can repeat.
Bootstrap is $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, for five profiles, one user and one workspace. The 14-day trial needs no card, and posting stops when it ends.
Where it falls short: Creator accounts post by reminder, the pages we read did not cover LinkedIn document posts, and Bootstrap has no bulk editor, CSV upload or post approval. Sources: SocialBee's Instagram scheduler page and SocialBee's pricing, read 16 October 2026.
7. SocialPilot
SocialPilot handles both kinds of carousel. On Instagram, one carousel can mix up to 10 images and videos and publishes automatically to Business and Creator profiles, with direct publishing capped at 25 posts in 24 hours for a Business account. On LinkedIn, its Carousel (PDF) post type sends a document post, or you can attach several images instead; its help centre warns that a PDF over 100 MB will fail.
Essentials is $30 a month, or $25.50 billed yearly, for seven social accounts and one user, with extra accounts at $4 a month each. The 14-day trial needs no card.
Where it falls short: Essentials has no analytics, social inbox or approvals, and bulk scheduling and CSV upload start on Premium. Sources: SocialPilot's Instagram page and plans, read 16 October 2026, and its help article on LinkedIn document posts, found 22 October 2026.
8. Sendible
Sendible's product page says it schedules Instagram carousels and posts them automatically. Its plans are priced per workspace rather than per user, and it also has a shared inbox and client approvals on higher plans.
Core is $35 a month, or $30 billed yearly, for one workspace with six social profiles and unlimited users. The 14-day trial needs no card, and there is no free plan.
Where it falls short: it is the second-dearest entry plan here, approval workflows start on Plus, and the pages we read did not cover LinkedIn document posts. Sources: Sendible's Instagram carousel page, found 22 October 2026, and Sendible's pricing, read 16 October 2026.
9. Agorapulse
Agorapulse's release notes announced carousel posting for Instagram, along with Reels, first comments and a grid view. Its shared inbox gathers comments, direct messages and Google reviews in one place, with assignment for a team.
Standard is $99 per user a month, or $79 billed yearly, with 10 social profiles shared across all users. The 30-day trial of the Advanced plan needs no card.
Where it falls short: every user is a paid seat at the full plan rate, and the pages we read did not cover LinkedIn document posts. Sources: Agorapulse's release notes and pricing, read 16 October 2026.
Schedule your next carousel
Choose the route by where the carousel is going. For Instagram alone, the Instagram app or Meta Business Suite does it for free. For a LinkedIn document, use a scheduler that accepts PDFs. For the same slides on Instagram, Facebook, Threads and LinkedIn at once, start PostWharf's 7-day free trial of Starter. To weigh every scheduler in our directory on price and free plan, see social media scheduling tools compared.
For help with the words that go on the slides, Automate Basics' AI courses for work are free, lesson by lesson: start learning.
Some listings on this page may be paid placements.
Frequently asked questions
Can you schedule a carousel on Instagram?
Yes. A professional account can schedule one in the Instagram app up to 75 days ahead, Meta Business Suite schedules one to Instagram and a Facebook Page together, and schedulers such as Later, SocialPilot and PostWharf publish carousels automatically. Personal accounts are the exception: tools such as Buffer and SocialBee send them a reminder to post by hand instead.
Why do schedulers take only 10 slides when Instagram allows 20?
Third-party tools publish through Instagram's API, which limits a carousel to 10 items, while the Instagram app itself takes 20, according to Later's help pages. For a carousel of 11 to 20 slides, use the Instagram app.
Can you schedule a LinkedIn carousel?
Yes, as a document post. Publer, Buffer, Metricool and SocialPilot all schedule PDF document posts to LinkedIn. LinkedIn's own composer schedules posts up to three months ahead, but guides disagree on whether it accepts a document. PostWharf, for one, publishes multi-image posts to LinkedIn, which is a different format from the page-by-page document.
How do I automate carousel posting?
Do the work in batches: design a month of carousels, export each set of slides, and queue them all in one scheduler session. To go further, PostWharf's API, command-line tool and AI assistant connection, included on every plan, let a workflow, or Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant, schedule posts for you, and posts drafted through an AI assistant wait for your approval before they go out. Our guide to automating social media posting covers the wider setup.
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Related guides
How to Post to All Social Media at Once (Free and Paid Ways)Post to every network at once: Meta's free cross-posting, the limits that break one caption, and 11 schedulers priced for one brand.- 9 Best Social Media Schedulers for Small Business in 2026Nine schedulers priced for one business on five networks, with free plans, Google posting and Canva checked. PostWharf posts to all five for $15 a month.
- 9 Best Later Alternatives in 2026 for Instagram and TikTokNine Later alternatives for Instagram and TikTok, led by PostWharf: one flat price per brand, no per-channel fee, a receipt for every post.
Tools in this piece
Drafted with AI assistance from our own research, and reviewed by the Automate Basics team before publishing. Tools and prices change; check the linked official source before you act.
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