Best Buffer alternatives in 2026

What Buffer is and what it costs

Buffer is a simple social media scheduler known for its free plan and per-channel pricing. Buffer is best for solo creators and small teams who want a free plan or only need a few channels.

Per connected channel, with volume discounts above 10 channels. Yearly billing saves about 2 months. It starts at $6 a month ($5 billed yearly). Cheapest option for 5 channels: Essentials plan: $30 a month ($25 billed yearly). For 10 channels: Essentials plan: $60 a month ($50 billed yearly). Free trial: 14-day free trial of paid plans. Without payment details the account drops to the Free plan. Free plan: Yes: 3 channels, 1 user, 10 scheduled posts per channel, 100 ideas, 30 days of analytics.

Why people look for a Buffer alternative

• The bill grows with every channel. Buffer Team is $12 per channel a month for channels 1 to 10, so 10 channels with a team cost $120 a month ($100 billed yearly).
• Post limits. Free: 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time.
• Key features sit on higher plans. Client approval: Content approval workflows are on the Team plan only. Public API: Every plan includes API access with monthly request limits (3,000 to 15,000).
• Features we could not find. bulk upload (CSV) (not confirmed).
• Networks. Buffer lists 12 networks. It does not list Reddit, Telegram, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, DEV and 9 more.

What Buffer does well

A fair list should say what you would give up. From Buffer's own pages:

• Has a free plan for up to 3 channels.
• Has iOS and Android apps and a browser extension.
• Includes a community inbox to reply to comments.
• Social inbox is included: you reply to comments and messages from inside the tool.
• Analytics is included: you see results for each account and post.
• AI writing help is included: AI drafts, rewrites or shortens your posts.

Buffer alternatives at a glance

From = the entry price. 10 channels = the lowest listed price per month for 10 channels, with yearly billing where offered. A star means the price has a condition, explained in each tool's section below.

The 12 best Buffer alternatives

1. Postozo (our product)

Postozo is a social media scheduler for teams and agencies. It publishes to 30 channel types from 1 calendar, with client review links, team roles, AI writing help, analytics, a public API and an MCP server. Pricing is flat per plan with unlimited posts. Best for: agencies and teams that want client approval and many channels at a flat price.

Price. From $19 a month ($15 billed yearly), priced flat per plan. 5 channels: Standard plan: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly). 10 channels: Team plan: $29 a month ($23 billed yearly).

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Postozo costs $23 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Postozo is $27 a month cheaper (54% less). Postozo lists 28 networks (30 channel types, because LinkedIn profiles and Pages and the 2 Instagram sign-ins count separately) against 12 for Buffer. It adds Reddit, Telegram, Discord, Slack, WordPress, Medium and 11 more. It does not list Substack, which Buffer supports. Postozo has RSS auto post and white label, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm. Buffer has social inbox and mobile app, which Postozo does not offer or we could not confirm. The free trial is 7 days on Postozo and 14 days on Buffer.

Where Postozo beats Buffer

• Flat pricing: 10 channels with a team cost $29 a month on Postozo Team, against $120 a month (or $100 yearly) on Buffer Team.
• Postozo supports 30 networks, including Reddit, Telegram, Discord and WordPress, against 12 listed by Buffer.
• Postozo client review links let a client approve or request changes; Buffer lists approval workflows only on its Team plan.

Where Buffer beats Postozo

• Has a free plan for up to 3 channels. Postozo has a 7-day trial and no free plan.
• Has iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Postozo has neither.
• Includes a community inbox to reply to comments. Postozo has no inbox.

Watch out for

• No social inbox, so you reply to comments on each network.
• No mobile app and no CSV bulk upload.
• No free plan. The 7-day trial needs no card.
• Standard ($19) is for 1 person; team members start on Team.

More: Postozo vs Buffer, Postozo pricing, all features.

2. Postiz

Postiz is an open-source social media scheduler known for its AI agent, MCP server and CLI that let tools like Claude and ChatGPT schedule posts. Best for: Developers and AI-agent users who want a scheduler they can self-host or drive from an agent, with AI images and video built in.

Price. From $29 a month ($23 billed yearly), priced flat per plan. 5 channels: Standard plan: $29 a month ($23 billed yearly). 10 channels: Team plan: $39 a month ($31 billed yearly).

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Postiz costs $31 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Postiz is $19 a month cheaper (38% less). Postiz lists 30 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds Reddit, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Dribbble, Whop and 13 more. It does not list Substack, which Buffer supports. Postiz has RSS auto post, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm. Buffer has client approval and social inbox, which Postiz does not offer or we could not confirm. The free trial is 7 days on Postiz and 14 days on Buffer.

Strengths

• Includes AI image generation, AI videos and AI video clipping on its plans.
• Open source, so you can self-host it for free.
• Has an official Android app.

Watch out for

• White label: Postiz has a separate enterprise white-label API offer, not part of the 4 plans.
• Does not offer client approval and social inbox.

More: Postiz review, Buffer vs Postiz, Postozo vs Postiz.

3. Publer

Publer is a low-cost social media scheduler known for flexible per-account pricing, bulk scheduling and recycling. Best for: Budget-minded creators and small agencies who want bulk scheduling and recycling at a low per-account price.

Price. From $5 a month, priced per account and member. 5 channels: Professional plan: about $21 a month, estimated from Publer's calculator rates ($5 for the first account, about $4 for each extra), before extra members. 10 channels: Professional plan: $36 a month, per Publer's own calculator, before extra members.

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Publer costs $36 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Publer is $14 a month cheaper (28% less). Publer lists 13 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds WordPress and Telegram. It does not list Substack, which Buffer supports. Publer has RSS auto post and bulk upload (CSV), which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm. The free trial is 7 days on Publer and 14 days on Buffer.

Strengths

• Free plan and a very low entry price for 1 or 2 accounts.
• CSV bulk scheduling of up to 500 posts, browser extension and mobile app.
• Can reply to comments on published posts.

Watch out for

• Analytics: Business plan and up.
• Public API: Business plan and up (API and MCP).
• Free: No X accounts. 10 scheduled posts per account. 24-hour post history.

More: Publer review, Buffer vs Publer, Postozo vs Publer.

4. Later

Later is a visual social media planner known for Instagram and TikTok scheduling and its link-in-bio tool. Best for: Visual brands and creators focused on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

Price. From $18.75 a month billed yearly, priced flat per plan. 5 channels: Starter plan: $18.75 a month billed yearly, if each channel is on a different network (1 social set). The monthly-billed price is not listed. 10 channels: Growth plan: $37.50 a month billed yearly, if no network has more than 2 of your profiles (2 social sets). The monthly-billed price is not listed.

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Later costs $37.50 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Later is $12.50 a month cheaper (25% less). Later lists 8 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds Snapchat. It does not list Bluesky, Google Business Profile, Mastodon, X and Substack, which Buffer supports. Buffer has public API and MCP server, which Later does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Visual feed planning and a link-in-bio tool built for Instagram-first brands.
• Inbox for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok on Growth and up.
• iOS and Android apps.

Watch out for

• Starter: 1 social set (1 profile per network). 30 posts per profile per month. 5 AI credits.
• Growth: 2 social sets. 180 posts per profile per month. 50 AI credits. Extra users $3.75/mo each.

More: Later review, Buffer vs Later, Postozo vs Later.

5. SocialPilot

SocialPilot is a social media scheduler for agencies and small businesses, known for client management and white-label reports. Best for: Agencies that want client approvals, a social inbox and white-label reports in one plan.

Price. From $30 a month ($25.50 billed yearly), priced flat per plan. 5 channels: Essentials plan: $30 a month ($25.50 billed yearly). 10 channels: Standard plan: $50 a month ($42.50 billed yearly).

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels SocialPilot costs $42.50 a month against $50 for Buffer, so SocialPilot is $7.50 a month cheaper (15% less). SocialPilot lists 10 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds no network that Buffer lacks. It does not list Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. SocialPilot has RSS auto post, bulk upload (CSV) and white label, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Social inbox from the Standard plan.
• White-label reports on Premium and up.
• Mobile app on every plan.

Watch out for

• Social inbox: Standard plan and up.
• Public API: Enterprise plan only.
• Bulk upload (CSV): Premium and Ultimate only.

More: SocialPilot review, Buffer vs SocialPilot, Postozo vs SocialPilot.

6. Planable

Planable is a content collaboration and approval tool for social media teams and agencies. Best for: Agencies and teams whose main need is reviewing and approving content with clients.

Price. From $39 a month ($33 billed yearly), priced per workspace. 5 channels: Pro plan: $59 per workspace a month ($49 billed yearly), if all channels belong to 1 brand (1 workspace); each extra brand is another workspace. 10 channels: Pro plan: $59 per workspace a month ($49 billed yearly), if all channels belong to 1 brand (1 workspace); each extra brand is another workspace.

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Planable costs $49 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Planable is $1 a month cheaper (2% less). Planable lists 9 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds no network that Buffer lacks. It does not list Bluesky, Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. Planable has bulk upload (CSV), which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Deep approval tooling: optional, required and multi-level approvals, suggested edits and version history.
• Unlimited users on every plan and mobile apps.
• Optional inbox and listening add-ons.

Watch out for

• Social inbox: Paid add-on.
• Analytics: Paid add-on.
• Public API: Pro plan and up.
• Per workspace per month (1 workspace = 1 client, brand or location). Analytics ($14, or $12 yearly), inbox ($9, or $7.50 yearly) and listening ($99, or $82.50 yearly) are paid add-ons per workspace.

More: Planable review, Buffer vs Planable, Postozo vs Planable.

7. Agorapulse

Agorapulse is a social media management tool known for its social inbox, reporting and ROI tracking. Best for: Teams that live in the social inbox and need reporting that ties social to ROI.

Price. From $99 a month ($79 billed yearly), priced per user. 5 channels: Standard plan: $99 per user a month ($79 billed yearly). 10 channels: Standard plan: $99 per user a month ($79 billed yearly).

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $79 for Agorapulse for 1 user, so Buffer is $29 a month cheaper (37% less). Agorapulse lists 10 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds no network that Buffer lacks. It does not list Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. Agorapulse has RSS auto post, bulk upload (CSV) and white label, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm. The free trial is 30 days on Agorapulse and 14 days on Buffer.

Strengths

• Full social inbox with assignments, saved replies and moderation rules.
• ROI and competitor reporting with white-label report exports.
• iOS and Android apps.

Watch out for

• Client approval: Professional plan and up.
• Public API: Custom plan only.

More: Agorapulse review, Buffer vs Agorapulse, Postozo vs Agorapulse.

8. Vista Social

Vista Social is an all-in-one social media platform known for its inbox, DM automations, review management and wide network support. Best for: Brands and agencies that want publishing, inbox, DM automation and review management in one tool.

Price. From $99 a month ($79.17 billed yearly), priced flat per plan. 5 channels: Professional plan: $99 a month ($79.17 billed yearly). 10 channels: Professional plan: $99 a month ($79.17 billed yearly).

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $79.17 for Vista Social, so Buffer is $29.17 a month cheaper (37% less). Vista Social lists 13 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds Reddit, Snapchat and Tumblr. It does not list Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. Vista Social has RSS auto post, bulk upload (CSV) and white label, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Social inbox, DM automations and review management on every plan.
• White label on Advanced and up.
• Mobile and desktop apps and browser extensions.

Watch out for

• Public API: API access is arranged through your Customer Success Manager.
• White label: Advanced plan and up.
• Flat price per plan, set by profiles and users. Yearly billing saves 20%. X is a paid add-on at $29/mo.

More: Vista Social review, Buffer vs Vista Social, Postozo vs Vista Social.

9. Sendible

Sendible is a social media management tool for agencies, known for client workspaces and unlimited users on every plan. Best for: Agencies that manage many client brands and want unlimited users with separate workspaces.

Price. From $35 a month ($29.75 billed yearly), priced flat per plan. 5 channels: Core plan: $35 a month ($29.75 billed yearly). 10 channels: Plus plan: $99 a month ($84.15 billed yearly).

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $84.15 for Sendible, so Buffer is $34.15 a month cheaper (41% less). Sendible lists 10 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds WordPress. It does not list Mastodon, Pinterest and Substack, which Buffer supports. Sendible has RSS auto post, bulk upload (CSV) and white label, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm. Buffer has public API and MCP server, which Sendible does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Unlimited users on every plan, including Core.
• Inbox for mentions, comments and messages.
• White label as a paid add-on and custom branded reports.

Watch out for

• Client approval: Plus plan and up.
• White label: Full white label is a paid add-on.

More: Sendible review, Buffer vs Sendible, Postozo vs Sendible.

10. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is an enterprise social media suite known for its inbox, listening and team workflows. Best for: Larger teams that need a shared inbox, listening and approval routing in one tool.

Price. From $99 a month billed yearly, priced per user. 5 channels: Standard plan: $99 per user a month billed yearly. The monthly-billed price is not listed. 10 channels: Standard plan: $99 per user a month billed yearly. The monthly-billed price is not listed.

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $99 for Hootsuite for 1 user, so Buffer is $49 a month cheaper (49% less). Hootsuite lists 10 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds WhatsApp. It does not list Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. Hootsuite has RSS auto post and bulk upload (CSV), which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Unified inbox with automated replies and message routing.
• Brand monitoring and social listening.
• iOS and Android apps.

Watch out for

• Client approval: Content approvals are on the Advanced plan and up.

More: Hootsuite review, Buffer vs Hootsuite, Postozo vs Hootsuite.

11. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a premium social media suite known for its Smart Inbox, reporting and customer care tools. Best for: Mid-size and enterprise teams that need a shared inbox, customer care and deep reporting.

Price. From $99 a month ($79 billed yearly), priced per user. 5 channels: Essentials plan: $99 per user a month ($79 billed yearly). 10 channels: Professional plan: $299 per user a month billed yearly. The monthly-billed price is not listed.

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels Buffer costs $50 a month against $299 for Sprout Social for 1 user, so Buffer is $249 a month cheaper (83% less). Sprout Social lists 12 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds Reddit, Snapchat and WhatsApp. It does not list Google Business Profile, Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. Sprout Social has RSS auto post and bulk upload (CSV), which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm. The free trial is 30 days on Sprout Social and 14 days on Buffer.

Strengths

• Smart Inbox, review management and customer care reports.
• Keyword and location monitoring, with listening as an add-on.
• iOS and Android apps on every plan.

Watch out for

• Public API: The Sprout API is on the Advanced plan.
• MCP server: Sprout runs a hosted MCP server; its help center says only ChatGPT is officially supported.

More: Sprout Social review, Buffer vs Sprout Social, Postozo vs Sprout Social.

12. Metricool

Metricool is a social media and ads analytics tool with scheduling, known for its free plan and reporting. Best for: Marketers who want analytics, ads reporting and scheduling in one place, starting free.

Price. From $25 a month ($20 billed yearly), priced per brand tier. 5 channels: Depends on brands, not channels. 1 brand is 1 business with 1 profile per network. Up to 5 brands cost $25 a month ($20 yearly); X is $10 a month extra per account.. 10 channels: Depends on brands, not channels. 1 brand is 1 business with 1 profile per network. Up to 5 brands cost $25 a month ($20 yearly); X is $10 a month extra per account..

Compared with Buffer. At 10 channels an exact price gap cannot be worked out, because Metricool prices by brand, not by channel. Metricool lists 11 networks against 12 for Buffer. It adds Twitch. It does not list Mastodon and Substack, which Buffer supports. Metricool has RSS auto post, bulk upload (CSV) and white label, which Buffer does not offer or we could not confirm.

Strengths

• Free plan, plus ads analytics for Facebook, Google and TikTok Ads and competitor tracking.
• Inbox for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile.
• iOS and Android apps.

Watch out for

• White label: Custom plan only.
• Tiered by number of brands. A brand is 1 business with 1 profile per network. X is a paid add-on at $10/mo per connected account.
• Free: 20 posts per month, 30 days of analytics. No LinkedIn or X.

More: Metricool review, Buffer vs Metricool, Postozo vs Metricool.

How to choose a Buffer alternative

Start with the 1 or 2 things that made you look away from Buffer. Then use the facts below. Prices are the lowest listed monthly price, with yearly billing where it is offered.

If price for 10 channels matters most

1. Postozo at $23 a month. 2. Postiz at $31 a month. 3. Publer at $36 a month (per Publer's own calculator, before extra members). Buffer itself is Essentials plan: $60 a month ($50 billed yearly).

If you want a free plan

Publer: Yes: 1 user, 1 workspace, 3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account. Planable: Free until you have used 50 posts. Agorapulse: Yes, after the trial you can keep using a free plan. Limits are not stated on the pricing page. Metricool: Yes: 1 brand, 20 posts per month, 30 days of analytics, 5 competitor profiles. LinkedIn and X not included.

If you post to many networks

Postiz lists 30, Postozo lists 28, Publer lists 13. Buffer lists 12. Check that every network you use is on the list before you move.

If you need a social inbox

Publer (Reply to comments on published posts from the calendar. We found no unified DM inbox), Later (Instagram, Facebook and TikTok conversations on Growth and Scale), SocialPilot (Standard plan and up), Planable (Paid add-on), Agorapulse, Vista Social, Sendible (Replies to comments are listed for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn), Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Metricool. Postozo has no inbox.

If clients must approve posts

Postozo (Approve or request changes from a review link, with approval rules per customer), Publer (Approval workflows for team members and external clients), Later (Content approval and external comment workflows are on Growth and Scale), SocialPilot (Client approval is on Premium and Ultimate), Planable, Agorapulse (Professional plan and up), Vista Social (Multi-stage approvals are not on Professional), Sendible (Plus plan and up), Hootsuite (Content approvals are on the Advanced plan and up), Sprout Social (Message approval workflows are on Professional and Advanced) and Metricool (Post approval system is on Advanced and up).

If you work with AI agents or your own code

These list both a public API and an MCP server: Postozo, Postiz, Publer (Business plan and up (API and MCP)), SocialPilot (Enterprise plan only), Planable (Pro plan and up), Agorapulse (Custom plan only), Vista Social (API access is arranged through your Customer Success Manager), Hootsuite, Sprout Social (The Sprout API is on the Advanced plan) and Metricool (API access is on Advanced and up). See how to connect Postozo to Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.

If you want a phone app

Postiz, Publer, Later, SocialPilot, Planable, Agorapulse, Vista Social, Sendible, Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Metricool list mobile apps. Postozo does not have one.

If you want a long trial

Agorapulse: 30 days, Sprout Social: 30 days, Later: 14 days. Postozo: 7 days, no card needed.

How to move from Buffer to Postozo

1. Start the Postozo 7-day trial. No card is needed.
2. Connect the same accounts you use in Buffer. You can also add networks Buffer does not list, such as Reddit, Telegram, Discord, Slack and 13 more.
3. If you manage clients, add a customer for each one and invite them with the client role.
4. Recreate your next week of posts in the Postozo calendar, or ask an AI app to do it through the API and MCP server.
5. Pause the queue in Buffer on the day you switch, so nothing posts twice.

Sources

Buffer facts checked on 29 September 2026 on these official pages: buffer.com/pricing, buffer.com/pricing.md. Prices and features change, so check buffer.com before you decide. Buffer is a trademark of its owner. Postozo is not affiliated with Buffer.

Facts about the other tools on this page come from their own official pages, listed in each review.