The short answer
Buffer is a simple social media scheduler known for its free plan and per-channel pricing. Publer is a low-cost social media scheduler known for flexible per-account pricing, bulk scheduling and recycling.
At 10 channels Publer costs $36 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Publer is $14 a month cheaper (28% less). Publer lists more networks (13 against 12). On the 15 features we track, Buffer has nothing Publer lacks, and Publer alone has RSS auto post and bulk upload (CSV).
Choose Buffer if you post to Substack and you want a longer trial (14 days). Choose Publer if you want the lower price for 10 channels ($36 against $50 a month), you post to WordPress and Telegram, you need RSS auto post and you need bulk upload (CSV).
Pricing
Buffer charges per connected channel, while Publer charges per social account plus per extra member. Compare them on the exact number of channels and people you have, not on the entry price.
Buffer: Per connected channel, with volume discounts above 10 channels. Yearly billing saves about 2 months. Publer: Per social account plus per extra member. Yearly billing is 20% off per the help center (the page says 2 months free).
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer Free | Free | Free |
| Buffer Essentials | $6 | $5 |
| Buffer Team | $12 | $10 |
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Publer Free | Free | Free |
| Publer Professional | $5 | Not listed |
| Publer Business | $10 | Not listed |
| Publer Enterprise | Not listed | Not listed |
Cost at 5 and 10 channels
The cheapest listed plan that covers the number of channels. Where a price depends on seats, brands or workspaces, the table says so.
| Buffer | Publer | Postozo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 channels | Essentials plan: $30 a month ($25 billed yearly) | 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 | Standard plan: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) |
| 10 channels | Essentials plan: $60 a month ($50 billed yearly) | Professional plan: $36 a month, per Publer's own calculator, before extra members | Team plan: $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) |
At 5 channels Publer costs $21 a month against $25 for Buffer, so Publer is $4 a month cheaper (16% less) (1 of these is an estimate). At 10 channels Publer costs $36 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Publer is $14 a month cheaper (28% less).
Cost for a solo user, a small team and an agency
Seats, brands and workspaces change the bill as much as channels do. This table picks the cheapest listed plan of each tool for 3 setups.
| Setup | Buffer | Publer | Postozo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Essentials: $30 a month ($25 billed yearly). Per channel, 1 user | Professional: about $21 a month. Estimate from Publer's calculator rates: about $4 per extra account and $2 per extra member | Standard: $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) |
| Small team | Team: $120 a month ($100 billed yearly). Per channel, unlimited users | Professional: about $40 a month. Estimate from Publer's calculator rates: about $4 per extra account and $2 per extra member | Team: $29 a month ($23 billed yearly). Unlimited team members |
| Agency | Team: $180 a month. Per channel, unlimited users; the yearly price above 10 channels is not listed | Professional: about $109 a month. Estimate from Publer's calculator rates: about $4 per extra account and $2 per extra member | Pro: $39 a month ($31 billed yearly). Unlimited team members |
For 5 channels and 1 person, Publer is the lowest at $21 a month and Buffer the highest at $25. For 10 channels and 3 people, Publer is the lowest at $40 a month and Buffer the highest at $100. For 25 channels and 5 people, Publer is the lowest at $109 a month and Buffer the highest at $180.
Trials and free plans
Buffer: 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.
Publer: 7-day free trial of Professional, 14-day free trial of Business. Paid features can be tried without a credit card. Free plan: Yes: 1 user, 1 workspace, 3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account.
Features
| Feature | Buffer | Publer | Postozo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client approval | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social inbox | Yes | Yes | No |
| Analytics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI writing help | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RSS auto post | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk upload (CSV) | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| White label | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client reports | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Link in bio page | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canva integration | Yes | Yes | No |
| Client connect link | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
Plan limits on key features
- Client approval. Buffer: Content approval workflows are on the Team plan only. Publer: Approval workflows for team members and external clients.
- Analytics. Buffer: included. Publer: Business plan and up.
- Public API. Buffer: Every plan includes API access with monthly request limits (3,000 to 15,000). Publer: Business plan and up (API and MCP).
- Client reports. Buffer: Reports on Essentials and Team; branded reports on Team only. Publer: Downloadable analytics reports, Business and up.
- Link in bio page. Buffer: Start Page, on every plan including Free. Publer: Through Linkie, on every plan including Free.
- Browser extension. Buffer: Every plan. Publer: included.
- Canva integration. Buffer: Every plan, plus Google Drive and Dropbox. Publer: Every plan, including Free.
Both list client approval, social inbox, analytics, AI writing help, public API, MCP server, mobile app, client reports, link in bio page, browser extension and canva integration.
Neither confirms white label and client connect link.
Area by area
How Buffer and Publer handle each part of the job, in the words of their own pages.
Publishing and scheduling
Buffer: Buffer posts to 12 networks, including Substack, Mastodon and Bluesky. The free plan holds 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time; paid plans remove that cap.
Publer: Publer posts to 13 networks, including WordPress and Telegram. Bulk scheduling handles up to 500 posts at once, including from a CSV file.
Team and client approval
Buffer: Essentials is for 1 user. Team adds unlimited users and approval workflows.
Publer: Pricing is per social account plus per extra member. Approval workflows work for team members and outside clients.
Inbox and replies
Buffer: A community inbox for replying to comments is on every plan. We found no direct message inbox on the pricing page.
Publer: You can reply to comments on published posts from inside Publer. We found no unified direct message inbox.
Analytics and reports
Buffer: Reports are on Essentials and Team, and branded reports are on Team only. The free plan keeps 30 days of analytics.
Publer: Analytics and downloadable reports are on Business and up.
AI help
Buffer: An AI assistant for writing posts is included.
Publer: AI help is included.
Integrations and apps
Buffer: Every plan, including Free, has Start Page (a link in bio page), the browser extension, Canva, Google Drive and Dropbox. API access is on every plan with 3,000 to 15,000 requests a month, and Buffer lists an MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
Publer: Link in Bio (through Linkie) and Canva are on every plan, including Free. There is a browser extension and a mobile app. The API and MCP server are on Business and up.
Networks
Buffer lists 12 networks and Publer lists 13. They share 11 networks: Bluesky, Facebook, Google Business Profile, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, X.
| Networks | |
|---|---|
| Only on Buffer | Substack |
| Only on Publer | WordPress, Telegram |
| On Postozo but on neither | Reddit, WhatsApp, SMS, Discord, Slack, Medium, Tumblr, DEV, Hashnode, Lemmy, Listmonk, Nostr, VK, Farcaster, Dribbble, Twitch, Kick |
Strengths from each side
Buffer
- Has a free plan for up to 3 channels.
- Has iOS and Android apps in the app stores.
- Start Page, Canva, Google Drive and Dropbox on every plan, including Free.
Publer
- Free plan and a very low entry price for 1 or 2 accounts.
- Link in bio and Canva even on the free plan, plus a browser extension and an app store mobile app.
- Replies to comments on published posts from inside Publer.
Postozo as a 3rd option
Postozo is a social media scheduler with 30 channel types, client review links, team roles, AI writing help, a public API and an MCP server. Plans are flat: $19, $29, $39, $79 a month for 5, 10, 30, 100 channels, with unlimited posts.
- Postozo costs $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) for 10 channels with team members. At 10 channels Postozo costs $23 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Postozo is $27 a month cheaper (54% less). At 10 channels Postozo costs $23 a month against $36 for Publer, so Postozo is $13 a month cheaper (36% less).
- Postozo supports Reddit, WhatsApp, SMS, Discord, Slack, Medium, Tumblr, DEV and 9 more, which neither Buffer nor Publer lists.
- Postozo has white label, which neither confirms.
- Postozo has client connect link, which neither confirms.
What you would give up: social inbox (Buffer and Publer have it) and canva integration (Buffer and Publer have it).
See Postozo vs Buffer and Postozo vs Publer for the full head to head pages.
More about each tool
Buffer review, Buffer alternatives, Publer review, Publer alternatives, Postozo pricing.
Sources
Is Buffer or Publer cheaper?
At 5 channels Publer costs $21 a month against $25 for Buffer, so Publer is $4 a month cheaper (16% less) (1 of these is an estimate). At 10 channels Publer costs $36 a month against $50 for Buffer, so Publer is $14 a month cheaper (28% less). Prices are the lowest listed per month, with yearly billing where offered, checked on 29 September 2026.
Which has more networks, Buffer or Publer?
Buffer lists 12 and Publer lists 13. Only Buffer: Substack. Only Publer: WordPress, Telegram.
Do Buffer and Publer have an API and MCP server?
Buffer: API yes, MCP yes. Publer: API yes, MCP yes. Postozo includes both on every plan.
Is there a cheaper option than Buffer and Publer?
Postozo is $19 a month for 5 channels and $29 for 10 with a team. It has no social inbox and canva integration, so check those first.
Which is cheaper for a team of 3 with 10 channels, Buffer or Publer?
For 10 channels and 3 people, Publer is the lowest at $40 a month and Buffer the highest at $100.
Do Buffer and Publer have client reports and a link in bio page?
Client reports: Buffer yes (Reports on Essentials and Team; branded reports on Team only), Publer yes (Downloadable analytics reports, Business and up). Link in bio: Buffer yes, Publer yes. Postozo includes both on every plan.
Can clients connect their own accounts in Buffer or Publer?
Buffer: not confirmed. Publer: not confirmed. Postozo has a client connect link on every plan.
Did you test Buffer and Publer?
No. This page compares facts from their official pricing and feature pages, checked on 29 September 2026.
Not sure about Buffer or Publer?
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