01Publer
Social media scheduling, collaboration, and analytics
Cheaper entry at $5 per month against $6. Adds Telegram. Also built for creators and small business.
Tool profile, verified 2026-09-03
Buffer
Social media publishing, analytics, and engagement for busy teams
Buffer is a social publishing, analytics, engagement, and AI assistant platform. It is aimed at busy individuals, creators, and small teams managing multiple channels.
Features
Checked against the vendor's own feature pages. A grey item means the vendor does not advertise it, not that it is impossible.
SchedulingVisual calendarAnalyticsUnified inboxAI writingApproval workflowBulk uploadRSS automationLink in bioMobile appWhite labelTeam collaboration
Buffer pricing
Buffer has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6 per month. 14-day free trial. Monthly-billing entry prices shown; paid plans are priced per channel. Annual billing is lower.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Publishing and basic tools; limited channels |
| Essentials | $6/mo | Publishing and analytics, priced per channel |
| Team | $12/mo | Team collaboration and publishing, priced per channel |
Source: https://buffer.com/pricing, verified 2026-09-03. Compare all tools on the pricing page.
Strengths and limits
Strengths
- Simple publishing workflow
- Free plan
- Per-channel scaling
Limits
- Per-channel pricing
- Advanced features require higher tiers
Buffer compared
Agorapulse vs Buffer$79/mo vs $6/moBuffer vs Hootsuite$6/mo vs $99/moBuffer vs Later$6/mo vs $18.75/moBuffer vs Loomly$6/mo vs $42/moBuffer vs Metricool$6/mo vs $22/moBuffer vs Planable$6/mo vs $33/moBuffer vs Postiz$6/mo vs $29/moBuffer vs Publer$6/mo vs $5/moBuffer vs Sendible$6/mo vs $29/moBuffer vs SocialBee$6/mo vs $29/moBuffer vs SocialPilot$6/mo vs $30/moBuffer vs Sprout Social$6/mo vs $79/moBuffer vs Typefully$6/mo vs $12.50/moBuffer vs Vista Social$6/mo vs $29/moBuffer vs Zoho Social$6/mo vs $10/moBuffer vs Hey Tasky$6/mo vs Not published
Closest alternatives to Buffer
Ranked by overlap in audience and networks.
02Metricool
Social media analytics, planning, and reporting
Also built for creators and small business.
03SocialBu
Schedule, automate, and manage social media
Adds Reddit. Also built for creators and small business.
04Simplified
AI design, writing, and social scheduling suite
Free to start; Buffer starts at $6 per month. Adds Reddit, Telegram and Snapchat. Also built for creators and small business.
Also read: Buffer alternative for AI-first social scheduling.
Buffer questions
How much does Buffer cost?
Buffer has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6 per month. 14-day free trial.
Does Buffer have a free plan?
Yes. Buffer offers a free plan. Monthly-billing entry prices shown; paid plans are priced per channel. Annual billing is lower.
Which social networks does Buffer support?
Buffer supports X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Google Business Profile.
Does Buffer have an API?
Yes. Buffer documents a public API at https://developers.buffer.com/.
What are the best alternatives to Buffer?
Based on audience and network overlap: Publer, Metricool and SocialBu. See the full Buffer alternatives page.